CAPT. ROBERT U CASSEL

Robert U. Cassel was born in Philadelphia, PA and raised in Paulsboro and Woodbury. He graduated from Woodbury High School in 1932; shortly thereafter, graduating from Lebanon Valley College, where he studied biology. He soon began working as a chemist at Mobil Corp. Laboratory in Paulsboro, PA. As World War II loomed, Mr. Cassel received a draft notice and was told by his supervisor that he could be exempted from military service because his job was considered essential. He declined the exemption and entered the Army.

Private Robert Cassel was sent to Fort Jackson, South Carolina in early 1941 for training. In the spring, he was assigned to Company B, 13th Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division as the 60 mm mortar squad leader. After exemplifying leadership characteristics, in May of 1942, now a corporal, Cassel was sent to Fort Benning for officer candidate infantry school. After completion of initial officer training in August of 1942, now 2nd Lt. Cassel was assigned to the 301st Infantry Regiment of the 94th Infantry Division at Fort Philips, Kansas. While at Fort Philips and Fort McCain in the fall of 1943, Cassel was assigned as the Battalion S-3 Officer of the 301st Infantry Regiment. It was also during this time that he was enrolled in advanced officer training. As the war was now raging in France after the Normandy Invasions, the 94th Infantry Division was being prepared to embark for England.

Then a captain, Cassel recalls his unit’s voyage to England in August of 1944, “When I learned that the 94th Infantry Division was to cross the Atlantic in 1944 aboard the luxury liner Queen Elizabeth, I thought, maybe, just maybe, it was our reward for 3 1/2 years of training to fight the Germans! We sailed out of New York harbor on August 6, 1944, at 0730 with a full load of troops - our entire division. As we passed the Statue of Liberty, I felt a certain sense of pride. As a kid, I never had a “voyage” or ever expected to see the “Lady.” We had a rude awakening though, when we discovered we were to be bedded in very tight quarters, and down on the lower decks. It was very hot on the first day at sea. Our course took us into the Bermuda current, and also August was very warm. Then on the second day, it was colder, and on August 8th it was definitely cold! We were steaming on a zig-zag course. Every few minutes we changed direction, and we were told the Queen was faster than any known German submarine. Our course took us right through German sub territory of the Atlantic. At a certain time announced in the afternoon, we were ordered to close all port holes and cover them. At night the ship moved without lights. One night I walked out on the deck to the very prow just to get a feel for the immensity of this ship. I looked back to the bridge and in the starlight the ship seemed to be a city block long. One time when I was on the main deck, I noticed damage in the bridge superstructure. A crewman told me that the ship had sailed through a great hurricane. No repairs were done though until after the war. The Queen was too busy and important as a troop transport, and the damage really didn’t cause any problem. Chow was served to each G.I. twice a day. The menu was usually bland I remember, and a type of fish. You were given a card, and there were six shifts. When serving was announced, you had better be ready to get in line. The feeding of so many men was efficiently accomplished, nevertheless. Every day at 1100 there was an organized boat drill by the crew. You wore life jackets at all times. Our 301st 105mm artillery battalion was chosen to be trained in the anti-aircraft guns. They practiced every day, and the British gunnery officer commended the crews. He said they were the best in over two years of crossings. One night a hospital ship was sighted, lights aglow. The Queen made a quick change of course to avoid being silhouetted against the hospital ship. Again, the concern was German subs would have loved having the Queen as a target. As she moved away, you can remember how the hull quivered with sudden power. By the fifth day out at sea, we sighted the land of green Ireland and Scotland, a lovely contrast to the gray and cold sea we encountered since leaving New York. On August 11th we anchored in the Firth of Clyde at Gourock, Scotland. Our troops debarked on the 12th amid the traditional bagpipe welcome. Lighters took us to the wharf, and we carried our full field equipment. Our “Voyage” was over.” (Cassel, Ship Talk, 2005)

While awaiting assignment, the men of 94th managed to do some sightseeing and visiting of some areas of southern England. However, on September 3rd, the unit received its orders and left Southern England. Captain Cassel and the 301st regiment, loaded onto two merchant ships and sailed towards Normandy on Sept. 5th, 1944. The division landed across Utah Beach, France, on September 8, 1944, 94 days after the D-day invasion. Captain Cassel would act as the 301st HQ S-3 officer. The 94th‘s first assignment on the continent, and totaled 106 days of combat, was around the isolated ports of St Nazaire and Lorient. The 301st Infantry Regiment under the command of Colonel Roy S. Hagerty, had the honor of being the first unit in the 94th to go into combat during WWII. This "Forgotten Front" was not a typical major campaign, but it was necessary to contain the troops there, that could otherwise attack the Allied Armies from behind. Throughout October and November 1944, numerous patrols, and artillery barrages of the enemy’s lines of defense took place to continue the mission of keeping the Germans penned in. General Maloney realizing that the combat effectiveness and the morale of his men were slipping away by remaining on a static front, repeatedly requested to transfer his division or permission to launch small scale attacks on the enemy’s vulnerable positions. His requests were repeatedly denied, and he was ordered to continue his mission of holding the enemy in its position. However, on December 16th, the Germans started their Ardennes offensive and things would change for the 94th and the entire allied force. 

It was decided that the 94th would be called up from the Lorient-St. Nazaire Pocket to replace the 90th Infantry division in the “Siegfried Switch”, a duty originally meant for the 66th Infantry Division before sustaining heavy losses in the sinking of the S.S. Leopoldville. On January 5th, after a three-day encampment in Chateaubriant and Plouay, the men shuffled into boxcars to head towards Reims. Once at Reims, the divisions continued its journey and reached their final destination of Sierck on the French border. After relieving the troopers of the 3rd Calvary, the 94th settled into their defensive position south of the "Siegfried Switch".

During this campaign, the 301st Infantry Regiment would face heavy losses. On January 12th, the division was given its first task to attack Tettigen and Butsdorf. (Map Below) After securing the towns in a short but intense battle, the 11th panzer division counterattacked a few days later on January 17th. The onslaught of mortars, artillery and concentrated machine gun fire caused the Germans to withdraw. A second assault a few hours later with Panther tanks moved into Butsdorf, roaming the streets, and firing at point blank range. The 94th, under the cover of darkness were to pull back to Tettigen and abandon Butsdorf to spare casualties. The division was still able to destroy much of the German tanks and retain the town of Tettigen, which was considered an overall success. Captain Cassel, in a wartime letter recalls the aftermath of the fight, “We left from Tettigen, bloody battleground of wary engagement with tanks of the 11th Panzer Division. The road was littered in Kraut dead, some with brain laying about, others crushed to a flat lump by traffic.”

The division then continued forward with their objectives, capturing Nennig, Berg, and Wies with success, even repelling several counter attacks on Nennig by the 11th Panzer Division. However, they faced disastrous losses in the battle of Orscholz. Captain Cassel wrote in a 1945 letter, “Our battalion in particular lost B company, and many more men in the attack on Orschotz, including Lt. Colonel Miller, who was struck down 10 yards from me in a small neck of woods.” The 301st would again see heavy losses in the seizing of Sinz and the Bannholz Woods at the hands of the 11th Panzers in late January.

In early February of 1945, the 301st would assault and take Muzingen Ridge and the 302nd would try to finally seize the Campholz Woods and the town of Orscholz. At 0400 on February 19th, the artillery barrage hit the ridge and the attack commenced. The 301st soon hit enemy trenches in close combat fire and were able to secure a handful of prisoners, while the 302nd with support from the 778th and 376th mopped up and secured the forest by noon. After succeeding in these attacks, the division would be tasked with taking the objectives of Faha and Klebligen. Once again achieving their objective, the 94th were now shifted to take Oberleuken, after the 5th Ranger Battalion suffered high casualties. After a costly battle at Oberleuken, US forces secured the town and a total of 110 prisoners. The entire Munzingen Ridge was now under 94th control. 

On February 20th, General Patton ordered the division to clear all defenses between the Saar and Moselle Rivers by the end of the day. By the close of the next day, the 94th were able to secure the entire area (Orscholz, Weiten, Rodt, Taben, Freudenburg) with the help of the 10th Armored Division and 5th Ranger Battalion. However, the division suffered, with over 1200 men killed or wounded. In a wartime letter home, Captain Cassel recalled the terrible fighting and subsequent breakthrough in the “Siegfried Triangle”, “The Seigfried defenses were a terrible thing to crack. The pillbox areas were stubborn.” Also writing to his wife of the battle, “I can still see the boy laying in his camouflage suit in the open ground, where sniper or MG fire got him. I had lain (in a ditch) with him that morning he was killed… God had saved me.” 

The next objective after punching through the Siegfried line for the 94th was to cross the Saar River, which occurred at dawn on February 22nd. After parts of 301st and 302nd started to cross the river under the cover of fog at Taben and Stadt, the 301st were faced with enemy fire. Captain Cassel helped in the planning phases for the crossing. In a wartime letter, Captain Cassel wrote, “I crossed under fire, and I prayed and prayed. I thought I would get a sample of the Saar River as I went across, but I had to paddle the assault boat so I couldn’t get any water.” 

Once across, both units faced barbed wire obstacle, retaining walls and German pill boxes. As the boats began to clear, they returned for more men in an effort to establish a beachhead. Once the cover of darkness appeared and the area was secured, the unit moved towards the 400-foot cliff named, Hocker Hill, on February 23rd. The 301st would clear most of the area between the river and the town of Serrig and Stadt over the next several hours in an effort to diminish enemy fire on the rest of the unit crossing the river. The attacks and crossing succeeded and the unit expanded their bridgehead on February 24th, as armor from the 778th tank battalion and other vehicles started ferrying across the Saar. It was during the Saar River crossing that Captain Cassel’s actions helped him receive his first of two Bronze Stars; he was able to aid fellow battalion members escape a trapped situation that could have decimated the unit. 

Now that the Americans were firmly across the river, they could concentrate on clearing the area east of the river and advancing towards the Rhine River, which was 80 miles away. Cassel recalled that morale was high after this point. “We moved so fast to the Rhine that we beat the armored.” After moving north to link up with elements of the 10th armored and 76th Infantry division, their objective town of Trier fell. US forces again pushed forward near Zerf and the Lampaden Ridge; however, they soon faced a “determined to resist” reenforced German push. The German 2nd Mountain Division attacked on March 4th, causing havoc. Sighting losses and being in combat for 51 straight days, General Malony finally ordered to relieve the 94th along with the 5th ranger battalion. The 26th Infantry was scheduled to relieve the 94th on March 6th. However, it did not go to plan as the 6th SS Division had begun a counterattack and infiltrated the 94th lines, capturing significant numbers of 302nd men. 

After receiving reports on the considerable attack, General Maloney sent the 376th from reserve and the division was able to resecure the area. It seems the 94th would now be given relief, but General Patton cancelled all orders after the Remagen Bridge was captured intact. The 94th once again moved out towards the Rhine River. In a wartime letter Captain Cassel recalls the fight against the SS in early March, “One incident shows their type (the SS). I had a swell kid in the pillbox named Gleason, who was an aid man. He was ordered out on this operation by myself… While tending to a wounded man he was shot by a sniper – he faltered- and then continued to work- and the dirty sniper shot again, killing him. The pill box missed his cooperative way.” Harold P Gleason, 39382938, 301st was the heroic soldier killed that day. (Grave Stone & Photo Shown Below)  

The objectives for 94th, and attached units, continued to be achieved in their advance: Schillingen, Hermskeil, Hinzburg, Zusch, Birkenfeld to name a few. The Americans continued their advance until they finally reached the outskirts of Ludwigshaven. On March 23, 1945, General Malony sent the 301st to assist in the clearing of Ludwigshaven. After clearing the city, the 94th was finally relieved by the 3rd division and moved to the rear. The unit was then moved to the town of Baumholder for a well-deserved rest, the first since January 7th. 

After a brief rest, the 94th's new assignment was to maintain the west bank of the Rhine River containing a pocket of troops in the Ruhr area, which they did until the end of the war. Captain Cassel, in a 1995 interview, stated,  “Then, from late March into May, we were taking care of displaced persons.” 

Captain Cassel also took advantage of the slower combat pace as he souvenir hunted while in Germany. While occupying an abandoned mansion at the end of the war, Cassel stated in a 1995 interview, “I liberated the uniforms. I display them (now) with some Iron Cross awards.” Cassel also shipped home various battlefield artifacts and kept a small, unofficial museum in his house after the war. The souvenir hunter wrote in a letter to his wife on March 21st, 1945, “I got a pretty nice German Military microscope, a long dress bayonet, a rifle, and cowhide pack, so I mailed them home. I don’t know if the microscope will be allowed to get through the mail, but I hope.” In another letter he wrote, “I sent mom a box of 2 German binoculars and 10 Nazi flags.” One particular bring-back Cassel fondly recalled was a large Nazi swastika flag that he had found neatly folded and hidden in the basement of a police station in Ludwigshafen, Germany while stationed there. 

After being on occupation duties and before being sent to Czechoslovakia with the rest of his unit, Captain Cassel would return home. 

“I returned to the United States in June of 1945 via the last convoy, and it took 21 days on board Liberty ships under the protection of Destroyer escorts. Although the war was over in Europe on May 8th, all the German subs were not accounted for at that date, thus the escort across the Atlantic. I could have kissed American soil, but there was only concrete available, so I blew a kiss to the good old U.S.A.” (Cassel, Ship Talk, 2005)

After the war, Captain Cassel maintained contact with his unit and became the editor of the Hoodlum News, a quarterly newsletter for the 301st Infantry Association. He also attended reunions of the 94th Veterans Association and the Battle of the Bulge Veterans Association. He even travelled back to Normandy and other battle sites over his later years. Captain Cassel would also use his collection of artifacts and souvenirs from the war and bring them to veteran events and Veteran’s Day presentations at local schools.

Mr. Cassel resumed work at Mobil Corp. upon returning from the war, and also served as a councilman in Paulsboro. He retired in the late 1980’s. Mr. Cassel was also a Boy Scout leader and a volunteer at a Mennonite relief warehouse in Lancaster County. He made time for the Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial, too, and was its oldest volunteer. He once said he was “amazed by her grand beauty and graceful lines.” “Bob gave so much to the battleship,” said Jack Willard, a museum spokesman. “He was a valued crew member who will be missed.” A lifelong member of Christ Presbyterian Church in Gibbstown, Mr. Cassel and others built a new church building at 400 Swedesboro Rd., in the mid-1960s. In his later years, he donated his collection of war artifacts to the University of Georgia, where they have digitized most of Captain Cassel’s records.  Cassel passed away at the age of 95 in 2010. To friends and family, he was "the grand old man," "the stuff of legend." 

Captain Cassel's M-1 Helmet is display (top right). The helmet exhibits a welded-on silver captain bar on the front exterior and the 94th Division's unit insignia. The inside of the helmet exhibits Cassel's name marked twice, once written as a 1st LT, but painted over, and then written with his captain rank.