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

160 BASTOGNE
heavy aitillery fire and was no longer in either telephone or radio
communication with Headquarters, WIst Division.1G
Just as the first light of Christmas morning broke, the S-2 of
the Ist Battalion, First Lieutenant Samuel B. Nickels, Jr., came
at a dead run into the chateau where the Headquarters, S02d,
was. "There are seven enemy tanks and lots of infantry coming
over the hill on your left," he said. 18 He had first sighted them
moving along parallel to the ridge southwest of Hemroulle.
(Plate 36.) They were striking toward the ground where the
S02d and 327th joined hands.17
The Rolle Chateau was emptied almost before Lieutenant
Nickels had finished speaking. Cooks, clerks, radio men and the
chaplains collected under Captain James C. Stone, the S02d
headquarters commandant, and rushed west to the next hill.18
From the chateau gate at Rolle, the road dips down through a
deep swale then rises onto the ridge where it joins the main road
into Hemroulle, about two miles northwest of Bastogne. The road
line is on high ground. all the way until just before it reaches
Hemroulle where it drops down again to the village. 18 Captain
Stone's scratch headquarters force ran across the swale and took
up firing positions close to the road and facing westward. 20 Within
a few minutes they were joined by the men of the regiment's
wounded who were able to walk. Major Douglas T. Davidson,
the regimental surgeon of the S02d, had run to the chateau stable
that was serving as a temporary hospital, rallied his patients,
handed them rifles and then led them out against the tanks. 21
They could see the tanks coming on toward them now. From
the archway of Rolle Chateau it was about 600 yards to the first
line of Getman armor. (Plate 38.) Colonels Chappuis and Cas­
Sidy and the radio operator looked westward from the archway
and could see just the outline of the enemy movement in the dim
light. They were now the only men at the headquarters. 22
Colonel Cassidy called Major Hanlon and told him to leave
Company B where it was but to get the company ready to protect
its own real' and then try to get Company C faced to the west to
meet the German tanks as they came on. sa
The 327th Glider Infantry was already engaged. At 0500