Triste Bapteme WTO (id:#58872)

Tactiques (Tactiques # 2 ID: TAC20)   [next]   [previous]

Gambsheim, Northern France 1945-01-06 (10 others)

Overview:

"Sad Baptism" - To give a new momentum to the battle for the Ardennes, Hitler ordered operation “Nordwind” to take Strasbourg. On December 31st, the German forces joined north of Alsace and simultaneously crossed the Rhine to the north of Strasbourg. On the 5th they seized Gambshein, located to the south of the bridgehead, against a weak opposition. The American units in the sector had not fought before. Hurriedly equipped, the US 24th infantry Regiment was assigned to counterattack toward the north of the city while a joint attack was carried out to the south. Starting from Weyersheim, the units encountered the first German advanced positions. Artillery fire caused many losses and the regiment entrenched for the night within one kilometer of the objective. The communication between the companies and the rear was defective, and the German fire continued. As the night went on, stiff with cold, the young Americans were terrified. Some soldiers cried or bled all night. By the morning of the 6th, morale was low as the advance began again without any preliminary reconnaissance.

Defender: American (242nd Regiment, Linden Tank Force/781st Tank Battalion)  

Errata (source)