60th Infantry Regiment, (9th Inf. Div.)
13 Sep - 16 Oct 1944
19 September 1944
The 1st bn spend the day consolidating; its position in the vicinity. Early in the morning, about 0500, it moved north to take over the town of Hoefen, as well as Alzen, which had been held by the 3rd bn, 60th infantry.
In the evening, just before dark, the battalion began its march to Monschau, where unit by unit was mounted on trucks for a motor march to the vicinity of Zweifall.
20 September 1944
At 0500, the battalion was unloaded in the middle of the Wenau forest, (vicinity of 988352), the rain making the area exceptionally dark. From there on it was again a foot battle, and until the following day the battalion had no tanks or TDs. The four companies averaged about 100 men each.
The mission as it was given to the battalion was to attack east, seizing the wooded ridge (vicinity of 996327), and then push eventually to Germeter (022328), where they were supposed to arrive by 1800 to receive hot chow. The only enemy identified by higher headquarters was a road block south of Zweifall (983338). With the LD specified at RJ 991339, the battalion moved to attack at 1300.
C Company led the advance, and as it moved down the road it received small arms fire from the roadblock established by the enemy at a crossing of the trails (990333). Artillery and mortar fire began to fall on the column as well, and C Company was told to hold its position in the vicinity of the trail crossing, while B Company moved out on its left. B Company cut through the dense woods and attacked a pillbox on the east side of the fire-break on the slope of the ridge forming the intermediate objective (995354). This action, rapidly developed into a sharp fight. The company caught many of the enemy in the open about the pillbox and eliminated them, while those in the box had to button the hatches in face of the small arms fire. Having nothing, but small arms, B Company elements could not penetrate the concrete position, but they threw grenades, used bazookas until the enemy capitulated. As the enemy had an officer in the group, the resistance was stubborn. After the pillbox was emptied, several of the command group were squatting under the netting around the emplacement (designed to stop mortars and bazooka fire), when an unexplained explosion wounded or killed the entire command group. B Company then began to receive fire from the pillboxes 400 yards to the south. Having captured the first pillbox at 1700, (getting a rocket gun there as well), and being unable to advance against the fire from the south, the company began to consolidate its position just south of the captured pillbox. C company, in the meantime began to set up its defense for the night on the right flank of the company, astride the cross trails (990332) some 500 yards west of B. A Company had gotten lost, taking the wrong trail and worked into the left flank of 1st bn, 39th Inf (vic of 000340) where it remained most of the night.
21 September 1944
Before daylight Chatfield located A Company and brought it down to man the position south of the 1st pillbox (995334), since B Company in that area needed reorganization after losing its command group.
At approximately1130, B Company pulled into position between C on the right and A on the left. In the meantime, a 57mm gun was brought up to fire on the pillbox south of A Company. The original plan had included sending C Company directly south to the main road, then turn southwest towards Langschoss, where it would contact G Company, 3rd bn (976304). This plan, however, never materialized, since C could not get through. As the new attack was planned, B Company occupied the center. It was to move around to the left of the position of A Company around first pillbox (995334), (998332 south to 997322) and then move south down the firebreak to reduce other pillboxes. C Company was pulled in behind B Company as the battalion reserve.
The battalion was still without armor, but during the day the TDs tried to get through. The marshy ground—bogey in spite of it being a ridge—proved difficult to traverse, and not until dark was the platoon able to reach A Company.
The attack began about 1200. B Company worked a 57mm gun up in position (first by jeep, then by hand) to fire on the pillbox in its sector (998330). It cracked the pillbox, but some of the enemy managed to escape to the south. C Company, however, had not remained in reserve, but had operated on the west flank of the battalion. In the afternoon, C Company moved south to go through four pillboxes (vic 990330), and by evening it had tied in on the right of A.
22 September 1944
Since the map showed no pillboxes south of C Company, it was planned in the morning to send one platoon south break toward Schalts (990322), on the west of the battalion zone of action. a Company in the center was instructed to clean up the pillboxes there and moved down the fire break east of the platoon of C. B Company, on the next fire break east of A, would strike south along that avenue of attack. The remainder of C Company was then to be committed to the extreme left (east) to secure the pillbox at 001327. The attack, which was launched in mid-morning, progressed without undue difficult as far as the platoon of C, A Company, and B Company were concerned. C platoon reached a point at 991324, A Company reached a point abreast at 993323, while B by 1600 arrived at 996322.
The situation was entirely different for the remaining platoons of C Company, however, for as they worked their way east through the forest to towards their objective, the pillbox at 001327, they came under heavy enemy fire. Six tanks and SP guns were roaming the road 1500 yards southeast of the ridge on which the pillbox was located. Enemy infantry were apparently building up in strength from, the southeast with at least one battalion, while additional static troops were used in the pillboxes. (One of the interpreters found a prisoner who used to live next door to him in Germany, and this was the basis of the information)
At 1630 the enemy launched a counterattack. Infantry, supported by machine guns and mortars hit C company on the flank from the East, (vicinity of 000325) and threatened the company's left rear.
The situation was sufficiently critical for the two platoons of C Company, and Chatfield sent one platoon from B Company in the center around to the north and rear of C Company to help stop the enemy. Finally all of B company was pulled out of the center, and sent to assist C Company. C Company itself had to counterattack to get back the positions it had been holding before the enemy action. The fighting was a small arms battle, rifle and machine gun, since the enemy was too close in even to use mortars.
By night fall, B Company was on the left (vicinity 999327), C Company south of it (vic. 000324), while A Company at 999323, with one platoon where B Company formerly had been holding. The battalion was trying to hold approximately 2000 yards, on an L shaped position, through thickly wooded area. All night the enemy shelled the position with long range artillery. After the attack, which was stopped late in the afternoon, a few replacements came up to the position.
