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Chaplain Gerhardt J. C. Gerike

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His Church Service Hit By Battle

 Pastor Gerhardt J.C.Gerike, of Fredericktown, served as a chaplain during World War II.  Gerhardt and two brothers served during the conflict and one brother served in Korea.

Chaplain Gerike entered service in March 1944 from Corder, Mo., where he had been serving Zion Lutheran congregation.   After training at Harvard University, he was assigned to the Ninth Armored Division, Commanding General John Leonard.  The Ninth was located at Camp Polk, La.

The Chaplain was greeted with "Hello, Chaplain, Let's get you POM qualified."  The division was preparing to move overseas and did leave in August 1944.

The division moved to Fort Dix, N.J.  When they were ready, they boarded the Queen Mary and set sail for Scotland.  Services were conducted by the chaplains almost daily at various locations on the ship.

Landing in Scotland, the division boarded trains for the trip to Tidworth Barracks in southern England.  There the division was equipped with vehicles and all necessary gear.  They boarded LST's and crossed the channel.

The division landed at Omaha Beach and moved inland in France.  From there they moved through Paris to Luxembourg to move into the front lines.  Division headquarters were located at Hoelenfels.  Division Trains and the band were headquartered at Sacul.  The MP company was quartered in Mersch, Combat Command A and B and R (reserve) were on the front lines facing Germany.

Chaplain Gerike conducted a variety of services on Sundays and weekdays until the assigned units had been covered.   He visited CCR troops on the line, bringing spiritual and other supplies to the men.  From some of the locations, the Siefgried line could be seen.  With field glasses, the German soldiers could be observed coming out of their bunkers and doing their morning routines.  The chaplain also did some translating from German into English at various times.

It was December and plans were being made to celebrate Christmas.  It was to be a special Christmas shared by the GIs and the local residents.  The varied Christmas traditions were to be highlighted.

All this suddenly went up in smoke - the smoke of battle.  The German last-ditch offensive was begun.  Somewhere this description originated: "Hey, there's an old man with a pitch fork coming across the line...Check that! It's a pioneer patrol coming...Oh, (mild expletive) the whole German Army is coming!"  And it was.

The Battle of the Bulge was begun and the Ninth Armored received it's blood bath.  Eventually, band members, cooks and clerks were sent into the lines to blunt any attack aimed at the city of Luxembourg.

Meanwhile, troops of the Ninth Armored were engaged in fierce fighting.  Units were overrun, they regrouped only to be overrun again.  The weather was foul.  There was snow on the ground.  Freezing temperatures prevailed.  Visibility was lousy.   Worse yet, no air support.  Planes could not fly in such bad weather.

Massive troop movements plugged the narrow roads as they tried to make their way to Bastogne.  There the German offensive finally ground to a halt when the Americans refused the offer to surrender with the famous "Nuts!"  "Nuesse?"  The Germans didn't know what to make of that.

Meanwhile the Ninth Armored had moved to the Metz area where they received replacements of men and material to be prepared to spear head a drive to the Rhine.  Chaplain Gerike traveled with a forward aid station. Elements of the Ninth Armored captured the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen on March 7, 1945.

Allied Forces moved to a pre-determined line drawn up by allied politicians and waited for the Russian forces to move into Berlin.  Many GIs were unhappy about the situation.  The subsequent blockade of Berlin seemed to indicate that they had reasons to be unhappy.

The end came on May 8, 1945, in Germany and August 1945 in Japan.

Chaplain Gerike, who had been commissioned as a First Lieutenant, received his captain's bars in 1945.  He was also awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service.

In addition to the Ninth Armored Division, the chaplain served with the First Infantry Division, the Fourth Armored Division and returned to the states with the 90 Infantry Division.

He landed, after a very stormy crossing which included a fire in the galley, on Dec. 25, 1945.  He was assistant train master as troops were moved from the Boston area to St. Louis and Jefferson Barracks in 1946.

The Ninth Armored received battle stars for the Ardennes, Rhineland and Central Europe campaigns.

  The DAILY JOURNAL, St. Francois County., Wednesday, April 26, 1995.

 
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