Uncle Bill and World War II - A Timeline

NOTE: My mother's brother, my Uncle Bill, participated in many of the major battles of the European theatre during World War II. This page and others reveal his experiences. For a full listing, see the bottom of this page. The photo at left is one of the rare photos I have of my uncle. It was taken after the war.

Bill's War, in Order

My uncle's stories are spread over several pages, and he didn't always tell them in the order they happened. Here they are in order, with a link to the page where each one is told. Where a date is marked "about", it's my best estimate.

Before the War

• February 1919: Bill is born.
• Joining up: Because of his poor eyesight, Bill is classified as "limited service" and does only six weeks of basic training. He becomes an aide to Major Stewart, supporting the Long Toms of the 981st Field Artillery Battalion, VII Corps. (Uncle Bill and World War II)

England, Spring 1944

• Weekends in Bournemouth: tea shops, English movies, and two girls at the dance hall who did the unit's mending. (Another "Radar")
• The hoax on the sergeant, played "in camp", probably in England. (The Hoax)
• "The sausage": sealed camps, waterproofed vehicles, and itchy anti-gas clothing. (Normandy)

France, Summer 1944

• June 6, 1944: The main group leaves on D-Day. Bill stays behind with the reserve party and has strawberry shortcake. (Normandy)
• About June 9 to late June: The reserve leaves without them while Major Stewart is visiting London. Two weeks later, the MPs suspect Bill of being AWOL. He crosses to France the next morning. (Normandy)
• Cherbourg, June 18–29: The infantry comes and goes, but the artillery stays in the line: the start of Bill's "three hundred days of continuous combat." (Cherbourg)
• The hedgerows and St. Lo, July: The bombing that fell short, the breakout, and the night of the gas scare. (St. Lo)
• Falaise and Mortain, August 11–21: Bill's first gray hairs, a night among the wreckage, and the German pots and pans. (Falaise Pocket)

Belgium and Germany, Fall 1944

• About early September: Shelling the fort at Dinant, and meeting the Irish lady married to a Brussels banker. (Aachen, Another "Radar")
• About mid-September: The 981st is the first heavy artillery battalion through the Siegfried Line. (Aachen)
• Aachen, October 2–21: Firing back to the northwest, into the city. (Aachen)
• The Hurtgen Forest, about November: The wounded of the "Bloody Bucket" division. (Battle of the Bulge)

The Battle of the Bulge, Winter 1944–45

• About December 17 or 18: A 4 a.m. start in an unheated car with the pot-bellied stove, and gasoline traded for three more stoves. (Another "Radar", Battle of the Bulge)
• During the battle: Wood from the King's Forest, and a night of shelling Peiper's tank column. (Another "Radar", Battle of the Bulge)
• Christmas Eve 1944: Bill's last clear memory until the battle ended. (Battle of the Bulge)
• About late January 1945: The battle ends, but there's no rest camp: it's back to the Hurtgen Forest, with a detour to Spa for steaks and beer. (Battle of the Bulge, Another "Radar")

Germany, 1945

• About February: The log hut bought for three bottles of whiskey, and Two Girls and a Sailor over and over in a barn. (Another "Radar")
• About late February: Breaking out of the Hurtgen Forest. An ammunition truck hits a land mine, and Bill has his darkest moment. (Hurtgen Forest)
• About early March: Shelling the railroad bridge at Cologne, and a close call with shrapnel. (Hurtgen Forest, Another "Radar")
• About March: Crossing the Rhine near Remagen, and the Nazi liquor cave. (Another "Radar")
• About late March and April: The race to surround the Ruhr: the German airfield at night, and the two Tiger tanks that turned away. (Battle of the Bulge)
• About mid-April: The army stops, and Bill wins a three-day pass to Brussels. (Another "Radar")

After the War

• About summer 1945: Waiting at Camp Lucky Strike, and five trips to Paris with the Colonel. (Another "Radar")
• About the mid-1980s: Bill goes back to Cologne, "almost forty years later." (Another "Radar")
• 1993: Bill writes his 26-page account for his family. (Uncle Bill and World War II)

Here are the battles that Bill experienced:

• Normandy June 6, 1944
• The Battle of Cherbourg June 18, 1944
• Battle of the Hedgerows and Battle of Saint Lo July 7-19, 1944
• Battle of the Falaise Pocket August 11-21, 1944
• Battle of the Hurtgen Forest September 19, 1944 - February 10, 1945
• The Fall of Aachen October 2-21, 1944
• Battle of the Bulge December 16, 1944 - January 25, 1945

Or return to Main Page to check out other battles, other stories. (This page last edited on October 12, 2026.)