| Original caption: “A U.S. Infantry anti-tank crew fires on Nazis who machine-gunned their vehicle, somewhere in Holland.” William F. Stickle (March 22, 1918 – December 16, 1998) photographed this M1 57 millimeter (2.24 inch) antitank gun crew in the Netherlands. The M1 is an almost exact copy of the British 6-pounder anti-tank gun. The British design was 1st modified to American manufacturing practices and standards in order to produce the weapon for Great Britain under Lend-Lease. Production of the U.S. M1 anti-tank gun began in May 1941, and approximately 16,000 were made through 1945. The gun was light, easy to maneuver on the battlefield, and fired both armor-piercing ammunition and a high-explosive shell. Compared to American designed artillery, it had a horrendous recoil that was not popular with troops. Towed anti-tank artillery crews suffered greatly during the Nazi German Ardennes offensive; they were replaced with self-propelled artillery as soon as possible in 1945. Stickle, from Poughkeepsie, New York, of the 167th Photo Signal Company entered active service with the United States Army at Fort Meade, Maryland on October 6, 1943. He arrived in France on July 23, 1944. On February 17, 1945, he received the Soldier’s Medal for unloading a burning ¼‑ton Willys MB jeep. The 167th’s official history described Stickle’s work with Unit 1210: “With a farewell lesson on how to operate a Coleman Stove from Lieutenant Winston, Sergeant William High, Technician 5th Grade William Stickle, Private 1st Class William Sanderson, and Private 1st Class Charles Bundschu, with Lieutenant Howard Ranson in charge, left the “City of Alleys of Intrigue,” Versailles, on Sept 16, 1944 for a wild ride across France’s tattered and scarred lands and arrived at the destination near Cherbourg, a town called Barneville. The assignment was with the United States Army 104th “Timberwolf” Infanry Division commanded by Major General Terry Allen, a crack outfit.” “About October 18, the “Wolves” were off to chase the Krauts out of Belgium and Holland, moving in with the Canadian One, near Malines, Belgium, conveniently near enough to occasionally commute to Brussels, whose newly liberated people offered the hospitality that only liberated people can extend to people that have helped them.” “Combat — the word was full of meaning — came as the cameramen moved in with untried infantry, and on the first day everyone learned more and felt better because from then on it was ‘pay load.’ The unit piled thousands of feet of movies and plenty of film packs back to Ninth Army. The best story of Holland came the hectic night at Moerdyke, where Bundschu got ‘lost.’ The infantry was fighting out on a point sheltered by a dyke and taking a pounding. The light grew dim and Hight, Stickle, and Sanderson were ready to go back with the film, but every time a search was started for Bundschu the Krauts drove the seekers into holes. After three attempts it was decided to go back. Full of glum thoughts the three photogs coaxed “Ole Mud and Nuts” over the two-feet thick mud road back to the division Command Post. About the time Lieutenant Hanson was calling the division surgeon in popped the elusive Bundschu like a mud-ball, but with film and a big appetite.” “About November 15, the 104th pulled out for Aachen, Germany. It was a weird trip through the ghost city and the unit will remember that first impression of a huge city reduced to rubble. A short time later the unit was sent to Egyelshoven, Holland, to join the United States Army 84th “Railsplitter” Infantry Division. The unit photographed the taking of such towns as Geilenkirchen, Prummern, Beeck, all small towns on the Roer River. During an infantry attack Sanderson wound up with four seedy looking prisoners of war to bring back. A familiar sound instinctively dropped him to the ground, but it was too late for the Krauts, a barrage of mortars settled Sanderson’s escorting problem.” “The unit spent a few days around Christmas, including Christmas dinner, with the Company at Verdun, but soon joined their first comrades, “The Timberwolves” in Eschweiler, Germany. During the stay with the 104th one of the most tragic things the unit ever photographed came up. An accidental bombing of the Division CP by American planes presented the opportunity for wide and complete coverage; the unit was at the scene covering a bomber crash when the bombs came raining down on the Command Post.” “On January 31, 1945 the unit went to Paris to the school. After a few days there the unit returned to join the 102nd “Ozark” Division, at Ubach. Germany. The Division was just about ready to jump the Roer River. On the day of the crossing the unit piled up one of the best records of coverage yet done. Sergeant High was photographing the Engineers putting in a bridge, which the Jerries resented, but the Engineers were insistent on getting the bridge in and Sergeant Hight was insistent on photographing the putting in, so the result was some of the finest films of combat engineers working under fire ever made.” “With the 102nd Infantry Division, the unit went all the way to Urdingen on the banks of the Rhine. For the Rhine crossing in April 1945, the unit was assigned to the Seventy-Ninth Infantry Division. Though it was nothing like the Roer crossing, towns like Dinslochen will be remembered as places of tough combat. It was near there that Stickle got caught between American tank fire and a Jerry machine gun with a rifle patrol skirting the ruins of a bombed out synthetic gasoline plant. That night Stickle was more than glad to get back to the unit.” He returned to the United States on June 29, 1945, and was discharged on November 6, 1945, from Fort Benning, Georgia. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0525.jpg |
| Image Size | 821.79 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2920 x 2324 |
| Photographer | William F. Stickle |
| Photographer Title | United States Army Signal Corps |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | November 4, 1944 |
| Location | |
| City | |
| State or Province | |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-111-SC-197367 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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