OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF MILITARY HISTORY
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
WASHINGTON, D.C., 1952
President, Williams College
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University of Chicago
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Columbia University
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Detroit News
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Richmond News Leader
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Amherst College
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Social Science Research Council
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United States Military Academy
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University of California
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Duke University
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Harvard University
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Chief Historian | Kent Roberts Greenfield |
Chief, War Histories Division | Col. Thomas J. Sands |
Chief, Editorial and Publication Division | Col. B. A. Day |
Chief Cartographer | Wsevolod Aglaimoff |
Foreword | vii | ||
The Authors | ix | ||
Preface | xi | ||
Chapter | Page | ||
RIVER CROSSING AT ARNAVILLE | |||
I. | THE GASOLINE DROUGHT AND THE DORNOT CROSSING | 3 | |
The Advance Begins | 5 | ||
Commitment of the 5th Division | 7 | ||
The Terrain and the Forts | 12 | ||
Crossing at Dornot | 13 | ||
The Assault Begins | 17 | ||
The German Reaction | 22 | ||
Advance to Fort St. Blaise | 23 | ||
Support of the Dornot Bridgehead | 27 | ||
Holding the Dornot Site, 9-10 September | 29 | ||
1st and 3d Battalions, 11th Infantry | 34 | ||
Withdrawal at Dornot, 10-11 September | 35 | ||
II. | THE CROSSING AT ARNAVILLE (10-11 SEPTEMBER) | 40 | |
Battalion Preparations | 42 | ||
The Assault Crossing | 44 | ||
The 2d Battalion Crossing | 50 | ||
Counterattack From Arry | 51 | ||
The 3d Battalion Attacks Arry | 54 | ||
The 11th Infantry Enters the Arnaville Fight | 55 | ||
Counterattacks Against the 10th Infantry, 11 September | 59 | ||
Supporting the Bridgehead | 61 | ||
III. | SMOKE AND BRIDGING OPERATIONS (9-14 SEPTEMBER) | 63 | |
Smoke Operations Begin | 65 | ||
Bridging the Moselle | 70 | ||
Initial Planning and Operations | 72 | ||
Armor Crosses at the Ford | 74 | ||
Bridging Efforts Continued | 75 | ||
German Counterattacks, 12 September | 76 | ||
Plans To Expand the Bridgehead | 80 | ||
Reinforcements for the Bridgehead | 81 | ||
Supporting the Bridgehead | 83 | ||
Bridgebuilding Continues | 84 | ||
IV. | BUILD-UP AND EXPANSION (13-15 SEPTEMBER) | 87 | |
Impasse on 14 September | 88 | ||
Attack in the Fog, 15 September | 90 | ||
Objective--Hill 396 | 93 | ||
The Bridgehead Is Secure | 95 | ||
ORDER OF BATTLE | 96 | ||
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE | 98 | ||
BREAK-THROUGH AT MONTE ALTUZZO | |||
I. | DEVELOPING THE GOTHIC LINE (10-13 SEPTEMBER) | 103 | |
The Terrain and the Enemy | 104 | ||
The 363d Infantry Attacks | 107 | ||
Attack Preparations, 338th Infantry | 109 | ||
Confidence in the 338th | 112 | ||
Preparations of Company A, 338th | 113 | ||
Enemy Fire | 117 | ||
Advance to Hills 624 and 782 | 121 | ||
Fire Fight in the Bowl | 123 | ||
Supporting Fires | 125 | ||
Company A at Hill 782 | 128 | ||
Confused Reports From the 363d | 130 | ||
The Enemy Situation | 131 | ||
II. | PEABODY PEAK (14 SEPTEMBER) | 133 | |
Communication Failure | 135 | ||
Company A Attacks the Outpost Line | 136 | ||
Company B Moves Out | 140 | ||
Another Prominent Ridge | 143 | ||
Fire Fight at the Barbed Wire | 148 | ||
Ledford's Patrol | 149 | ||
2d and 3d Platoons Move Up | 151 | ||
First Counterattack | 156 | ||
1st Platoon Moves Forward | 157 | ||
Machine Guns and Mortars Move Forward | 160 | ||
Second Counterattack | 162 | ||
Third Counterattack | 163 | ||
Company B's True Location | 163 | ||
Supporting Fires | 164 | ||
Plight of the Forward Platoons | 165 | ||
Sergeant Lang Goes Down the Hill | 166 | ||
Fourth Counterattack | 167 | ||
Help From Artillery and Mortars | 169 | ||
The Day's Action | 171 | ||
The Enemy Situation | 173 | ||
III. | SHELLFIRE AND A FALSE MESSAGE (15 SEPTEMBER) | 176 | |
Preparations for Attack | 176 | ||
Gresham and Corey Move Forward | 181 | ||
Fire at Knobs 1 and 2 | 183 | ||
Flanking Attempt | 186 | ||
Misplaced Shellfire | 188 | ||
Long-Range Fire and Counterattack | 191 | ||
Supporting Platoons on Hill 782 | 193 | ||
Withdrawal | 194 | ||
The Day's Action | 197 | ||
The Enemy Situation | 200 | ||
IV. | ADVANCE TO THE CREST (16 SEPTEMBER) | 202 | |
General Gerow's Plans for the 338th | 203 | ||
The 2d Battalion Attack | 205 | ||
1st Battalion Prepares To Attack | 205 | ||
Last-Minute Instructions | 207 | ||
Capture of the Outpost Line | 211 | ||
Fire Fight at Knob 1 | 214 | ||
American Shellfire | 215 | ||
1st Squad at Knob 2 | 216 | ||
Advance to the Crest | 217 | ||
Defensive Arrangements | 219 | ||
2d Platoon Follows to Hill 926 | 219 | ||
1st Platoon's Advance | 221 | ||
Advance up the Western Ridge | 221 | ||
Bypassed Pockets | 222 | ||
The Enemy Situation | 223 | ||
V. | COUNTERATTACKS (17 SEPTEMBER) | 226 | |
Assault on the Right Bunker | 227 | ||
Assault on the Left Bunker | 229 | ||
Return to the Bunker | 229 | ||
Search for Spoil | 232 | ||
Action on the Western Peak | 232 | ||
Action at Hill 926 | 234 | ||
Enemy Pockets and the 3d Battalion | 234 | ||
Company K Attacks Knob 3 | 236 | ||
The 3d Battalion Mops Up | 238 | ||
Break-Through on the Flanks | 239 | ||
ORDER OF BATTLE | 242 | ||
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE | 244 | ||
OBJECTIVE: SCHMIDT | |||
I. | ATTACK ON VOSSENACK (2 NOVEMBER) | 251 | |
The 112th Makes the Main Effort | 257 | ||
The 2d Battalion Attacks | 259 | ||
Company G on the Left | 259 | ||
Company F on the Right | 262 | ||
Company E Mops Up | 266 | ||
Artillery in the Vossenack Attack | 268 | ||
The 1st Battalion Attacks at H Plus 3 Hours | 268 | ||
109th and 110th Infantry Regiments Attack | 271 | ||
Air Support | 272 | ||
The Enemy Situation | 274 | ||
Summary for 2 November and Night of 2-3 November | 274 | ||
II. | THE MAIN EFFORT CONTINUES (3 NOVEMBER) | 276 | |
The Spearhead Advance of Company K | 277 | ||
Company L Also Advances | 281 | ||
Company I Follows in Reserve | 282 | ||
Company M Moves to Schmidt | 282 | ||
3d Battalion Medics | 282 | ||
The Greene Hornets | 283 | ||
The 1st Battalion Follows the 3d | 283 | ||
1st Battalion Medics | 285 | ||
Artillery Support | 285 | ||
Vossenack | 285 | ||
The Engineers and the Kall Trail | 286 | ||
The Night in Schmidt | 290 | ||
109th and 110th Infantry Summaries | 291 | ||
Air Support | 292 | ||
The Enemy Situation | 292 | ||
Summary for 3 November and Night of 3-4 November | 293 | ||
III. | ACTION AT SCHMIDT (4 NOVEMBER) | 295 | |
Tanks Try To Cross the Kall | 295 | ||
Action at Schmidt | 297 | ||
Struggle With the Main Supply Route | 303 | ||
The Battle for Kommerscheidt | 305 | ||
The Kall Struggle Continues | 309 | ||
The Engineers | 312 | ||
Command and the Kall Trail | 313 | ||
893d Tank Destroyer Battalion Joins the Action | 314 | ||
Air Support | 315 | ||
109th and 110th Infantry Summaries | 315 | ||
The Enemy Situation | 317 | ||
Summary for 4 November and Night of 4-5 November | 319 | ||
IV. | MORE ACTION AT KOMMERSCHEIDT (5 NOVEMBER) | 321 | |
Tank Destroyers Try for Kommerscheidt | 323 | ||
Another Enemy Attack | 323 | ||
Events Along the Kall Trail | 324 | ||
The Tanks | 324 | ||
Action Again in Kommerscheidt | 325 | ||
Company B, 112th, Moves Up | 326 | ||
The Tank Destroyers | 326 | ||
Command in Kommerscheidt | 327 | ||
The Engineers | 327 | ||
The Greene Hornets | 328 | ||
Tank Supply | 328 | ||
Infantry Supply | 329 | ||
Tank Destroyer Supply | 330 | ||
The Medics | 331 | ||
Formation of Task Force R | 332 | ||
The Engineers | 333 | ||
The Situation in Vossenack | 334 | ||
Armor in Vossenack | 336 | ||
Artillery Support | 338 | ||
109th and 110th Infantry Summaries | 339 | ||
Air Support | 339 | ||
The Enemy Situation | 341 | ||
Summary for 5 November and Night of 5-6 November | 342 | ||
V. | ACTION AT VOSSENACK (6 NOVEMBER) | 344 | |
Armor in Vossenack | 345 | ||
Engineers in Vossenack | 348 | ||
The Situation in Kommerscheidt | 348 | ||
Task Force R | 349 | ||
Tank Demonstration in Kommerscheidt | 350 | ||
The Planned Attack on Schmidt | 352 | ||
A New Defense Attempted in Vossenack | 352 | ||
Was There a German Attack? | 354 | ||
The Armor Builds Up a Line | 355 | ||
The Engineers Act as Riflemen | 357 | ||
The Command Level | 362 | ||
The Night in Vossenack: Armor | 363 | ||
The Night in Vossenack: Engineers | 363 | ||
Medics and Engineers Along the Kall | 366 | ||
Supplies Cross the Kall | 368 | ||
Artillery and Air Support | 369 | ||
109th and 110th Infantry Summaries | 371 | ||
The Enemy Situation | 371 | ||
Summary for 6 November and Night of 6-7 November | 372 | ||
VI. | ACTION AGAIN AT KOMMERSCHEIDT (7 NOVEMBER) | 374 | |
A New Commander for the 112th | 378 | ||
Along the Kall Trail | 379 | ||
Company A, 1340th Engineers | 379 | ||
Colonel Peterson's Return Trip | 380 | ||
Attack To Retake Vossenack | 381 | ||
Task Force Davis | 386 | ||
The Tank Destroyers Try To Cross the Kall | 388 | ||
Armor in Vossenack | 388 | ||
Command | 389 | ||
Air Support | 389 | ||
The Enemy Situation | 391 | ||
Summary for 7 November and Night of 7-8 November | 392 | ||
VII. | WITHDRAWAL ACROSS THE KALL (8 NOVEMBER) | 393 | |
The Day at the Kommerscheidt Woods Line | 394 | ||
Along the Kall Trail | 396 | ||
Vossenack | 397 | ||
Withdrawal | 398 | ||
Medical Evacuation | 401 | ||
12th and 110th Infantry Summaries | 404 | ||
Artillery and Air Support | 404 | ||
The Enemy Situation | 405 | ||
Summary for 8 November and Night of 8-9 November | 406 | ||
VIII. | CONCLUSION (9-20 NOVEMBER) | 407 | |
Evacuation | 409 | ||
Summary of Closing Action | 413 | ||
The Enemy Situation | 414 | ||
Relief of the 28th Division | 414 | ||
ORDER OF BATTLE | 418 | ||
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE | 420 | ||
GLOSSARY | 423 | ||
BASIC MILITARY MAP SYMBOLS | 427 | ||
INDEX | 431 |
All illustrations are from the files of the Department of Defense. The photograph on p. 202 is from the Department of the Army, Collection of Combat Paintings, World War II.