FIVE-DAY BATTLE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXV, Issue 31, 5 January 1945, Page 4

FIVE-DAY BATTLE

BY SURROUNDED FORCE AMERICAN~GALLANTRY LONDON, Dec-29. Four hundred survivors of an American torce, ■which, though surrounded and short of supplies held out tor five days, thus delaying the main German ! thrust towards Bastogne, have got back our lines after a lOnnle trekthrough enemy-held territory, write, a Sydney Morning Herald war correspondent from Belgium Their petrol exhausted, they destroyed their tanks and came through the enemy lines on foot, pass.ng within a lew.yards of enemy outposts. Not a man was lost. ,■•','".,. -j. The action fought by this unit wa, typical of American emergency resistance to the German onslaught. The men knew they had no hope of holding the position indefinitely against two uanzer divisions, but they fought until the Germans had lost their advantage of surprise. LN EXPOSED POSITIONS. On frozen ground, the men lay in exposed positions resisting constant attacks. Even water in mudnoles was frozen, and the small force had to exist witnout wasning and without food, except what they could find in the neignbourhood. Efforts to drop supplies by parachute faded. 'these troops were modest and retiring inclined to dismiss their liveday ordeal as "a great experience, but one we don't want again.' All paid tribute to a surgeon wno elected to remain behind in tue town to care for the wounded. Detads of the battle were given to the correspondent by Lieut.-Colonel Samuel Hogan, of Texas, who commanded the force. Its original task was to make a reconnaissance of the German penetration on the north-west-ern flank of the drive. > As this tank force, operating without*infantry, proceeded along a road near Laroche it readied a German road-block which was supported by anti-tank guns, bazookas, and machine-guns. It was impossible for more than one tank to approach the block at a time, and Colonel Hogan, hoping to find another way round, withdrew for further conference. "As we approached the top of a hill," said Colonel Hogan, "we saw a half-tracked vehicle and a jeep loaded with soldiers, dressed in American uniforms, parked on the crest. I noticed that two men were wearing German uniforms, and as they didn't appear to be guarded 1 decided that the entire party must be disguised Jerries. "As soon as we attempted to turn our jeep they opened fire and we had to abandon the vehicle and take to the woods. "We did not know the "position of friendly troops, and as everyone seemed to" be wearing American uniforms we took cover in a creek bed. . "Presently a Jerry started to dig a hole only ten yards away. Other Germans arrived, and we decided it was time to get going. We rejoined my unit and set up a good defensive position in a town they had reached overnight. "A few hours later a German armoured vehicle roared down the main street. "We let it go a few hundred yards and then blew it up' with a direct hit. "We repulsed three other minor attacks that day, and then all was quiet for a while. REFUSED TO SURRENDER.

"The next day, however, four Germans carrying a white hag entered our position and asked for our surrender. They told us we were surrounded., and that their commander wished to avoid further bloodshed. I told them we had orders to fight, and would continue to do so. Our position was becoming desperate. We were out of gasoline and were short of medical supplies, but rear headquarters advised by radio-phone that we would be supplied by air. Two attempts failed. "It was a strain trying to sleep at night. I knew the Germans could taki the- town if they tried hard enough, and if we slept we could not be sure that we would not awake to find ourselves prisoners. After two more days I decided that we would have to evacuate the town, but we could not gel our vehicles away because of lack of gasoline."

Lieutenant Harold Randall, who made the escape reconnaissance, founU all roads jambed with German vehicle.-, but he discovered a bush track, and it was along this that the party got through. "We waited for darkness to start our forced march," concluded Colonel Hogan. "The Germans kept firing on our positions. Had they attacked it would have been fatal because we had destroyed our tank guns." The correspondent concludes: "I am writing this dispatch at the new command outpost of this once-surrounded force. They have been re-equipped and are again fighting."