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

64 BASTOGNE
losses to the enemy. From the town itself three tank destroyers
had exchanged fire at about 1500 yards with the enemy tanks
and had kept them from coming on. But whether they had done
any real hurt to them could not be seen. 8
For about an hour after the return to Noville the front was
deathly quiet. 9 LaPrade's men·had had no chance to dig in prior
to the attack so they sought refuge in the houses. lo Colonel la­
Prade improved his command post by moving a heavy clothes
closet in front of the window. ll The Germans resumed their
bombardment of the town and in the middle of the shelling a
platoon of tank destroyers from the 706th Tank Destroyer Battalion
reported for duty.12 Further tightening the defense, General
Higgins, having arrived at Noville just as the American
counterattack was fading, took the essential steps toward unifying
the local command. Major Desobry and Colonel LaPrade were
in agreement that one man should be in control, and laPrade,
being the senior, drew the assignment. LaPrade told General
Higgins that he thought he could hold on until dark but that he
was convinced that the enemy would attack in strength shortly
thereafter. Soon after that, Colonel Sink got up to Noville for
a personal reconnaissance. He talked to LaPrade and the latter
shortly issued his orders for the combined defense.1S The plan
was for Company B to defend to the northwest and Company A
to the northeast and Company C was to cover the southern half
of the perimeter while the armored group was held in the center
of the town ready to strike out in any direction.14 A few minutes
after LaPrade was placed in command, an 88 shell landed in the
street outside the command post. The explosion shattered the
clothes closet and both commanders were struck down by fragments.15
Colonel LaPrade was killed and Major Desobry
wounded. Major Robert F. Harwick, LaPrade's executive, who
had rushed back from a leave in Paris to join his battalion and
had arrived in Noville just at the close of the afternoon fighting,
took command of the combined force. The armor passed into
the hands of Major Charles L. Hustead.16
For the men of Combat Command B who were within the
town the rest of the night (December 19-20) was comparatively