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The Battle of the Forward Switchboard
Pretty well, but the closure wasn't leak-proof, for shortly after noon Upstart
Forward called to say that their position was under attack.
It figured. The doughboys of the 2nd Bn had attacked right up the road, going
north, but the fleeing Germans were coming from the west, and they simply sifted in
behind our lines.
Anyhow, an ad hoc task force to rescue the embattled Upstart Forward created
itself instantly. Capt "Rick" Richter brought his Liaison crew (idle, because the 3rd Bn,
which they served, was in reserve) a wire crew from Hq Btry joined them, ready either to
fight or to service the telephone lines. Joe B. Davis and I came along for the ride, and by
the time we got to the scene we picked up part of Lt. Maury Smith's Liaison Team, which
had been cut off from their duties with the 2nd Bn in Chambois by the same German
infiltrators who had attacked the forward switchboard - or some just like them.
We dismounted perhaps a mile south of the switchboard and advanced on foot,
right up the road. A row of trees lined each side of the road, and behind and among them
were patches of trees and undergrowth, which we poked into from time to time as we
passed. Every so often, we would see two or three gray-clad figures dart across the road
ahead of us, and someone or other in our group would fire at them ineffectively.
I started to draw my pistol, but thought better of it. I couldn't hit anything with it
anyhow, and if I did fire it I would have to clean it every day for three days thereafter. A
lot of discarded German equipment-helmets, mess gear, blankets, weapons, clothing, and
ammunition strewed the ground. I picked up a rifle. It was unfamiliar, and I probably
couldn't hit anything with it either, but if I threw it away when I was finished with it, I
wouldn't have to clean it.
We were a disorganized bunch. I'm not sure who was in charge: come to think
about it, I was the senior officer, so I guess I was, but I didn't issue any commands, and
we all worked together better than could be expected. I think if anything, we looked to
Richter for leadership. He was notorious for never taking cover, and now he strode down
the middle of the highway, shouting, "Kommen Sie raus mit den Hande hoch!" and one of
his men echoed him with "Hidy, hidy, hidy, ho!" Neither call was effective: no one came
out to surrender.
About the time we started our advance, Capt Jacobs, naturally worried, had called
Upstart Forward to see if the line was still intact and the board operating. They were.
Amos Davis, the switchboard operator, answered routinely, "Upstart Forward."
"What's going on up there, Davis?"
"Nothing much right now, sir. Things are pretty quiet."
"Who's up there with you?"
"Nobody, except these three Kraut prisoners I'm guarding."
Jake, who had himself been up there on a rescue mission earlier in the day, rang
off and resumed biting his nails.
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