Download - 70th Infantry Division Association

went into reserve in the vicinity of Kochern, Company K returned to Third Battalion control and went into
reserve. Limiting point of the front line battalions was in Morsbach. The First Battalion CP was at Folkling
and the Third's at Nassweiler (a suburb of Rosbruck).
At the same time, the regimental CP was moved from Farebersviller to Bening. The Service Company
and the field train were established at St. Avold.
The 106th Cavalry, on our left, was replaced by the 101st Cavalry on 11 February, while the 274th
Infantry continued to be the unit on our right. In the three days following the re-adjustment of the line, the
enemy devoted himself almost entirely to defensive actions--strengthening his present position, outposting
his line and doing some patrolling. In general, the front was quiet. The regiment continued active
patrolling.
The weather, which was cold and rainy as the Oeting action started on 6 February, continued so for the
next week. The temperature was in the vicinity of 40 to 45 degrees most of the time and the continuous
rainfall made transportation and field operations even more difficult.
February 9th, the company moved from Folkling to Theding, France, approximately 4 kms. and moved to
Cocheren, France, approximately 5 kms. We moved by truck and at that particular place about 50 percent
of the company took showers. I can remember how they took half the company to the rear and into town
where they had public baths. They had showers, which were called "douches" or "cabine". We had not
had baths for over two months. We had not shaved nor had haircuts. We hadn't even brushed our teeth
half the time. We looked terrible. We went in and we all dropped our uniforms. I took off my overcoat and
threw it in a pile after taking all my things out of the pockets. I had a field jacket on underneath and I took
it off and threw it in the pile. I had a pair of green O.D. pants and shirt and threw them in the pile. I threw
in a windbreaker, a pair of long johns and socks. Then, they took us to a place where they had tubs. You
could take a bath or a shower. It was a public bathhouse taken over by the U.S. Army, but it was run by
civilians. They had women working in these baths. After you finished your bath, the women would go in
and clean the tubs to get ready for the next men. The odor from our clothes, with all the steam from the
bath, was enough to kill a six-day old horse. The hanky-panky that was going on was something else; the
women would go in to clean the showers and the guys wouldn't let them out. It was quite a mess.
When you got a shower, you got a haircut which was done fast and furious. It was done by a civilian;
nothing pretty, but he did the job. Now remember I had a wool cap on and a nine-pound helmet which had
flattened my hair; it looked like a sick mop. The objective was to get the hair off my ears and neck. It
wasn't even, but it was a haircut.
Then we received new clothes: shoes, underwear and shirts. Everything was brand new, the tags still on.
The clothes we left there were washed and given to displaced persons and prisoners of war. They were
over two months old and had never been cleaned. You can imagine what that was like. But, we had haircuts
and clean clothes. They took us across the street and we laid down in a warm building, the first
building we'd seen in ;with heat, and we slept. We only slept for two or three hours, .but it was glorious.
When they came around and woke us up, of course we had to go to the front line again. If the building is
still there when I go back, I'm going to take a shower there. February 10th, more replacements arrive
reporting for duty. They started to beef us up again. I hated to see that. We got them from HQ 71st
Replacement Battalion.
Replacements required as of 10 February were listed by S-1 as 14 officers and 577 enlisted men. This
shortage was relieved in part on 11 February when 223 enlisted men were received by the regiment as
reinforcements.
Immediately after new boundaries were assigned to the 276th, plans were prepared for possible
withdrawal to successive defense positions.
The regiment began a new and thorough program of training for reinforcements and units on 12 February.
The plan called for a schedule of training by the reserve battalion to include familiarization with all