AT 2300 on the day of the capture and cleaning out of the town of Holsthum A and C Companies moved out again in attack.  Their Mission was to capture the high ground about 1500 yards south of Holsthum.  They did this without encountering too much resistance and everyone proceeded to dig in at this spot with a view to holding the ground.  The highlight here was the counter-attack--a strong one--coming at dawn and centering principally around and at the battalion command post to which a platoon of Able Company had been attached.  This surprise move of the Germans developed with such rapidity that the CP was surrounded on three sides almost before any answering fire could be delivered.  The enemy, besides, was well supported with machine-guns and mortars.  Despite the fact that they were outflanked and outnumbered this little group of men threw back the German assaults and finally drove off the attacking force completely.  This was the real end of the day and the eye-witness account ends on the following note which is probably more explanatory than anything else which could be said.  "Many dead and wounded Germans littered the ground near the CP positions.  Our casualties also were quite heavy."

SUDDENLY the plan was modified. Instead of 1st battalion pushing ahead as originally intended, 3rd battalion swung up through Holsthum and the 1st battalion, and went into the attack.  K Company spearheaded the battalion across.  On its flank would be the 2nd still flashing forward and onward in the typical "Big Red" style.  The bridges were going in over the Prüm near the Castle under the speedy care of the Company A Engineers.  Instead of action-word-pictures now the regimental OP at Holsthum was transmitting messages such as these: "Road of approach to Castle now clear and available for traffic . . .  Civilians in Holsthum concentrated in three houses in the town . . .  Two fires in town still burning . . .  CIC requested to screen Holsthum civilians of military age . . .  One woman in Holsthum had a baby delivered during screening of civilians . . .  Have established line to our elements in town . . .  have two men on sound-power at other end in town . . .  bridges rapidly nearing completion."
     A 1st battalion historian very mildly gives a comprehensive picture of what the new developments were: the battalion went into reserve behind the other two battalions of the regiment.   The morning of February 27th we moved across the Nims River into Alsdorf which had been taken by the 2nd battalion the previous day.   (Editor: 2nd battalion had been through this territory the previous day.   But the rapidity of their advance, as frequently happened with "Big Red's" battalion,  left "pockets of resistance" which often  were more serious  than  that  word indicates.

Actually, the 3rd battalion, and I Company in particular, had to recapture this.)   Either the enemy had direct observation of our movement or radio contact with someone within Alsdorf, since we received an exceptionally heavy, and timely, shelling just as we were moving through the town . . .  Being in reserve the entire day the 1st battalion followed up the attack and nightfall found us dug in not far from Meckel.  The night was spent peacefully and at about 0300 the battalion moved forward to relieve the 2nd battalion.  The attack on Helenenberg took place that day, February 28th."

OBVIOUSLY, the background sketched in here by one battalion's account presupposes a great deal more action than these bare details.  The diary of the Blue battalion's surgeon gives a great many more graphic pictures and etches in sharply some of the speed and much of the pain and cost of the battalion's progress at this time.  "We stayed in Holsthum that night, February 26th, and then, on the next day the battalion crossed the Nims River and started out to Alsdorf.  For the first time we lost some contact with the battalion.  When they crossed the river there was no bridge up there and our (litter) jeep couldn't go forward.  At the same time the distance and the terrain made litter hauls highly impractical.  It was there that we were busy all day and all night--where Van Matre was shot when he went to the aid of one of his men--Van had a paralysis of the right side . . . and yet he didn't complain at all and when I offered him a drink said he never turned one down yet . . .  The kids (aid men and aid station) had been breaking their backs all day . . .  That night Hawkey took a squad over the river and brought some men in.   So did a squad from Regimental, I believe.   The bridge went in next morning and Bark got over with the jeep and brought back two casualties.

     "In Alsdorf just one day.  Our house had previously been the priest's house.  We couldn't open the door on the right hand side momentarily, but kicked it in. Had incoming mail while in town--screaming meemies. Casualties from the latter--one house knocked down over two boys; falling debris was what injured them.
     "The companies moved out to Meckel that night.  On arriving there we had no aid station prepared, that is to say, selected . . .  On the way into Meckel there was heavy shelling and two men from I Company were killed and others wounded on the way in.  When the companies pushed on into Gilzem a TD was hit by 88s and a lieutenant in it was killed.  This was where our aid-man, Hebert of M Company, went to the aid of one of the wounded TDs lying near the burning tank despite the fact that it was a possible explosion site.  Lt. Hawley of M and others saw him and he was later recommended for the Silver Star because of it.  We moved into the aid station of the 2nd battalion as they moved out of it . . .  There was a good deal of fighting between Meckel and Gilzem . . .  We treated quite a few men in Meckel.
     "Entered Gilzem then without too much trouble on 28 February.  Lt. Miller left at 7 a.m. to get to Gilzem.  Bark and one litter squad were in a farm house outside of Gilzem and had eggs and coffee, I believe. Miller and Metz arrived in Gilzem on a jeep with the TDs and received artillery fire.  C. P. Smith and Simmy called through to the command post from a pillbox and were drinking bottled beer.  Had a very big tavern in Gilzem (as aid station)--2 sets of tables.  Needed all the room we had, too.  The battalion attacked pillboxes and bunkers in the woods.  We had a helluva lot of casualties in this town, including little Jock Labelle, former prize-fight manager of Pastor, the heavyweight.  Jock had an artillery shell land right next to him and the concussion was such that he was semi-conscious and every loud noise or new shell threw him into convulsions . . .  Casualties were lying all over the place and then the Kraut started dropping shells in our dispensary front and back yards.  We were having them wounded on our front door step and in the courtyard and just led or carried them into the station . . .  Across the yard were ten or twelve Kraut prisoners with a guard on them.  When the shells started coming in the guard laid down with his BAR and covered them, changing their minds about the situation . . .  Everett Wheeler got hit and Sgt. Hawkey and Torey got hit on our own door steps.  The truck was hit . . .  When the shelling became severe we tried to get everyone down into the cellar, but it was no go.

"AFTER Gilzem we moved out past six pillboxes . . .  Having lost both drivers, Joe Hogan took over the truck and Drew Pearson the jeep, and were damn good substitutes.  Drivers are really important people in this business.  We were running low in men by this time.  It was in Gilzem also that our aid-man Dodrill (K Company) was shot five times, by a sniper.  The same man that shot him was later shot by one of our own me-n and came into our own aid station.  Everybody felt like finishing the job off but, being Americans, we didn't, but treated him.  He had shot at the Red Cross in open daylight, though, and really deserved it.  They brought Dodrill by us while we were, enroute back to the next town, Meckel.
     "Eisenach was the next town after the pillboxes.  We only stayed here about four or five hours . . .  That evening we started back towards Meckel with the story that we were going for a rest . . .  The Gadget (T/5 Mignon) picked me out during the show (three hours later) to report back to the CP and there I was told that the rest had just about ended.  However, we didn't move that night although alerted.  The following day we were all set to move but didn't receive orders.  On the next day an advance party was sent out to Ittel-Kyll.
     Alles kaput!--what an expression!  It is a phrase so complete in its abject despair that it could only be born out of the havoc of war.  There is no GI who came overseas who will ever forget it if he never remembers another word of German.  Holsthum was where it first was heard by most of the men.  And it persisted to the last day of the kreig [kreig = Krieg (war) - U.Koch] and it will probably continue to be heard for long afterwards during the period of occupation.  It is to be doubted, even, if any GI will ever repeat the phrase without almost instinctively, unconsciously, throwing up his hands and shrugging his shoulders as he saw so many Germans do in the midst of their abysmal chaos.
     This historian, personally, first heard the phrase in Gilzem and that is his reason for mentioning it here.  It was in the house of a inoffensive little farmer way out on the outskirts of town.  This had been used for a brief hour or so as an OP by forward elements--and it was so obviously good for the purposes of an OP that the retreating Germans must have taken potshots at it merely on general principles.  They had put a couple of rounds of 88s through the second story, thus opening up a wider range of observation and making it an even better post.  The owner entertained his next American "visitors" with an effusive cordiality and treated them to a vehement expression of his utter hate for anything Nationalistic.  His jeremiad worked up to a really fine oratorical climax: "Haus kaput!  Kuh kaput!  Huhne kaput!  Hitler kaput--Alles kaput!"  ["House broken!  Cow broken!  Chicken broken!  Hitler broken--everything broken - U.Koch]