January 3-4

I have vivid memories of the all-night ride from Drusenheim to Puberg. I rode in the front seat of a truck. We simply followed the truck in front, under blackout conditions. There were stops which seemed to last for hours at a time. Although I have always been a light sleeper, I found myself dozing off from time to time during the interminable early morning halts. Once the driver and I both went to sleep and, when we awoke, the truck in front was gone. We simply continued on and, in a fairly short time, caught up with the truck column.

We reached La Petite Pierre in daylight. I remember innumerable trucks, tanks, and soldiers in winter combat dress. We knew that something was up but had no idea what to expect.

When we finally dismounted in broad daylight we started preparing defensive positions, wondering where and when we would sleep. I can't remember what and where we ate, or caring very much.

Then Cassidy read us the "attack" message. At first we were dumbfounded. We had no idea where we were going or why. I believe that we set out about 1300 hours.

I remember the incredible slopes and thick woods during the march through the woods between Puberg and Wingen. G Company was on the left and my First Platoon was on the company's left flank. We preceded around the slope of the hill, in very thick woods. Our progress was slower than that of the rest of the company, because, at least as I saw it, the woods were thicker and the terrain steeper in our area. I believe that Lt. Eblen of the Second Platoon, on our right, crabbed at me because of our slow progress. I said that we were moving as fast as we could.

As we advanced I could see the highway, the railroad tracks, and a barren slope beyond, on our left (to the north). As we moved forward I saw men on the slope, moving in a southeasterly direction and very much in the open. I raised by carbine with the field manual "enemy in sight" sign, and we stopped temporarily. We soon identified the moving figures as Americans, I suppose from one of the units of the 276th Infantry. I thought that, if they had to march in the open, they should have been moving much faster, but, to my knowledge, they drew no fire.

We heard scattered shots, and occasional explosions, but received no perceptible fire ourselves. We were along the edge of the woods. It is fortunate that the enemy apparently had no artillery available to turn on us. It soon grew dark.

We welcomed the order to return. The march up the hill was steep, slick and slow. As we headed back to Puberg we heard reports of Major Boyd's having shot two Germans. We were quartered in a hayloft at Puberg. The country boys made it very clear to the city slickers that those who wanted to smoke had to get out of the loft.

January 5

It seemed that we were routed out almost as soon as we literally hit the hay. I still have no memory of eating, or missing it. I suppose I opened up a cold meat tin from the K-pack, some time.

Our advance began in the dark, along the somewhat familiar road. Later during the campaign I completely lost my ability to see in the dark, some said because I didn't consume the entire K-ration including bullion and synthetic lemonade, but if one has to move about in the dark it is helpful to have snow on the ground to aid the vision. Of course it has other disadvantages. We were again on the left, but were deeper into the woods, with scouts along the left flank at the woods' edge. As we headed-through the woods day broke, but it was cloudy and overcast.

We heard rifle and machine gun fire to our right. We soon received the report that Sgt. Hugh Shellem of the Second Platoon had been hit, probably fatally. I joined the company only shortly before overseas departure, and did not get to know him well. All who knew him had the greatest respect for him. It was said that his only fault was his utter indifference to his own safety.

Platoon Sergeant Wilmoth was ahead with Cassidy. I maintained contact with the advancing squads.

During the early afternoon I heard that our Sergeant Emerson had been wounded, I believe in the face and neck. I spoke with him as the medic attended him. He had apparently had a shot of morphine, but managed to smile, saying, "I guess I'll not be much help for a while." He never came back to us, but I understand that he recovered from his wounds and returned to Kansas.

As we approached the edge of the woods, toward Wingen, a captain I had never seen before, came running into our midst in a state of agitation. He had lost his voice, and was literally screaming in whispers. He would alternately tell men to get down and to get moving! He saw me standing, and said, "What are you supposed to be doing, soldier?" I told him that I was the platoon leader. We had traded our gold bars for pieces of yellow tape used to wrap mortar shells in cartons, and I had exchanged my carbine for an M-1, so was hardly distinguishable from a private. He said, "Get your platoon moving!" For all I knew he might have been one of our regimental staff officers whom I had not met, but I asked him to identify himself and he said that he was the S-3 of a Battalion of the 276th Infantry, and that our company was attached to his unit. I said that I was not aware of this, and suggested that he deal with Cassidy, pointing in the direction where I thought Cassidy was. We then advanced slowly to the trees.

Soon a soldier from the first squad came to me to say that the squad was in an exposed position along the side of the hill to the left. I found that the voiceless, screaming captain had ordered the squad to proceed in column around the exposed north slope of the hill, in full view of the under- pass, the east side of the town of Wingen, and the high wooded hill to the north of the town. It is small wonder that the men drew fire, and a shot grazed the web between one soldier's thumb and forefinger. As soon as I heard what had happened I signaled the men to pull back into the woods. I never saw the hoarse captain again. To this day I have no idea who he was. I'm rather glad that he lost his voice. At least that slowed him down a little bit.

This venture put me out of touch with the rest of the platoon, but I made contact with Wilmoth at the east edge of the woods. We saw a house in front of us with a shed on the near side. I ordered a rifle grenade fired at the shed to clear it, but Wilmoth said that this was not enough and that we needed a grenade inside it. So I threw a grenade at the window, and it bounced back! Everyone in the vicinity hit the ground. It seemed to take an hour for the thing to explode. It is fortunate that nobody was hurt.

I then followed the book by bashing in a window of the shed with my new M-1. I pulled the pin and dropped a grenade inside. After it exploded I looked inside, seeing blood all over the place. I thought we must have found the main enemy force. Then I saw bits of fur in the midst of the gore. I had bombed a rabbit hutch!

We then edged northward along the edge of the woods. We could see the town, and immediately drew rifle fire. Se we headed back on the run. I have always been slow of foot and Wilmoth got well ahead of me. I am sure that a bullet passed between my legs as I was running. My first thought was that I had spread my legs too far apart, (unless the shot had been on the high side). We stayed put for a while.

I then learned that two of my squad leaders, Sergeants Dethloff and Peters, had been wounded, and that Dethloff's wound was quite serious. Neither returned to us. We also heard of the misfortune of Sergeant Wexler and his Third Platoon squad.

I have no idea where we spent the night - whether in someone else's diggings in the woods, or in one of the very dangerously exposed houses. I think that we probably stayed in the woods. I still have no recollection of eating.

Thus ended one of the longest days of my life.

January 6

As day broke we heard that F Company would lead the attack on Wingen, and that we would be in reserve. We heard firing through the morning. About 1300 we received the order to move through F Company. First Platoon proceeded as it had earlier. Wilmoth went ahead with Cassidy-and I followed, directing the squad leaders with hand signals. We soon lost contact as squads proceeded to clear the buildings. The tanks moved along the road to our left, and occasional bursts from the woods to the north showed that the enemy was holding its position there.

As we moved forward, we saw both American and enemy dead lying in the snow. I saw an American T/Sergeant, whom I later found out was Sgt. Johnson of F Company, lying on his back with great gaps torn in his flesh.

At one point two of our soldiers appeared escorting a group of 5 or 6 German prisoners, and not watching them too carefully. I was afraid that the Germans might disarm their guards and create havoc from the rear, and so I ordered them brought into a house and searched by the book, as I watched. One was a squarely built, apple cheeked man with light fuzz in lieu of a beard, and some sort of insignia on his shoulders. I asked, "Feldwebel?" and he replied, "Unteroffizier," which is a lower NCO grade. He carried a map case, which we relieved him of. I told two soldiers to take them back far enough to get them into someone else's hands, to make sure that the map case was placed in responsible custody, and then to return to us. I wonder if they did return.

As darkness fell the tanks pulled out. One of the tankers said, "we don't fight at night", and this drew curses from our soldiers. Soon the counterattack and regrouping followed, in the nearest of the southwest group of houses.

I occupied myself with posting security. It is reported in Snow Ridges and Pillboxes that the troops huddled up together in a house because of the cold, and that I was always trying to get in the center. My memory is of waking people up all night to turns of sentry duty. I hardly slept at all.

January 7-8

We took stock in the morning and found that we only had manpower for 4 squads. Eblen was detailed as platoon leader, since we only needed one, and my Platoon Guide, Bob Kirk, was assigned one of the squads. I was detailed as liaison with the tanks. Wilmoth had been among the wounded.

We moved through Wingen without a shot being fired. The reunion with our own men who had been cut off the previous night was dramatic. We received profound thanks from people from other outfits, some of whom had been confined in Wingen for several days.

As we continued through the village, no longer using grenades to clear houses but nevertheless proceeding with great care, a large group of civilians approached us led by a man of perhaps 40 waving a white flag. They were pushing small carts. Some of our men had been talking about shooting anything that moved, and I saw some pieces raised. I shouted at the men to hold fire. The civilians passed on through us and to the rear. I told some soldiers to follow them until they made contact with other troops. These civilians presented a miserable spectacle.

We then moved into houses in Wingen for food and rest. Pfc. Wesselhoft, then a cook but later a rifleman, would chase chickens, wring their necks, and then try to get soldiers to pick and dress them. News photographers moved through the town. But we soon got the message that we were to move again, to a "forward assembly area". We felt still another blow, after four days without sleep. But the "forward assembly area" turned out to be the wonderful convent at Oberbron, with the kind nuns directing us to beds with sheets.

I took stock of my platoon. We had lost our platoon sergeant, two squad leaders, an assistant squad leader, and four or five soldiers with wounds. Others had wounds which did not require evacuation. Our only fatality was Pvt. Lee Wilson. We missed him and then heard that his body had been found at Wingen, where he presumably fell on January 6.

On the early evening of January 8, Cassidy called a meeting of officers and told me that he was relieving me of command of the First Platoon so that I could serve as Company Executive Officer. We had not had an executive officer since Lieutenant Roy Vaught was given command of a company, before we moved on line. Thus I became the junior partner in a partnership which continued during the rest of our active engagement with the enemy. After the Saarbrucken offensive, and while we were moving through the Palatinate (Pfalz,) I fell victim to infectious hepatitis and was evacuated. I rejoined the company at Rudesheim, early in June. I understand, however, that there were no more encounters with the enemy after I left.

Cassidy was without peer as a combat commander. I hope that I was able to relieve him of some of the details of administration so that he could devote his energies to operations.

General Orders - 274th Honor Roll