World War II Honoree

Charles Joseph Zullig, Sr.

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Bergenfield, New Jersey

Honored By

Kathleen Pienta

Relationship

Daughter

ENTERED THE SERVICE ON FEBRUARY 25, 1941. HE WAS SWORN IN AT NEWARK AND REPORTED TO CAMP DIX, NEW JERSEY. HE WAS TRAINED AT FORT BENNING, GEORGIA AS AN INFANTRY DRAFTEE. AFTER BASIC TRAINING HE WAS SENT INTO THE ORDERLY ROOM AS A CLERK AND THEN APPLIED FOR OFFICER CANDIDATE SCHOOL IN JANUARY 1942. HE WAS ACCEPTED AND SPENT 3 MONTHS TRAINING TO EARN HIS SECOND LIEUTENANT’S BAR. HE WAS SENT TO FORT MCCLELLAN, ALABAMA AND WAS REASSIGNED TO THE 80TH DIVISION TO CAMP FOREST, TENNESSEE AROUND JUNE 1942. PROMOTED TO FIRST LIEUTENANT AND WAS CADRE TO THE 106TH INFANTRY DIVISION AT FORT JACKSON, SOUTH CAROLINA. HE WAS COMMANDER OF COMPANY F, 423RD INFANTRY DIVISION. PROMOTED TO CAPTAIN AFTER A FEW MONTHS. HE HAD ONE OF THE FIRST GROUPS OF 18-YEAR-OLD DRAFTEES AND GAVE BASIC TRAINING ALL THE WAY UP TO COMPANY LEVEL. FROM THERE HE WENT ON TO ADDITIONAL TRAINING WITH THE BATTALION, REGIMENTAL AND DIVISIONAL PROBLEMS. HE THEN WENT ON TO MANEUVERS IN TENNESSEE FOR 3 MONTHS AND TRAINED BETWEEN DIVISIONAL PROBLEMS. FROM THERE HE AND DIVISION WERE MOVED TO CAMP ATTERBURY, INDIANA IN 1944 AND BEGAN TRAINING FOR OVERSEAS DUTY. SENT TO FORT MILES STANDISH IN MASSACHUSETTS. SAILED ON THE QUEEN ELIZABETH FROM NEW YORK IN LATE OCTOBER 1944. SPENT 5 DAYS AT SEA AND LANDED IN THE FIRTH OF CLYDE, SCOTLAND. HE WAS TAKEN BY TRAIN TO CHELTAMAN, ENGLAND FOR FURTHER TRAINING WITH EQUIPMENT. AFTER ABOUT A MONTH, HE WAS TAKEN ACROSS THE CHANNEL TO CHERBOURG, FRANCE. TRANSPORTED BY TRUCKS THROUGH BELGIUM INTO MEDELLE, GERMANY WHERE HE WAS IN SECOND BATTALION RESERVES, ONE OF ONLY TWO battalions in reserve for a 27 mile front. HE had A limited amount of ammunition. HE WAS ALERTED TO MOVE ONTO THE FRONT LINES ON DECEMBER 16, 1944 TO BLOCK THE BREAK THROUGH OF THE GERMANS IN THE BULGE. HE WAS BEATEN BACK AND EVENTUALLY CAPTURED ON DECEMBER 19, 1944 IN THE VICINITY OF SCHOENBURG, GERMANY AND WAS MOVED BY TRAIN TO STALAG 9B. FROM THERE ON WAS TAKEN TO OFLAG 13B IN HAMMILBERG, GERMANY UNTIL LATE FEBRUARY 1945 WHEN GENERAL PATTON SENT A REINFORCED RIFLE COMPANY TO LIBERATE THEM. G3 EXPECTED 100 OFFICERS AT THE CAMP, BUT THERE WERE APPROXIMATELY 1,000. AFTER LIBERATION, HE WAS WITH ONE OF THE LAST GROUPS TO GET ON TOP OF A HILL OUTSIDE PRISON CAMP AND REQUESTED THE COMMANDING OFFICER WHEN THE TRUCKS WERE TO PICK THEM UP. HE HAD BEEN AWAY FROM THE FRONT LINES FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS AND DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHERE HE WAS. THE TRUCKS MOVED ON AND THE PRISONERS WERE LEFT BEHIND. BEING without FOOD OR ARMS OF ANY KIND THE GERMANS RECAPTURED HIM AND MARCHED HIM BACK TO THE BARRACKS. SINCE HE SPOKE GERMAN, THE COMMANDING OFFICER OF THE CAMP TOLD HIM THAT ALL THE MEN MUST RETURN INTO THE BARRACKS OR BE SHOT. HE WAS AWAKENED ABOUT 2:00 AM AND TOLD TO SPREAD THE WORD THAT THEY WERE MOVING OUT WITHIN THE HOUR. ANY MEN LEFT BEHIND WOULD BE SHOT IF THEY DID NOT JOIN THEM. HE WAS MARCHED OUT AND MOVED IN A SOUTHERLY DIRECTION. THE COOKING STAFF WAS TAKEN BY TRUCK TO THE NEXT billeting AREA AND HAD FOOD PREPARED WHEN THEY ARRIVED ON FOOT AFTER WALKING AN ENTIRE DAY. HE SLEPT IN BARNS AND WAS MARCHED FOR DAYS THROUGH BAVARIA. HE ARRIVED OUTSIDE OF NUREMBERG; AND RESTED IN A WOODED SECTION BY THE RAILROAD YARDS. THE FULL ALARM WENT OFF. THE LAST STICK OF BOMBS WHEN THE PLANES FLEW THROUGH FELL RIGHT INTO HIS REST AREA. QUITE A FEW OFFICERS WERE KILLED AND INJURED. IN SPITE OF HIS BEING WOUNDED, HE KEPT WITH THE GROUP. HE AND A GROUP RIPPED UP SHEETS TO SPELL OUT POW PANELS FOR THE AMERICAN PLANES TO SEE SO THEY WOULD NOT STRAFE THEM. LATER ON THAT DAY, HE SAW A BIG SIGN THAT DECLARED THE CITY FREE. IT WAS A HOSPITAL TOWN, GARSAM INN. ALL ARMED MEMBERS OF ANY SERVICE WERE REQUIRED TO TURN IN THEIR ARMS IF THEY STAYED MORE THAN 24 HOURS TO THE HOSPITAL AUTHORITIES. THE German guards TURNED in THEIR guns AND WERE captured by the Americans. THIS IS WHERE HE WAS LIBERATED. WHEN IT WAS REALIZED HE SPOKE GERMAN, HE ORGANIZED GERMAN MP'S TO WEAR WHITE ARMBANDS AND HAVE ALL ARMS TURNED INTO THE HOSPITAL AUTHORITIES IN PREPARATION OF THE INVASION OF THE AMERICAN TROOPS. 24 HOURS LATER, THE 14TH ARMORED ENTERED THE AREA AND HE TOLD THE LEADING TANK COMMANDER THAT IT WAS A SAFE CITY, ALL THE ARMS WERE TURNED IN, AND THE GERMAN MP'S WERE UNARMED AND WOULD COOPERATE WITH THEM. THE COMMANDING OFFICER OF THE ARMORED GROUP FORTIFIED THE PERIMETER AROUND TOWN AS THE SS TROOPS THAT PRECEDED THEM BLEW UP THE BRIDGE OVER THE INN RIVER. ALL THE EX-POW'S WERE TAKEN TO A FORMER PRISON CAMP IN MOOSBERG, GERMANY AND THEN FLOWN TO RHIEMS, FRANCE AND PROCESSED THERE AND SENT To Camp Lucky Strike. AFTER A WEEK HE WAS ON A HOSPITAL SHIP AND TAKEN FROM CHERBOURG, FRANCE TO SOUTH HAMPTON, ENGLAND. HE WAS THEN ON A C3 FREIGHTER WHICH TOOK ABOUT TWO WEEKS TO REACH BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. HE WAS THEN SENT TO FORT DIX, NEW JERSEY AND GIVEN A TWO-MONTH RECUPERATION LEAVE. HE WAS SENT DOWN for REASSIGNMENT TO GROVE PARK INN IN ASHVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA. FORTUNATELY, THE WAR ENDED AUGUST 15, 1945 WITH JAPAN. HE WAS SENT BACK TO CAMP WHEELER AND THEN DISCHARGED AT ANOTHER CAMP NEARBY, Fort McPhearson. HE RETURNED TO CIVILIAN LIFE, December 15, 1945. WHILE IN THE RESERVES HE WAS PROMOTED TO A MAJOR.