United States. A Purple Heart to Technician Carlson, 4th Armored Div, KIA During Operation Hammelburg, Task Force Baum

Two-piece construction, in bronze gilt with purple, red, white and green enamels, engraved "EDWIN H. CARLSON" on the reverse, measuring 34.8 mm (w) x 44 mm (h), original ribbon with brooch pinback, intact enamels, very light contact, near extremely fine. In its hardshelled case of issue, marked "PURPLE HEART" on the lid, scuffing and wear evident on the exterior, soiled medal bed, case fair. Accompanied by assorted research papers.

Footnote: Edwin H. Carlson was born in 1911, the son of William Carlson. He had four brothers: Arthur, Carl, Harold and John, along with three sisters: Gertrude, Hildegard and Esther. He had a grammar school education and worked in the paper manufacturing sector after leaving school. Carlson was a resident of Marseilles, LaSalle County, Illinois when he enlisted, as a Private (36438590) with the United States Army, for service in the Second World War, "for the duration of the war", on December 5, 1942, stating that he was Single. Upon arrival in the European theater, Technician Fourth Class Edwin H. Carlson was posted to the 10th Armored Infantry Battalion, 4th Armored Division. He was with this unit as part of Operation Hammelburg in March 1945, while Lieutenant-General George S. Patton, Jr. was commanding general of Third United States Army. At this time, with the war in Europe almost won, the 4th Armored Division received a strange order from XIIth US Corps: to form a Task Force to liberate a prisoner of war camp at Hammelburg about 80 km behind the enemy lines. The so called Operation Hammelburg (AKA Hammelburg Raid) was a secret and controversial operation which was planned and realized during a running campaign. It was ordered by Patton personally and commanded by Captain Abraham J. Baum between March 26 and 28, 1945, known as Task Force Baum. Captain Baum was given the mission of penetrating the German lines and liberating American Prisoners of War in camp OFLAG XIII-B, near Hammelburg. Officially it was a rescue mission but the true reason behind it was to liberate Patton's son-in-law, Lieutenant Colonel John K. Waters, a POW who was captured in 1943 at the Kasserine Pass in Tunisia. Camp Hammelburg, located just outside the town on a hill, built in 1895, as a training installation for the Royal Bavarian Army and had been a POW camp during the First World War. After 1935, it was a training camp and military training area for the German Army again. In the Second World War, the German Army used parts of Camp Hammelburg again for two POW camps. OFLAG XIII-B was a large POW camp for officers. OFLAG XIII-B first occupants were Serbian officers. In January 1945, after the Battle of the Bulge, the camp was hastily split into two compounds: one for Serbian officers and the other for American officers, the camp established inside Camp Hammelburg.

The accommodation for the POWs was in solid stone buildings. There were an estimated 3,000 Serbians and 1,500 Americans. On March 26, 1945, Lieutenant Colonel Creighton Abrams, commanding officer of Combat Command B, 4th Armored Division, assigned one company of medium tanks (M4 Shermans) and one platoon of light tanks (M5A1 Stuarts) of the 37th Tank Battalion and one company of armored infantry (M3 Halftracks) and command & supply elements, a recon platoon (Jeeps) and an assault gun platoon (M4A3 105 mm) of the 10th Armored Infantry Battalion to the special task force. All in all, the combat strength was 314 soldiers and 57 vehicles. Captain Abraham Baum was chosen to lead the mission. The start was scheduled on 2100 hours the same day, after a heavy artillery bombardment on the village Schweinheim. General Patton sent his aide, Major Alexander Stiller, to join the mission, to make sure that Lieutenant Colonel Waters could be identified and taken back. But nobody in the task force was aware of this. On the evening of March 26th, Task Force Baum waited behind a hill in the American bridgehead east of the Main and south of Aschaffenburg. Two companies of tanks and infantry tried to punch a hole in the German frontline at Schweinheim. The attack was scheduled for thirty minutes, but they encountered heavy resistance and lost two tanks. It took hours until Baum's task force could move out in the early morning hours and finally break through the German lines. The task force made good time along the Reichsstrasse 26 through the Spessart Forest. They passed through the town of Lohr and later destroyed German trains. Baum didn´t know that the area was the assembly area for a German Division. About 0800 hours, the column reached Gemünden. The German troops were surprised by the arrival of the Americans. The town was bombed a day before and had no telephone connection, so no warnings were received. Despite no warning, a company of German combat engineers gave heavy resistance. A bridge was blown up and Task Force Baum lost three tanks and a platoon of infantry, which was captured by the Germans. Task Force Baum pulled out and had to find an alternative route to bypass the town. Captain Baum radioed for air support. They went north along the Sinn River and found another bridge at Burgsinn. They picked some Germans to guide them towards Hammelburg. Afterwards, they liberated some 200 Russian POWs. About 1400 hours, they reached again the Reichsstrasse, leading towards Hammelburg. The task force was now over six hours behind schedule. Between Burgsinn and Gräfendorf the column was detected by a German spotter plane. The pilot reported the strength and position of Task Force Baum, which enabled the Germans to organize countermeasures. Before it reached Hammelburg, Task Force Baum ran into a German ambush. The Germans had directed Hetzer tank destoyers to Hammelburg, where they awaited the American tanks. In the battle that followed in the Saale Valley, Captain Baum lost four halftracks and three Jeeps. Under cover by fire from Sherman tanks, the rest of the task force went on to reach Camp Hammelburg on the hill. By 1600 hours, Task Force Baum arrived at the hill and stopped at a distance to the camp. Some of the German guards put up resistance. The Serbian compound received fire from the Americans, because the Serbian officers, in their grey uniforms, were mistaken as Germans. Lieutenant Colonel Waters and three men, including a German officer, volunteered to exit the camp, to notify the Americans of the mistake. While approaching the American column, a German soldier shot Waters in the abdomen, because he thought they would surrender the camp. Waters was taken back into the camp hospital and treated for his wounds by a Serbian doctor. After having lost thirty percent of its men and vehicles, Task Force Baum had reached its destination. The liberated POWs came out of the camp cheering and were greeted by their liberators. Captain Baum quickly realized that the camp contained far more than 300 men, as planned for. He discussed the situation with Colonel Goode and told him that he could not take all the prisoners back. The others could make their own choice to walk back, or to stay until the final liberation would come. After a long rest, Task Force Baum left the camp at 2000 hours. Meanwhile the Germans had encircled the area. Task Force Baum were located in the southwest, and after a few kilometers, they ran into a German roadblock. Then they moved to the north, to discover another German roadblock. The only way left now was a route to the west. Captain Baum didn’t realize that the area they were passing through was a German training ground, with ranges. Near Hessdorf, they reached the Reichsstrasse and turned to the north, hoping to reach the 4th Armored Division again. In the next village, Hoellrich, Task Force Baum ran into an German ambush. The first tank was hit by a German Panzerfaust.

Then the Germans moved the disabled tank into a garden and used it against the other following American tanks. Three other American Sherman tanks were destroyed. The rest of the Task Force Baum regrouped again, after pulling back to a clearing near Hill 427 in the early morning hours. Captain Baum didn't know that on top of this hill was an German observer post, which reported Baum's moves the whole day. Some of the halftracks were abandoned, to have enough fuel for the remaining vehicles. With just enough fuel to make it back to the American lines, Captain Baum waited for daylight to travel with visibility. Captain Baum spoke with Colonel Goode, that the way back would be a fight, and too many of the POWs would be killed. Colonel Goode saw the situation and told his men that they would be unable to reach the American lines on their own. He advised them that most of the walking wounded should head back to camp. Colonel Goode himself decided not to slow the task force and so began the march back under a flag of truce. Baum gave the order to move out shortly after dawn on March 28, 1945. Just as the column started out, it immediately received fire from all directions. During the night, the Germans had moved more troops into the Hammelburg area while the task force was resting. In the morning, Hauptmann Walter Eggemann resumed command of the counter attack. About 0900 hours, they opened fire with tank destroyers and mortars on first sign of mobilization by the Americans. Knowing there was no way to escape, Captain Baum ordered every man for himself. The fight lasted about twenty minutes before the survivors, who hadn’t escaped into the woods, were lined up as fresh POWs. Captain Baum escaped but was soon captured by the Germans. He was shot in the leg after trying to continue fighting. He joined Lieutenant Colonel Waters in the camp hospital. They waited there until the camp was liberated by the 14th Armored Division on April 5, 1945, just ten days after the failed liberation by Task Force Baum. Ironically, although the mission failed, the injury sustained by Waters ensured he would be liberated sooner. Otherwise, he would have been marched off to another camp further into Germany with the rest of the POWs. After returning to the 4th Armored Division, Captain Baum received the Distinguished Service Cross on April 10, 1945. The mission itself was a total failure. Of the 314 officers and men, 26 were killed during the raid. Only a few made it back to the American lines, the rest were taken prisoners by the Germans. The force's 57 vehicles were all destroyed or captured by the Germans. General Patton stated later that he didn't know for sure, that his son-in-law was in Camp Hammelburg. He said that his goals were to liberate American POWs and to bluff the Germans about the Third Army's direction of attack. In his own war memories General Patton stated later: "I can say this, that throughout the campaign in Europe, I know of no error I made except that of failing to send a combat command to take Hammelburg." Technician Fourth Class Edwin H. Carlson, 10th Armored Infantry Battalion, 4th Armored Division was Killed in Action, on March 28, 1945 during Operation Hammelburg (although he is also acknowledged as having died while a Prisoner of War in the records, however the date of his death is confirmed as March 28, 1945). He is buried in Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial in Margraten, Eijsden-Margraten Municipality, Limburg, Netherlands, Plot O Row 1 Grave 6, his grave marker inscribed "EDWIN H. CARLSON / TEC 4 10 INF BN ARMD DIV / ILLINOIS MAR 28 1945".