Bob Flick at End of Boot Camp

His is an extraordinary story of an extraordinary American soldier. Bob Flick of Saltsburg faced death many times during World War II. He's been shot at, surrounded, and captured by Germans. He witnessed the annihilation of his unit and escaped, taking refuge with a Belgian family. And he was within a few hundred yards of the worst atrocity against American troops - the Malmeddy Massacre.

Bob Flick was a senior at Edgewood High School when he decided to volunteer for the Army. He was 17 and World War II was in full force. “I wanted to go,” he said and left his senior year early. That led to a 15-day trip across country to San Diego, 13 weeks of boot camp, more training for anti-aircraft artillery firing, on to another North Carolina camp for large artillery guns, then to Fort Eustis, VA engineering school to learn demolitions. He finally ended up at Fort Jackson, SC where he was assigned to the 81st Combat Engineers attached to the newly formed 106th Infantry Division. After his final training and maneuvers took place there, he left for England.

What happened next proved to be the most extraordinary series of events in the largest land battle in which the United States participated in World War II - The Battle of the Bulge. Bob Flick, barely 18 years old and fresh from the United States, began his journey to France, up the River Seine, through Belgium to the front lines on the Belgian and German border. There, he and his comrades set up camp relieving the 2nd Division. Over a million soldiers - 500,000 Americans, 600,000 Germans, and 55,000 British - gathered in this critical area. It was the coldest, snowiest weather "in memory" in the Ardennes Forest.

It was early morning December 16, 1944, three days after their arrival. Bob and his buddies sat opening packages when suddenly shells were flying. He first thought it was American artillery, but they quickly realized it was a massive bombardment of German fire - the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge. Orders were to move down the road and dig in, and it wasn’t long before they tangled with the German infantry and tanks.

The 10th Infantry Division had three Infantry Regiments, 422nd, 423rd, with the 424th held in reserve. Bob’s 81st Combat Engineer Battalion was considered elite specialists and frequently acted as infantry throughout the war. In the Battle of the Bulge, a handful of engineer battalions proved to be a vital asset to the beleaguered American Army according to historical accounts. This day Bob fought with the 422nd and 423rd.

The battle focused over St. Vith and its network of roads and the bridges on the Meuse River. It was here on December 17th that Bob was ordered to guard a small wooden bridge. Unbeknownst to Bob, several hundred yards away on the road to Malmeddy, 140 soldiers were captured by the Germans. Only 43 managed to survive to tell the story. The other 86 had their hands bound by the SS and were shot until dead. It became one of the greatest atrocities of the war and is now known as the Malmeddy Massacre. This only strengthened the resolve of the American troops in fighting against the Germans.

Bob Flick With German Sword

Later, Bob was fighting house to house in St. Vith, a major railroad hub, pushing the German troops out. Unexpectedly, the battle reversed itself and the Germans pushed back forcing the Allies out of town. Slowly but steadily the 422nd and 423rd Infantry Regiments suffered greater and greater losses reducing their numbers and throwing them awry. During this turn-about, Bob advanced to the Meuse River engaging in intense combat. Because of the losses, he backtracked and was advised to run for cover near a truck down the road to escape from the German advance. He ran for his life, but three German artillery shells targeted him. Within seconds they landed at his feet, the impact exploding dirt all around him and sending him to the ground. Miraculously, all three were duds. The soldiers from the truck grabbed Bob, bodily flung him in and took off.

The truck raced down the road. But the Germans caught up and Bob found himself a prisoner. The Germans had captured large numbers of troops and were marching them back to their lines. Two days of marching and Bob seized his opportunity. The heavy shrubbery along the side of the road masked his escape as his dove in and worked his way back to where he believed friendly troops were. As it turned out, he was housed and hidden by a Belgian family. He eventually regrouped with the 424th Regiment, continuing in battle and crossing the Rhine River. They used the now-famous Ramagen Bridge that the Germans tried blowing up before the Americans could cross. This effectively allowed the Allies to march into Central Germany.

At this point, Bob’s 81st Combat Engineers pulled back and began training troops in explosives. The training particularly focused on avoiding the many booby traps the Germans favored. Bob said the foot mine was the worst because it was designed not to kill, but to severely injure a soldier. The reasoning was that it took many other soldiers to care for the injured, thereby removing them from battle. Bob spent a lot of time clearing the mines, most of which required a bayonet.

In September 1945 Bob was shipped home on "delay in route," meaning he could possibly be reassigned to the Pacific. Sailing from England to New York City, he then took the Staten Island Ferry over to Fort Dix in New Jersey. After several days he went to Indian Town Gap in Carlisle and eventually was discharged. He had earned four battle stars and a Good Conduct Medal.

After the war, Bob went to Slippery Rock State Teachers College and earned his degree in 1949. He interviewed for the Saltsburg High School and accepted a position. He never left, completing 35 years of teaching Health and Physical Education, American Government, “a little Math,” and Driver Education. Bob still resides in Saltsburg and is a member of the American Legion.

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