Our first assignment was a holding position for three days on the Rhine River and ran through Christmas day. The Germans were on one side and we were on the other. We would each lob a mortar shell or fire a machine gun every once and awhile to let the other know we were still there. We were relieved after three days and got the Christmas dinner we missed.

Our next assignment, because we were still new troops, was supposed to be another holding position at Philippsbourg, France. We went into the hills outside of the town, dug shallow trenches according to our training in case of enemy fire, and waited to go back into town in the morning. Somehow the Germans had advanced during the night and we had to fight our way back into town. We must have been fired on as we had to take cover off the road. A lone German came walking down the road and one of our men called out "HALT". The German said "yah; yah" but kept walking. Then gun shots were heard and I assumed he was shot.

We were deployed five or more yards apart, to cut down casualties in case of a bomb or mortar shell. Several platoons were pinned down and our lieutenant platoon leader passed the word back for our squad to come up. Everybody was laying on the ground and we probably had to go two or three blocks out in the open, subject to enemy fire, to get where he wanted us to set up the mortar. I was the mortar man. My squad leader went forward so I could line up on him as he shouted distance to me.

The first target he gave me was some trees and after shooting my first shell our lieutenant yelled back "not here; that's our troops," so the squad leader picked out a house and I sighted on him again and determined how many charges I needed for the distance he called. Now in training we had a base plate for the tube and levels to help, but we had only taken the tube that night because we didn't expect any trouble, so I had to pound the tube into the frozen ground to anchor it. Well the first shot hit the house and so he called back for three more "for effect." That house evidently was what was holding the troops down as the order was given to advance. Everybody got into the valley into the trees. I received a "Letter of Commendation" for that action and I would imagine others in our squad did too.

We had captured two Germans; one was wounded and he was pretty tall. One of our men who could speak German asked them "Do you want to be an American prisoner?" I was told that they said "We are American prisoners." We had to go up and down several hills, some pretty steep, to get back to town. The shorter prisoner had to help the wounded one and they knew they had to keep up or suffer the consequences. We got back to town and spent the night in different houses.

That night our platoon leader lent our mortars to Co. I. The next day, January 3, we encountered some gun fire from across a field. Our lieutenant had gotten a machine gun and given it to Sgt. Kline, my squad leader. And I had gotten an M-1 rifle. That night there was a lot of fighting going on as the Germans had gotten into one end of the town. While moving around through the streets and between houses for positions to encounter the enemy, one of our squad was wounded and put into a small shed. Later there were several men from different companies along side of a building and Kline had gone down a street several hundred feet. There was a guy from another company with him so he called for me to go to him. He was along side a stone fence. While running up to join him, I was fired on (but not hit) from further down the fence row. I hit the ground in the middle of the road and Kline fired his machine gun to make the enemy take cover. In the machine gun, every third or fourth bullet was a tracer round, so it gave away his position. I stayed laying on the ground to see if there would be any more fire when evidently the Germans from another position must have fired a mortar shell which hit somewhere between Kline and me. We were both wounded. He told me later that he was squatting near the stone wall, but he was not wounded as seriously as I was, as he returned to the company and fighting after his wounds healed.

Left: Hospital ship (USS Thistle) which took Robert Ortman back home.

When I was hit, I was knocked unconscious for a short time. When I came to, I hollered for Kline. Not hearing an answer I crawled back to the building where several men were. As soon as I got there they made me lay down as they could see that I had been wounded. After awhile they took me to the shed that the man from my squad who had been wounded earlier was put. While there the man that stayed with us picked up my arm and I was just about to tell him to leave me alone when I realized that he was sprinkling something on my hand (probably sulfa from my first aid kit on my ammunition belt) so I didn't say anything. We were there quite awhile when a bunch of men came to take us to the first aid station and later to a hospital. I remember walking to the first aid station on a route to avoid the fighting. At one point we had to cross a shallow creek. There was a sergeant from another company that I didn't know who had me get on his back and he carried me to the other side so I wouldn't get wet. I sure appreciated his concern for me. When the fighting quieted down, the wounded were taken to another area by truck. I was on a stretcher for that trip and then to a hospital.

The explosion had ruptured both of my ear drums, I had shell fragment wounds, right arm, lacerated wound, right hand, toe on right foot. Powder burn face. Right eyelid wound right eye.