Two years ago I put this map together. Thirteen years ago we got an inkling of where he was and what he did. Seven decades ago he was there. Two years ago I put this map together. And on this, the 70th anniversary of Tonice’s time in Europe as a combat medic, we’re revisiting what the 137th Infantry Regiment did. We don’t know which company, or even which battalion Tonice was in, so this is only a regimental overview with some movements down to the company level.
So, then, for Dec. 28:
The 137th Infantry attacked north of Surre, against all types of heavy enemy fire and drove eastward to assault Villers-la-Bonne-Eau.
The 1st Battalion was located in Surre and the 2nd Battalion with Companies E, F, and G, in that order, on the edge of Surre Woods. The 3rd Battalion was pushing northeast toward Livarchamps.
The 3rd Battalion launched its attack to get into Villers-la-Bonne-Eau. The 1st Battalion moved out of Surre at 1405, with the mission of encircling the 2nd Battalion’s left flank. At 1745 the 3rd Battalion, after a bitter battle, was in the town of Villers-la-Bonne-Eau.
The Corps Commanding General warned all units to beware of enemy counterattacks during the night or early morning. The Surre Woods still contained many German troops.
You can click all of the pins in the map below to see more of the unit’s day-by-day notes.
This information is derived from the unit history, found here and here and from this unit overview. Any errors are mine alone.
