Charles A. Rein

Charles A. Rein came out of high school not knowing where he wanted to go in life. He decided to join the Army in order to not have to go through the draft process and a chance at going into the Navy. There Rein would be a part of the 65th Infantry Division. He and his regiment would go to fight in France, Germany, and Austria during World War II.

Rein coasted the best he could through high school. He never really had any interest in it. Once Rein got out of high school, he did not know what to do with himself, so he enlisted in the US Army. Since he did not know how to swim and could not live out in the middle of the ocean and not see land, he thought the Army was the best decision. His basic training took place at Camp Wheeler in Georgia. Rein would then go into training at camp at Fort Meade in Maryland. There he was assigned to the 65th Division and sent down to Camp Shelby in Mississippi. Rein would then be assigned to a heavy weapon platoon. He along with his group would be shooting mortars. At Camp Shelby they would be sharpening their skills before being sent over to Europe.

In December of 1944, they would get the call to come to Europe. Instead of their original target of landing in England, they would be sent straight to France. They would stay at Camp Lucky Strike. It was the dead of winter, and the living conditions there were not very good. Food rations were not up to par, and they endured freezing conditions with not enough blankets. Many of the men including Rein had a rough time. The division would then move out and push to Germany.

They would go to a base at the southwest corner of Germany and arrive at a town called Wallerfangen, which was on a river. Across the river was Dillingen, and that is where the Germans were stationed. They set up their mortars and fired upon the Germans. Their squad leader was hit and radioed to Rein that he needed to go get him. Rein was then put in charge of his group as the new squad leader for his actions.

There were many rumors that high ranking German officials were fleeing to Austria, and Rein’s group was sent to stop that from happening. The men would come upon a town called Struth, and that is where they would stay. German troops would then come out of the woods and attack. The 65th would eventually need to call air support, which devastated the German troops. Rein believes that this was the greatest victory for the 65th.

Rein believed that their toughest battle was at Regensburg. It was towards the end of the war, so their unit just offered for them to surrender. The Germans declined. There was a river splitting them apart, so Rein and a group crossed at night to try and surprise them. Once they got over the bank, there was an open field they needed to cross. Once they got about halfway, they were fired upon. They laid down in the middle of the field for a while, and then many bolted to the riverbank. They were under fire until morning when reinforcements arrived. They were able to catch who was raining down .88 shells. They were three young German boys. Rein felt a little bad for them. They were “Hitler Youth”.

The war would end, and Rein would celebrate on V-D Day with the Russians in a little Austrian town. He would then be sent to serve at Dachau concentration camp and file through many German people for interrogation. Rein was in charge of the gate and never had anyone try to escape. One German prisoner even made a lighter for him out of two bullets. Rein would work at this camp for a couple of months, and from there he would be sent home.

After the war Rein would join the Reserves and an Ordnance group. He would re-up until 1953 – a joint decision agreed upon by his wife. Rein would then go to drafting school and became a Draftsman and live happily with his wife in New Jersey. Because of his bravery in Europe, Rein would earn a variety of medals: Army of Occupation, World War II Victory Medal, Bronze Star, Combat Infantry Badge, Good Conduct, European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (two battle stars).

Charles A. Rein would pass on December 19, 2020, in Wall Township, New Jersey. His grave is located at Brigadier General William C. Doyle Memorial Cemetery in Arneytown, New Jersey.