Pvt. Douglas Glenn Dieckman (ASN 37345318) was born on August 19, 1924 in Mineral Hot Springs, Saguache, Colorado. His father, Cecil Glenn Dieckman, was born and raised in Kansas. His mother, Eva Annabelle Broll, was born and raised in Saguache County, Colorado. His father worked as a farmer, rancher, and water well driller in south central Colorado. Douglas was the second of his parent’s four children. He had an older sister, a younger sister, and a younger brother.
Douglas was born and raised in Saguache County, Colorado. He graduated from high school in 1941. After graduation, Douglas moved to Los Angeles, California. He was living in Los Angeles when he received his draft card on December 11, 1942. He was selected for military service in April 1943, and enlisted in the Army on April 28, 1943 in Denver, Colorado.
After going through basic training, Douglas went into training to be an engineer. He volunteered to join the 101st Airborne Division and was assigned to Company B in the 326th Airborne Engineer Battalion. He was sent to England to join the rest of the 326th Engineers. His training in England consisted of physical conditioning, firing of weapons, glider loading and flights, and tactical exercises. Basically, the Engineers were good at building things, and blowing up things. Douglas was selected as a replacement for the troops that had participated in the Normandy invasion. He was slated to enter the war in Holland, Operation Market Garden.
On September 18, 1944 the 326th Engineer Battalion departed England in their gliders. They landed in Holland late in the afternoon. The mission for the Engineers was to seize, rebuild, or build new bridges so that the Allies would have an invasion route into northern Germany. Casualties for the 101st Airborne started almost immediately as paratroopers and gliders were killed or wounded in the landings. Fighting in Holland lasted until September 27, 1944. Although several Dutch cities were liberated, the Allies were not able to establish a bridgehead over the Rhine. The 101st Airborne Division suffered the highest percent of casualties due to having to fight German defenders where they landed, but also to combat German troops retreating from the Allied Army’s advance. After Market Garden, the 326th Engineers transitioned to Camp Mourmelon, France.
In December 1944, the Allies advanced to Belgium. The 101st Airborne Division led by General McAuliffe, was chosen to stem the advance because of its experience and speed. The 326th Engineers were transported by truck. The 101st Airborne was in Belgium on December 16, when the Germans sent in 200,000 fresh troops. The 101st were hold up in Bastogne, and by December 18, they were completely surrounded with little ammunition, food, or adequate cold weather clothes. The following day, the Division was outnumbered five to one, so the Germans moved in. On December 22, 1944 the German commander offered terms for surrender, to which Gen. McAuliffe famously replied, “NUTS!”. The response to the reply was two German attacks. It was during these attacks that Pvt. Douglas G. Dieckman was killed in action.
The body of Pvt. Douglas G. Dieckman was initially interred in Belgium. His remains were not repatriated to Colorado until 1958. He was laid to rest in April 1958 at the Hillside Cemetery in Saguache, Saguache, Colorado. He was survived by his parents and his three siblings.
