Eric SCHELL Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Hello everybody, I'm new on this forum. At 01/18/2000, the member Kevin CHRISTENSEN wrote an thread about Hatten-Rittershoffen (WWII). I'm living in France, Alsace near Hatten-Rittershoffen. My mother was born in Hatten in 1934 and was living in this town in january 1944 as the opération "NORDWIND" begins. I would like to bring more information to this member (His father was soldier and was in this town) but his e-mail does'nt be activate. Does somebody know if Kevin Christensen (Lawrence, KS) can be joined on this forum ? Or what he has become ? Sorry for my english... I hope you'll understand me... Thank you for all answer you can give me. Eric 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stalins Organ Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 there is a number listed for that name in the Lawrence white pages telephone directory....... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieseltaylor Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Helpful for a non-native English speaker! Perhaps you could message the number : ) It would be useful to see what the original post says as there are a lot of Kevin Christensens in the US [545 plus]. So if it is not the dentist ....... There is another KC who has moved on to Pennsylvania and I have sent those details to Eric. BTW here is the nittygritty: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Does anyone know any good accounts of this battle during the Nordwind Offense in January 1945. Besides the stories I heard from my Dad, and Von Luck's comment from the German side that it was the worst fighting he saw anywhere, I haven't seen much. Nordwind is typically treated as an afterthought to the Bulge, if at all. As I recall, Charles Whiting's book on Nordwind doesn't say anything about the action. A reviewer of that book at Amazon makes this intriguing comment: "Hatten and Rittershoffen was an extremely vicious battle. Reviewer: A reader In the battle of Hatten and Rittershoffen over 5000 German and American soldiers were killed wounded or missing. Over 100 destroyed tanks of both sides littered the battlefield within and surrounding the utterly pulverized villages on the Northern Alsatian Plain along the upper Rhine River during the 12 day tank-infantry battle. This battle between the U.S 14th Armored,79th Infantry and 42nd Infantry Divisions and the German 21st Panzer, 25th Panzer Grenadier, 7th Parachute, and 47th Volks Grenadier Divisions should be the subject of exhaustive research because its received little attention from historians." I've seen a little bit in the 79th Divisional history, and some in a book called Winter Storm : War in Northern Alsace, November 1944 - March 1945 by Lise M. Pommois. Plus, I've seen a little bit about some of the 827th TD actions during the fight. All of this makes me very very curious. Anyone know any good sources or accounts? Kevin Christensen Lawrence, KS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for the information about "The Final Crisis"... that looks like a must have. Here's what I know, off the top of my head. At that point in the war, my Dad was a 1st Lt., acting as adjutant in headquarters company in the 813th TD battalion attatched to the 79th Infantry division. He spent Christmas with a French family in Hatten, and was pulled back when the offensive started. He talks about being strafed by rocket-firing Me 262s, watching the P-51 fighter cover run like hell when the jets came by, and coming back down when they were gone. He describes the sound of the big RR gun shells coming down, and taking out huge chunks of the town he was in. In the little villages of Hatten and Rittershoffen, the Germans occupied one side of the street, and the Americans the other for days. In the mornings, Panzers would drive down, shooting up one side, and in the evening, the Shermans would drive down the other. The wounded in the middle of the streets could only be retrived by sending Shermans to drive over them and pull them up through the hatches. Mortar crews were firing almost vertically, trying to shell directly across the street. The 79th Divisional history mentions moments when German and Americans were upstairs and downstairs in the same houses. The book Winter Storm shows before and after pictures of the villages.. and after it's all rubble. The 813th suffered more casualties in those two weeks than during the whole war from Tunisia, and Normandy to Berchtesgarten. They lost 24 our of 36 M10s. For part of the action, the took over some abandoned M18s. I've also seen lately that an 827th crew jumped aboard an abandoned M10, and broke up an attack. My dad said that at one point, surviving M10s and M18s of the 813th and 827th were formed into a quick-reaction force, responding to any German attacks. part of one company of the 813th was cut off, and until Harry Dunigan's little book about some 813th veterans, A War to Win, came out, no one in the battalion had any idea what happened to them. Dunigan talks about being surrounded and having to surrender. After the twelve days, the US forces pulled back under cover of a blizzard. Until Von Luck's Panzer Commander came out, my Dad was under the impression that the Germans had pulled out the same night. Jadgtigers were used during Nordwind. I got a third-hand account from a hobbiest in a San Jose model shop about meeting an old TD vet who showed him a picture of the young TD soldier standing next to a Jadgtiger with a hole in the side, and passing on the comment, "He got my buddy, but I got him." Kevin Christensen Lawrence, KS kskchris@sunflower.com 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric SCHELL Posted January 26, 2011 Author Share Posted January 26, 2011 Thank you very much for your answer. I may be wrong. I thought it was the dentist in Wichita, KS. But i got no response at this day from him. I'll look on the side of Pittsburgh... May be.... ! If somebody have some news, thank you for keeping me informed. Best regards ! Eric 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merkin Muffley Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 from http://www.sunstonemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/132%2002-09.pdf it says 'KEVIN CHRISTENSEN, B.A., English, is a technical writer living in Lawrence, Kansas. He has published several articles, including the recent, “The Temple, the Monarchy, and Wisdom: Lehi’s World and the Scholarship of Margaret Barker,” in Glimpses of Lehi’s Jerusalem. His email is kskchris@sunflower.com.' The document is dated May 2004. The pdf has some details on 'Sunstone', which may have something to do with sunflower.com and might be traceable via that organisation. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merkin Muffley Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 The first two pdfs referenced here http://www.thinlyveiled.com/kchristensen.htm have two (different) email addresses for him. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wicky Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 sunflower.com is an ISP in Kansas. www.sunstonemagazine.com might be able to put you on his trail. MMM He seems to be a mormon scholar - viola.. http://www.thinlyveiled.com/kchristensen/ChristmasStory.pdf Kevin Christensen 348 Middlegate Drive Bethel Park, PA 15102 KevinChristensen54@verizon.net 412-833-3727 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieseltaylor Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Easy : ) .... but i suspect we would not be quite so good searching in French! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric SCHELL Posted January 26, 2011 Author Share Posted January 26, 2011 from http://www.sunstonemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/132%2002-09.pdf it says 'KEVIN CHRISTENSEN, B.A., English, is a technical writer living in Lawrence, Kansas. He has published several articles, including the recent, “The Temple, the Monarchy, and Wisdom: Lehi’s World and the Scholarship of Margaret Barker,” in Glimpses of Lehi’s Jerusalem. His email is kskchris@sunflower.com.' The document is dated May 2004. The pdf has some details on 'Sunstone', which may have something to do with sunflower.com and might be traceable via that organisation. Hello, I tryed this e-mail but he doesn't work. He's not valid... Eric 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieseltaylor Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Wicky's - Looks favourite and I have sent a link to this thread : ) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric SCHELL Posted January 26, 2011 Author Share Posted January 26, 2011 Easy : ) .... but i suspect we would not be quite so good searching in French! Perhaps, but you know English is taught very young in all contry. This is not the case for French... On the web you can find sites that help you translate... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric SCHELL Posted January 26, 2011 Author Share Posted January 26, 2011 sunflower.com is an ISP in Kansas. www.sunstonemagazine.com might be able to put you on his trail. MMM He seems to be a mormon scholar - viola.. http://www.thinlyveiled.com/kchristensen/ChristmasStory.pdf Kevin Christensen 348 Middlegate Drive Bethel Park, PA 15102 KevinChristensen54@verizon.net 412-833-3727 Ok, i sent a mail on this address. Now there is more to wait ... Eric 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric SCHELL Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 Hello everybody, I wanted to thank you all very warmly to have contributed to my research to find this former member. This was the right e-mail (KevinChristensen54@verizon.net) Kevin Christensen answered. He told me today and good news, his dad is still alive. I dont know how to thank you. If someone is interrested by the (thanks) Battle of Hatten-Rittershoffen (January 1945) I can try to give you relevant information. A big thank you to all. Best regards, Eric SCHELL 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieseltaylor Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Yeah! Result. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Remarkable. Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wicky Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Well done Eric, yes please keep us posted on developments in the battle story. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric SCHELL Posted January 30, 2011 Author Share Posted January 30, 2011 Well done Eric, yes please keep us posted on developments in the battle story. Hi, what interests you about this particular battle ? Eric 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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