WWII vet recalls Battle of the Bulge:By Christie Bleck, The Mining Journal, December 17, 2017.MARQUETTE — Dick Wills probably is grateful for any bit of warmth that comes his way.

WWII vet recalls Battle of the Bulge:By Christie Bleck, The Mining Journal, December 17, 2017.MARQUETTE — Dick Wills probably is grateful for any bit of warmth that comes his way.

After all, it’s not everyone who has experienced frostbite, much less in a World War II setting.

Wills, 97, who lives at the Jacobetti Home for Veterans in Marquette, on Saturday reflected on his time spent in the Battle of the Bulge, which began Dec. 16, 1944 when, according to the U.S. Army Center of Military History, the German army launched a major counteroffensive in the wake of the Allied forces’ D-Day invasion of Normandy, France, earlier that year.

It was expected that counteroffensive would turn the tide in Adolf Hitler’s favor. The battle that ensued became known as the Battle of the Bulge.

The Germans struck in the Ardennes Forest, a 75-mile stretch of the European front characterized by dense woods and few roads and held by American divisions stationed there.

The Germans broke through the American front and advanced toward the Meuse River, creating the projection that gave the battle its name.

The Americans suffered about 75,000 casualties in the Battle of the Bulge, but the Germans lost between 80,000 and 100,000 men. By the end of January 1945, American units had retaken all the ground they had lost.

Through January, though, American troops often had to wade through deep snow drifts as they attacked the sides of the “shrinking bulge” until the front was restored.

Wills is familiar with such cold and adverse conditions. However, the Negaunee native survived them, allowing him to reach an age that’s approaching the century mark. He fought in the battle as a member of the 107th Engineers Association.

Wills was stationed in Bullingen, Belgium, which was on the German border.  “We had been there for several weeks,” Wills said. “Everybody was talking about the war getting over by Christmas. The only thing: Nobody told Hitler.

The German tanks hit first thing in the morning, he said. “We were fortunate,” Wills said. “We repulsed them the first time, although we had casualties, and then we fell back and they hit us again, and again, we repulsed them.

Wills said other American soldiers then took their place, since his group was composed of men who were mostly engineers, not infantry. “Our role was to stop the Germans from getting to that supply dump,” Wills said. “And we did.

For their efforts, the engineers received the Presidential Unit Citation. Wills was discharged on July 15, 1945 — weighing 126 pounds — and then came back to the area, eventually working in the Republic and Tilden mines. He moved to the Jacobetti Home in April 2016. Wills won’t talk about combat specifics.

However, he will talk about the brutal conditions the soldiers faced. “Up until then, the weather had been pretty good,” Wills said. “Then the snow came, and the cold weather.

They had to sleep in snowbanks, which in itself comes with some discomfort, but they also didn’t have the proper clothes.

All we had were shoes and little brown cloth gloves for our fingers,” Wills said.  He wore a blanket-lined jacket, meaning his body was warm enough, but his hands and feet weren’t OK. 

The result of the weather and inappropriate attire was frostbite.As is the case with many victims of this malady, the aftereffects remain.

I’m not even really cold in here, yet my hands are turning black,” Wills said in the comfort of the warm library at the Jacobetti Home. His fingers also split at times, plus there’s a loss of dexterity.

Wills, who calls himself 80 percent disabled, managed to work in the mines all those years because he worked inside. “I never had an outside job,” Wills said. “I don’t think I could have been able to work outside because of my hands.

He also stays active — the secret to a fuller life, as many health experts will say. “I make it a point to walk,” said Wills, who uses a cane crafted with his name spelled out vertically.

In fact, his doctor told him if he didn’t want to be in a wheelchair, walking was what he had to do. He also undergoes physical therapy every day at Jacobetti. “I’m very fortunate that I still have my mind,” Wills said.

There’s a lot of people here that don’t, but I’m fortunate. I know what’s going on.” Veterans have different memories of their battles, depending on the situation.

For Wills, late 1944 and early 1945 bring him his own particular thoughts. “In the Battle of the Bulge, we maintained roads and stuff like that, but it was being out in the cold,” Wills said.

It was miserable.” And for being 97, he can recall other details, but probably not all of them. “I still remember lots of things, but it’s … a long time ago,” Wills said.