UNIFORMS THROUGHOUT
THE AGES
Explore the array of uniforms donned by our enemies and allies that have impacted our nation since it's founding.
Learn about the significance of different uniforms worn by our military, allies, and opponents through the different eras. Find out what similarities there are between the uniforms of conflicting armies. These displays also touch on different awards and medals that were earned by soldiers during times of war.
Corporal John Schaffner U.S. Army
We will be publishing pictures of Corporal Schaffner's uniform and many other items of his in the next couple of weeks. Corporal Schaffner was at the Battle of the Bulge and here is a short essay of his actions there. He was assigned to B Battery Survey Section, 589th Field Artillery Battalion, 106th Infantry Division.
Private First Class John Schaffner, a forward scout for his artillery battalion, had a ringside seat behind a machinegun in the snow-covered Ardennes Forest, a natural barrier between Belgium and Germany when the epic Battle of the Bulge began just before Christmas in 1944.
“Before daylight, probably about 5:30, quarter till six, artillery shells began to fall into our position,” said Schaffner, as he sat his one of two rooms downstairs that are filled with memorabilia. “Being somewhat exposed, I got into a little depression where he had the machinegun and more or less crawled into my helmet,” said Schaffner.
“The Germans surrounded C-Battery which was in an untenable position to begin with and captured pretty much everybody who was in C-Battery at the time,” said Schaffner who ducked out the back of a barn that was being shelled and hid in a herd of dairy cows as he ran toward some woods. “Had the Germans known that cows don’t have six legs,” laughed Schaffner, “I would be dead.”
You can watch the interviews with Mr. Schaffner at the below addresses:
https://www.carrollmediacenter.org/episode/john-schaffner-us-army-veteran