From France to Texas: WWII Belly Tanks from 'Lost Battalion' Saga Discovered in Vosges Mountains, Donated to U.S. Museum
With the help of a local French historian and FedEx, the artifacts will help tell the story of the 442nd/100th RCT and their role in helping rescue members of the 36th Texas Division.
For as long as Gerome Villain, 34, can remember, the people of his hometown of Beaumenil, France have extolled the stories of their common heroes: the American soldiers who helped liberate their small village during World War II.
At family dinners with his grandfather or as elders gathered to reminisce, the stories of the 36th Texas Division and the Japanese American soldiers of the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team became the stuff of legends.
"In the area of Bruyeres and Biffontaine, everybody here loves them! And I can tell you, there is something special between our veterans and the people of Bruyeres," writes Gerome in an e-mail to the Pacific Citizen.
In the nearby Vosges Mountains, Gerome often walks in the path of history, leading reenactment groups in the battles of the "Lost Battalion." This is the site where soldiers of the 36th Infantry Division struggled to fight off the Germans, eventually becoming trapped in October 1944. No one was able to rescue them until the famed 100th/442nd RCT was called in.
Last November with map and coordinates in hand, Gerome set off for the Vosges Mountains on a mission to find a bit of that history. After hours of seemingly endless miles, he finally discovered a P-47 belly tank that was used to help provide supplies for the trapped soldiers of the "Lost Battalion."
Now with the help of French officials, FedEx, and friends in the U.S., two belly tanks have been delivered to the Texas Military Forces Museum (TXMFM) in Austin and are set to be unveiled in a new exhibit this July.
"And now, these two belly tanks are at their new home," said Gerome. "I hope the new generation will learn what happened to the Texans and I hope too, they will never forget who and how they were rescued."
Homecoming
Elated with his discovery of not one but eventually five belly tanks, one of Gerome's first calls to the U.S. was to his friend Michael Higgins, son of Lt. Marty Higgins, commander of the "Lost Battalion."
"He tread his way to the forest and located them. To retrieve them is absolutely amazing. This artifact played such a critical role in the survival of the 'Lost Battalion'," said Michael, 57, from his home in Richmond Hill, Georgia.
Although the discovery of the belly tanks was an incredible find, moving them safely seemed to be an insurmountable task. Already rusted and decaying from years of exposure to sun and snow in the mountains, the two discussed how to get the belly tanks to the U.S.
Michael decided to call Jeff Hunt, director of the Texas Military Forces Museum.
"You expect to find things on the battlefield but to find a piece this large and in this good of a condition, an actual link to an historical moment in World War II. That's a remarkable thing," said Jeff.
Soon Jeff wrote a letter on behalf of the museum asking the French government for permission to remove the belly tanks. Once permission was granted, Gerome and his father brought the belly tanks to their home. Getting them out of France would not be so easy.
With few U.S. Army bases currently in Europe, FedEx graciously stepped in to help deliver the belly tanks to Texas, donating the entire cost of shipping of $10,000.
"The FedEx employees at Charles De Gaulle Airport did a fantastic job. They treated the belly tanks with the greatest reverence," said Jeff. "It was their way to express their gratitude for what the American soldiers did for them during World War II."
The belly tanks - along with other artifacts discovered by Gerome, including M1 Garand clips, spent shell casings, and fragments of 81mm mortar shells - will be unveiled July 18 and 19 at TXMFM. Soldiers from the 36th Texas Division and the 100th/442nd RCT are scheduled to attend.
Liberators
In Gerome's hometown nestled in the Vosges Mountains a monument honoring the American liberators has been erected. On a recent day, local school children placed flowers on the graves of these soldiers.
Today, the stories of the 36th Texas Division and the 100th/442nd RCT are part of the school curriculum ensuring that future generations continue to pass on their legacy.
"In the Vosges, we don't forget our liberators and we continue to honor them," said Gerome. "Please tell them MERCI for all they have done, for all these sacrifices ... we mustn't forget."
"To know that even the next generation will be made mindful of the sacrifices of the American soldiers is just touching, that they haven't been forgotten," said Michael, whose father will be inducted into the Texas Military Forces Hall of Honor during the July TXMFM ceremonies.
The battles of the "Lost Battalion" and the Japanese American rescuers were often Michael's bedtime stories. His father would also tell him about the 405th Fighter Squadron, the fighter pilots who risked dangerous conditions to drop the belly tanks to the desperate soldiers.
Although the belly tanks were used to carry extra fuel, they were modified so that needed supplies like food, medical supplies, ammunition, and radio batteries could be dropped down to the American soldiers who had been isolated for days.
With the unveiling of the belly tanks exhibit, museum organizers hope to tell the full story of the "Lost Battalion," a saga that includes the 36th Division, the 100th/442nd RCT, and the 405th Fighter Squadron
"It was their perseverance and courage, that they were not going to leave their fellow GIs to the Germans," said Jeff. On the battlefield you "stop being white, or black or Japanese American, they are all GIs and all GIs are brothers. They would lay down their lives for each other."
JA Legacy
Terry Shima, a 442nd veteran and executive director of the Japanese American Veterans Association (JAVA) will head to Texas this July to witness the unveiling of the belly tanks.
It was last November that he first heard from Gerome about his discoveries.
"When I saw the photo of the belly tank ... I felt a tingle in my spine," said Terry. "It immediately connected me with the elation of the trapped men who now had something to eat, medical supplies to care for their wounded, and ammunition to repel the repeated German attacks.
"These belly tanks, the lifeline, is a sobering sight to see."
Terry will be joined by Bob Nakamoto, JAVA president, and Yeiichi Kelly Kuwayama, a 442nd RCT combat medic who is scheduled to speak at the event.
They hope to tell the stories from the Vosges Mountains but to also remind people that many of these JA soldiers fought to prove their loyalty to a country imprisoning family members.
"The sacrifices made by those men who fell in making the rescue ... I hope the new museum exhibit will show that we were fellow Americans rescuing other fellow Americans," said Kelly.
Susan Uyemura, a Sansei who founded the organization JA Living Legacy, plans to head to Texas this July. The chance to see the belly tanks and to meet the heroic soldiers firsthand is something she can't pass up.
"I know in my heart, I am one of the lucky ones because I know that in 20 years, people will ask about these brave men and I can say I had the chance to meet and talk with them."
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