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This month's honor flight raised $68,417 and going! The goal was $50,000 so thanks to you we surpassed our goal!! Here is the interview we did with Collin Delahaunty who Battled SS troops in Tillet and liberated a concentration camp. (check out "Related Links" on the right of the article)
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Colin joined the United States Army on November 23, 1942 at Fort Douglas, Utah. At the time, Colin was an Australian citizen, but because of distance and war related travel restrictions he was unable to return to his home in Perth, Western Australia to participate in the Australian war effort. As a result, he willingly volunteered to serve his adopted country.
During all of 1943 and most of 1944 Colin (who had promoted to the rank of Sergeant) was assigned to serve as a Drill Sergeant at various I.R.T.C Camps in Arkansas, Florida and Texas, despite his repeated requests to be transferred to an active combat unit. In December of 1944, Colin's latest request was approved and he was reassigned to the 87th Infantry Division of General Patton's Third Army, where he joined M Company of the 346th Regiment, as an M.O. of Heavy Weapons (primarily Br owning water-cooled heavy machine guns and heavy mortars).
The 87th was engaged in heavy fighting in the Metz area when the Battle of the Bulge began in December of 1944. Colin's division was hurriedly redeployed to the Ardennes Forest in Belgium, where they confronted the German's most battle hardened SS troops in the towns of Tillett, St. Vith, St. Hubert and finally helped to relieve our troops at Bastogne. A very grim and cold Christmas time in the Ardennes.
After the Battle of the Bulge, Colin's unit broke through the Siegfried Line, engaged in heavy fighting with the SS at Koblenz, crossed the Rhine and then plunged through Germany. His unit assisted in the liberation of the German concentration camp at Orduff and was in Czechoslovakia when the war in Europe ended.
Colin was honorably discharged at Fort Douglas, Utah, on December 1, 1945.
