within their mortar range, though none were used against us, for they had withdrawn their heavy
equipment and were using their 88s.
And so ends another battle, bloody and costly to both sides, later to be known as the battle for Hill 122
in the Foret de Mont Castre. In winning this ground we gained one of the highest points in the
Cherbourg Peninsula from which an observer could see the ocean on two sides when the atmosphere
was clear.
Even though the battle for the most important piece of ground had been finished the Heinies were still
throwing a few rounds our way. On the fourteenth artillery not only beautifully bracketed our CP but
also managed to knock over one of A Battery’s machine guns, fortunately the gunner heard the round
coming and was in his hole when the shell landed. On this day our firing slowed down considerably,
1000 rounds in all. That afternoon we moved to Gorges, still hot from the short struggle that went on in
the town. We were to take up an active defense in this area until the flanking outfits came abreast of us.
Apparently the Germans had a little artillery close by for on that night we received a good portion of
their day's quota of ammo in and around the town. B Battery had one close call when after dark the left
front wheel of their detail truck was knocked off by an 88. The battalion survey section upon waking in
the morning found a number of perforations in the Hedgerow next to where their foxholes were located,
ones that had not been there the night before. It is truly amazing what confidence one has in a foxhole.
The 358th Infantry was now pulled out of line for a rest, clean clothes and some good hot chow, so our
mission though still a defensive one was in general support of other outfits on line. In this position we
all had a big treat, through two of our boys, Sgt. J. A. Hathcoat and Corporal Arnold Standaford, who in
their wanderings around the area came across a small flour mill. In looking further they found plenty of
buckwheat and after tinkering around a bit they got the mill running. The result was that the next
morning we had buckwheats for breakfast, our first hotcakes since the United Kingdom, and though they
were a little gritty everyone enjoyed them.
Saturday nights always seem to be our "hottest". All had been quiet throughout the day, but shortly after
dark a Jerry plane buzzed our area and dropped a bomb to close for comfort. Never knew that there
were so many people in one building, especially the message center. They came pouring out of there
like rats leaving a sinking ship, hysterics and all. Many were reluctant in going back for quite a while
for fear the Jerry would return. But the rest of the night was quiet.
Sunday was, according to the word of our Lord, a day of rest and was very inactive and the boys took
advantage of it by doing much washing of clothes and also themselves. In the afternoon, for those who
wished both mass and Protestant services were held. That night it was a different story. Just before dark
the air became filled with a high-pitched scream of "incoming mail" with Heinie artillery playing the
part of the mailman. Rounds began to land all over town and pretty soon our position was well
bracketed. The headquarters kitchen truck was hit in several places by shrapnel of close landing shells
and over in another spot in the same area a boy was killed by a single stray piece of flying steel.
On the following morning headquarters moved to the outside of town and none too quickly, for no
sooner had they moved when rounds came in covering the whole of the area just vacated. All the firing
batteries also looked for alternate positions, but did not move.
Between the eighteenth and twenty-first nothing particular happened, though preparations were being
made for another attack. This time it was a strip of ground referred to as the "Island", for it is bounded
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