Cpl. Grimm Captured
Cpl. Furman Grimm was held as a POW for 4½ months in Germany's Stalag XIIIC during World War II. He is this edition's veteran feature subject.Gloria M. Hewlett has been collecting the stories of Bosque County veterans for a book that she is compiling. This is the 38th in a series of the stories she has given to The Record for publication.
CLIFTON - Cpl. Furman Grimm was born in Clifton to Mr. and Mrs. Enor Grimm. After finishing high school in Clifton in 1939, he entered the University of Texas at Austin.
Shortly after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, he joined the Army Enlisted Reserve Corps, and was called into active service in early 1943.
From Fort Sam Houston, Grimm was sent to the "Jap Trap" (a section of Camp Maxey at Paris, Texas, that was intended for detention of Japanese prisoners of war), however, very few were ever captured so the area was used by the 8th Service Command's ASFRTC for basic training.
After completing basic training, Grimm entered the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where he enrolled in an advanced phase of civil engineering. This became known as the Army Specialized Training Program. In addition to engineering curriculums, foreign languages, dentistry, and medicine were offered.
The program was abruptly cancelled in early 1944, and more than 100,000 trainees were reassigned to infantry, armored, and airborne divisions. Grimm found himself back at Paris, where he joined the 99th Infantry Division. After a brief training period, the Division was moved to the Boston area, where they staged for the European Theater of Operations.
The trip over the North Atlantic on the USS Explorer in a convoy was extremely rough, and not without anxious moments. A zigzag course was taken to avoid German U-Boats.
The ship docked at Glasgow, Scotland, and the division was moved by rail to the south of England. Final staging and preparations for combat were completed by early fall. It was necessary to cross the English Channel in LCMs so that landings could be made on the beaches near LeHavre, France.
After wading ashore through the wreckage of landing crafts and equipment, it became apparent that it had taken a massive effort and the loss of many lives to secure the beaches of France. This was the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge.
The Division moved through French and Belgium to an area where defensive positions were made along the border of Germany and Belgium. Other than sporadic mortar fire, overhead whining of enemy V-1 buzz bombs, and nighttime patrols, the area was considered a "quite" sector. However, the company commander was killed on one of the earlier patrols and several, including a good friend of Grimm's, sustained war-ending injuries.
A lack of intelligence and heavy overcast skies allowed the enemy to gather the last of their troops and push toward Antwerp where they hoped to split the American and British forces. The brunt of the German attack occurred near U.S. thinly-manned positions.
A few days before the 16th of December, 1944, the company was moved off the front lines to a reserve position. Showers, clean and suitable clothing for heavy snow, hot food, and, if lucky, an opportunity to see Marlene Dietrich, was in the offering. This never happened.
On the morning of Dec. 16, the Germans unleased an artillery barrage that seemed to last for an eternity. Since Grimm's company was in a former German training area, the German's 88s were incredibly accurate.
After much confusion and incorrect intelligence, the company was somehow able to hold the position the balance of the day. German Mark IV tanks followed by assault troops and air support overran the U.S. lines on Dec. 17.
On the morning of Dec. 18, the company, along with Regiment, withdrew, leaving a number of men out on perimeter ground without being alerted.
When the men realized they had been left behind, several of them went into a small town where cover was taken in the basement of a home. Later in the day, the men, including Grimm, were discovered and taken prisoner.
Suffice it to say, life as a POW for 4½ months in Stalag XIII C, Hamelburg, is another story.
Liberation by the 45th Infantry Division came the last day of May 1945 in the town of Wendlestein, near Nuremburg. After being flown to Camp Lucky Strike in France, Grimm and the other POWs were given immunization shots, deloused, given medical exams, and showered with soap.
The return home on the hospital ship, the USS George Washington, and news of Germany's unconditional surrender, increased moral. Then seeing the Statue of Liberty at the entrance to New York Harbor, made a perfect ending to the voyage.
Six weeks of rehabilitation at Hot Springs, Ark., and later a tour of duty as a cadreman at Camp Fannin, followed for Grimm. He was discharged from the Army in November 1945.
After graduation from the University of Texas at Austin in 1946, Grimm was employed as a geophysicist with the Humble Oil Refining Company (Exxon).
Grimm married Frances Bronstad in 1948, and two sons were born to this union, Steven and Michael. His employment as a geophysicist took the family to Los Angeles, Calif.; Roswell, N.M.; Midland, Texas; and Southeast Asia. He retired as Exxon's USA manager of geophysics.
After retirement from Exxon, Grimm managed a stock farm north of Meridian, and after retiring fully in 1980, the family moved to Clifton, where they resided for 20 years. The Grimm's recently moved to Temple.