Bastogne: The Story of the First Eight Days - US Army Center Of ...

CHAPTER 14
uNUTSI"
AT 1130 ON DECEMBER 22 four Gennans, a major, a captain
and two enlisted men, came up the road to Bastogne
from Remoifosse carrying a large white Bag. They were met on
the road by Technical Sergeant Oswald Y. Butler and Staff Sergeant
Carl E. Dickinson of Company F, 327th Glider Infantry,
and Private First Class Eme$t D. Premetz of the 327th Medical
Detachment.
Premetz could speak German. The captain could speak English.
He said to Butler, 'We are parliamentaires."
The men took the Gennans to the house where Lieutenant
Leslie E. Smith of Weapons Platoon, Company F, 327th Infantry,
had his command post. Leaving the two Gennan enlisted
men at the command post, Smith blindfolded the two officers and
led them over the hill to the command post of Captain James F.
Adams, commanding officer of Company F. Adams called 2d
Battalion headquarters in Marvie, Battalion called Regiment in
Bastogne, and the 327th Headquarters called the WIst Division,
relaying the word that some Gennans had come in with surrender
tenns. 1 The ruinor quickly spread around the front that the
enemy had had enough and that a party had arrived to arrange a
surrender. Quiet held the front. Many of the American defenders
crawled out of their cover and spent the noon hour shaving,
washing and going to the straddle trenches. 2
Major Alvin Jones took the tenns to General McAuliffe and
Lieutenant Colonel Ned D. Moore who was acting Chief of
Staff. The paper called for the surrender of the Bastogne garrison
and threatened its complete destruction otherwise. 8 It appealed
to the "well known American humanity" to save the people of
Bastogne from further suffering. The Americans were to have
two hours in which to consider. The two enemy officers would
have to be released by 1400 but another hour would pass before
the Gennans would resume their attack. 6
Colonel Harper, commanding the 327th, went with Jones to
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