Stand of the Thunderbirds

In the first week of October 1944, in the dense forests of the Vosges Mountains, 2nd Battalion, 180th Infantry Regiment, teetered on the brink of total annihilation. German troops and tanks surrounded all three of its rifle companies, along with their H Company heavy weapons attachments. Supply routes and communication lines had been severed by intense artillery and tank shelling. Faced with the probability of impending death or capture, the battalion confronted this formidable attack with determination and courage, embodying the motto of the 45th Division—Always Forward! The majority of an entire infantry company, along with its heavy weapons attachments, was captured in that forest. The remaining two battalion companies, E and G, lost more than half of their men in hand-to-hand combat after exhausting their ammunition. After fighting throughout the day and night they attempted to fight back through to their own lines through the dark woods, encountering enemy strongpoints and firefights in the darkness, only to find enemy troops using 180th’s foxholes. Nearly 50% of the battle casualties among all American troops in France in October 1944 were sustained by the divisions pushing north through the small French villages nestled in the foothills of the Vosges Mountains. One of them was Steve C. Reyka, who served as an H Company heavy machine gunner. He had been with 2nd Battalion, 180th Infantry Regiment, since Italy. With the other survivors of the battle, Reyka fought his way back through enemy lines. He managed to avoid capture, but he left something behind in that dark forest and never spoke of his experiences. His son, Michael finally uncovered the reality of his experiences after searching official military documents and then eventually retracing H Company’s progress through France. He stood in the foxholes they dug—even finding the machine-gun foxhole that Steve used near Frémifontaine during the intense fighting in which most of his comrades were captured or killed. This book incorporates the story of 2nd Battalion’s harrowing fight for survival and the personal account of a son uncovering his father’s untold legacy. Through extensive research, Michael Reyka bridges the gap between history and memory, bringing to life the human toll of war.

Michael Reyka is a small-unit historian specializing in the 180th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division “Thunderbirds,” and their experiences in the European Theater of World War Two. He was inspired by his father’s service and set out on an eight-year journey to find and document his father’s experiences and those of his fellow soldiers. This led him to develop a unique and authentic insight into combat leadership, cohesion, and survival demonstrated by infantry troops in an otherwise unknown battle in eastern France. He has recently completed a successful career as Chief Operating Officer for a behavioral health hospital and health system. Previously serving as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of community hospitals, his prior clinical career involved the delivery of emergency services. In addition, he taught Organizational Theory and Organizational Behavior at Gettysburg College. Michael now lives with his wife in the rural mountains of western Maryland where he continues his research and writing.