Engineers in BoBulge

7/30/2019 Engineers in BoBulge

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THE5lstENGINEEFt COMBAT BATTALIONANDTHEBATTLEOl?THEBULGEDECEMBl3R1944-JANUARY 1945


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Prologue

bYBarry W. Fowle

The i nvasi on of Nazi - hel d Eur ope at Nor mandy i n J une

1944 st ar t ed a hi ghl y successf ul Al l i ed of f ensi ve agai nst

t he Ger mans. Af t er t he br eakout f r om t he beachhead and

t he pur sui t acr oss nor t her n France sent t he f oe r eel i ng

back i nt o t he Rei ch, t he Al l i es t hought t hat t he enemy wasi ncapabl e of mount i ng a heavy count erof f ensi ve. Af t er

al l , t he Germans had suf f ered heavy l osses on both f r ont s,

and sever al of t hei r al l i es had deser t ed t he Axi s cause.

I n t he f ace of t he det er i or at i ng mi l i t ar y si t uat i on,

Hi t l er deci ded on a desperat e gambl e: a massi ve coun-

t er at t ack t hat woul d send 25 di vi si ons agai nst t he west er n

al l i es i n t he Ar dennes r egi on of Bel gi um and Luxembour g.

( Map 1) He desi gnat ed t he scheme WACHT AM RHEI N or "wat ch

on t he Rhi ne" t o gi ve t he i mpr essi on t hat i t was t o def end

t he Rhi ne Ri ver .

The pl an' s r eal pur pose was t o sur r ound and dest r oy

t he Br i t i sh and Amer i can f or ces nor t h of t he Bast ogne-

Br ussel s- Ant wer p l i ne. The dr i ve woul d cr oss t he Meuse

Ri ver and cul mi nat e i n t he capt ur e of Antwerp, wi t h Ger man

f orces movi ng nor t hwest ward al ong a nar r ow f r ont on an

axi s of advance t hr ough But genbach, Troi s- Pont s, Wer bo-

mont , and t he Ourt he Ri ver , t o a Meuse Ri ver cr ossi ngnor t h of t he Huy- Antwerp l i ne.

On 16 December 1944, t he Germans at t acked t he nor t h-

er n f l ank of t he Amer i can l i ne, hi t t i ng t he 106t h I nf ant r y

Di vi s i on, an i nexper i enced uni t f r esh f r om t he Uni t ed

St at es t hat had been on t he f r ont l i ne onl y a week. The

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Germans t or e huge hol es i n t he def enses, and t hei r t r oops

r aced t hr ough, headi ng f or t he Meuse Ri ver . Amer i can

t r oops r eel ed under t he sur pr i se onsl aught ; some f r ont l i ne

uni t s wer e vi r t ual l y dest r oyed and ot her s f l ed t o t he

rear. I n pl aces, smal l Amer i can uni t s, such as t he 51st

Engi neer Combat Bat t al i on, hel d f i r m, but t her e appear ed

t o be no st oppi ng t he Germans.

The 51st was not supposed t o be on t he f r ont l i ne.

For t wo mont hs bef or e t he surpr i se count er at t ack, t he

bat t al i on had been oper at i ng 30 sawmi l l s t hr oughout t he

Ar dennes area, pr oduci ng l umber t o const r uct wi nt er

quar t er s f or Fi r st uni t ed St at es Ar my t r oops. When t he

Ger mans pour ed i nt o the f or est , t he 51st became engul f ed

i n t he bat t l e t hat swi r l ed al l ar ound i t . Qui ckl y, t heuni t ' s mi ssi on changed, and i t hur r i edl y est abl i shed

r oadbl ocks, mi ned and dest r oyed br i dges, and di d what ever

el se i t coul d al ong a25- mi l e f r ont t o st al l t he Ger manar mor and i nf ant r y t hr ust s unt i l super i or f or ces rel i eved

i t .

When t he Ger mans st r uck, t he 51st Engi neer Combat

Bat t al i on was about 30 mont hs ol d and had no exper i ence i n

count er mobi l i t y oper at i ons. The uni t had been act i vat ed

at Camp Bowi e, Texas, on 13 J une 1942, as t he f i r stbat t al i on of t he 51st Engi neer Combat Regi ment . On 18

Mar ch 1943, t he 51st Engi neer Combat Regi ment was

r eor gani zed as t he 1111t h Engi neer Combat Gr oup under

t he command of Col onel H. Wal l i s Ander son. The f i r st

bat t al i on of t he gr oup became t he 51st Engi neer Combat

Bat t al i on, wi t h Capt ai n Rober t B. Yat es i n command.

At l east wi nt er was no st r anger t o t he 51st. The

bat t al i on spent Mar ch of 1943 at Macomb Reser vat i on, acol d bar r en post near Pl at t sbur g, New Yor k. Ther e t he51st l ear ned t o bui l d and di smant l e t act i cal br i dges.

They put a combi nat i on wooden t r est l e and H- 10 st eel

br i dge over t he Sal mon Ri ver at ni ght , t hen r ecover ed t he

br i dge t he next day. They al so conduct ed a pont on br i dge


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exer ci se on f r ozen Lake Champl ai n and bui l t a30- f oot - hi gh

t i mber t r est l e br i dge.

The 51st st ayed i n New Yor k t hrough Apri l , l i vi ng i n

pup t ent s and put t i ng pont on br i dges acr oss newl y t hawed

l akes. I n addi t i on t o br i dge const r uct i on, t he bat t al i on

conduct ed combi ned t r ai ni ng exerci ses at pl atoon, company,

and bat t al i on l evel s, pr act i ci ng combat f i r i ng, at t ack of

a f or t i f i ed ar ea, combat i n ci t i es, mi ne l ayi ng and

r emoval , and r oad const r uct i on.

I n Sept ember 1943, t he bat t al i on st ar t ed t he l ong

t r ek t hat event ual l y l ed t o t he Ar dennes. A t r ai n r i de

ended at t he XI I I Cor ps maneuver ar ea near El ki ns, West

Vi rgi ni a, where t he 51st par t i ci pat ed i n a 10- day

exer ci se, wi t h acti vi t i es i ncl udi ng const r ucti on of ar oad, a l andi ng st r i p, and a Bai l ey br i dge. I n Oct ober,

t he bat t al i on moved t o For t Di x, New J er sey, t o pr epar e togo over seas. Fromthere, t he bat t al i on' s or gani zat i onal

equi pment went t o t he Los Angel es Por t of Embarkat i on, and

t he t r oops went t o Hampt on Roads, Vi r gi ni a, and shi pped

out . Whi l e on t he hi gh seas, t he bat t al i on r ecei ved

or der s t o pr oceed t o t he Medi t er r anean Base Sect i on, Or an,

Al ger i a, f or t r ansshi pment t o I ndi a. The 51st debarked on

5 December at Or an but , wi t h i t s equi pment st i l l headed

f r om Los Angel es t o Asi a, r ecei ved an unschedul ed br eak i n

i t s t r ai ni ng.

Whi l e t he 51st wai t ed i n Nor t h Af r i ca, t he pl ans of

t he Al l i es changed. The 5l st , al ong wi t h f our ot herengi neer bat t al i ons awai t i ng movement t o I ndi a, wer e

or der ed t o Engl and f or t he i nvasi on of Eur ope. On 12

J anuary 1944, t he bat t al i on l ef t Casabl anca on an ei ght -

day voyage t o Li ver pool .The 51st spent f i ve mont hs i n Engl and. The uni t was

assi gned t o t he Fi r st Ar my under t he command of Gener al

Omar N. Br adl ey. . Tr ai ni ng r esumed, wi t h combi ned and

speci al i st act i vi t i es, i ncl udi ng ni ght oper at i ons and

r el at ed br i dge const r uct i on, Bai l ey and f i xed br i dge

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const r uct i on, r oad constr uct i on, mi nes and mi nef i el ds, and

expl osi ves and demol i t i ons.

On 19 J une 1944, t he 51st l oaded ont o t hr ee Li ber t y

shi ps, cool ed t hei r heel s aboar d shi p f or a week, t hen

cr ossed t he Engl i sh Channel t o Normandy on 26 J une. For

t he next f our mont hs t he bat t al i on pr ovi ded combatengi neer suppor t t o t he Fi r st Ar my. Most of t he wor k con-

si st ed of r oad r epai r and mai nt enance, engi neer r econ-

nai ssance, mi ne cl ear i ng, and wat er suppl y. Dur i ng t hi s

t i me, t he bat t al i on suf f er ed casual t i es t hat i ncl uded si x

wounded f r om t he expl osi on of st r ay ar t i l l er y shel l s and

t he st r af i ng of a Ger man pl ane.

On 4 Sept ember 1944, t he bat t al i on moved 152 mi l es

f r om t he vi ci ni t y of Char t r es, west of Par i s, t o an ar ea

near Soi ssons, nor t heast of Par i s. The Ger mans had been

r et r eat i ng r api dl y, dest r oyi ng br i dges and cul ver t s and

crat er i ng r oads. As a r esul t , t he maj or act i vi t y of t he

5l st changed f r om r oad r epai r and mai nt enance t o br i dge

and cul ver t const r uct i on, r epl aci ng Bai l ey br i dges and

ot her t empor ar y br i dges f or r euse i n f or war d areas.

On 17 September , t he 51st moved t o Ger many, 110 mi l es

east of Soi ssons, al most t o t he Luxembourg border . Here

i t bui l t br i dges f or t wo weeks, t hen moved t o Mal medy,Bel gi um, wher e f or t hr ee weeks t he bat t al i on kept busy

t r ai ni ng as i nf ant r y. Then i t began t he j ob i t woul d keep

unt i l t he Ger man sur pr i se, cut t i ng wood f or Fi r st Ar my

bi l l et s .

J ust bef or e t he Ger man Ar dennes of f ensi ve, t wo men

ar r i ved who woul d exer t si gni f i cant i nf l uence on t he

bat t al i on. On 14 December , Maj or Rober t Yat es, now t he

bat t al i on execut i ve of f i cer , r et ur ned from several mont hs

i n t he hospi t al . A day l at er , Li eut enant Col onel Har veyR. Fraser assumed command of t he bat t al i on. Less t han si x

year s out of t he Mi l i t ar y Academy, t he per i pat et i c Fraser

soon became known as "Hurr y Up Harvey. " He and t he easy-

goi ng Yat es pl ayed key rol es i n t he uni t ' s ef f or t s t o hol d

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of ft he Ger mans.Thi s publ i cat i on t el l s t he st or y of Fr aser , Yat es,

and t he 51st dur i ng t he Ar dennes count er of f ensi ve.

Wr i t t en even bef or e V- E Day, t he nar r at i ve i s a f i ne

exampl e of combat hi st ory. Based on i nt ervi ews and af t er -

act i on repor t s, i t i s an i mpor t ant and l i t t l e- knownpr i mar y sour ce f or t he Engi neer r ol e i n t he bat t l e. I t s

aut hor , combat hi st or i an Ken Hechl er , was a capt ai n i n t he

Ar mor ed For ce and hel d a Ph. D. f r om Col umbi a Uni ver si t y.

He l ater ser ved ni ne t erms i n t he Uni t ed St ates House of

Repr esent at i ves and i s . secret ar y of st at e f or West

Vi rgi ni a. Hi s nar r at i ve pr ovi des a det ai l ed descri pt i on

of t he bat t al i on s act i ons t o del ay the Ger man of f ensi ve.

The accompanyi ng maps and coor di nat es al l ow t he r eader t o

l ocat e pr eci sel y t he Engi neer s* def ensi ve posi t i ons and

make i t possi bl e t o f ol l ow t he t act i cs of t he 51st ' s

of f i cers . Of t he si x maps pr ovi ded wi t h t hi s hi st or y,

Maps 3- 5 wer e r epr oduced f r om t he or i gi nal manuscr i pt .

Hechl er ' s cl ear and comprehensi ve r ecor d of t he bat -

t al i on' s act i ons i s a wor t hwhi l e i nst r uct i onal t ool f or

t he study of count er mobi l i t y oper at i ons.

A Note on the Maps

The source f or Maps 2, 4, and 6 i s a 1: 100, 000- scal e

map of Bel gi um and Nort heast Fr ance, encompassi ng the

Marche area ( sheet no. 13) . These maps f ol l ow t he Mi l i t ar y

Gr i d Coor di nat e Syst em. I t i s a syst em of r ect angul ar

coor di nat es, wi t h t he ver t i cal ( Y) gr i d l i ne r unni ng t r ue

nort h and sout h and t he hor i zont al ( X) gr i d l i ne r unni ng

at r i ght angl es t o t he Y gr i d l i ne. To pl ot a si x- di gi t

coor di nat e, r ead t he f i r st and second numbers as t he X-

coor di nat e and t he f our t h and f i f t h number s as t he Y -

coor di nat e. Thi s wi l l di r ect you t o a gr i d bl ock, whi ch

you t hen ment al l y di vi de i nt o t en par t s on each axi s. TO

l ocat e a poi nt wi t hi n t he bl ock, r ead t he t hi r d number t o


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t he riqht and t hen t he si xt h number up. The phr ase t o

r emember i s r e a d r i g h t - u p .


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The 5lst Engineer Combat Battalion

and the Battle of the Bulge

December 1944 - January 1945

bYKen Hechler

Dur i ng t he Ger man breakt hr ough i n t he Ardennes, t he

51st Engi neer Combat Bat t al i on hel d and del ayed the enemy

at a number of vi t al poi nt s al ong t he l i nes of

penet r at i on. For f our days-- 18 t o 21 December - - Compani es

A andB hel d a bar r i er l i ne f r om Bar vaux t o Hot t on, sout hof Mar che t o Rochef or t , bl owi ng up and def endi ng t hr ee

f oot br i dges, t wo hi ghway br i dges, and one rai l way br i dge,

whi l e hol di ng a 25- mi l e f r ont agai nst enemy armor ed and

i nf ant r y t hr ust s. At t he same t i me, Company C was hol di ngTr oi s- Pont s, denyi ng t he enemy t he use of t he vi t al east -

west Hi ghway N23 t o Wer bomont . Company C st ood i t s ground

i n Tr oi s- Pont s, t r i cked t he enemy i nt o bel i evi ng i t had

super i or f or ces and ar mor , and, af t er bei ng rel i eved by

a r egi ment of t he 82d Ai r bor ne Di vi si on, covered t he

wi t hdr awal of t hat r egi ment f r om t he t own af t er i t s

abor t i ve at t ack east of t he Sal m Ri ver . 1

Ther e was not hi ng i n t he backgr ound of t he bat t al i on

t hat was rel ated t o t hese achi evement s. Si nce acti vat i on

as t he 1st Bat t al i on of t he 51st Engi neer Combat Regi ment

on 13 J une 1942, t hi s uni t had passed a r at her

uni nt er est i ng car eer . They t r ai ned at Camp Bowi e [Texas];

shi ver ed t hr ough a har d wi nt er at Pl at t sbur g Bar r acks, New

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Yor k; di d t he di r t y wor k on t ar get r anges and r oad

const r uct i on at XI I I Corps' West Vi r gi ni a maneuver s of

1943; and act ed as demonst r at i on t r oops f or t he Engi neer

School at For t Bel voi r [ Vi r gi ni a] .

The bat t al i on l anded at Nor mandy on D- Day pl us 21,but l i f e degener at ed i nto dumpi ng crushed r ock on

Car ent an' s r oads, mai nt ai ni ng a f ew wat er poi nt s, and

sweepi ng some mi nes. Two i nci dent s st ood out dur i ng t he

r out i ne mont hs on t he Cont i nent : qui ck t hi nki ng and her oi c

act i on saved many l i ves and equi pment dur i ng a Nor mandy

ammuni t i on- dump f i r e , and ei ght men of t he bat t al i on

quel l ed and capt ur ed 60 German parat r oopers af t er a br i ef ,

shar p f i r ef i ght i n mi d- Sept ember . 2 The bat t al i on di d have

one common bond t hat assi st ed i t dur i ng t he December f i ghtagai nst over whel mi ng odds: near l y al l of t he of f i cer s and

men wer e vet erans of some t wo year s of ser vi ce i n t he

bat t al i on; t he compani es had worked t oget her as uni t s; and

t eamwork was cl i cki ng smoot hl y. 3

On t he eve of t he br eakt hr ough, t he bat t al i on was

oper at i ng about 30 sawmi l l s i n t he vi ci ni t y of Marche,

Di nant , Rochef or t , Ci ney, Hot t on, and Er ezee, t her eby

cont r i but i ng mat er i al l y to the Fi r st Ar my wi nt er i za-

t i on and t i mber - cut t i ng pr ogr am. The bat t al i on had cut2, 600, 000 boar d f eet si nce t he i naugur at i on of t he pr ogr am

i n Oct ober. The aver age f or t he f i r st 17 days of December

was 58, 717 board f eet per day, wi t h a maxi mum of 80, 600

boar d f eet i n one day. 4

At t hat t i me, t he 158t h Engi neer Combat Bat t al i on had

been charged wi t h t he def ense of t he Mar che area. 5

Rout i ne act i vi t i es i n t he r unni ng of t he sawmi l l s wer e

conduct ed by t he 51st on t he f i r st day of t he Ger man

br eakt hrough, but on 17 December at 1730 the bat t al i on was

al er t ed f or gr ound act i vi t y. 6 The al er t came f r om t he CO

[ commandi ng of f i cer 1 of t he 158t h Engi neer CombatBat t al i on. The l i ne compani es wer e i mmedi at el y al er t ed

and a st af f meet i ng was cal l ed to make pl ans f or act i on. 7

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Li eut enant Col onel Har veyR. Fr aser , CO, 51stEngi neer Combat Bat t al i on( f or egr ound) , and Capt ai nWi l l i am R. Muel l er ,Adj ut ant , dur i ng Febr uar y1945 awar ds cer emony atHuer t gen Forest , Germany.

Commandi ng Of f i cer s

The perf or mance of t he 51st Engi neer Combat Bat t al i on

dur i ng t he f ol l owi ng days can bet t er be appr eci at ed byknowi ng t he commandi ng of f i cer , Li eut enant Col onel Har vey

R.. Fraser, and hi s execut i ve of f i cer , Maj or Rober t

B.. Yat es. They wer e t wo di f f er ent per sonal i t i es who

compl ement ed each ot her i n di r ect i ng t he bat t al i on. *

Dur i ng t he br eakt hr ough, Col onel Fr aser was wi t h t hat

por t i on of hi s bat t al i on al ong t he Barvaux- Hot t on-

Rochef or t f r ont ; Maj or Yat es was at Troi s- Ponts.

The pecul i ar angl e t o t he per f or mance of t heseof f i cer s i s t hat t hey bot h ar r i ved at t he bat t al i on wi t hi n

t wo days of t he st ar t of t he br eakt hr ough. Maj or Yat es, a

vet er an member of t he bat t al i on, had been hospi t al i zed i n

August and ret urned t o hi s post on 15 December . Col onel

Fr aser was a newcomer t o t he bat t al i on, havi ng assumed

command on 14 December . Bot h of f i cer s wer e al most i mme-


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Capt ai n ( l at er Maj or )Robert B. Yat es ( l ef t ) andFi r st Li eut enant ( l at erCapt ai n) Prest on C. Hodgesat Macomb Reser vat i on,Pl at t sbur g, NY, 1943.

di at el y cal l ed on t o command uni t s and sl ow t he Ger man

advance. 9

When Col onel Fraser ar r i ved, t he f i r st t hi ng he di dwas cal l t he bat t al i on of f i cer s t oget her , i nt r oduce

hi msel f , and out l i ne hi s pol i ci es. He sket ched hi s own

past and had an oppor t uni t y t o t al k

of f i cer s l ong enough t o f i nd out t hei r

t hem up personal l y. 10

Pr i or t o comi ng t o t he bat t al i on,

wi t h each of t he

backgr ound and si ze

Col onel Fraser had

a br i l l i ant backgr ound, but i t was al most ent i r el y

conf i ned t o st af f wor k. Af t er gr aduat i ng f r om t he U. S.

Mi l i t ar y Academy i n 1939, he spent a per i od of cl ose t o

t hree year s on Oahu ( Hawai i ) at Schof i el d Bar r acks. He

was due t o ret ur n 8 December 1941, but r emai ned by r e-

quest f or ni ne more mont hs. The r emai nder of hi s pre-

br eakt hr ough car eer was spent as an Engi neer bat t al i on

commander wor ki ng on r out i ne road and ai r st r i p con-

st r uct i on, pl us doi ng a f ew shi f t s wi t h Communi cat i ons

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Zone base sect i ons checki ng t r ai ni ng and al l ocat i ng

troops. At St. Mal o, wi t h sni per f i re st i l l chat t er i ng

on t he day t he ci t adel f el l , Col onel Fr aser l ed a

r econnai ssance par t y t hat obt ai ned t i mel y i nf or mat i on on

harbor , beach, and rai l road f aci l i t i es . But t hi s was as

cl ose as t hi s 28- year - ol d, ner vousl y act i ve, and shar p-

mi nded of f i cer was al l owed t o come t o combat operat i ons. 11

I r ked by t hi s i nacti vi t y, Col onel Fraser went t o see

p t he Fi r st Army Engi neer on 12 December t o ask f or a combatassi gnment . He was so sure he woul d not r et ur n t o

Br i t t any Base Sect i on t hat he t ook al l hi s equi pment t o

Spa; t wo days l at er he was commandi ng t he 51st . " When I

saw what t hey wer e doi ng at t he sawmi l l s and al ong t he

r oads, " sai d Col onel Fraser , " I asked whet her i t r eal l ywas a combat out f i t . I was soon t o f i nd out . "12

When t he 158t h Engi neer Combat Bat t al i on depar t ed t o

assi st i n t he def ense of t he Bast ogne ar ea, t he 51st was

l ef t wi t h t he r esponsi bi l i t y of def endi ng t he [ Marche]

area. Capt ai n J ohn W. Bar nes, bat t al i on S- 3, states,

"Col onel Fr aser sat down wi t h a map and deci ded t hat t he

Ourt he Ri ver was a nat ur al def ense l i ne, and he pr epar ed

pl ans t o er ect r oadbl ocks and pr epar e key br i dges f or

demol i t i on. Several days l at er gr oup sent down an over l aydi r ect i ng t hat def enses be est abl i shed at pr eci sel y t he

same poi nt s whi ch Col onel Fr aser had sel ect ed. "13

I t was not onl y hi s or gani zi ng abi l i t y but al so hi s

l eader shi p t hat made Col onel Fr aser a f act or i n t he

success of t he bat t al i on. Throughout t he def ense of t he

25- mi l e f ront , he was ubi qui t ous. At t i mes i t i s i m-

possi bl e t o t r ace hi s t r ai l because so many men cl ai m t hat

he was wi t h t hem at wi del y separ at ed poi nt s. Dur i ng the

sever est t est of t he bat t al i on- - at Hott on on 21 December- -

Col onel Fraser was on t he enemy si de of t he r i ver f or a

per i od. He kept t he wi del y separ at ed f or ces uni f i ed. 14

Maj or Yat es had a di f f er ent t ask at Troi s- Poi nt s. Hi s

f or ces wer e concent r at ed i n a smal l ar ea, and hi s pr obl em


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was mor e one of decei vi ng t he enemy i nt o t hi nki ng t hat

t her e was a super i or f or ce def endi ng Tr oi s- Pont s. He al so

had t he j ob of i nspi r i ng conf i dence i n 150 men who af t er

t he f i r st day of act i on had no t ank dest r oyer s or ant i t ank

guns and wer e opposed by Ger man ar mor . 15

Bef ore the br eakt hr ough, Maj or Yat es had hel d var i ous

st af f posi t i ons wi t hi n t he bat t al i on f or t he pr ecedi ng t wo

year s, havi ng been i t s CO f or several mont hs i n 1943. Hi s

6-foot, 3- i nch, 200- pound f i gur e t ower ed over t he scene at

Tr oi s- Pont s. An af f abl e Texan, easy- goi ng i n nat ur e but

det er mi ned i n spi r i t , Maj or Yat es hel d t oget her hi s l i t t l e

company by pr oddi ng, caj ol i ng, and encour agi ng t hem t o

r esi st l ong af t er t hey had r eached r easonabl e l i mi t s of

human endur ance. " I woul d f i nd t hem asl eep st andi ng upaf t er 94 hour s on t he j ob, " sai d Maj or Yat es, "but t hey

were st andi ng up. "16

Col onel Wi l l i am E. Ekman, CO of t he 505t h Par achut e

I nf ant r y Regi ment , whi ch ent er ed Tr oi s- Pont s on 20

December , pai d hi gh t r i but e t o t he spi r i t and cour age of

Company C of t he 51st and si ngl ed out Maj or Yat es f or hi s

l eader shi p. "He had ever yt hi ng under cont rol , " sai d

Col onel Ekman, "and appear ed r eady and abl e t o hol d t he

t own i ndef i ni t el y. When t he 82d Ai r bor ne Di vi si on camei n, we expect ed t o f i n d t hi s uni t deci mat ed and

di scour aged. I nst ead, Maj or Yat es appr oached me and

ut t er ed a cl assi c phr ase, ' Say, I ' l l bet you f el l ows ar egl ad we' r e her e. ' "17

Addi ng a not e of commendat i on t o t he many ot her

t r i but es f or Maj or Yat es, Col onel Fr aser observed, " I do

not know anot her of f i cer who coul d have handl ed such a

di f f i cul t si t uat i on as admi r abl y as you di d. "18

Def ense at Trois-Ponts

Company C l ef t Mel r eux at 2200 on 17 December and

ar r i ved at Troi s- Pont s at 2330 t he same day. 19 ( Map 2) The

company, commanded by Capt ai n Sam Scheuber , i mmedi at el y

14


15/53


16/53

st ar t ed t o est abl i sh def ensi ve posi t i ons on the west bank

of t he Ambl eve Ri ver , whi ch ski r t s t he east edge of t own.

Company C' s st r engt h at t hi s t i me was appr oxi mat el y 140

men, about 20 st i l l bei ng absent at t he sawmi l l s. 20 The

company had ei ght bazookas, si x . 50- cal i ber machi ne guns,

and f our . 30- cal i ber machi ne guns. A 57-mm. ant i t ank [A t ]

gun f r om t he 526t h Ar mor ed I nf ant r y Bat t al i on al so became

avai l abl e. I n per sonnel , t he company was r ei nf orced by a

squad each f r om t he 526t h Ar mor ed I nf ant r y Bat t al i on and

Company A of t he 291st Engi neer Combat Bat t al i on, as wel l

as several st r aggl er s who were pi cked up comi ng t hr ough

Troi s- Poi nt s. 21

Tr oi s- Pont s i s st udded wi t h br i dges, under passes,

r ai l r oads, r i vers, c l i f f s , and r oad j unct i ons.22

TheAmbl eve and Sal m r i ver s j oi n t her e, as do r ai l r oad l i nes

r unni ng sout h t o Vi el sal m, nor t hwest t o Avwai l l e, and

nor t heast t o St avel ot . Hi ghway N23 ent er s Tr oi s- Pont s

f rom St avel ot by under passi ng t he r ai l r oad at t wo poi nt s

j ust bef or e i t j oi ns nor t h- south Hi ghway N33, mer ges wi t h

N33 sout h f or a f ew hundr ed yar ds, cr osses t he Ambl eve

Ri ver , and t hen t ur ns west across another br i dge over t he

Sa l m Ri ver and pr oceeds t owar d Wer bomont . The enemy

appr oached Troi s- Pont s by t hi s r oad and was t hwar t ed i ni t s at t empts t o go west t o Werbomont because the51st had

bl own up t wo br i dges over t he r i ver s. The enemy t hen

t ur ned i t s col umns nor t h af t er cl ear i ng t he r ai l r oadunderpasses and pr oceeded towar d St oumont . 23

The 1111t h Engi neer Combat Gr oup had i t s CP [command

post 1 i n Tr oi s- Pont s at t he st ar t of t he acti on, and i t s

smal l st af f hur r i ed t he pr epar at i ons f or def ense bef or e

t he ar r i val of Company C of t he 51st . Somebody asked

Col onel Har r y Ander son, CO of t he gr oup ( and f ormer

bat t al i on commander of t he 51st), whet her he i nt ended t o

wi t hdr aw. Hi s r epl y was char act er i st i c, "We have comesever al t housand mi l es t o f i ght t hese Nazi s- not t owi t hdr aw f r om t hem. " 24

16


17/53

On t he morni ng of 18 December , t he col umns of t he 7t h

Ar mored Di vi si on were passi ng t hr ough Tr oi s- Pont s on t hei r

way t o st em t he enemy at t ack i n t he Vi el s l m- St . Vi th

area. The 7t h Ar mor ed had t wo acci dent s i n t wi st i ng

t hr oughTroi s- Pont s, whi ch r ebounded t o t he benef i t of t he

def enders of t he t own. A hal f - t r ack wi t h a per sonnel

compl ement of 12 men, t owi ng a 57- mm. ant i t ank gun, br oke

down i n Troi s- Pont s. Thi s hal f - t r ack bel onged t o Company

B of t he 526t h Ar mor ed I nf ant r y Bat t al i on. (The 526t h

Ar mor ed I nf ant r y Bat t al i on was not a part of 7t h Ar mor ed

Di vi s i on; i t was a separ at e bat t al i on. Company B was on

i t s way t o Mal medy. ) Col onel Ander son di r ect ed hi s S- 4,

Capt ai n Rober t N. J ewet t , t o t ake command of t he squad and

super vi se t he pl aci ng of t he gun. Capt ai n J ewet t put t hegun and cr ew i n posi t i on on Hi ghway N23 on t he road t o

St avel ot , about a mi l e t oward St avel ot f rom t he t wo

r ai l r oad under passes. 25

The second acci dent benef i t ed t he def ender s ofTr oi s-

Pont s a l i t t l e l ess di rect l y. A t r acked vehi cl e ( obser -

ver s do not agr ee on whet her i t was an M5 l i ght t ank

or an M7 105- mm. sel f - pr opel l ed ar mor ed f i el d ar t i l l er y

"Pri est ") sl i pped of f t he r oad whi l e maki ng a shar p t ur n

at t he br i dge ( 674988) . The vehi cl e went over on i t s si dei nt o t he r i ver and was abandoned. Lat er i n t he day, when

t he 51st was f or ced t o bl ow t he br i dge, t he ensui ng f i r e

set of f t he ammuni t i on i n t he tank. However , i t di d not

go of f al l at once but expl oded at i nt er val s al l af t er noon

and i nt o t he eveni ng of t he 18t h. Enough t i me el apsed

bet ween expl osi ons t o al l ow f or l oadi ng an ar t i l l er y

pi ece, possi bl y t r i cki ng t he enemy i nt o t hi nki ng t hatar t i l l er y was avai l abl e t o t he gr oup def endi ng Troi s-

Pont s. 26

Li t t l e by l i t t l e, t he 51st company pi cked up a f ewmor er ei nf or cement s. Thr ee men f r om t he 341st Engi neer Bat t al i on who had or i gi nal l y been i n Troi s- Ponts guar di ng

t he br i dge at ( 676989) wer e at t ached t o Company C. A

17


18/53

sol di er i n a Br i t i sh uni f or m dr ove hi s t r uck t hr ough t own

sever al t i mes bef ore bei ng appr ehended and at t ached t o

Company C. He had a car bi ne, a second l i eut enant ' s

i nsi gni a, and a capt ai n' s map case, but t he news of

Operat i on GREI F had not yet caused suspi ci on t oward suchchar act er s. A GI who sai d he was f r om a near by ar t i l l er y

uni t wal ked up and down t he town wi t h a gi r l on hi s ar munt i l he too was cal l ed i n and at t ached t o Company C. 27

A somewhat l ar ger gr oup was at t ached dur i ng t he

mor ni ng of t he 18t h. At 0800, Li eut enant Al ber t J .

Wal t er s, a pl at oon l eader i n Company A, 291st Engi neer

Combat Bat t al i on, l ef t hi s bat t al i on CP at Basse- Bodeux t o

ass i st i n pr epar i ng f or demol i t i on of t he br i dge at

( 683977) , one mi l e sout heast of Troi s- Pont s. En r out e, hewas i nt er cept ed by Li eut enant Col onel J ames A. Ki r kl and,

execut i ve of f i cer of t he 1111t h Engi neer Combat Gr oup.

Col onel Ki r kl and at t ached Li eut enant Wal t er s and hi s squad

t o Company C, and t hey cont i nued t o def end t he br i dge on

t he sout h f l ank of t he def ender s of Troi s- pont s. 28

The def ense of t he t own i ni t i al l y consi st ed of one

pl at oon wi t h t wo bazookas on hi gh gr ound cover i ng t he

appr oach f r om Ai somont ; Capt ai n J ewet t ' s gr oup wi t h t he

l one ant i t ank gun cover i ng t he r oad f r om St avel ot ; a r ear

guard cover i ng t he N23 appr oach f r om Werbomont ; and t he

r emai nder of t he company depl oyed wi t h bazookas, machi ne

guns, and M1s i n t he bui l di ngs of t he t own t hat f r ont ed

t he Sal m and Ambl eve r i vers. 29

Capt ai n J ewet t sent t wo of t he 526t h Ar mored I nf ant r y

men, Cor por al Br uce W. Fr azi er and Pr i vat e Fi r st Cl ass

Ral ph J . Bi eker , 250 yar ds up t he r oad t owar d St avel ot

wi t h a dai sy chai n of t en mi nes and i nst r uct i ons t o j er kt hem acr oss t he r oad when a t ank approached and then run

back t o wher e t he 57- mm. ant i t ank gun was pl aced.Four 526t h Ar mor ed I nf ant r y men ( McCol l um, Hol l enback,Buchanan, and Al onzo B. Hi ggi ns) wer e manni ng t he ant i -

t ank gun. Li eut enant Ri char d Gr een, pl at oon l eader of 3d

18


19/53

Pl at oon, Company C, 51st Engi neer Combat Bat t al i on, al ong

wi t h Pr i vat e Fi r st Cl ass Andr ew Sal azar of t he same uni t ,

was i mmedi at el y behi nd t he gun. The hal f - t r ack, wi t h i t s

dr i ver f r om t he 526t h and wi t h Capt ai n J ewet t , was backed

i nt o N23 on t he opposi t e si de of t he r oad f r om t he

ant i t ank gun, r eady t o pul l out i n t he event of a t ank

at t ack t hat mi ght over r un t he posi t i on. 30

Sever al more men f r om Company C and t he 526t h wer e i n

a di t ch al ong t he road back of t he ant i t ank gun. J ust

beyond t he under pass on t he St avel ot si de St af f Ser geant

Fr ed Sal at i no was manni ng t he . 50- cal i ber ant i ai r cr af t gun

i n a 2 1/ 2- t on t r uck, al ong wi t h Techni ci an Fi f t h Cl ass

J acob Young. A wi r e was st r ung f r om t hi s t r uck back t o

t he company CP i n t he Troi s- Pont s r ai l r oad stat i on. 31About 200 yar ds up t he St avel ot r oad beyond t he

ant i t ank gun, Li eut enant Gr een post ed a combi nat i on

out post and get away consi st i ng of Techni ci ans Fi f t h Cl ass

Rober t Logan and El mer Hel t on and Pr i vat e Fi r st Cl ass

Mi l ber t Br own of Company C. Br own as dr i ver had hi s j eep;

up unt i l t hat t i me Hel t on had been an ai r compressor

oper at or and Logan a t r uck dr i ver , but t hey wer e pr essed

i nt o ser vi ce f or r econnai ssance. The pl an was t o have t he

t hr ee wat ch t he men wi t h t he dai sy chai n and t hen al er tt he gunner s and t he rest of t he squad i f a t ank

approached. 32

Fi r i ng was hear d i n t he vi ci ni t y of St avel ot dur i ng

t he ear l y par t of t he mor ni ng. Shor t l y bef or e noon, a

Ti ger Royal t ank nosed around t he bend t owar d t he AT gun.

Frazi er and Bi eker st r ung t hei r mi nes, but coul d not

r esi st t he t empt at i on t o t ake a f ew shot s wi t h t hei r

r i f l es at t he heads of enemy tanker s t hat pr ot r uded f r om

t he l ead t ank. Sever al ot her t anks soon f ol l owed t he l ead

t ank, whi ch st opped at t he dai sy chai n. Brown, Logan, and

Hel t on say that t he t ank st ar t ed f i r i ng i t s machi ne gun,

so t hey r et ur ned wi t h t hei r j eep t o Li eut enant Gr een' s

posi t i on wi t h t he si mpl e report, "t hey' r e commi ng!"

19


20/53

Li eut enant Gr een r epl i ed, "OK, not i f y t hem at t he CP i n

case I can' t get t hem on t he t el ephone, and then comeback

her e wi t h t he j eep. " 33

By t hi s t i me, t he squad on and near t he gun coul d see

t he l ead t anks and hear ot her s t hr ough the t r ees. "Nowl e t ' s be damn sure t hey' r e J er r i es l et ' s not mess t hi s

t hi ng up, " somebody sai d. Ot hers echoed t hi s t hought .

Per haps as a r esul t of t hi s, t he enemy tank i n t hi r d pl ace

f i r ed f our r ounds bef or e t he 57- mm. gun coul d get of f a

r ound. One shel l , an AP [ ant i per sonnel ] t r acer , ski pped

on t he r i ver t o t hei r backs. Anot her zi pped no more t han

si x i nches over t hei r heads. Anot her hi t a t r ee behi ndt he gun, t i ppi ng over t he t r ee and shower i ng f r agment s i n

t he area. Then t he gun cr ew opened up, and one of t hei rear l y r ounds st ar t ed t he l eadi ng' enemy t ank smoki ng. 34

Ther e was some di f f i cul t y at f i r st wi t h ammuni t i on

f or t he ant i t ank gun. Ther e wer e seven r ounds f or t he

gun, and t he cr ew sai d t hat i f t hey coul dn' t r epul se t he

at t ack wi t h seven r ounds t hat woul d be al l t hey woul d ever

get a chance t o use. I t soon became appar ent f r om t he

st r engt h of t he enemy ar mor ed at t ack t hat mor e rounds

woul d be needed. Capt ai n J ewet t sai d t hat he coul d

obser ve ei ght t anks comi ng ar ound t he bend t owar d hi s

posi t i on. Ther e wer e no di smount ed i nf ant r y accompanyi ng

al ong t he r oad, but about a dozen i nf ant r ymen were worki ng

t hei r way al ong t he sout h si de of t he r oad. 35 Col onel

Ander son, obser vi ng f r om acr oss t he r i ver t hr ough f i el d

gl asses, count ed a t ot al of 19 t anks t hat came t hr ough t he

posi t i on and l at er t ur ned r i ght on t he r oad t o St oumont . 36

The l i t t l e cr ew of def ender s st ar t ed an ammuni t i on bucket

br i gade, wi t h Capt ai n J ewet t t ossi ng t he shel l s acr oss t her oad t o Li eut enant Gr een, who f or war ded t hem t o Pr i vat e

Sal azar , who handed t hem up t o t he gun cr ew.

The mor al e of t he def ender s was not r ai sed any when a

r esoundi ng r oar f r om t he town t ol d t hem t hat t he nor t her n

t wo br i dges had been bl own, cut t i ng t hem of f f r omTr oi s-

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21/53

Pont s. The 880mm. shel l s hi t cl oser and cl oser unt i l one

hi t at t he base of t he gun, ki l l i ng al l f our of t he crew

and st unni ng Pr i vat e Sal azar . Real i z i ng t he f ut i l i t y of

f ur t her r esi st ance, t he r emai nder of t he cr ew pi l ed i nt o

t he hal f - t r ack and pr oceeded by t hei r onl y escape

route-- t owar d St oumont . The 2 1/ 2- t on t r uck f ol l owed.Li eut enant Gr een and hi s sur vi vor s f r om Company C made a

wi de ci r cl e at Pet i t Coo and r et ur ned t o Tr oi s- Pont s at

1500 by comi ng i n f r om t he west on Hi ghway N23, whi l e

Capt ai n J ewet t and t he sur vi vor s of t he 526t h Ar mored

I nf ant r y Bat t al i on f ound t hei r way back t o t he new gr oup

CP at Modave. 37

Al most s i mul t aneous wi t h t he bat t l e al ong t he

St avel ot r oad, t he 2d Pl at oon of Company C, commanded by

Li eut enant Fr ed L. Nabors, was al so at t acked by enemy

ar mor . Li eut enant Nabor s' pl at oon was depl oyed al ong t he

hi l l on t he Ai somont r oad. One bazooka was f i r i ng sout h-

east f r om t he r oad bel ow at ( 677988), f r om whi ch i t had

a per f ect f i el d of f i r e. Anot her bazooka had a good

f l anki ng f i r i ng posi t i on s l i ght l y t o t he east. Dur i ng t he morni ng of 18 December , t hree enemy t anks

appr oached t he 2d Pl at oon' s posi t i on, and t hey wer e

det ect ed appr oxi mat el y 1/ 2 mi l e away. The f i r st t ank hadr ei nf or ced ar mor pl at e on t he f r ont and was al l owed t o

pass by t owar d a st r i ng of dai sy- chai n mi nes acr oss t he

r oad. The bazooka t hen engaged t he second t ank, but di d

not knock i t out . The t hi r d t ank st ar t ed t o f i r e i t s

machi ne guns and f orced t he 2d Pl atoon out of posi t i on by

t he i nt ensi t y of t he f i r e. Thereaf t er , t he 2d Pl at oon

r et i r ed t o t he t own si de of t he r i ver and t ook up

pr ot ect i on of t he r i ght ( sout h) f l ank of t he Company C

l i ne. The def ense col l apsed because one of t he bazookasf ai l ed to f i re, anot her was knocked out of t he l oader ' s

hands wi t h machi ne gun f i r e, and t he dai sy chai n was

expl oded by machi ne guns. None of t he t hree enemy t anks,

however , at t empt ed t o f ol l ow t he 2d Pl at oon, Company C,

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22/53

i nt o Tr oi s- Pont s. - _ __ -(See Appendi x A. )The br i dge over t he r ai l r oad at t he j unct i on of N33

wi t h t he Ai somont r oad was bl own on 18 December , but

f oot t r oops coul d st i l l cross t he st r uct ur e. Li eut enant

Nabor s' pl at oon bl ew i t up agai n t he f ol l owi ng day. A

f oot br i dge acr oss t he Sal m Ri ver at ( 674982) was al so

bl own on t he f i r st day of act i on. 38 At 1300, t he br i dge

over t he Sal m Ri ver on Hi ghway N23 was demol i shed.

Shor t l y t her eaf t er , Maj or Yat es ar r i ved i n Troi s- Pont s,unawar e of t he si t uat i on and merel y bound f or t he dai l y

l i ai son meet i ng at t he 1111t h Engi neer Combat Gr oup.

Col onel Anderson char ged hi m wi t h t he def ense of t he ci t y,

and under FUSA [ Fi r st U. S. Ar my] or der s, t he gr oup l ef t

Tr oi s- Pont s f or Modave.Maj or Yat es depl oyed hi s men i n houses al ong t he

r i ver , pr ovi di ng f l ank and r ear guar ds and good f i el ds of

f i r e f or machi ne guns and bazookas. One enemy t ank, whi ch

t ur ned l ef t on N33 i nst ead of t aki ng t he St oumont r oad

when i t r eached t he j unct i on of N23 and N33, was sur -

pr i sed wi t h . 50- cal i ber machi ne gun f i r e. The cr ew had

di smount ed, and f i ve of t hem were hi t by a gun manned by

Sergeant Evers Gossard. A si xt h member of t he cr ew

r emount ed the t ank and st ar t ed t o t ur n i t s gun t owar d the. 50- cal i ber machi ne gun, wher eupon Ser geant Gossar d and

hi s crew di scr eet l y r et i r ed. The enemy t ank hover ed

ar ound f or t he r emai nder of t he day, f i r i ng spor adi cal l y.

I t wi t hdr ew on t he ni ght of t he 18t h.

"We kept sni pi ng at t hem across t he r i ver f or t he

next f ew days, " sai d Maj or Yat es, "but ever y shot of our s

seemed t o dr aw about a t housand i n ret ur n. So we deci ded

t o decei ve t hem as t o how gr eat a f or ce we had avai l abl e. "

The company had about si x 2 1/ 2- t on t r ucks avai l abl e,

and t hey wer e kept r unni ng i n and out of t own. Af t er

dar k, t hey were r un out of Troi s- Pont s on Hi ghway N23

t oward Werbomont wi t hout l i ght s and t hen r un back on t he

same r oad wi t h t hei r l i ght s on, si mul at i ng t he ar r i val of

22


23/53

r ei nf or cement s. Maj or Yat es hi t on t he i dea of si mul at i ng

t he pr esence and ar r i val of ar mor i nTroi s- Pont s. Thi s

was done by put t i ng chai ns on a si ngl e f our - t on t r uck, and

i t was cl anked back and f or t h r epeat edl y dur i ng t he next

f ew days. The cl osest f acsi mi l e t o ar t i l l er y or ant i t ank

guns t hat t he company hadwer e t he bazookas, and as Maj orYat es sai d, "They made a pr et t y l oud noi se, so we used to

shi f t t hem ar ound f r om pl ace t o pl ace af t er dar k and i t

may have decei ved t he enemy i nto t hi nki ng we had a coupl e

of l i ght ar t i l l ery pi eces . " I n addi t i on, he moved smal l

gr oups of r i f l emen f r om pl ace t o pl ace and had t hem f i r e

i n such a way as t o cr eat e t he i mpr essi on of consi derabl est r engt h i n smal l ar ms. 39

On t he af t er noon of t he 18t h, P- 47s were obser ved t ot ake a t ol l of f our or f i ve enemy t anks t hat wer e ci r cl i ng

nor t h and nor t hwest al ong N33 t owar d St oumont . Enemy

armored col umns passi ng al ong t hi s r oad were st r af ed and

di ve- bombed qui t e ef f ect i vel y. "But l ot s of us i nTroi s-

Pont s f el t pr et t y hel pl ess wi t h r i f l es and car bi nes on our

shoul der s, " sai d Li eut enant Gr een. 40

Af t er t he r et ur n of Li eut enant Gr een' s group and t he

wi t hdr awal of Li eut enant Nabors' pl at oon, t he three

pl at oons of t he company were consol i dat ed i nt o t wo- onegr oup bei ng pl aced on t he r i ver sout h of t own, wi t h i t s

l i ne swi ngi ng back to the west on t he edge of t own. Most

of Li eut enant Gr een' s 3d Pl at oon was on t he nor t h si de of

Troi s- Pont s, al so swi ngi ng i t s l i ne t o t he west on t he

out ski r t s . Li st eni ng post s wer e est abl i shed 500 t o 600

yar ds out f r om t he MLR [ mai n l i ne of r esi st ance] , and

pul l ed i nt o a t i ght per i met er def ense af t er dar k. ( Thi s

was done because t he smal l number of men avai l abl e f or

l i steni ng post s wer e wi del y separ at ed and woul d have gi ven

t he enemy oppor t uni t y t o i nf i l t r at e pat r ol s bet ween t hem

had they not been pul l ed i n about 300 yar ds f r om t hei r

dayt i me posi t i ons. ) 41

At 0900 on 19 December , Li eut enant Gr een and Techni -

23


24/53

cal Ser geant Mat t hew R. Car l yl e cr ossed t he r i ver , cover ed

by Maj or Yat es and thr ee ot her s, and went up t he St avel ot

r oad t owar d t he knocked- out 57- mm. gun. ( Map 3) They

f ound not hi ng i n t he r ai l r oadunderpasses but not i ced f our

men i n Ameri can uni f orms around t he gun. A l i t t l e f ar t her

up t he r oad was an M8 armored car and a j eep wi t h f r eshl y

pai nt ed whi t e st ar s. "Hey, Joe,m yel l ed Ser geant Car l yl e,and t he men exci t edl y cr i ed, "Ameri kans! " and st ar t ed t o

f i r e . The mot or s of t he M8 and j eep t ur ned over , but

Li eut enant Gr een and Ser geant Car l yl e di d not wai t t o see

i f t hey wer e bei ng f ol l owed. 42 "Af t er t hat ," sai d Maj or

Yat es, "we di d not need any pat rol s; we coul d see

ever yt hi ng t hat was happeni ng acr oss t he r i ver . "43

A br i ef f i r ef i ght occur r ed on 19 December when men i nLi eut enant Nabors' pl atoon engaged enemy on the hi l l j ust

sout h of t he Ai somont r oad at (680985) . When r i f l e f i r e

was di r ect ed at t hi s i nf ant r y group, t he enemy r epl i ed

wi t h bot h smal l ar ms and ar t i l l er y on Tr oi s- Pont s No

casual t i es r esul t ed from t hi s br i ef scuf f l e, but i t t aught

Company C t o keep bet t er hi dden and change posi t i ons

f r equent l y i n or der t o avoi d ar t i l l er y concent r at i ons. 44

Af t er t he br i dges had been bl own, Col onel s Ander son

and Ki r kl and obser ved several enemy t anks appr oach one oft he bl own br i dges. An el der l y coupl e r an out i n f r ont of

t hei r house and mot i oned wi t h t hei r ar ms; i t was di f f i cul t

t o t el l at f i r st whet her t hey wer e wavi ng at t he t anks or

t r yi ng t o t el l t hem t hat t he br i dge was bl own. One of t he

di smount ed t ank men was observed shoot i ng t he woman wi t h

hi s pi st ol ; t he man caught her when she f el l and t hen he

was, al so shot . Addi t i onal shot s wer e f i r ed i nt o t he

mot i onl ess f i gur es on t he gr ound. 45

Dur i ng the engagement , Maj or Yat es observed a Bel gi an

boy of about 12 r unni ng t owar d t he r i ver chased by a

German r i f l eman, who was f i r i ng af t er hi m. Four or f i ve

ot her Ger man sol di er s wer e st andi ng acr oss t he r i ver ,

l aughi ngl y watchi ng t he perf ormance. Enr aged, Maj or Yat es

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26/53

f i r ed sever al shot s at t hese spect at ors and dr opped one

of t hem bef or e t hey di sper sed, whi l e t he boy and hi s

t or ment or di sappear ed behi nd t he bui l di ngs.

Enemy pat r ol s at t empt ed t o pr obe acr oss t he r i ver

t hr oughout t he per i od, but wer e al l r epul sed by ri f l e andmachi ne gun f i r e and gr enades. The enemy had no way t o

br i ng ar mor acr oss t o Company C' s posi t i ons wi t hout

bui l di ng a br i dge. They di d not gi ve si gns of desi r i ng t o

bui l d a br i dge or make an assaul t cr ossi ng of t he r i ver . 46

On t he ni ght of 19 December , Li eut enant Wal t er s'

squad f r om t he 291st Engi neer Combat Bat t al i on bl ew t he

br i dge t hat t hey were def endi ng at ( 683977) . J ust as

enemy i nf ant r y comi ng up f r om t he sout h st ar t ed t o cross

t he br i dge, Ser geant J ean B. Mi l l er t ouched of f t hecharge, and t he squad worked i t s way back t o j oi n Company

C i n t he def ense ofTroi s- Pont s. 47

Another wel come addi t i on t o the smal l f orce at Troi s-

Pont s ar r i ved at 2000 on 19 December , when a pat r ol f r om

t he 85t h Reconnai ssance Squadr on, consi st i ng of f i f t een

men and t hree M8 assaul t gunsr arr i ved on Hi ghway N23 f r omBasse- Bodeux. Not r eal i z i ng t hat t hey wer e f r i endl y

t r oops, Company C' s r ear guard f i r ed on t hem, but

i dent i f i cat i on was qui ckl y made. The next day t he t hreeguns were set up on t he out ski r t s of t own on hi gh gr ound

wher e t he pat r ol coul d obser ve and st i l l keep i t s guns i n

def i l aded posi t i ons. Al t hough t he assaul t guns r emai ned

i n posi t i on out si de of Tr oi s- Pont s, t he pat r ol never

act ual l y engaged t he enemy. 48

On 20 December , el ement s of t he 505t h Par achut eI nf ant r y Regi ment of t he 82d Ai r bor ne Di vi si on l ear ned of

t he pr esence of t he f or ce def endi ngTroi s- Ponts, and t he

r egi ment al commander , Col onel Wi l l i am E. Ekman, or der ed

hi s 2d and 3d Bat t al i ons t o send thr ee bazooka t eams each

t o t he bel eaguered t own. The r est of t he r egi ment t hen

st ar t ed t o move i nt o Tr oi s- Pont s and t he 505t h' s CP was

est abl i shed at 1300 on 20 December . 49

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Company C had i t s gr eat est casual t i es on 20 December ,

al t hough t hi s was by no means t he day of gr eat est

f i ght i ng. From 1930 t o 2100, enemy ar t i l l er y i nt ensi f i ed

i n t he ent i r e wat er f r ont area. Pr i vat e Car l St r awser was

ki l l ed when a shel l hi t hi s . 50- cal i ber machi ne gunposi t i on, and Sergeant J oseph Gyur e was ser i ousl y wounded

at t he same t i me. St af f Ser geant Wi l l i am W. Ranki n was

ki l l ed by a 20- mm. shel l whi l e st at i oned at an OP

[ obser vat i on post]. 50

A pl atoon of Engi neer s f r om t he at t achment s of

t he 505t h Par achut e Regi ment ( 307t h Ai r borne Engi neer

Bat t al i on) , ass i st ed by Company C, t hen r epai r ed t he

br i dges at ( 677982) and ( 674986) f or a company of t he

505t h t o cross. Lat er i n t he ni ght a second companycr ossed on t he repai r ed br i dge, whi l e t he def ender s of

Tr oi s- Pont s hel d t hei r posi t i ons i n t he f ace of sporadi c

enemy ar t i l l er y f i r e.

At 1100 on 21 December , r epor t s began comi ng i n that

t he t wo compani es of t he 505t h wer e havi ng di f f i cul t y

across t he r i ver . The enemy l aunched a st r ong coun-

t er at t ack and st ar t ed t o sur r ound el ement s t hat wer e

def endi ng on t he hi l l over l ooki ng Tr oi s- Pont s f r om t he

east. At 1500, Maj or Yat es r ecei ved a message f r om t he

1111t h Engi neer Combat Gr oup or der i ng Company C t o

wi t hdraw. He br ushed i t asi de and char act er i st i cal l y

r epl i ed t hat i t was i mpossi bl e t o di sengage f r om t he

enemy, i nasmuch as Company C wascover i ng t he wi t hdr awalof t he 82d Ai r bor ne Di vi si on. 51

Capt ai n Scheuber , Company C' s commander , at 1500or der ed t hat t he br i dge at ( 674986) over t he Sal m Ri ver

and t he br i dge at ( 677982) over t he Ambl eve Ri ver bepr epar ed agai n f or i mmi nent demol i t i on. 52 Of t hese, t he

t i mber t r est l e br i dge over t he Sal m was t he most di f f i cul tt o bl ow. The t ask was assi gned t o Li eut enant J oseph B.

Mi l gram, J r . , and si x [ enl i sted] men- - Ser geant El vi n

Gol dsmi t h, Cor por al Odi s C. Faust , Techni ci an Fi f t h Cl ass

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Paul H. Keck, Pr i vat e J essi e R. Mock, Pr i vat e Maur i ce S.

Wal ker , and Pr i vat e J ose E. Mar quez. Knowi ng t hat t he

br i dge post s had pr evi ousl y been bl own, Li eut enant Mi l gr am

deci ded t o use neckl ace char ges f or t he st r i nger s and t o

use t i me f uze s and pr i macor d t o set of f t he char ges. Heorder ed hi s men t o make ni ne neckl ace char ges.

When t hese wer e r eady, t he group pr oceeded t oward t he

br i dge on bot h si des of t he r oad and were subj ect ed t o

machi ne gun and smal l ar ms f i r e al ong t he r out e.

Li eut enant Mi l gr am' s pl an had been t o prepare t he

st r i nger s on t he f r i endl y si de of t he br i dge f i r st by

wor ki ng f r om t he t op si de of t he br i dge and pl aci ng t he

char ges on t he si des of t he st r i nger s. However , t he

r emoval of t he decki ng woul d have ent ai l ed t oo much workunder f i r e, so t he gr oup crossed t he br i dge t o t he enemy

si de and cl i mbed underneat h i n or der t o get t he maxi mum

amount of cover f r om enemy f i r e .

Thei r movement was obser ved, and t he f i r e i ncr eased,

so Li eut enant Mi l gr am or der ed al l but Techni ci an Fi f t h

Cl ass Keck t o cr awl al ong t he enemy si de of t he r i ver and

wade acr oss at a poi nt l ower downst r eam t hat woul d gi ve a

l i t t l e mor e cover . The next j ob was t o secur e t he

pr i macor d on t he f r i endl y si de of t he r i ver at a poi nt

where i t mi ght be r eached t o bl ow up t he br i dge. Af t er

t hi s was compl et ed, t he ent i r e gr oup waded t he r i ver and

r eport ed t o Capt ai n Scheuber t hat t he br i dge was r eady f or

demol i t i on. At 1650, t he or der was gi ven t o bl ow t he

br i dges.

The Ambl eve br i dge pr esent ed no unusual probl ems, but

t he Sal m br i dge was mor e di f f i cul t . Li eut enant Mi l gr am

and Techni ci an Fi f t h Cl ass Keck pr oceeded t o wi t hi n 60yar ds f r om wher e t he pr i macor d l ay. Fr om t her e Li eut enant

Mi l gr am cr awl ed t he r emai nder of t he di st ance, checked t he

cor d, pul l ed t he f uze l i ght er , and t hen ran about 50 yards

i n t he f adi ng l i ght but i n f ul l vi ew of t he enemy unt i l he

r eached t he cover of a bui l di ng. 53

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Havi ng accompl i shed hi s ai m and mi ssi on of cover i ng

t he wi t hdr awal of t he 505t h Regi ment %el ement s f r om t he

east of Tr oi s- Pont s, Maj or Yat es or der ed Company C t o

begi n wi t hdr awi ng f r om t he t own at 1930 on 21 December .

The wi t hdr awal was compl et ed by 2000, and t he companyr ej oi ned t he bat t al i on at 2330 at Mar che. 54

The Bat t l e of Hott on

The most bi t t er and t act i cal l y i mpor t ant bat t l e

f ought by t he r emai nder of t he 51st Engi neer CombatBat t al i on was i n def ense of t he vi t al Ourt he Ri ver br i dge

at Hot t on on 21 December . 55

I n t he days pr ecedi ng t he bat t l e ofHot t on, t he t wo

compani es i n t he Mar che ar ea f ever i shl y pr epar ed br i dges,

r oadbl ocks, mi nef i el ds, demol i t i ons, and abat i s al ong t he

Ourt he Ri ver l i ne f r om Dur buy t o La Roche [Laroche]. They

had numerous mi nor brushes wi t h enemy f or ces dur i ng t he

per i od. Wi t h t he depar t ur e of t he 158t h Engi neer Combat

Bat t al i on f or t he Bast ogne area, Col onel Fraser was

f ormal l y char ged wi t h t he def ense of t he area at 1930 on

19 December . He had al r eady pr epar ed and st ar t ed t o

execut e pl ans; at 0500 t hat mor ni ng Compani es A and B wer ecombat l oaded and poi sed f or act i on near Hargi mont and

Hogne, r espect i vel y. 56

Conf usi on r ei gned i n t he t owns and al ong t he roads.

The l ocal gendarmer i e unsuccessf ul l y at t empt ed t o check

evacuat i ons and t hen t r i ed t o keep t he r oads cl ear .

Par achut i st s and r umor s of par achut i st s kept ever yone i n

t ur moi l . Col onel Fr aser f i nal l y i nst i t ut ed a r i gi d

ci vi l i an check syst em t hat r esul t ed i n t he capt ur e and

execut i on of many enemy spi es and agent s i n ci vi l i ancl ot hes. The l ar gest such gr oup was apprehended by

Company B i n Hot t on; i t consi st ed of 21 men i n ci vi l i an

cl othes whose baggage cont ai ned consi der abl e suppl i es of

Amer i can ci gar et t es, r at i ons, and uni f orms. The next

l ar gest bag was made t he f ol l owi ng day when ei ght

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The vi t al Ourt he Ri ver br i dge at Hot t on

ci vi l i ans wer e pi cked up by Headquar t er s and Servi ce

Company at Humai n af t er t hey r ef used t o sur r ender t hei r

ar ms. 57

The next pr obl em t hat f aced Col onel Fr aser was t hest r eam of st r aggl er s pour i ng t hr ough t he ar ea. Some came

wi t h uni t s evacuat i ng i n an or der l y manner , al bei t a bi t

hur r i edl y, to the rear. Ot hers r ushed thr ough i n bat ches,

wi t h cl ot hes r i pped, f eet soaked, and mor al e shat t er ed-t hor oughl y beat en men f r om over r un uni t s. Al l of t hem

asked t he same quest i ons: "Where i s my uni t ? How f ar

have t he Germans broken t hrough?" The next most f avor i t e

quest i on concer ned t r af f i c and r oad i nf or mat i on- - al mosti nvar i abl y regar di ng t he ar ea t owar d t he west . To cr eat e

a sembl ance of or der out of t hi s Gr and Cent r al St at i on

bedl am, Col onel Fraser di r ect ed t hat a cl ear i ng poi nt be

est abl i shed wher e t he name and uni t of al l t hese bi r ds

of passage be r ecorded. Thi s i nf or mat i on proved i nval u-

abl e as an ai d t o r euni t i ng t he l ost , st r ayed, and

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st r aggl i ng. 58

Dur i ng t he ear l y morni ng hour s of 19 December , t he

bar r i er l i nes wer e compl et ed. Company B cover ed t he ar ea

on t he west bank of t he Ourt he Ri ver f r om Hot t on t o Durbuy

i ncl usi ve. The 1st Pl at oon def ended t he i mmedi at e ar ea ofHot t on and Mel r eux; t he 2d Pl at oon t he ar ea f r om Mel r eux

t o Durbuy; and t he 3d Pl at oon t he vi ci ni t y of Dur buy and

t he l ef t f l ank. 59

At 0400 on 19 December , t he 1st Pl atoon of Company A,

under Li eut enant Fl oyd D. Wr i ght , was or dered t o Hampt eau

t o pr epar e a r oadbl ock and a f oot br i dge f or demol i t i on. 60

Ten mi nut es l at er t he 2d Pl at oon, under Li eut enant Paul

Cur t i s, depar t ed f or Marcour t on a si mi l ar mi ssi on

r egar di ng a cl ass 10 br i dge. At t he same t i me, t he 3d

Pl at oon, under Li eut enant Raymond A. Traf f ord, was or dered

t o r emai n as bat t al i on r eser ve i n t he vi ci ni t y of Har si n,

t he bat t al i on CP. Lat er i n t he mor ni ng, t he 2d Pl at oon

r ei nf or ced i t s r i ght f l ank at ( 432791) wi t h a st r ong

r oadbl ock consi st i ng of one squad, t wo bazooka t eams, and

one . 50- cal i ber machi ne gun.

Mor e speci f i cal l y, t he f ol l owi ng def enses were com-

pl et ed on 19 December . ( Map 4)1. Two ant i t ank mi nef i el ds at ( 368880) , 200 yar ds

downst r eam f r om [the r ai l r oad br i dge ment i oned bel ow] .

2. A r ai l r oad br i dge at ( 360890) pr epared f or

demol i t i on, and a f ord beneat h mi ned.

3. Hi ghway br i dge on N29 at ( 369879) pr epar ed f or

demol i t i on and def ended by t wo 40- mm. guns f r om t he 440t h

AAA [ Ant i ai r cr af t Ar t i l l er y] Weapons Bat t al i on, t wo . 50-

cal i ber machi ne guns, and t wo bazookas.4. Foot br i dge at Hampt eau at ( 384867) pr epar ed f or

demol i t i on, def ended by t wo . 50- cal i ber machi ne guns andone . 30- cal i ber machi ne gun.

5. Ref ugee and st r aggl er poi nt est abl i shed at

( 390865) i n cooper at i on wi t h l ocal def ense of f i ci al s.

6. Two f oot br i dges at ( 3998591 guar ded and pr epar ed

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33/53

f or demol i t i on.

7. Cl ass 10 br i dge at Marcourt ( 421820) pr epared f or

dest r uct i on, def ended by a hal f - t r ack, bazooka, t wo . 50-

cal i ber machi ne guns, and one . 30- cal i ber machi ne gun.

8. Road j unct i on at ( 433790) def ended by one squad,

one bazooka, and one . 50- cal i ber machi ne gun.9. Abat i s at ( 390686) , 30 mi nes t o be i nst al l ed

af t er t r ees bl own. 10. I nt er sect i on at ( 383698) def ended by pl at oon of

9t h Canadi an For est r y Company, 10 men f r om 158th Engi neer

Combat Bat t al i on, 13 men f r om 51st Engi neer Combat

Bat t al i on, 1 3 men f r om 440t h AAA Weapons Bat t al i on, one

40- mm. gun, one bazooka, and one . 50- cal i ber machi ne gun.

Enemy ai r was act i ve over t he bar r i er l i ne on 19December , s t r af i ng Hi ghway N35 nor t h of Mar che at

Bai l l onvi l l e ( 295907) and t he N4 r oad j unct i on near Pi sson

[ Pessoux] ( 180903) .

Def enses wer e st r engt hened on 20 December , and by

2400 on t hat dat e t he f ol l owi ng bar r i er l i ne had been

est abl i shed:

1 . Br i dge pr epar ed f or demol i t i on at ( 363961) .

2. Weak br i dge at ( 341950) def ended by a bazooka and

a . 30- cal i ber machi ne gun.3.l Pi ers of dest r oyed br i dge pr epar ed f or demol i t i on

at ( 362961) ; cr ossi ng pr ot ect ed by a . 50- cal i ber machi ne

gun and bazooka.

4. Masonr y br i dge at ( 373717) pr epar ed f or demo-

l i t i o n .

5. St r i ng of mi nes at ( 337761) .6. I nt er sect i on at ( 306773) def ended by t ank r e-

t r i ever wi t h 81- mm. mor t ar , f our r ai l r oad car s r eady t o

push across r oad, and one . 50- cal i ber machi ne gun.

7. I nt er sect i on at ( 310815) def ended by 40- mm. gun,

and al l men and equi pment f al l i ng back f r om r oad f r omsouth and east .

8. Roadbl ock at Rochef ort ( 202762) , wi t h br i dge

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pr epared f or demol i t i on and def ended by 40- mm. gun,

bazooka, one . 50- cal i ber machi ne gun, and one . 30- cal i ber

machi ne gun.

9 l Hi ghway N35: Marche- Aye- Humai n- Rochef or t bl ocked

to enemy advance f r om sout heast wi t h debr i s at

i nt er sect i on ( 300907) ; at ( 295936) wi t h abat i s and mi nes;

and at ( 279861) cul ver t pr epar ed f or demol i t i on.

10. Roadbl ock on N4 at ( 430662) . Thi s bl ock was

r epor t ed compl et e at 2230, wi t h one squad of Company A i n

posi t i on def endi ng i t .

11 l Cont act was made wi t h one squad of t he 299t h

Engi neer Combat Bat t al i on mai nt ai ni ng a r oadbl ock on

Hi ghway N28 at ( 392721) . Thi s r oadbl ock and i t s def enses

wer e then t i ed i n and coor di nat ed wi t h t he pl an of def ensef or t he i nt er sect i on of Hi ghways N4 and N28.

Much of t he cr edi t f or coor di nat i ng t he scat t er ed

def enses bet ween Hott on and Mar che i s due to Capt ai n Kar l

G. . Peder sen, t he modest and di f f i dent - l ooki ng CO of

Company A. When hi s r oadbl ocks wer e est abl i shed about

0400 on 20 December , Capt ai n Peder sen cl ear ed wi t h t he CO

of t he 158t h Engi neer Combat Bat t al i on, whi ch was about

t wo mi l es sout h of t he j unct i on of N4 and N28. The CO of

t he 158t h i nf ormed Capt ai n Pedersen t hat t here were 15

t anks and an unknown number of i nf ant r y appr oxi matel y f i ve

mi l es sout h of hi s posi t i on. About 1300 on 20 December ,

t he 158t h di spl aced t o t he west on anot her mi ss i on,

l eavi ng onl y scat t er ed el ement s bet ween Capt ai n Peder sen' s

r oadbl ocks and t he enemy' s concent r at i on of t r oops.

Al though 50 Canadi an f or est er s r ei nf or ced Capt ai n

Peder sen' s uni t at 0400 on 21 December , t hese men wer e

al so cal l ed away on anot her mi ss i on at 1510 t he same day.He was r ei nf or ced by an unknown maj or wi t h a bazooka t eam,

an unknown chi ef war r ant of f i cer wi t h a . 50- cal i ber

machi ne gun, and one 40- mm. AA [ ant i ai r cr af t ] gun f r om t he

440t h AAA Bat t al i on. 61

Dur i ng t he days when t hese roadbl ocks were hel d, t hey

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wer e subj ect ed t o numer ous mi nor pr obi ngs by j eeps and

armored vehi cl es. As wi t h t he remai nder of t he 51st

Engi neer Combat Bat t al i on, t he successf ul def ense of t hese

r oadbl ocks hi nged on decept i on. Accor di ng

Fraser, i t was due t o "decei vi ng t he enemy

st r engt h of my smal l , pract i cal l y i sol at edspi t e of known super i or i t y t o my f r ont and

i nf i l t r at i on t o my r ear . " The si gni f i cance of

t o Col onel

as t o t he

f or ce, i nknown enemy

t he def ense

i n t he l ar ger pi ct ur e was t hat i t enabl ed t he 84t h

Di vi si on t o reor gani ze def ensi ve posi t i ons around t he ci t y

of Mar che and to keep t hat ci t y out of enemy hands. 62

The bat t l e of Hott on occur r ed on 21 December . J ust

bef ore t he enemy st r uck at t he Hot t on br i dge, he at t empt ed

t o break t hrough t he Company A posi t i ons and at Hampt eau

overcame r esi st ance put up by a squad of Company A. The

Hampteau def ense had been organi zed by Li eut enant Fl oyd D.

Wr i ght , pl at oon l eader of t he 1st Pl at oon of Company A .

About 30 yar ds nor t heast of t he f oot br i dge acr oss t he

r i ver, on t he road to Soy, a mi nef i el d was hast i l y l ai d

and t he posi t i on across t he r i ver was out post ed wi t h

Pr i vat e St anl ey A. Dr i ggs and hi s Ml r i f l e. Thi r t y t o 40

yar ds f r om t he f oot br i dge, on t he sout hwest si de of t he

r i ver, a bazooka t eam of t hr ee men and a detonat or f or t hebr i dge were pl aced. Al ong t he Hot t on- La Roche [Laroche]

road, t wo bazooka t eams wer e pl aced 700 yar ds apar t ,

pr ot ect ed by dai sy chai ns of mi nes. Two . 50- cal i bermachi ne guns, hal f a squad of r i f l emen, and t wo t anks wer e

pl aced west of t he Hot t on- La Roche [Laroche] road. 63

Thr ee j eep pat r ol s f r om t he 820t h Tank Dest r oyer

Bat t al i on r epor t ed t hat t hey had r ecei ved smal l ar ms f i r e

i n t he vi c i ni t y of La Roche [Laroche], t hat t hey had

r el ayed t hi s i nf ormat i on t o t he 2d Pl atoon of Company A at

Marcour t , and t hat t he 2d Pl at oon had subsequent l y bl own

t hei r Mar cour t br i dge. Af t er at t empt i ng unsuccessf ul l y t o

persuade t he 820t h t o r ei nf or ce t he 2d Pl atoon' s r oadbl ock

at Mar cour t , Li eut enant Wr i ght sent hi s pl at oon ser geant ,

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St af f Sergeant Donal d A. Boni f ay, wi t h an M8 ar mored car

and one squad ( Ser geant Benj ami n Ham' s) t o Marcour t . Task

For ce Boni f ay ar r i ved at t he 2d Pl at oon at 0130 on 21

December , wher e Li eut enant Paul Cur t i s, 2d Pl at oon l eader ,

put t hem out t o assi st i n t he def ense of t he t own.

Li eut enant Cur t i s r epor t ed t hat t her e had been a br i ef ,

br i sk f i r ef i ght bet ween t wo hal f - t r acks appr oachi ng

t he br i dge and hi s own . 50- cal i ber machi ne guns. No

casual t i es r esul t ed f r om t hi s f i r ef i ght , but t hr ough

mi st aken i dent i t y one guard was ki l l ed and one wounded

when t hey hal t ed an Amer i can pat r ol at Marcourt .

Leavi ng Ser geant Ham' s squad i n Marcour t , Sergeant

Boni f ay ret ur ned t o Hampt eau j ust i n t i me t o get i n on t he

exci t ement t her e. At 0510, Pr i vat e Dr i ggs r an back acr osst he br i dge and reported t hat an ar mor ed car was

appr oachi ng al ong t he secondar y r oad f r om t he northeast .

The ar mor ed car st ar t ed shel l i ng t he hi gh gr ound behi nd

and i n t he vi l l age and t hen st ar t ed f i r i ng i t s smal l ar ms

at t he bazooka t eams. A bat t al i on staf f of f i cer, Capt ai n

Ri char d F. Huxmann, di r ect ed Ser geant Boni f ay t o bl ow t he

br i dge; however, t hi s was i mpossi bl e because t he detonator

had been r emoved. The shel l i ng set Hampteau on f i r e, and

by t hi s t i me t he bat t l e of Hott on was commenci ng andCol onel Fr aser or der ed Li eut enant Wr i ght t o send hi s men

t o r ei nf or ce Company B at Hot t on. Taki ng a l ast l ook att he bur ni ng and compl et el y deser t ed t own of Hampteau at

0900, Ser geant Boni f ay made hi s way back t o Hot t on on f oot

t o j oi n t he bat t l e t hat was i n pr ogr ess t her e.

The sequel t o t he Hampt eau act i on i s t hat Li eutenant

Paul Cur t i s, accompani ed by Sergeant s J oseph H. Ochson and

Har r y S. Wi mber l ey, r et ur ned i n t he af t er noon i n an

at t empt t o r ewi r e and bl ow t he br i dge. Li eut enant Cur t i s

was ki l l ed i n t he unsuccessf ul at t empt . 64

On 21 December bi t t er f i ght i ng t ook pl ace at t hepoi nt ( 369879) wher e a vi t al cl ass 70 br i dge spanned t he

Ourt he Ri ver at Hott on. ( Map 5) Hotton i s at t he j unct i on

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Map 5

51st Engineer Combat Battalion Defenses,

Hotton Area, 21 December 1944

REAR ECHELON

DESTROYED BY U.S.

PVT. LEE J. ISHMAEL


38/53

of N4 ( whi ch r uns sout heast t o La Roche [Laroche]) and N28

( whi ch r uns nort heast t oward Bar vaux and sout hwest t oward

Marche) . The br i dge i s perpendi cul ar t o N4 and connect s

N28 on bot h si des of t he r i ver . On t he east si de of t he

r i ver t he r oad t o Soy br anches of f t o t he nor t heast .

Al ong t he sout hern borders of t hi s r oad are wooded ar eas

and r i si ng gr ound. Houses l i ne bot h si des of t he r i ver

and are cl osel y spaced. The mai n enemy t hrust s at Hott on

came f r om t he nor t heast ; f r om t he di r ect i on of Soy and

Erezee. 65

The sparkpl ug of t he def ense of Hott on was Capt ai n

Prest on C. Hodges, a vet eran gr aduat e of For t Bel voi r' s

si xth OCS [ Of f i cer Candi dat e School ] cl ass, who had

commanded or been associ at ed wi t h Company B of t he 51stf or t wo year s. 66 Hi s l eader shi p hel d t oget her t he mi scel -

l aneous el ement s present at t he br i dge and i nspi r ed t hem

t o st and and ward of f t he enemy at t acks. Capt ai n Hodges

r emai ned exposed t o smal l ar ms and ar t i l l er y f i r e dur i ng

t he bat t l e i n or der t o coor di nat e t he f i r i ng of t he

var i ous weapons and el ements under hi s command. Al t hough

sl i ght l y wounded by a shel l f r agment dur i ng t he bat t l e,

Capt ai n Hodges r emai ned at hi s st at i on unt i l t he bat t l e of

Hot t on had been won and t he t own was f i r ml y i n Al l i edhands. 67

The per sonnel and equi pment avai l abl e t o Capt ai n

Hodges f or t he def ense of Hott on i ni t i al l y cons i sted of

t he f ol l owi ng: one squad of t he 1st Pl at oon of Company B,

51st Engi neer s, commanded by Fi r st Li eut enant Br uce W.

J ami son; hal f a squad of men f r om Company A, 51st

Engi neer s; a squad of Ar mored Engi neer s f r om t he 3d Ar-

mored Di vi si on, equi pped wi t h a 37- mm. ant i t ank gun; t wo40- mm. Bof or s ant i ai r craf t guns ( pr essed i nt o ser vi ce f r om

t he 440t h AAA Bat t al i on) ; and a smat t er i ng of bazookas and

. 50- cal i ber machi ne guns. Most of t hi s equi pment and

per sonnel was on t he sout hwest si de of t he r i ver br i dge.

On t he nor t heast si de of t he br i dge wer e per sonnel of t he

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3d Ar mor ed Di vi si on t r ai ns, suppor t ed by what appeared t o

be a pl at oon of l i ght t anks and a pl at oon of medi um t anks.

A medi cal uni t al so was present on t he nor t heast si de of

t he r i ver , l i ni ng t he Barvaux r oad. Thi s uni t was al so

par t of t he 3d Ar mor ed Di vi si on. 68

The Hott on br i dge was a t wo- way t i mber br i dge.Def ense f r om t he nor t heast si de of t he br i dge and r i ver

was di f f i cul t due t o l i mi t ed obser vat i on and t he

obst r uct i on t o movement caused by t he bui l di ngs of t he

t own. Posi t i ons on t he west bank coul d be obser ved by t he

enemy but wer e choi cer because t hey al l owed f r eedom of

movement , f i el ds of f i r e, and bet t er si ght of what t he

enemy was doi ng. On t he ni ght of 19- 20 December ,

Li eut enant J ami son pr epar ed t hi s br i dge and t he Mel r eux

r ai l r oad br i dge f or demol i t i on. He used 800 pounds of TNT

and 300 pounds of sat chel char ges on t he Hot t on br i dge,

pr epar i ng one abut ment and t hr ee pi ers. 69

The same ni ght t hat t he br i dge had been prepar ed f or

demol i t i on, an enemy pat r ol of 20 men dressed i n Amer i can

uni f or ms advanced on t he br i dge, and t hey came down and

st ar t ed t o wal k acr oss t he br i dge. I t was never l ear ned

what t hei r mi ssi on was, but i t was supposed t hat t hey were

t o bl ow t he br i dge.70

(See Appendi x A. )One of t he most val uabl e asset s t hat t he smal l gr oup

of t he 51st Engi neer Combat Bat t al i on had avai l abl e at

Hotton was a vehi cl e f r om t he 7t h Ar mor ed Di vi si on, wi t h a

f i ve- man cr ew. 71 Ther e i s di sagreement i n both or al and

wr i t t en t est i mony as t o whet her t hi s was at ank dest r oyer

or an M4 medi um t ank wi t h a76- mm. gun. Al l obser ver s and

par t i ci pant s agr ee i t had a 76- mm. gun. They al so agr ee

t hat i t s crew di d a her oi c j ob i n t he def ense of t he

Hott on br i dge, away f r om t hei r uni t . I t i s unf or t unat et hat none of t he Engi neer s pr esent at t he bat t l e of Hot t on

have cl ues t o t he i dent i t y of t he t ank cr ew. 72

Bef ore dayl i ght on t he morni ng of 21 December ,

Li eut enant s Wr i ght and J ami son l ocat ed t hi s ar mor ed

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vehi cl e i n an ordnance det achment on t he out ski r t s of

Hot t on. These of f i cer s pr evai l ed on t he ser geant ( t ank

commander ) t o get hi s t ank i nt o act i on t o suppor t t he

det achment def endi ng t he Hott on br i dge. The t ank was

empl oyed near t he end of t he br i dge on t he west si de of

t he r i ver , cl ose t o a pr ot ect i ng house t hat shi el ded i t shul l but al l owed i t a good f i el d of f i r e. 73

Ear l y on t he mor ni ng of t he 21st, Capt ai n Hodgesborr owed a 37- mm. ant i t ank gun f r om t he 23d Ar mor ed

Engi neer s of t he 3d Ar mor ed Di vi si on acr oss t he r i ver .

( See Map 5. )- The cr ew, accor di ng t o al l obser ver s, wasver y hesi t ant about manni ng t he gun. Pr i vat e Lee J .

I shmael , dr i ver f or Col onel Fr aser , vol unt eer ed t o f i r e

t he gun and he manned i t t hroughout t he bat t l e.74

About 0700 on t he mor ni ng of 21 December , t he enemy

commenced shel l i ng Hot t on. Shor t l y t her eaf t er , a f i re-

f i ght devel oped bet ween el ement s of t he 3d Ar mor ed

Di vi si on and enemy ar mor and i nf ant r y comi ng out of t he

woods on t he east si de of t he r i ver . Capt ai n J ohn W.

Barnes, S- 3 of t he 51st Engi neer Combat Bat t al i on, who had

j ust r et ur ned f r om i nspect i ng r oadbl ocks on Hi ghway N4,

r ecei ved t he i nf or mat i on f r om Li eut enant Wr i ght t hat

Hampt eau had f al l en and t he group t her e had been f or cedback t o Hot t on whi ch was bei ng t hr eat ened. Capt ai n

Bar nes asked f or vol unt eer s f r om Headquar t er s and Ser vi ce

Company t o go t o Hot t on and check t he enemy vehi cl es

at t empt i ng t o br eak t hr ough t her e. The ot her s i n Captai n

Barnes' gr oup wer e War r ant Of f i cer J ul i us J . Hor ecka,

Mast er Ser geant Edwar d Col l ey, Techni cal Sergeant Kennet h

Kel l y, Ser geant Ar nol d Par ker , Pr i vat e Lee J . I shmael ,

Pr i vat e Pet er Ser i anni , and Pr i vat e Wi l l i s Rackus.

Hor ecka t ook t hese men ahead i n a 2 1/ 2- t on truck. When

t hey ar r i ved i n Hot t on t her e was a smal l - scal e bat t l e i n

progress between t he 3d Ar mor ed and enemy ar mor . 75

The 3d Ar mor ed t anks st ar t ed engagi ng enemy i nf ant r y,

whi ch came out of t he woods east of Hot t on and up t he r oad

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on t he east si de of t he Ourt he Ri ver . A medi um and a

l i ght t ank f r om t he 3d Ar mored st ar t ed down t he Soy road

t oward t he enemy i nf ant r y, but t hey were bot h st opped by a

Mar k VI t ank appr oachi ng t he br i dge f r om t he Soy r oad.

The Mar k VI qui ckl y knocked out t he l i ght t ank; t he M4

f i r ed one shot at t he enemy Ti ger and then backed i nt o a

bui l di ng. The enemy t ank cr i ppl ed t he 3d Ar mor ed medi um

t ank, and t he cr ew evacuated. The Ti ger t ank cont i nued

t oward t he br i dge unmol est ed. 76

At t hi s poi nt Pr i vat e I shmael manned t he 37- mm.

ant i t ank gun, whi ch the cr ew f r om t he 23d Ar mored Engi neer

Bat t al i on had hesi t at ed t o put i nt o act i on. I shmael was a

vet eran member of t he bat t al i on. Dur i ng l at e 1942 and

1943, when t he bat t al i on had been at Pl at t sbur g Barr acks,Pr i vat e I shmael had i nst r uct ed on t he 37- mm. He shot

appr oxi mat el y 16 r ounds i n t hr ee mi nut es of r api d f i r i ng,

dur i ng whi ch observer s not ed a f ew t r acer s bounce of f t he

Mark VI . Three shot s hi t t he t ank' s bogi e wheel s, and t he

most ef f ect i ve shot wedged bet ween t he t ur r et and t he

hul l . Thi s shel l appar ent l y prevent ed t he tank' s gun f r om

t ur ni ng around. 77

Ser geant Kenneth Kel l y, who assi st ed Pr i vat e I shmael

i n swi ngi ng t he 37- mm. gun ar ound, al so f i r ed at t he t ankwi t h a bazooka, whi ch was l oaded by Li eut enant Munny Y. M.

Lee. Resul t s were not observed because of t he smoke and

dust , but i t i s bel i eved t hat t he r ounds f r om t he 37- mm.

gun knocked t he t ank out . The cr ew di sper sed, but t wo

wer e ki l l ed and one capt ur ed f r om t he gr oup i n t he t ank.

Ser geant Kel l y al so observed a 2 1/ 2- t on t r uck, hi t by

t hi s same German Mark VI , go up i n f l ames. 78

About t he t i me t hat Pr i vat e I shmael was deal i ng wi t ht hi s t ank, Col onel Fraser was l eavi ng t he bat t al i on CP i n

t he Mar che ar ea. He had been i n cl ose t ouch wi t h t he

si t uat i ons at Hampt eau and Hot t on unt i l t he wi r e t o Hot t on

went out . Col onel Fr aser had appeal ed t o t he 84t h

Di vi si on f or hel p t o be sent t o Hotton When t he 84t h ( at

41


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Mar che) scof f ed at r epor t s of acti vi t y at Hot t on, Col onel

Fraser put t he Hott on t el ephone cl ose t o t he Mar che l i ne

t o al l ow t he 84t h t o hear t he sounds of shel l i ng at

Hott on. Fi nal l y, at about 0830, he went t o Hot t on hi msel f .

I n or der t o coor di nat e t he act i vi t i es of hi s bat t al i on

wi t h what t he 3d Ar mored Di vi si on was doi ng on t he ot her

si de of t he r i ver , Col onel Fraser cr ossed t he br i dge and

was i sol at ed i n t he enemy ter r i t ory f or much of t he

mor ni ng af t er t he enemy ar mor ed spear head started to

advance toward t he br i dge. He made hi s way back saf el y,

saw t hat Capt ai n Hodges had t he si t uat i on wel l under

cont r ol , and then pr oceeded t o Mar che t o recheck wi t h t he

84t h Di vi si on on r ei nf or cement s f or Hot t on.79

Meanwhi l e, Capt ai n J ohn W. Bar nes, bat t al i on S- 3, wasof f on anot her mi ssi on. Af t er Capt ai n Bar nes had sent asquad of vol unt eer s f r om Headquart ers and Servi ce Company

t o Hot t on, he went down N4 t o t he out ski r t s of Marche,

where a Capt ai n Si egal of t he 523d Or dnance Bat t al i on was

manni ng an Ml 0 at one of t he 51st ' s r oadbl ocks. Capt ai n

Barnes brought t he Ml 0 back t hr ough Mar che t oward Hott on

t o r ei nf or ce t he posi t i on t her e. He was st opped by t he

commandi ng general of t he 84t h Di vi si on, t o whom Capt ai n

Bar nes expl ai ned t he si t uat i on. Accor di ng t o Capt ai nBarnes, "General Al exander R. Bol l i ng t ol d me he want ed

f act s and not r umors or hearsay and he woul d not al l ow me

t o go on wi t h t he Ml 0 unt i l he knew mor e of t he

s i t uat i on. " Gener al Bol l i ng t hen di spat ched one of hi s

r econnai ssance of f i cer s i n hi s per sonal armored car t o

conf i r m t he ser i ousness of t he si t uat i on. When t he 84t h' s

t r oops di d ar r i ve, however , i t was al r eady 1500 and the

bat t l e was over . 80

Capt ai n Hodges st at es t hat t he t hr ee most deci si ve

act i ons of t he bat t l e of Hott on wer e t he manni ng of t he

37- mm.. AT gun by Pr i vat e I shmael , t he ef f ect i ve f i r i ng

done by t he st r ay t ank of t he 7t h Ar mor ed Di vi si on, and

t he bravery of an unknown, unnamed sol di er who vol unt eered

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t o cr oss t he br i dge and f l ush out sever al t anks wi t h hi s

bazooka. Captai n Hodges

r ecogni ze thi s unknown

oppor t uni t y i n t he heat

and t he men f r om t he 51st di d not

her o, nor di d t hey have an

of bat t l e t o ask hi s name

t hey wer e al l l oud i n t hei r pr ai se of hi s act i on.

Pr i vat e I shmael had knocked out hi s t ank, mor t arst ar t ed comi ng i n f ai r l y heavi l y ar ound t he br i dge

Anot her enemy t ank st ar t ed

Er ezee t owar d t he br i dge;

t owar d t he br i dge f r om t he

f i r ed f r om t he 7t h Ar mor ed

enemy t ank approachi ng f r om

t o edge al ong t he r oad

, but

Af t er

f i r esi te.

f rom

st i l l another came di rect l y

nor t heast . Three shot s wer e

t ank. The t hi r d one hi t t he

t he nor t heast , knocki ng i t out

and ki l l i ng t he cr ew. On l at er i nspect i on i t was f ound

t hat t he t ank was l oaded wi t h U. S. GI equi pment . The t ank

had r eached wi t hi n 75 yar ds of t he br i dge when i t was

knocked out . The ot her enemy t ank appr oachi ng f r om Erezee

sl i d i n behi nd some bui l di ngs on t he nor t heast si de of t he

r i ver. I t was cl ose enough t o t he br i dge t o menace t he

per sonnel guar di ng t he br i dge. Capt ai n Hodges r el ates

t hat at t hi s t i me an unknown sol di er appr oached hi m at t he

br i dge and sai d: "Captai n, I ' l l f l ush out t hat t ank over

t her e. " "Wel l , boy, go ahead, " Capt ai n Hodges r epl i ed.

The unnamed sol di er t ook of f al one acr oss t he br i dgewi t h a bazooka and t wo rounds of ammuni t i on i n hi s pocket .

He was seen ducki ng i nt o a bui l di ng on t he f ar r i ght

cor ner of t he br i dge. Shor t l y t her eaf t er t he per sonnel at

t he br i dge heard a smash l i ke a bazooka r ound and t he

enemy t ank pul l ed up between t wo bui l di ngs so that par t of

i t s hul l was showi ng out of an aper t ur e of onl y t wo

f eet bet ween t he bui l di ngs. The 7t h Ar mor ed Di vi si on t ank

f i r ed accur at el y t hr ough t hi s t wo- f oot openi ng, dest r oyi ng

t he tank. Expendi ng al l but t wo rounds of i t s ammuni t i on,thi s t ank r emai ned i n posi t i on, unscat hed, near t he

br i dge. Capt ai n Hodges es t i mat es t hat i t dest r oyed or

damaged at l east f our enemy t anks and scared away sever al

ot her s. 81

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Dur i ng t he bat t l e, t he wi r i ng on t he demol i t i on

char ges on t he br i dge was shot out by enemy shel l f i r e.

Li eut enant s J ami son and Wr i ght , wi t hout wai t i ng f or

orders, ent ered t he shoul der - deep wat er and, under enemy

smal l ar ms f i r e, r epai r ed the wi r i ng. 82

Thr oughout t he mor ni ng and dur i ng t he ear l y after-noon, t he t ank- i nf ant r y bat t l e raged. About 1400, t he

enemy armor showed si gns t hat i t had had about enough and

st ar t ed t o wi t hdr aw, but t he sni per smal l ar ms f i r e was

st i l l hot on t he nor t heast s i de of t he br i dge. The

si t uat i on was f i nal l y r el i eved at 1500 wi t h t he ar r i val of

a t ask f orce of t he 3d Ar mored Di vi si on under command of

Br i gadi er Gener al Maur i ce Rose. The r el i ef f or ce of t he

84t h Di vi si on t hen appear ed on t he scene f r omMarche.

Most of t he el ement s of t he 51st Bat t al i on wi t hdr ew t owar d

Mar che, havi ng accompl i shed t hei r mi ssi on of hol di ng t he

br i dge. Hal f of a squad was l ef t at t he Hot t on br i dge t o

bl ow i t i f necessary dur i ng t he ensui ng days. 83 Capt ai n

Hodges r epor t s t hat t here were f r equent argument s between

t he commands of t he 3d Ar mor ed Di vi si on and t he 84t h

Di vi si on as t o whet her t he br i dge shoul d be bl own. I n

l i eu of an agr eement bet ween t he gener al s i nvol ved, t he

squad at t he br i dge t ook no act i on and r ef used t o bl ow t hebr i dge. 84

Despi t e t he bi t t er f i ght i ng at Hotton on 21 December ,

onl y t wo members of t he 51st' s f orce were casual t i es, both

f r om shel l f r agment s. Captai n Hodges r ecei ved a shel l

f r agment wound i n hi s l eg, whi l e Pr i vat e I shmael was

wounded i n t he hand. ( These casual t y f i gur es do not

i ncl ude casual t i es among t he at t ached personnel who f ought

wi t h t he 51st at Hott on.)85

The si gni f i cance of t he def ense of t he Hotton br i dge,

whi ch el ement s of t he 51st car r i ed on dur i ng t he seven-

hour bat t l e, i s t hat t he act i ons pr eser ved a key l i nk i n

Al l i ed suppl y l i nes t o f or war d uni t s, behi nd whi ch t he

84t h Di vi si on was or gani zi ng and ar r i vi ng at Mar che. 86


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Dur i ng t he next t en days, pr i or t o bei ng r el i eved by

Br i t i sh t r oops on 3 J anuar y, t he compani es of t he 51st

cont i nued t hei r mi ssi on of mai nt ai ni ng r oadbl ocks and

br i dge pr ot ect i on al ong an ext ended f r ont . On 22

December , a bar r i er l i ne was i n

Engineers in BoBulge

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