James B. Christman
James B. “Jim” Christman
Among the last to leave Marcouray
On the night of December 25–26, 1944, Task Force Hogan’s men left Marcouray on foot. According to the account James B. Christman passed down to his son Timothy, Jim was among the last twenty-five to leave.
When his group lost its way, he recognized the direction the American artillery fire was coming from. He insisted they head that way. The men were exhausted. His biographical profile describes them crawling at times on their hands and knees toward the flashes of artillery fire.
The group eventually rejoined its company. One man was missing. Timothy says he was killed by American fire. The printed account and Timothy’s recollection differ on the password exchanged that night. The soldier’s identity remains unknown.
From Cooperstown to the Ardennes
Born in Albany, New York, on December 14, 1922, Jim grew up near Cooperstown. He enlisted on February 11, 1942, and joined the 3rd Armored Division.
After basic training at Camp Polk, Louisiana, he trained in the California desert as an assistant driver on a tank crew. He went on to fight in France, Belgium, and Germany. The profile describes him as a tank driver in combat. His son also remembers him as a tank commander with the rank of master sergeant. The dates of that assignment and rank remain to be established.
Jim was later wounded and evacuated to England to recover. He returned to his unit before the end of the war. His profile records the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. Discharged on September 23, 1945, he returned to Cooperstown and married June Smerski on December 14, his twenty-third birthday.
He trained as a plumber and later worked in plumbing and heating at Bassett Healthcare.
Years later, Timothy recorded the recollections of dozens of veterans at a reunion in Indianapolis. A fire destroyed those recordings. The account he shared with us preserves what his father told him about that Christmas night.
Sources. Biographical profile of James B. Christman and correspondence from Timothy Christman dated November 13, 2026. The printed profile places the encirclement near Stolberg. The date and location of the breakout used here follow the regimental report’s entries for December 25 and 26. 33rd Armored Regiment After Action Report, December 1944 (https://www.scribd.com/document/645903575/5-33rd-Armored-Regiment-After-Action-Report-December1944).
