Download - 70th Infantry Division Association

assuming that a patrol stomping around in enemy territory that long would have picked up information,
stepped on a foot mine or tripped a flare or something. It seems odd that they were out there that length
of time and found no enemy.
On January 29th we had five guys from battalion aid station going to the 36th general hospital. We had
PFC Coleman transferred to headquarters company 2nd battalion. Robert Toomey was now determined
"missing in action" in the vicinity of Forbach, France, 800 yards from Canivingem, France, as of 0715
January 26. His name was dropped from the roll. As of this date, we were left with 109 men and 21 of
those men were sick at the Battalion Aid Station. We were supposed to have six officers and we had only
four. We continued to lay wire and improve our position.
We were digging in like crazy, our holes getting deeper and deeper, using heavier timber on top, stringing
tin cans to the wire so the clanging at night would alert the troops.
On January 30th, we promoted quite a few people to replace the men that were gone. It appeared that we
were going to begin to build up our outfit again. We were inspected by the division and regimental staff
officers. When they came down and looked at the company, we got the idea that something was going to
happen. Our men were promoted and we had the line jobs filled. We were in a position that we only
required replacements.
On January 31, 1945, one-third of the company worked on fox holes, switched positions, and the
remainder of the company was. on the line and in position. Morale of the troop is listed as "good" in the
report. Here we are now, we stepped off the boat one month ago with 190 men and we are left with 109
and they write "morale of troops is good". I'll have to talk to the First Sgt. about that. It seems to me he
has something backward.
The S-1 report of 17 January showed that needed replacements were eight officers and 327 enlisted
men. Supplies are normal.
The two weeks following occupation of the new positions were devoted to improvement of defensive work
and to aggressive patrolling. Complete plans were prepared for defense, for counterattack and for
withdrawal under various conditions. In the meantime, TF HERREN, which had been operating under the
XXI Corps, was placed under the IV Corps at 1100 25 January 1945.
S-2 subsequently reported that the enemy was dug in strongly and was continuing to improve his
positions. Deliberate defenses in the vicinity of Saarbrucken were reported. The enemy, meanwhile,
devoted his efforts chiefly to patrolling and harassing actions.
Operations in the Farebersviller area were conducted under the handicap of a heavy stand of snow, icy
roads and extremely cold weather.
As the month of February opened, the 276th Infantry was occupying defensive positions extending from
Emmersweiler, on the left, to Bousbach on the right. These positions had been held by the regiment since
16 January. The last half of January had been devoted to improvement and strengthening of the
defensive setup and to aggressive patrolling. Combat efficiency was classed as excellent.
On the left of the 276th Infantry was the 106th Cavalry Group and on the right was the 275th Infantry.
There was a heavy stand of snow on the ground 1 February, but the next day the weather moderated and
a thaw set in that melted all the snow within the next four days. This, together with intermittent rains,
made roads and fields muddy and hampered transportation and impeded combat operations.
The enemy, during the latter part of January, also had been improving his defenses, and had been outposting
those positions and doing some patrolling, though not aggressively.