HEADQUARTERS PLATOON, COMPANY
“A”
The history of this platoon is composed of the episodes of the individual group
which makes up this platoon. We landed as a unit on 30 August 1944, and moved at
once to a local camp, which was set up for the purpose of assembling the units
before being sent to the front lines. When we arrived at this camp there was
immediately a flare of activity as the men spread out to do their duties. The
mechanics started checking vehicles making sure there was a good supply of
gasoline and oil, and the cooks started cooking the noon meal. Meanwhile the
balance of our supplies were catching up with is, so the supply sergeant was
keeping the rest of the men busy.
The following day there was a call from battalion for a billeting party.
Everybody knew it wouldn’t be long before we would be up front. The men began
to load their vehicles and the following day started to move East. Our first
days of journey was completed with the loss of only one vehicle, which was an
M-20 command car. The mechanics dropped out of the column, but soon found they
were unable to make any emergency repairs, so called upon battalion maintenance
to remove it. We spent our first night sleeping beside our vehicles, which were
parked along the woods. By noon the following day we refueled and moved in the
direction of the front.
We arrived at Thuilley late in
the afternoon, and as it began to get dark we moved west of the town and bedded
down for the night. The next day the wire crew composed of CPL McShan and PVT
Held proceeded to lay a line to battalion. With the usual American confidence
they left their weapons by one of the trees, while CPL McShan climbed upon PVT
Held’s shoulders to tie a wire high up into another tree. It was at this stage
of the game that a sniper decided to take a "potshot" at the men. They
were not sure what it was that was buzzing past their ears, but were astounded a
few minutes later to see two doughboys coming out of the woods with a German
sniper. They completed the line without any more trouble.
That afternoon we were alerted
and waited orders to move out. We received our orders to proceed to an assembly
area in the vicinity of Toul. The night was black and the drive was to be made
in blackout, in fact it was so black that when the convoy moved out they left
most of the company behind. This platoon plus two destroyers were the only
vehicles that moved. They had been traveling for some time when they realized
that they were on the wrong road. After checking the map a side road was found
which would bring them, back to their original route.
It as on this road that we had
our first experience with mines. The convoy took a left fork and proceeded about
a hundred yards when there was a loud report, and the gun on the vehicle in
front of the commander's car was flipped high into the air. There was a lot of
confusion for the next few minutes as they did not know but what they had been
fired upon. After the surprise of the explosion had passed the men began to look
around and soon found places where other mines were planted. They also found
that the vehicles were well into the minefield. The next two hours were spent
maneuvering the vehicles back out of the field. When the column was again on the
road, they moved northward and arrived in the vicinity of Toul at 0430. We then
started looking for a CP and finally set up in an old apple orchard. By the time
the rest of the convoy arrived the men had eaten breakfast, and were ready to
catch up on their work. We remained in this position near Toul for the next four
days.
On the 14th September we received orders that we would begin a drive for the town of Nancy the next morning. The enemy evidently had withdrawn during the night, because we drove all the way into Nancy with only occasional stops for snipers and to clear mines out of the road. We entered Nancy about 1700 then withdrew one mile west of the town to refuel. While the vehicles were being refueled, we received orders to move north to support the 80th Infantry Division in the vicinity of Dieulguard. We arrived southwest of the town about 2300 and proceeded to assemble the battalion for the night, where we refueled the vehicles in preparation for a move on line the following morning.
The
following morning we moved across the swift Moselle River and headed southeast
of the town of Bezaumont. We set up
our CP about one mile from town. The
platoons moved into position to the north of Bezaumont and the men started the
supplies moving up to the platoons. It
was here that we had our first alert of enemy foot troops moving in our
direction. We had only one platoon
near us so we had them direct their guns onto an open plain which lay to the
south of our CP. We also set out
all the machine guns in the platoon to cover the same area, then spent the night
waiting for an attack which never came.
On the 18th we received orders to move to the vicinity of Luneville,
so we loaded and moved out about 1500. We
arrived at our destination, two miles west of Luneville, the following day.
The CP was set up and the men began to ready the vehicles for the next
engagement. The following day we received orders to attack to the east and
occupy the town of Luneville. We
formed in a column and moved eastward toward Luneville.
We were within one mile of the town when we received a heavy artillery
barrage, which caused a disruption in the column.
We soon reorganized and received orders to move into a defense of the
area. We set up our CP just off the road, but later decided to move back
into our old area, because the artillery was laid in on the road.
The following morning we went back and looked at the area where we had
intended to set up our CP, and found that they had scored about six hits in the
area. The next day we received
orders to move into a defensive position around the town of Maxie.
We remained here for the next three days, when we received orders to move
to another defensive position in the vicinity of Arracourt.
Here the platoon was split up, the command group moved one mile NE of the
town of Rechicourt and set up beside the CP of the 10th Armored
Infantry Battalion. The following
day the rest of the platoon moved to the town of Athienville.
They remained here until the 5th of October, when they moved
into the same area where the command group had been set up.
On the 20th of October, we moved into Rechicourt despite the
fact they were shelling it three or four times a day.
We
moved from Rechicourt into the town of Arracourt on the 28th. Here
the platoons were set up for indirect firing.
This gave the mechanics a chance to make a complete check of all vehicles. They completed their check and we moved into the town of Juvrecourt
on the first of November. It was
here that we bad our first experience with enemy troops behind our lines.
We had an attack by a patrol of about 20 to 30 men in the vicinity of our
CP. We were alerted and posted
around the building, covering al the windows and doors.
The night was very dark, but if any thing had moved on the street we
would have been able to have seen it, as it would have been silhouetted against
the white surface of the buildings.
On
the 13th of November the 26th Infantry Division pushed off
in the vicinity of Moyenvic. On the
15th we moved into town and set up our CP.
We remained here for one day, moving into the town of Obreck the
following day. After three days we
departed from Obreck and arrived at the town of Wuisse, where we spent the night
leaving the next day for Koecking. This
town turned out to be just a small courtyard and three houses.
The yard was covered with about four inches of mud.
We left Koecking and moved into the town of Bassing in the afternoon of
the 21st.
We
remained here for the next four days, departing for the town of Munster on the
25th. We left Munster
and moved southeast to the town of Diedendorf, here we set up our CP over
looking the Sarre river. The
platoon remained here for three days before leaving for the town of Pistorf,
where we spent one day then moved on into the city of Sarre Union. At Sarre Union we received orders to assemble in the vicinity of
AIbestroff. The vehicles were all
refueled and the next day moved north to support the 6th Armored Div.
We moved into the town of Nousseviller and set up our CP.
We spent eleven days here then were ordered to assemble at Wourstviller
to move south and east to the town of Etting, where we refueled before going
into position north of Bliesbruck. Here
it looked like we would spend our Christmas as it was the 21st of
December, but on the 24th we received orders to withdraw to the town
of Weisviller. Late in the
afternoon of the twenty-fifth we were ordered to assemble in the town of Dieuse. Here the vehicles were all refueled in preparation for the long
move north to the Bulge.