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10th Armored Division with the mission of breaking through any obstacles that might prevent the armor
from rolling. The 22nd was spent in RETTEL being alerted, de-alerted, re-alerted and re-de-alerted. A
Thanksgiving Day dinner was also served on the 22nd complete with turkey and all the trimmings.
The Battalion moved out of RETTEL at 0730 - 23 Nov. on QM trucks and motored to a de-
trucking area just north of PERL, Germany. The first troops crossed the German border at 0745 for the
first time. After de-trucking, the troops moved to an assembly area behind the wooded hills just north of
WOCHERN.
Following a ground reconnaissance with all the company commanders, Captain Spivey decided
that the initial objective – TETTINGEN – could not be taken frontally because the commanding ground
in our zone was off to the right of town and was studded with pillboxes which commanded the
approaches to town from that direction. Consequently it was decided to attack the pillbox area from the
right and then advance on the town from the right rear.
This plan was approved by Regiment and the Battalion moved up a dirt road toward BORG.
About one mile up the road the companies cut off and turned due north crossing an AT ditch by means
of ladders, and advancing into the Campholtz woods. Amazingly enough, although the Battalion was
forced to move across open and high ground, it drew no fire up to the time it actually reached the woods.
As the Battalion entered the woods about 1300, Captain Spivey called for a bulldozer to move up and
fill the AT ditch so as to have a supply route and route of evacuation behind the troops. The dozer was
promptly sent up and did the job.
With I on the left and K on the right, the Battalion moved on through the woods for about 300
yards when they drew fire from Germans in well prepared trenches with barbed wire in front of them.
The woods at this point were quite dense and contact between units was difficult to maintain. I and K
Companies attacked the enemy and although forced to crawl through barbed wire fences, quickly
captured the German positions, reorganized and drove on.
Again these two companies found the enemy dug in at the edge of the woods but routed them out
in a vigorous attack. Eighty-four prisoners were captured during the day.
Upon reaching the far side of the woods. It had become too late to move out and attack the
defenses in the open, so Capt. Spivey ordered the companies to dig in at the edge of the woods.
The enemy shelled the woods after dark, causing a few casualties. It also commenced raining
and everyone was pretty wet and miserable. Ammunition, rations, water and litters were brought up by
driving jeeps to the AT ditch and carrying them from there to the companies by hand. It might also be
added that during this entire operation, most of the men and officers in the Battalion were suffering from
a mild form of dysentery.
Shortly after dawn on the 24th, Company K was counterattacked by approximately 40 Germans
of which they captured 18 and killed or drove off the rest. The company was then re-supplied with
ammunition by Company L. It was also necessary for K Company to knock out a pillbox which would
endanger assault companies from the rear if they attacked out over the open terrain.
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