Bullets were flying everywhere, I kept moving forward and firing short bursts from my BAR. As we got about 50 yards out, all hell broke loose and the Jerries laid down a field of fire with machine guns. We began the attack at daybreak crossing the frozen snow-covered field. When contact was finally made, we regrouped in the tree line along a road that fronted on La Roumiere. Patrols were sent out to establish contact. Things continued to be disorganized and contact was lost between flanking Platoons. We moved down a steep slope and crossed a small stream. It seemed to take forever to get to our line of departure. We could hear bursts of artillery fire and small arms fire off in the distance. It was dark and cold, we walked for an hour or more and were told to turn around, and apparently we were not in the right position for attack on a hill called LaRoumiere. After some semblance of order was restored, we move out a road (probably the Road from NY to Sur-Les-Hys). I had no idea of where we were and had no maps to guide us. Everything seemed to be in a state of chaos. We were hurriedly assembled and told to move out immediately and that we were moving up to the front lines. Just as I approached the beginning of the line, an officer rolled up in a Jeep and ordered the cooks to put it away. Christmas Eve we marched into NY where the cooks had set up hot chow in large containers, along a bend in the road. 23 and 24 there, billeted in a barn attached to a home. We were loaded on trucks and traveled 250 miles to Belgium, arriving at a forward defense area in the vicinity of Biron Belgium. The 75th Division originally planned to join the 9th Army and was redirected to the First Army. They launched a massive breakthrough into the Ardennes Forest in Eastern Belgium, driving for Antwerp and hoping to split the Allied Forces. (Arriving in France on Decemat age 19 years, Thomas Krebs was bivouacked December 11 in Yvetot, France.) We were totally unaware of a surprise German Army offensive on Dec.
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