Promotions and Hard Decisions

US Army Photo

The jeep rolled to a stop outside the hut 2nd Platoon was using as a CP. Cpt. Tony Palminteri and 2nd Lt. Herman Jacobsen climbed out, stretched and then stepped into the hut.

"Cap'n, what brings you out here to our palatial estate?" S/Sgt Stephen Hernandez asked as he stood to greet the two officers.

"First of all, Stephen, you need to start wearing lieutenant bars, regiment approved your field commission. As Herm here also got promoted..." Cpt. Palminteri gestured to his Weapons Platoon leader.

"Yup, you can have my bars, Stephen, congratulations." Jacobsen said as he handed over a set of 2nd Lieutenant bars.

"I've got some other promotions for your guys as well. Where's your machine gun team by the way?"

"Follow the track down to your left as you go out the door, Judd and his guys are there. We're not losing them are we?" Hernandez asked with some concern.

"Nah, Judd made sergeant, I wanted to give him the good news myself." Jacobsen said, "So if you'll excuse me?"

"Okay, Herm, see you in a few." Palminteri said.

Turning again to Hernandez, Palminteri handed him a sheet of paper with a list of promotions -

S/Sgt. Jack Wilson

Sgt. Melvin Katz

Cpl. John Myerson

Cpl. Charlie Gammell

Pfc. Chris McWhorter

"Those are all effective immediately. Katz will take over Wilson's old squad, right?"

"Yessir, Pena will be taking over 2nd Squad, he's ready. Any chance on getting him his sergeant stripes any time soon?"

"Yeah, why not? Tell Diego to put those on, I'll clear it with regiment. By the way, how old is Gammell anyway, he turn 18 yet?"

"Yessir, back in November. He's young but he's a damned good soldier. Best shot in the regiment I'd bet."

"I've heard. So, you guys need anything special? Well, other than food, boots, fresh socks, time out of the line, etc., etc.?"

"Heh, a month in Paris would be nice."

"Dream on. Have your men ready to move tomorrow."

Bundesarchiv

They were still a kilometer short of reaching Losheimergraben, so it was into the woods once more as it was starting to get light.

"Herr Major, I think we should push on, it's overcast and I think it's going to snow again." Leutnant Manfred Sauer knew that the men wouldn't be happy spending another day out in the middle of the snowy countryside.

Major Jürgen von Lüttwitz thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. "Into the woods Manfred. I don't want to be out in the open. The enemy Jabos have been active even with the overcast. The ceiling is high enough for them to get under and strafe the roads. The Amis seem anxious to get us out of Belgium."

Sauer sighed, he agreed with his commander, but some of the men were starting to lose faith. Two had actually suggested surrender, but he didn't tell the Major that, von Lüttwitz was determined to keep what was left of his unit together.

So they left the road and headed into the trees. Digging in was out of the question, the ground was frozen solid and their small shovels would be of no use, so they found hollows in the ground to at least get some protection from both the weather and the enemy.

"Sir, we have a problem." In the late afternoon, Unteroffizier Peter Krause, the Sani, had come over to where von Lüttwitz and Sauer had been trying to get some rest.

"What is it Peter?" Major von Lüttwitz asked.

"I've been checking the men, two are having problems with their feet, well, I suppose we all are, but Spiegel and Berger are having severe problems. They have frostbite. Spiegel will probably lose his toes, Berger might lose a foot."

"Damn it, can they walk?" von Lüttwitz asked as he looked at his medic.

"Barely, I'm not sure what to do. Leave them? They will slow us down."

Von Lüttwitz looked off into the distance, it was getting dark, they would be moving soon. He didn't like the idea of leaving men behind, but he may not have a choice. Then Sauer spoke up.

"Sir, we could use the If. 8s¹. We're almost to Losheimergraben, we dump some of the rations and equipment and load Spiegel and Berger on two of the carts."

Von Lüttwitz thought about that for a moment, then said, "Do it. I'll not leave a man behind. It's going to be dark soon, we need to be moving."

The men dumped some of the contents of two of the carts. making room for Spiegel and Berger, both of whom insisted that they could walk on their own.

"Are you kidding mensch?² You move like an old man." Feldwebel Klaus Haasen, Spiegel's squad leader, was only half kidding. They were all moving slowly due to the lack of food and the cold, but Spiegel and Berger could barely put weight on their feet.

"Just hop on, we'll haul your asses back to the Reich. Good thing you've both lost weight!" Grenadier Peter Meyer joked, though he had lost considerable weight himself due to the short rations they had been on since the battle started. He hoped, they all hoped, that they could get a decent meal when they got to Losheimergraben.

No one knew that that town had been flattened by Allied bombing to choke the German supply line. They would learn soon enough.

¹ Infanteriekarren, If. 8 - Infantry carts.

² Man.

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