Sparks, Nevada 1990
My name is LeRoy Hanneman. I was drafted out of Ft. Sheridan, IL and joined the 3 AD at Camp Boregard, LA and stayed with them almost five years. I am a past President and and the present Sect/Tres of the 3 AD Assn.
We came down from Stolberg, Germany into the Ardennes. We came into Hotton, Belgium from the South side of the Orthe River and stopped in a square just before the bridge. We had stopped just six inches from a mine so we had to clear the whole area. Then we crossed the bridge and went into some buildings and in the loft. In the middle of the night we got some heavy mortar shells and had to leave. Next morning we took over the saw mill.
We were used as Infantry. A heavy mortar shell hit nearby and gave me a concussion. They were firing from a timberline near by and we went over and cleaned them out. We were fighting Germans in American uniforms. We could not tell the difference until we got close enough to see them walk They even had on our G I shoes and they walked different then if they had their own on. Some of our guys got trapped in the Norh East part of Hotton and hid in the basements until we came to their aid. Most of the Germans we killed and captured there were in American uniforms. We also came across a Germany tank painted like an American. Mostly our job in there was supposed to be to remove knocked out vehicles and keep the road clear .That's all I remember about being in Hotton except it was vere cold and it seemed the longer we were there the colder it got.
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