When in Wameriville, France, they removed their division patches and unit markings from all vehicles. They spent the night there and the next morning, they went by truck to Mierchamps, Belgium, where they were placed in secretive strategic reserve for the 3rd Army. When at Mierchamps they set up a perimeter defense. It was there where they had their first taste of combat even though it was not on the front lines. They stood guard in the snow and participated in patrol activity. This was the sector of the dupest German penetration in what is known as the Battle of the Bulge. on January 25, 1945 they boarded trucks for Luxembourg. At arrival at Luxembourg they destablished a defensive position and sent patrols into Ecternach across the Sauer River int the Sigfried Line. It was their initial contact with the German army. In the cold blackness of the early morning hours on February 7th, men of the first battalion, undergoing their baptism of fire, embarked in small boats at Echternach, Luxembourg, to cross the swollen Saur River and plunged into the vaunted German West wall. In pitch dark, with the river swollen to a raging torrent, they made the crossing, under a hail of Nazi small arms, mortar, and artillery fire. When flung into the icy waters when their boats were sunk, struggled toward the far shore. Reaching the east bank, the doughboys stormed up the steep, slippery cliffs of Germany and plunged 1600 yards into the Siegfried Line to take and hold high ground. They became the only battalion in the Sauer and Iur River crossing to reach the objective in strength, on the first day. Their regiment was attached to the 5th Infantry Division so that unit was credited with their success. But off from all the raelis contact and knowing they were encuded, the men dug in, beat back Jerry tankground and German pillboxes. Supplies were dropped form artillery liaison planes while engineers battled to construct bridges across the swollen river to supplement their divendling stores. Casualties were quite heavy and their battalion medics could not be praised too highly for their magnificient performance of duty under the most trying conditions. Story on story could be told of their heroic deeds. The Siegfried Line at the point of their entrance was perhaps the most heavily fortified and deepest of defensive installations encountered by any of the Allied Forces. Concrete forts, offering mutual firing support were so thick that on a mathematical basus, one might be found in each 40 square yards of ground they traveled. Their regiment was relieved by the 385th Infantry. They moved back to the town of Berbourg, Luxmbourg to reorganize rest and re-outfit for future action. On the evening of the 26th they moved to an assembly area near Wolsfelderberg. And in the early morning hours they launched a dawn attack towards Wolsfeld. The next day Companies A and B cleared Wolsfeld and Badenborn. Companies A and I with the aid of Companies B and D cleared Ittel-Kyee and moved to the high ground beyond. Apporximatley at 0230, March 5, 1945, the Battalion moved by motor convoy to Trier, where they undertook offensive action to gain high ground at the bend at the Moselle River, and wipe out enemy pockets of resistance. In the early morning hours of of March 5th the Btln. marched over the hill from Trier to Eitelsbach. These hills they encountered were covered with vineyards instead of forest. In the vineyards German snipers were hidden. From the snipers positions they could see all enemy action. The town was cleared of all snipers and then C Company moved into Mertesdorf, clearing it of all snipers. The Battalion was held up here due to snipers and direct fire weapons. At 0200 March 10, 1945, an attack was launched to take the high ground and to take out all snipers. Companies reached their objectives and were dug in by dawn when the Germans counterattacked with tanks and infantry in force capturing part of Company B and causing the remainder to withdraw. Prior to withdrawing Company D mortar men in Mertesdorf went into action and fired 340 rounds in 7 minutes to stop the counterattack. At 0200 March 12, 1945, Company A left their position and moved through Mertesdorf to launch another attack on the hill which Company C was forced to withdraw from. This time they drove the Germans out. Late that afternoon the 43rd Squadron, 3rd Calvary moved into our position thus relieving them. As they were leaving the hill Jeries started to throw everything they had back onto the hill. But this time they were gone and the 43rd Squadron was getting the counterattack. They then moved by motor convoy to Rodt. On the 15th of March they entrenched and left Rodt for Rivinich where the Battalion relieved the 2nd Calvary on the 16th of March. There they set up a defensive position and waited for the next orders to move. They didn't just sit and wait for their orders, the ent out patrols daily to bridges roads and other places so when the orders did come to move they woulf know where they were going. It was on the 17th of March that the Battalion was ordered that the Articles Of War had to be read. The men put up a big howl--why they had to listen to the Articles Of War while Germans were dropping artillery all around them. Also on 23rd of March the Battalion was given orders to make all soldiers carry gas masks. Ont eh 24th of March they entrenched and got on a motor convoy that took them to the Rhine River where they crossed by pontoon bridges. From there they started a pretty big foot voyage. After 2 days the Battalion had captured 8 towns whith the largest being Idlstein (approximate population of 10,00). For the next couple of days the Battalion engaged in much combat. In the taking of two towns beside eachotherthe anti-tank platoon gave direct fire into the towns. My grandfather was firing one of the anti tank guns during this. If you go to stories it might have the story posted. If not it will sure be by the completion of this site. On th 11th of April while following the sixth armoured division into the town of Buttsdadt 8 German planes from the Luwaffe attacked. Four were shot down by a unit from the 778th anti aircraft which was attached to the unit. They reached their objective without any other conflict. From that town they were attacked by two more planes which were both shot down. From the town of Buttsdadt they took 20 towns and over 300 prisoners. Over the days two more planes were shot down and 75 prisoner were taken but most of all in the town of Roda where they captured 75 prisoners the released over 500 French Officers. After fighting all the way through Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany on the 5th of May the Battalion was given the new of Unconditional Surrender.
This information I got from the Battalion book that was given to the 1st Battalion 417th Regiment, 76th Infantry Division soldiers after the war.
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