Nisei overcame vexing conditions to beat Germans

In his 1982 book, "Go For Broke," 442nd Regimental Combat Team veteran Chester Tanaka said the battle for the French towns of Bruyeres and Biffontaine in the Vosges Mountains 71 years ago was "the beginning of a far different kind of fight than the ones waged in Italy."

"Here the battleground was close to the German border. In Italy, the Germans could afford to trade real estate for time, men and materiel."

In Italy, the nisei soldiers had been accustomed to vast open fields. In France, the dense foliage of the Vosges proved challenging, obscuring enemy positions.

Retired Army Col. Young Oak Kim, who was the operations officer for the 100th Battalion, said before his death in 2005 that the Vosges region was "Tommy gun country" versus the "M-1 country" of Italy to emphasize the difference in the unobstructed battlefields of Italy compared to the heavily wooded hills of France.

The nisei solders were ordered to hold the Bruyeres sector at all cost, Tanaka wrote.

Tanaka said the Germans "were ready to use every trick in the book," including extensive land mines and booby traps, heavy artillery, rockets and mortar fire.

To take Bruyeres, the high ground had to be cleared, Tanaka wrote.

"The hills were covered with pine forests," he wrote. "The valley was open and clear — clear to the observing eyes of the enemy occupying the hills."

The Vosges Mountain campaign was conducted in near freezing rain that at times turned into light snow. Fir trees towering 60 to 200 feet provided a canopy of cover for German snipers.

The battle for the liberation of Bruyeres began on Oct. 15, 1944, when the 100th Battalion and the 2nd Battalion of the 442nd initiated assaults on a key road and rail center of the northwestern French town, according to various battle­field accounts compiled by nisei veterans.

The 442nd’s 3rd Battalion was held in reserve, while the 522nd Field Artillery Battalion was given the role of supporting the assault and the 232nd Combat Engineer Company continued its mission of removing land mines and other obstacles.

The advance was hindered by German mortar and artillery shells that burst in the trees shadowing the nisei soldiers.

Bruyeres was retaken on Oct. 19 and Biffontaine on Oct. 23.

After abandoning a frontal attack on the remaining German soldiers, a task force was formed with nisei soldiers from L and F companies, headed by Maj. Emmet O’Connor. In the dark of Oct 20, O’Connor’s task force moved to the left rear of the enemy.

At dawn of Oct. 21, O’Connor’s task force led the attack. Three hours after the surprise attack, the 2nd and 3rd battalions moved forward, catching the Germans in a pincer maneuver that led to the Germans’ defeat.

For this action, the L and F companies task force was awarded a Presidential Citation.