The Hadwen Family of Lancashire

Owen McKean Laughlin, at the age of 32, enlisted for service in the US infantry and arrived at training camp in Little Rock, Arkansas on April 1, 1944. He was made squad leader his second day at camp. After arriving in Europe, he was made acting Sergeant of his group.

My father often told stories about his experiences in WWII during the fall and winter of 1944. He talked about being in the woods of Bastogne and sleeping in the snow, and about the day he was shot during a confrontation with a resistant group of German soldiers. That day his troops were moving through the woods, encountering small groups or individual Nazis who either fled or fired at them. Suddenly, they came upon what dad called a “nest” of Germans who began firing aggressively at him. Dad asked a couple of the other soldiers to fire a few shots into the pile of brush around the enemy’s hole. Then, he took a grenade in his left hand and his rifle in his right, and began to run toward the nest. Just as he dropped down to take a position, he was shot in the arm. He managed to crawl back to where his men were, and one of them helped dad to continue firing with his left hand, until the group of Nazis finally broke up and retreated. That ended the resistance and the company advance continued.He was one of many injured at Bastogne, but always said he considered himself one of the lucky ones, because he might have been killed. He was sent first to a Paris hospital and then transferred to a hospital in England where his right arm was amputated. That operation saved his life, since gangrene had developed and he almost died. My father received the Distinguished Service Cross for bravery, and the Purple Heart for his injuries during the Battle of the Bulge. His experience is mentioned In a book titled “The United States Army in World War II - European Theater of Operations - The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge,” by Hugh M. Cole (p. 509). Except for the war, dad lived his whole life in Michigan.

This is his story in his own words: “…Let’s go back 41 years to the most exiting year of my life…I was made a squad leader in the 2nd day in camp and was the only one in camp to hold the position for the full 17 weeks. I took off 75 lbs. during this time. I arrived at Little Rock on April 1, 1944. At this time I firmly resolved to be the best I could be and to go as far as I could…When I arrived at Mannincourt we were in the village...This was the time that Patton was stopped because they took his gas and amunition away. We were here for about 20 days outposting Mannincourt and Clemery...I was amazed when we were assigned positions at Mannincourt, we were placed on the forward side of the hill towards the little town held by the Nazis...My platoon leader was Lt. McFarland...We lost approximately 75-100 men on Xmas day...We lost most of the officers during the artillery barrage Xmas day. I was given my acting Sergeant on the morning of December 26. We received a few replacement that morning. I do not know the name of the village that we took after dark on Xmas day. Either the 4th or the 10th tank units were with us but refused (to) go in the village ahead of us. They said they had already lost 4 tank in there, they were right. We found 4 men in a barn, most were wounded. On the morning of the 26th, we were on the way towards Bastogne (I did not know about the 101st at the time) we walked through the edge of the wooded section all day with no contact. I spotted a Nazi walking alone in a section about 50 yards away, I motioned a halt and fired. He dropped and called out “wounded”. He got up and surrendered. We then advanced maybe a mile or so, till we ran into a Nazi company dug in a section of the wooded area. A tank was between the sections. They were firing at a Nazi tank about a mile away. One of the rifle platoon started across the 50 yards or so in back of the tank. They were fired on and dropped and we could not tell if they were wounded. Suddenly, an officer ran in front of the tank just as it fired. He dropped like a shot. Almost immediately a huge 6’4” Nazi MG with the belt over his shoulder (an amazing sight) started firing at the tank… At about this time a group of about a dozen Nazis came out of the end of the woods and stood there for a few seconds talking, I called up my M.G. and he sat there and fired up in the air. I kicked him off the gun, and dropped down, but it was too late, they ran down a hill and got away. I called for mortar from the mortar platoon, but they were under orders not to fire unless ordered by Lt. McFarland. This made me pretty mad. We then moved across the gap in back. We entered the woods where the rest of the Nazis were dug in as we advanced, some of the riflemen were hit by rifle and M.G. fire. I spotted an M.G. crew running away. I fired and hit 3 of them including the M.G. operating. Right after this I looked to the left and there was a large Nazi in a hole, he was about 30 ft. away. I guess I must have had a case of buck fever as I did not fire - I just stayed on my knees. He turned towards me and missed. I fired at him, and missed and dropped into the hole. All of our outfit had dropped to the ground. I decided to go after him with a grenade. There was a group of fellows with us who were from a I and R group who were used to operating in the dark and who were, when confronted with the enemy in daylight, were helpless. I borrowed a grenade from 1 of them and asked a couple of them to fire a few shots into the pile of brush around the Nazi’s hole. I took off my pack and with the grenade in my left hand and my rifle in the right hand began to run past his hole. I suddenly realized I was not getting any cover fire, so I started to drop to the ground when I was hit in the right shoulder. I dropped the grenade (pin not pulled), dropped my rifle and rolled over (screaming) several times. Finally my screams stopped. One of my squad named Miller from Texas called to me and asked me if I could get back to the others. I crawled back on my back. As I got back there, the fellow I was after jumped up and started to run and Miller put his rifle to my shoulder (left), held it for me and sighted it and shot the fellow in the back - about 20 feet away. That ended the resistance and company advance continued. I want to comment about a columnist (a retired Col.) commented in Stars and Stripes and numerous papers and magazines about the fact that many members of the U.S. infantry refused to shoot Nazi troopers. The story I told you about my M.Gunner who would not shoot at a dozen Nazis in a group…we reached the woods - I ordered them to set up their M.G. at the left end of our line. They refused to do so. By the way, the Pvt. Miller who helped me was later made a Lt. Also, Lt. McFarland visited me at my home in Lapeer. He told me that had I lasted another few weeks, I would have been given a commission. In the hospital in England they found I had been shot with an explosive bullet, pieces went from my shoulder to my wrist, cut in both arteries below the elbow. Gangrene set in and before I got to England, my hand was turning black. I was first shipped to a large hospital near Paris where my doctor told me that I had circulation down to my hand and wanted to amputate my hand. I approved and he set a time for the operation. Before he could do it, his superior stopped it. I was then shipped to England to a big hospital at Stourport. They amputated my arm on the 28th of January—I arrived back in New York on April 1, 1945, 1 year after my induction. What a year!”

The account in http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/academic/history/marshall/military/wwii/Battle.of.Bulge/Green.Book/chap_21.txt The advancing Americans of the two combat commands and the attached infantry found that more and more of the enemy were willing to lay down their arms after honor had been satisfied by token resistance, but for each point where the combination of American fighter bombers, artillery, tanks, and infantry won quick surrender there was a crossroad, a patch of woods, or a tiny collection of houses to which a tough young officer and a few men clung fiercely. Bravery was matched with bravery. Pfc. O.M. Laughlin of the 318th broke up one German position with hand grenades after he had been hit in the shoulder and could not use his rifle. (He received the DSC) 80th Division Website: “the 80th Division's 2nd Battalion, 318th Infantry...helped relieve American forces surrounded at Bastogne.”