By Sidney A Salomon (1913 - 2004)
2 Silver Stars; Purple Heart w/Oak Leaf Cluster
E (Easy) Company
14 Nov. ---- Germeter area
6 Dec. ---- Bergstein
7 Dec. ---- Hill 400
E (Easy) Company took positions In a closed assembly area, along with the other companies of the battalion in the vicinity of Raeren, Belgium, in a reserve status, attached to CCA of the 5th Armored Division.
The company commander joined with the other company CO's and made a reconnaissance of the area where a joint offensive action was planned with the armored unit. On a day-to-day basis, the company was on an alert status for the pending joint effort. To keep the personnel occupied, the men participated in a physical conditioning program and an abbreviated training schedule. After a week of delays and postponements, the attack mission was scrubbed by higher headquarters.
On 14 November, D and E Companies, along with F Company, moved by foot to the vicinity of the town of Vossenack. Here, the three companies proceeded to dig defensive positions, each taking part of the town with the mission to hold that ground. Moderate artillery and mortar fire continued to fall in the E Company area throughout the next several days.
Since the town of Vossenack was clearly visible to the Germans from the high ground of the Schmidt area, which in turn was controlled by the Germans, daylight movement of company personnel had to be limited and speedy, particularly if it were necessary to be in the highly exposed areas. While in the Vossenack area, E Company and the battalion were attached to the 109th Infantry of the 28th Division. E Company, during this time, in addition to holding the ground at Vossenack, kept alert for enemy patrol activity, plus sending patrols out probing the whereabouts of the enemy. No contacts with the enemy were made, and no incidents were reported to battalion. Meanwhile, heavy to moderate artillery and mortar fire continued to fall on the company position throughout the daylight hours. Finally, on 19 November, E Company received orders to return to the former battalion reserve area, and by 1510 of that day, the company moved out of the Vossenack area.
Then on 6 December, came the move along with the rest of the battalion via truck to Brandenburg, and then by foot to Bergstein. Along the road, the men of E Company observed the abandoned and burned out tanks, halftracks and other vehicles that had been part of the 5th Armored Division which had been unable to hold and contain the town of Bergstein.
The E Company CO joined with the CO's of D and F Companies and met with a battalion staff officer and proceeded to make plans for the assault on Castle Hill, which would become known as Hill 400 to all Rangers. It would be the responsibility of E Company to defend the town of Bergstein and the avenue of approach to the base of the hill, while D and F Companies passed through for the actual assault. Because the assault was to come as a complete surprise to the Germans, no prior artillery firing was planned to soften the attack, although there was plenty of artillery on the alert and in position for whatever support the Rangers would need later in the day.
The assault of the hill was scheduled for 0730 by D and F Companies, and the responsibility of E Company was to clear the town of Bergstein of German troops prior to the assault. The 2nd platoon at approximately 0630, led the way down the road prepared to clear that portion of the town that lay at the base of the hill and support the left flank of the two assaulting companies. As the company moved into position, the 2nd platoon ran into small firefights with the enemy troops, killing and wounding some and taking a dozen or so prisoners. As they reached a church on the far side of town, the E Company CO established his CP in a house adjacent to the church and cemetery. The two platoons immediately spread out for flank protection of the area with the 1st platoon establishing a defensive position to the left of the church and back into the town, while the 2nd platoon protected the right flank. At about this point, Companies D and F passed through the E Company position and proceeded to the point from which their assault on Hill 400 was to take place. While the two platoons of E Company were in defensive positions flanking the church, an intense mortar and artillery barrage pounded the area that they were holding.
Burned out personnel carriers and tanks from the armored unit littered the area with a few dead Gl's from the armor and a number of dead Germans still laying on the ground. It was hazardous to walk around due to the heavy artillery shelling plus small arms fire. Through it all, E Company continued to hold their assigned ground and prevented German troops from counterattacking the hill through the town.
The 1st platoon CP was in the church, but later, when casualties started coming down from the top of Hill 400, the platoon CP became more or less a collecting station for the wounded. As rapidly as vehicles could arrive at this point, the casualties were hustled out of the church and taken to the battalion aid station, which was located a little further back at the more quiet end of town.
Due to the critical tactical situation confronting D and F Companies, plus the fact that they had received so many casualties on the top of the hill from intense enemy shelling and counterattacks, the CO of Company E was ordered to send one platoon to reinforce the beleaguered troops on the hill.
The 2nd platoon of E Company was ordered to lend support to the troops on top of the hill, and so at approximately 1650 on 7 December, the E Company platoon, less the mortar section, made the ascent. The platoon expeditiously arrived on the summit; the platoon leader and platoon sergeant coordinated with the D Company officer. Fortunately, there was a lull in the shelling at that time. Thus it gave the men an opportunity to become acclimated to the area, assess the situation, attempt to dig in, and assist in the evacuation of some of the more seriously wounded from D and F Companies who were in a former enemy troop bunker. At the same time, it gave the platoon leader and sergeant an opportunity to coordinate positioning of the troops in order to establish a stronger defensive position.
This platoon had already received some casualties during their initial mission earlier in the day as the lead platoon of the company clearing the town of Bergstein. Additional casualties resulted after helping to repel an enemy counterattack on Hill 400 later that night of 7 December. This attack came just after darkness had fallen, and had been preceded by an intense enemy artillery and mortar barrage. The now combined forces on top of the hill repelled the attack, and requested artillery strikes from the Ranger battalion's supporting artillery on the retreating enemy. While the 2nd platoon on the top of the hill was trying to assist in the evacuation of the casualties from the D and F defenders, the intense enemy shelling made daytime evacuation of the wounded impossible. Consequently, evacuation of the wounded had to be accomplished under cover of darkness and the subsequent adverse conditions prevalent at the time. Naturally, this did not make the mission any easier.
Meanwhile, the 1st platoon on the flank of the church at the edge of town was also receiving heavy enemy artillery shelling. An enemy counterattack on this platoon's position helped by German self-propelled guns was also successfully repelled.
Shortly after daybreak of the following morning, the enemy artillery again pounded the top of the hill, followed by still another counterattack. Again, defenders of the hill repelled the attack. Later in the morning, and again in the afternoon, more enemy counterattacks were made but were driven off. Heavy mortar and artillery fire rained down on the defenders; even their own supporting artillery fire was landing perilously close to the defenders.
On this day 8 December, the E Company platoon leader was the only officer on the hill, as the D and F Company officers had either been killed, wounded and evacuated, or captured. The only communication still open at the top of the hill was radio contact by the E Company platoon leader with his company commander. Artillery strikes were called and advantageously used in the assembly areas which the enemy were using to amass troops for their counterattacks. These areas could be observed by the artillery spotters on top of the hill. The coordinate would be given, and the resulting artillery fire from the support divisional and corps guns helped to break up the counterattacks.
On the evening of 8 December, all counterattacks had been repulsed and it was evident that the Germans were reluctantly withdrawing. Orders were issued for the Rangers to withdraw from Bergstein, and E Company was the last unit of the battalion to be relieved. As the men of E Company evacuated Bergstein, they were astounded to see the number of men that were prepared to take their place. It was a reinforced infantry battalion of the 13th Infantry of the 8th Division. Their troops and vehicles, including small artillery pieces jammed the area where three Ranger companies had started the assault of heavily defended Hill 400 forty-eight hours ago.
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Posted here with kind permission of the family of the late Sidney A. Salomon.
Many thanks Peter.