John P

John P. Dimeglio 424/I Dec 17
We moved up to attack the Germans. We stopped at a hill top. Some Germans came out in the open to surrender. They were fired on so they dashed back into the forest. We dug in on the top of the hill that was covered with snow. It was a bad position, we were too exposed in our green outfits. ###- Demiglio

Milton J. Schober 424/H Dec 17
The following day, the 17th, German awareness of a Anti-tank gun in our area resulted in barrages of “screaming meemies” (Nebelwerfer) landing on our hillside. In the afternoon I, with two others, was on duty at a lookout post when an incoming shell not heard by us apparently landed just short of our position. We were knocked to the ground and showered with dirt but had no injury other than severe ringing in our ears.
After darkness word came down for Company F to pack everything possible and to be ready to move out in twenty minutes. Riflemen were each given two bandoleers of 30 caliber ammo, which in itself is a load. This was the point at which most gas masks were abandoned. I remember Russ Mayotte, one of the smaller men in the first platoon, cramming everything possible into his knapsack to a point where he could barely lift it on his shoulders. After a few miles through the woods up and down hills, discarded ammo and other materials were quite noticeable along the trail. The big killer after crossing the Our River was climbing the Our Berg south of BURG-REULAND. We had been on the march for over four hours when we collapsed on elevated farmland after midnight. The admonition to dig foxholes at that time was ignored. ###- Schober

John P. Dimeglio 424/I Dec 18
We were ordered to attack again. This time my squad was told that we were to attack a farm house. In this attack Sgt. Ira was wounded by machine gun fire. Some German in the farm house had me picked out in his gun sight. I could hear the bullets whiz by me - my heart was pounding like a pile drivers’ hammer. We moved up hitting the ground every few yards. As we continued to attack, only one man and myself reached the farm house. When we were about twenty yards away, a platoon of Germans came out and surrender to us. We started to move them back to the rear. As we moved back the Germans fired artillery on their own men. We all scattered and hit the ground. The Germans did not try to escape, they could of easily overpowered the two of us. When we reached a rear position we turned over the prisoners to an officer. We then were loaded up with ammunition and sent back to the front.

John P. Dimeglio 424/IDec. 19
What was left of the squad was then sent up to reinforce Co. “K”. I was told Lt. Bruno was in charge of this platoon in Co. “K”. I found out that Lt. Bruno was killed in action. We stayed in houses that were not occupied by civilians. The Germans shelled us with mortar fire all night. ###- DiMeglio

Hugh Hochstetter (dscd), 424/I Dec 17 - 18
My Platoon was assigned to cover the ordered Battalion withdrawal after dark on the 17^th. Our promised guide was not at the Battalion HQ area which was deserted. So, I made the decision to take the road to Winterspelt. I had been given no orders as to the direction of the withdrawal. I mistakenly assumed that Regiment is always safe as my reasoning for this decision. As we went down the road in the dark (it was very dark since we had very low cloud cover) We ran into enemy fire. We returned it and decided that was not the way to go. So we took off down the only other road available. This took us by the Division Ammo dump which had been set afire. We had a great display of fireworks
About 0200 hours on 18 December we arrived at the Our River near Berg Reuland. A little later the main force of what was left of the Battalion arrived. We crossed the Our that morning and set up positions in the village west of the river. There we had some patrol activity until we withdrew a couple of days later. ###_ Hochstetter

Milton J. Schober 424/H Dec 18
The morning of the 18th saw us digging a defensive line. Our activity didn't go unnoticed at the farmhouse 500 yards further up the hill. The occupants came parading out, the lead person carrying a pole with a white cloth attached as they moved off to the west. I certainly sympathized with their action considering the appearance of a battle shaping up in their front yard. That didn't turn out to be the case. Its fuzzy in my mind as to whether we stayed one day or two days in the farm area but when we did retreat a little further to a wooded area, it was at 2 a.m.
We left the latter wooded area on the morning of December 21. Down the muddy roads we hiked, stopping occasionally to put snow in our canteens or water from ruts in the mud (halogen tablets added). The men moved in columns on each side of the road, with 5 yard intervals, while jeeps and 6x6’s moved down the center of the road, bearing ammo and equipment. It was evident that we were in another full scale retreat. Food must have been in short supply because I remember eating a raw turnip lying in a field, and I donut like turnips. Our suspicion that German forces were in the vicinity was shortly confirmed. The noise of vehicles moving down the road attracted the attention of their artillery observers and several shells came screaming in about 100 yards short of the road. We had been dragging along but this was the incentive we needed to double time out of that locale. About five miles from our starting point we came to the village of OUDLER where we saw several Sherman tanks on guard with their guns leveled down the several roads leading into the village center. They were ready to meet the Germans when they appeared. We kept moving through OUDLER and perhaps went another four miles to reach THOMMEN, where we spent the night quartered in houses. There was talk of conducting a raid with tanks to retake OUDLER which had been captured by the Germans after we had moved through it earlier in the day, but the plan was dropped. ###- Schober

On Wednesday, 20 December the Germans attacked again. Elements of the 62^nd Volksgrenadier and the 182^nd and 190^th Regiments drove from the left front between Maspelt and R.J. 515. The regiment held until another withdrawal was ordered the morning ofFriday the 22 December to form a perimeter defense around Commanster. This was accomplished with the aid of a heavy snowfall which blinded the enemy artillery and observation.
In this defense, the 424^th Combat Team came under control of the 7th Armored Division, minus the 3^rd battalion, which was sent to the 9^th CCB. Alsoin the defensive setup were the 9^th Armored and the 112^th Combat Team.
By Saturday (23 December 1944), the group found itself almost encircled and was ordered to break out. The 3^rd battalion reverted to Combat Team control as the regiment moved to an assembly area around Houssanflage, north ofthe Webermont crossroads. The regiment spent Christmas Eve in the woods at the assembly area.
At 0700 Christmas Day, the 3^rd Battalion moved to the vicinity of Fays and the 2^nd Battalion to the vicinity of Harre. The 1^st Battalion and Regimental Headquarters went into Harre. The ? - ——— —— to Chene-Al-?ierre (?) There with the 48^th and 23^rd Armored Infantry and a platoon of tanks, the two attacked to secure Manhay, northern pivot point of the German spearhead into Belgium. The attack was generally along Highway 15, with the 2^nd Battalion on the right of the road. By dark the 2^nd battalion was within 50 yards of the objective when it was stopped and pulled back to high ground north of Manhay. There were heavy casualties in the withdrawal, from a barrage of 88’s.
In the meantime, the 3^rd battalion was attached to CCA of the 7^th Armored and the remainder of the regiment was attached to CCB of the 7^th Armored. On Tuesday, 26 December, L Company was brought up on line on the left of N15 and G Company was detached and put under control of CCB of the 38^th Infantry. The 1^st Battalion remained in reserve 1,000 yards form Grandmenil.
Tuesday (26^th) afternoon that part of the regiment attached to CCB was committed as a whole. L Company remained on the left of N15, and the 2^nd Battalion on the right and the 1^st Battalion extended the line to the right north of Grandmenil. That morning, the 2^nd battalion attacked to close the gap between the 82^nd Airborne in Manhay and the 75^th in Grandmenil and moved to the very north edge of Manhay where all units dug in on line. The forward Regimental CP.. was with the 2^nd Battalion at Mont-Derroeux. The battalion secured the east-west road lying approximately 400 yards north of Manhay, key town on the liege highway.
The regiments remained on line until relieved by a regiment of the 75^th Division at 0404, 30 December.

On 27 December, Lt. Col. Leonard Umanoff, commander of the 2^nd Battalion, was placed on special duty with division headquarters, and Lt. Col. Orville M. Hewitt, executive officer of the regiment, assumed command of the 2^nd Battalion.