Peipers Route at the battle for the bulge

Then a mortal shell hit the third or fourth vehicle in the back of me. And a few more back got hit by a tank shell as it knocked the vehicle over. I could hear a tank coming down the road and spotted it as it made the turn. It was firing at random in the ditches with a machine gun, and as he approached he raised his arms and said Auk,Auk, and at the same time he motioned us back to the rear. I raised my hands and walked back and as I passed a German standing up in a vehicle and looked at me and said, "It's a long way to Tipperary". I wondered why he said this as continued down the road. At this time the German column continued to move by. When I got to the field where the rest of the men were. I was searched and told to go in the field with the other men. We stood around in several groups expecting some trucks to come, pick us up and take us back to a POW camp. There was a half-track and two tanks on the road that appeared to guard us. Then I saw a Kraut in the half-track stand up and point his pistol, and shoot an American soldier then another and a third. Then the two tanks started raking us with machine gun fire and I fell to the ground without being hit, face down. They kept firing for some time and I could head the bullets hitting the bodies and the ground near me. Then a column of vehicles passed by and they shot at us also, and then a pause and another group of vehicles came by and they did the same. After that there was another pause. Then I could hear two Germans talking and approaching in my direction and they came and stood right over me. There was a man's body lying on my leg. He moved and one of them shot him with a pistol. The bullet finished him off and went into my knee, but I did not move. Some time later, maybe half an hour, after the sound of vehicles was gone I could hear some talking nearby and a voice said, "Let's make a break". Ten or fifteen American soldiers come by me, heading for the woods heading for the woods on both sides of the field.

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Then a mortal shell hit the third or fourth vehicle in the back of me. And a few more back got hit by a tank shell as it knocked the vehicle over. I could hear a tank coming down the road and spotted it as it made the turn. It was firing at random in the ditches with a machine gun, and as he approached he raised his arms and said Auk,Auk, and at the same time he motioned us back to the rear. I raised my hands and walked back and as I passed a German standing up in a vehicle and looked at me and said, "It's a long way to Tipperary". I wondered why he said this as continued down the road. At this time the German column continued to move by. When I got to the field where the rest of the men were. I was searched and told to go in the field with the other men. We stood around in several groups expecting some trucks to come, pick us up and take us back to a POW camp. There was a half-track and two tanks on the road that appeared to guard us. Then I saw a Kraut in the half-track stand up and point his pistol, and shoot an American soldier then another and a third. Then the two tanks started raking us with machine gun fire and I fell to the ground without being hit, face down. They kept firing for some time and I could head the bullets hitting the bodies and the ground near me. Then a column of vehicles passed by and they shot at us also, and then a pause and another group of vehicles came by and they did the same. After that there was another pause. Then I could hear two Germans talking and approaching in my direction and they came and stood right over me. There was a man's body lying on my leg. He moved and one of them shot him with a pistol. The bullet finished him off and went into my knee, but I did not move. Some time later, maybe half an hour, after the sound of vehicles was gone I could hear some talking nearby and a voice said, "Let's make a break". Ten or fifteen American soldiers come by me, heading for the woods heading for the woods on both sides of the field.

Ardennes Battle for the Bulge Malmedy Normandie Peiper Vad Var Vem

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Peipers Route at the battle for the bulge