Download - 70th Infantry Division Association

oughly 40 to 42 men, and all our gear and K rations, which was really a sight to see. We didn't
even have straw on the floor. It was cold and we were moving into enemy territory. We were so
green, somebody would sneeze and 40 men would jump 10 feet in the air. On Christmas Eve, it
was reported that on our route north the Germans had dropped some paratroopers and that they
had cut off our destination area. It was decided by the officers of our Regiment that if we got
struck by paratroopers we would leave the train area immediately, proceed to the hills along the
side of the track and set up some kind of defensive organization to defend the train as best we
could. However, there had to be one non-commissioned officer and a couple of men who would
remain with each car. We elected to pull straws and the short straws would stay with the train. I
pulled the short straw. At that particular time I was a buck sergeant, a three-striper, and I was
scared to death. All I could see were my buddies running toward the hills when the Germans hit
us and me on the train by myself or maybe with one other man. I didn't sleep very well until we
reached our destination safely.
I remember one night we were going through a town or. the train, I don't remember its name, but
on the railroad siding there was a car full of straw. Some of the fellows raided that car and took
the straw and put it in their own car. Our officers were so perturbed by this act of vandalism that
they were going to Court Martial everybody involved because of lack of discipline and control. I
remember thinking, "We are going to be court martialed for stealing a couple bails of straw we
threw on the floor of a box car." The straw was a hazard anyway because people were smoking
at that time and it could have caught fire so easily. I have no idea why that straw was in that box
car going the other direction in the first place. Probably some of the high-ranking German
officers were using it for their horses or something.
On December 26, Milton B. Muir was injured by an accidental discharge of a Browning automatic rifle bar.
He was shot in the neck. He was the first man shot from our outfit. We were on the second floor of a
warehouse in Bischwiller. His gun was loaded, laying on the floor, and a blanket lay over the gun.
Someone tripped over the blanket and the gun went off and hit him in the neck. He was the first. wounded
man we had seen and being an accident, it was a real morale buster for us.
From December 26 to December 28, we were on patrols and had guard duty. Everybody started getting
edgy, started training like a real combat outfit. People were getting jumpy and enlisted men were shooting
at stars, moon, anything that moved. We weren't even near the enemy. Twenty-two of our enlisted men
were transferred to the 20th Infantry Division. The 20th Infantry Division was very much under-strength
and they were still in the 7th Army. We were in the 7th Army also and the 20th needed replacements, so
they took the 22 men. They did not want to go but they were forced to go anyway.
At 1230 on 29 December the regiment began to move by motor and marching from Bischwiller to
Soufflenheim in accordance with orders to relieve the 275th Infantry in defensive positions along the west
bank of the Rhine River from Seltz to Raschwoog. Regimental CP was established at Soufflenheim. The
lst Battalion occupied the right half of the Regimental sector, the 2d Battalion the left half and the 3d
Battalion was in reserve. Our mission was to deny the area to the enemy. Later our right flank was
extended to Fort Louis.
In general, the S-2 estimate of the situation was this: The enemy lacked sufficient strength to prevent
accomplishment of our mission, but he would be able to maintain active patrolling and reconnaissance
missicns along the banks of the Rhine. He was also thought to be able to strafe and bomb our lines of
communication and to drop saboteurs by parachute.
Administrative reports at this time showed the following replacements needed: 2 officers, 237 enlisted
men. Five casualties were evacuated in the 29-30 December 1944 period.
The supply situation showed 3 days rations, approximately one day's supply of ammunition and one day's
supply of gas and oil.