A cold European winter, the coldest anyone could remember. The Battle of the Bulge was beginning to wind down, but Belgium was still a dangerous place on this day 70 years ago. My great-grandfather was there, serving as a combat medic in the 137th Infantry Regiment. We don’t know which company, or even which battalion Tonice was in, because he kept all of those experiences to himself, so this is only a regimental overview with some movements down to the company level.
So, then, for Jan. 04:
The 137th hurled an attack at the road junction west of Villers, captured and defended the position against heavy enemy counterattacks. The intense enemy artillery fire forced heavy casualties on the Regiment.
The attack was launched at 0800, and Company A was on the road junction by 1045. The 1st Battalion closed into an assembly area in the rear of the 2nd Battalion zone. The 3rd Battalion was assembled in Livarchamps, with Company I on the roadblocks. Company G was holding its 700-yard frontage in the Surre Woods, with its CP in Surre.
Please scroll around and click on the pins to catch up or read ahead.
This information is derived from the unit history, found here and here and from this unit overview. These markers are rough estimates, meant only to be illustrative. Any errors are mine alone.
