Battle of Bulge vet built bridges, cleared mines

U.S. Army combat engineer Burton Spivack spent many freezing-cold nights in Europe while fighting the Battle of the Bulge in World War II.

The battle is also known as the Ardennes Offensive — when the Germans broke through the American front line causing a “bulge,” or incursion — into the U.S. line, advancing into Germany.

“The winter of 1944 — we had the worst winter,” Spivack said. “The snow, the cold. We slept wherever we could,” sometimes in an abandoned home, but usually on the frozen ground.

“We slept in our foxholes,” he said. “It was tough, very tough.”

As a combat engineer, Spivack worked at the front, building bridges and clearing mines out of the way for the advancing infantry.

Spivack and his fellow soldiers were responsible for rebuilding the bridges destroyed by the Germans.

“We built Bailey bridges,” said Spivack. “It's like an erector set,” he said explaining how the structure was built using steel panels.

Spivack said a Bailey bridge could be built in about eight hours.

In a strange administrative quirk, the 112-pound engineer — who stayed up with his father the night before his Army physical, eating bananas and drinking beer so he'd be heavy enough at weigh-in — had to schlep an extra piece of equipment through the field of battle.

“They gave me the bazooka to carry,” he said. And he was designated an electrician. “Because the bazooka is operated by batteries,” he deadpanned.

Spivack's scariest memory occurred as the war was winding down.

“The most harrowing time was when we crossed the Rhine River,” he said.

Spivack was among those responsible for blowing up the cement dike that lined the riverbank. The barrier had to be removed so the soldiers could launch from the shore.

Before crossing, the Army started an artillery barrage aimed at the enemy on the opposite shore.

“They (U.S.) had tanks lined up for a mile or more,” he said. “From midnight to 3 a.m., we continuously barraged the east side of the Rhine. We thought that would destroy everything over there.”

But the enemy regrouped and fired on the infantrymen, who were crossing in boats.

“A lot of our guys got killed,” he said.

“This was the last straw for the Germans,” he said. “Once we crossed, the war was almost over.”

After crossing the Rhine, the U.S. found white sheets hanging.

“They were surrendering,” Spivack said.