European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 4, 1945, Darmstadt, Hesse                                1945 stars and stripes Page 5 Luxembourg was nazi target Bat five key dross Rands and a Benneh of yanks by Ralph Harwood War week Sutt writer a High ranking to Kurec Soldier who has never been Given to the Idle niceties of speech making recently paid tribute to the leadership and men of the fourth in Lantry division in a message to the Ivy Leaf outfits com wrote George Smith fatten to Raymond Barton your fight in the Hurtgen Forest was an epic of Stark Wanty combat in my your most recent the 16th to the 26tfa of with a depleted and tired you halted the left shoulder of Tibe German thrust into the american lines and saved the Day of Luxembourg and the Supply establishments and Road nets in the is the most outstanding accomplish ment of yourself and your a glance at the map is enough to show what a big Deal for the germans the capture of that City would have b would have provided von Rundstedt with the Ideal South on hinge for his Westward a lot of convenient High ways fan out from the City into Northern every newspaper in Germany would have mowed Over the retaking of such a and even though the panzers would have had to backpedal out of Belgium though the City had it is a bloody and Tim taking business to throw the enemy out of a place the size of if he fully defends not that the men of the 12th infantry regiment who were Strung out in holding positions along the Friendly Side of the Sauer River were particularly concerned with the fact that they were guarding the approaches to a very important City some 25 or 30 Kilometres to the South even after the shoot said Patton abruptly started at 0630 the morning of december and they knew for sure they were in for something to to doubtful if very Many gave their responsibility much digs fights that the Way it is with the american there very Little girding of loins and pledging to do or die about he simply digs in the face of a bad situation and if you ask him Why he he will Tell you to All probability that its largely because theres a War if you venture something about the Noble ideals and larger Aims of the like maybe making the world Safe for will Tell you that he is primarily interested in killing germans for the Sake of making the world safer at that particular moment for himself and a few other Guys off to the left and the right a Little if democracy cares to ride along on each that All As Long As it Doest get in the this attitude never ceases to be a worrisome thing to heavy thinkers in and out of it also beats the heh Cut of the the 12ths principal defences at the time of the German attack were set up at five main Road junctions South and West of the these defences consisted of company positions commanding the routes the City of Luxem by stubbornly holding these Roadblock even though All were bypassed and surrounded Early in Flie the hardhat american troops prevented a flood of German Armor and equipment from rolling on the Drivers pitch in at from which town a principal Highway toys direct tip Luxembourg a of the 12th infantry the command Post was located in the basement of a and an observation Post was set upon heavy artillery barrage which the enemy began to Lay wer the entire sector at 0530 that morning continued without setup for two immediately after it was enemy movement in strength toward the River was German elements quickly infiltrated and others passed around by was sur the company ordered its platoons to pull n the main rectangular defense was covering two before this defense could be the Ger mans tried to Rush a Large garage which housed the com Pany vehicles and the the assault was beaten Cooks and Drivers with the help of one jeep mounted machine gun placed in the situation critical when the Effort had completely miscarried for the Over Mastic the company went ahead with its Ive although one platoon was unable to draw having been isolated by enemy As night troops remained As quiet As using grenades so As not to reveal their the better part of three Days the germans made no attempt to reduce the american a believing the surrounded men would lose heart and without a showdown the German comma id ordered the of echternach at All costs on the night of an extremely heavy attack employing mortars and machine guns was the rocket hit after the situation became in critical with mounting casualties and dwindling j3anjffiunltion Ufa Riichard of and one enlisted made a break out of the town in a running a of fire Down the main nicknamed this is a Story of it is a Story in which Many individual soldiers each played his part in the defense of a sector which was of vital importance to both us and the their Success should serve As a lesson to All that even Small jobs fit into the grand scheme in such a Way that Success of the whole operation depends directly on individual the defense of the Luxembourg area by five companies of the fourth defending five Road fort Ned such an by holding these junctions we prevented the germans from getting their armoured and motorized units up to the mar and forced them to filter their foot troops through Fields to the Battle heroic defense of each Junction enabled us to throw our Armor against their infantry and Stop the Lauterborn the defense plan com Pany fought off enemy within feet of hotel Lauterborn shuttle service kept g company fac tory up where Cooks and Drivers fought off Ger o s w e i l e l company lost but 11 men in initial with Anchor of rifles ind three helped company smear ene by Luxembourg Alley and having a Olast from a tank miss them at almost Pointblank but help was not the company was ordered to come echternach had fallen but the company could not come although the last message from them indicated they were trying to fight the time of the message was 1225 the More than four Days after the German attack had a captured German document dated the 20th stated with the capture of echternach ordered for today the battalion achieved full echternach is in Pur 116 american prisoners were the Suc Cess brought the citation of the commanding general and the and restored the battalions former at a few Kilometres Down Bowling Alley Road toward g company and the antitank platoon of the 2nd battalion of the 12tfe infantry made their two heavy attacks on this position were re Bartons men held out a grim defence that neatly crossed him up one on the the other on the before the americans were ordered to defense Lauterborn was marked by one heroic action after another on the part of individual George Supply sergeant of g company from was an outstanding be tween the 16th and the 20th he made no fewer than 15 round trips Between Lauterborn and using every Type of vehicle from jeep to Light the trips were made to evacuate wounded and bring in Medicine and the Ger mans must have gotten to know Cline pretty Well he repeatedly ran their fire on his shuttle from luxury to hell Over where the at platoon held its position command ing the Road that branches off to Consdorf from the main the Graves registration detail picked up 35 Ger Man these were Only the ones the enemy was unable to late on the night of the a company of the supported by a platoon of Light tanks from the 70th tank fought its Way to the Lauterborn the two infantry plus the at platoon and the then fought Back to form a Section of the main line of resistance set up through a Point slightly South at to the West of f company had located its up in the modern pare on the 15th of december Headquarters personnel were enjoying the unaccustomed luxury of steam radios in every room and real Complete with by evening of the following the place had changed in appearance with runners and Supply men joining Hin gunners and Bazooka teams to defend the build ing from every under cover of fog and darkness the enemy managed to work up and dig in within feet of the As Well As to occupy buildings hundreds of hits by rocket and mortar gradually reduced the american Strong Point to a rubble filled beaten Back by the Ger ignoring returned at night close enough to fire bazookas into the building in one to place a pole or Satchel charge along the in one afternoon Gerveis of and Norman of killed More than 20 germans with bar the whole of the five Day defense at Burdorf was marked by this selfsame heroism and fast thinking which helped take the steam from the German fought three More Days on the evening of the John n of commander of f received orders to retire to the new defense line to the in a fast break and a running fire fight he men for 800 Yards to a Point where they could ride out on tanks and Hal tracks of the 10th armoured taking up position immediately Iri the without blankets or overcoats at the erstwhile defenders of Burdorf fought on steadily for three More helping to repel the German attack of the 22nd on the villages of Osweiler and Over on the right Wing of the 12th infantry were held by l and t throughout the attack and formed the Eastern Anchor of the main line of resistance established on the at Cornelius of co of l pulled in his platoons when the attack losing Only one outpost of 11 closest kind of siege a defense was organized in strategic buildings astride main the company suffered but 12 although the germans threw in More than a thousand rounds of artillery fire a Day from the 16th to the and managed to infiltrate some buildings of the town in the closest kind of a Here again Headquarters personnel pitched in with whatever weapons were at hand and helped beat off the Kraut in spite of the extracurricular the company Cooks continued to serve hot Chow at least once a Day straight and to have hot Coffee every mom ing for the Dockweiler was assaulted first at 1100 on the follow ing the heavy German the in approximately two company was thrown Back by i company under the command of Alexander of when the krauts tried it again that the men of i company were really ready for mortars were angled to the reverse slope of the Over which the germans had to riflemen were set to pick off the leading men in the enemy three tanks were placed so As to Lay machine gun fire farther up the Forward slope of the Hili holding fire until the germans were fully committed to their at every part of the defense Cut Loose at once the attack was and 35 including a company were Davit Learned from the captured officer that the German plan had called for the taking of Osweiler and Dockweiler the first Day of the attack so that the panzers could get through to the the fact that the Geri mans were never Able to take these two Points of strategic and Only got and Ben Dorf after it was too saved the City of