Hellcat News (Garnet Valley, Pa.), Vol. 76, No. 7, Ed. 1 Wednesday, March 1, 2023 Page: 4 of 28
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Page 4 HELLCAT NEWS March 2023
that he was from Ft. Collins, Colorado. He told me that it has
been his hometown for many years. In the late 60s, CSU had
a brand-new stadium (football) and we deduced that when his
band was marching off the field, that I, as a member of the
Ram football team, was running through the tunnel to take
the field. I could not have known him then and he could not
have known me, even if he had noticed my last name in the
roster, for he was in the 17th AIB and my dad, Lt. Floyd Van
Derh oef [A/56], was in the 56th AIB. So, we did cross paths
back then, and in 2009, Bill Funke, John Critzas [A/714] and
Bill McCarthy [L/DIVJ were instrumental in assisting the
Van Derhoeffamily to make it a successful reunion in Branson
that year. ”
Thanks, Tom, I appreciate the time you took to write, and
I am looking forward to future correspondence. On a similar
note, I received a phone call from Kimberly Arndt [L] who
also enjoyed reading about Bill Funke. Some of you may recall
that for many years she drove Harles Miller [B] to reunions
and thereby became part of the 12th AD Association family. It
was good to hear Kimberly recalling the friendships she made
at the reunions, including Bill and Lola Funke, both of whom
she admired and looked up to. Incidentally, in a Hellcat News
issue several years ago, Bill referred to Kimberly as the 17th
‘professional’ social worker who was always busy helping
others. Kimberly, I appreciate the call, and let’s keep in touch!
I received an email from Julie McCarty [L] who was
kind to send me a synopsis she wrote some time ago of the
oral history interview with Wes Ferguson [A], who passed
away recently. With Julie’s permission, I am happy to share a
‘synopsis’ of her synopsis to honor this great veteran.
Wes was born in Colorado and was the youngest of four
children. His father was a farmer and died when Wes was 12
years old. Wes went to school in Missouri and Colorado but
left school after the 10th grade and worked various jobs while
still living at home with his mother.
In September 1943, Wes went to basic training at Fort
Knox. He was transferred to the 44th Tank Battalion of the
12th Armored Division while the 12th AD was on Tennessee
maneuvers. Wes received an eye injury during the maneuvers
and was hospitalized in Nashville, which kept him from
being sent to Japan with the 44th TB. After getting out of
the hospital, he was moved to the 17th Armored Infantry
Battalion, Company A, at Camp Barkeley, TX. Training there
was rough, due to the heat and the bayonet training. However,
Wes credited his good training to his survival of the war. He
remembered two of his leaders at Camp Barkeley. One was
Sgt. Walker, who Wes remembered as a reasonable person
and a good leader; the other was Capt. Hilton, who was fair
sometimes and strict always.
It was in Liverpool, England, on October 2, 1944, that Wes
was issued his semi-automatic rifle and ammunition. When
Wes landed in Le Havre, France, five months after D-Day,
there were 12 men in his squad. He was the only one who
made it through the war alive and uninjured. Wes’s first big
battle was Herrlisheim. He was under heavy fire and retreated
when all ammunition was gone. The 12th AD regrouped in a
village two or three miles from Herrlisheim where they waited
for relief from the 36th Infantry.
In February, Wes went on to the Colmar pocket. He
remembered seeing a lot of dead soldiers alongside the road
on his way to Colmar. He focused completely on his mission
in order to get through these tragedies. After Colmar, Wes,
along with the 12th AD, spearheaded Patton to the Rhine
River.
Wes took part in the liberation of Landsberg, but there are
no specific memories that he talked about.
When asked about friends he made, Wes said he never got
close to anyone at Camp Barkeley because of the situation he
knew they were going into. He did, however, become close to
Ray Landis (wounded and shipped home) and John Britus
(from New York) after landing in Europe.
After the war was over, Wes had too many points to be
shipped off to Japan, but not enough points to go home. So
while others in the 12th AD were preparing for home, Wes
was transferred to the 1st Armored Division, where he was
part of the post-war occupation. He finally came home in
March 1946. He was discharged at Fort Leavenworth, KS.
Thanks, Julie, for this great information! That is it for this
month and as always, be happy, safe, and well.
25RD TANK BATTALION
Geoff Lackey
923 Crosby Court, Columbia, TN 38401
931-223-8554 galackey98@gmail.com
Hello to all Hellkittens and Legacy! I hope everyone is
doing well this month. I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before,
but March always reminds me of the attack on the 23rd in
Lohnsfeld, Germany, which occurred on March 23, 1945
My interest in the events that unfolded on that day is
because that’s where my dad was wounded and where he
earned his Purple Heart.
I do have a copy of the attack written by Lt. Francis
Perkins [A] that I found in the July 2000 HCN. As far as I
can tell, it’s not been published since, although I included it in
a column here a few years ago, but I think it’s appropriate to
include this month. Here is Francis’s account:
“Shortly after arriving back north of the Vosges (from
Colmar) orders came down for a strictly secret night move.
We cranked engines and proceeded on a path guided only by
dim ‘cat eyes’ of the vehicle in front of you, the sound of the
tank engines, and an occasional military policeman.
“The next day we were told we were in the environs of
Trier, a French city just east of the Luxembourg border. That
was Patton country. We were now part of the Third Army
under the command of the legendary General George S.
Patton, Jr. Orders were that we be ready to move early the
following morning. I was transferred back to A Company of
the 23rd Tank Battalion, this time as motor officer (in charge
of vehicle maintenance). That meant going back to the same
company that I had trained with in the states, except it had
changed greatly in personnel through combat attrition.
“My old 3rd platoon stayed where they were in B
Company. A fine young Sergeant, W. Scott Holbrook [B],
was field-commissioned a Second Lieutenant, and became
platoon leader. He was later decorated with the Silver Star for
gallantry in action. Much later he would command a company
in Korea where he was wounded several times.
“When orders came to move, the secret was out: the 12th
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Twelfth Armored Division Association (U.S.). Hellcat News (Garnet Valley, Pa.), Vol. 76, No. 7, Ed. 1 Wednesday, March 1, 2023, newspaper, March 1, 2023; Garnet Valley, Pennsylvania. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1663345/m1/4/: accessed May 22, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum.