James Slagle McClintock

Unlikely Heroes James Slagle McClintock

They were the youngest US Army Division to serve in Europe in World War II. They were called the "Diaper Division", averaging just 18 or 19 years old. They had limited training and were considered unsuitable for combat. This is the story of the men of Company H, 2nd Battalion, 291st Regiment, 75th Infantry Division: their bravery, sacrifices, and the bonds of friendship that kept them alive and helped them to liberate Europe from Nazi tyranny. These young men entered combat at a critical point in the Battle of the Bulge, lacking food, supplies, and winter clothing; in fact the only thing they did not lack was courage. The 75th Division defended the American Army's flank from a direct assault by two German SS Panzer Divisions. Their contribution to the battle resulted in the collapse of the German Bulge, earning their place in history as the "Bulge Busters." They went on to fight a fierce battle high in the Vosges Mountains of Colmar, France and pushed out the remnants of the German Army from French soil. They moved through Holland, crossed the Rhine, and fought a major battle in Central Germany in a town called Castrop-Rauxel, that was the center of German industry in the Ruhr Valley. They went to war as green kids, but truly became unlikely heroes.