A Meeting Of Patrols

In early December, the U.S. 47th Infantry Regiment was moved back to " Camp Elsenbom" for refit and final training of a large replacement cadre. But training and reorganization were still incomplete when the storm struck; on the afternoon of …

1944-12-26

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In early December, the U.S. 47th Infantry Regiment was moved back to " Camp Elsenbom" for refit and final training of a large replacement cadre. But training and reorganization were still incomplete when the storm struck; on the afternoon of December 16th came confused reports of a terrifying German offensive in the V and vim Corps sectors. The regiment, one of the few in reserve nearby, was immediately trucked to the vicinity of Eupen and assigned the role of preventing an enemy penetration past the lines held by the 38th Cavalry Squadron. Defensive positions were established along the Monschau-Hofen-Kalterherberg ridge. The 47th's battalions installed barbed and concertina wire, mines, booby traps and remote flares in front of their positions. And all company commanders instituted vigorous patrolling to counter anticipated enemy probes. On the morning of December 26th, one such patrol from Company L of the 3rd Battalion encountered a German force which had infiltrated during the night

Hofen, Belgium

The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Counteroffensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II, and took place from 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945. It was launched through the densely forested Ardennes region of Wallonia in eastern Belgium, northeast France, and Luxembourg, towards the end of the war in Europe. The offensive was intended to stop Allied use of the Belgian port of Antwerp and to split the Allied lines, allowing the Germans to encircle and destroy four Allied armies and force the Western Allies to negotiate a peace treaty in the Axis powers' favor.

Wikipedia: Battle of the Bulge

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