There is no rest for the weary--that is an old adage and finds a truer proof in war, perhaps, than anywheres else. The 2nd battalion had been relieved and pulled back to Meckel--but this was of short duration. Their historian takes up the thread of their story again: "The rest period ended for the men at noon on the 1st of March when the troops were ordered to relieve the 3rd battalion southeast of Gilzem. Easy Company spear-headed the advance through this town, which was in friendly hands, and bore the brunt of the attack on Kunkelborn. Immediately after arriving at the front lines, E Company supported from the left rear, with G Company advancing through a draw northeast of the town.
"The 3rd platoon was the assault element followed by the company weapons platoon and, as they approached, they ran into a hail of rifle fire. Lt. Robert E. Lee, (0551073) the weapons platoon leader, ordered the machine-gun section into action but, turning, discovered that he had only one of the two guns and that only one crew-man remained. Instantly he fed the gun and directed 1st fire until he was fatally wounded. Sgt. Thompson then Pfc., picked up the hot gun in his hands, moved to another position and finished the mission. As a result of their action sufficient covering fire was laid upon the enemy to enable the assaulting riflemen to overrun the positions. . . . In the meanwhile the riflemen of the 2nd platoon cleared the adjacent slopes where dozens of Jerries were entrenched. The company bypassed the town itself and pressed on to the ridge overlooking Olk. From there they descended into the town, taking two pillboxes from behind--from one of which a complete enemy battalion staff surrendered. The men quickly cleared the town and dug in on the crest of the far hill."

The point of the spearhead which was directed at Trier went forward still a little further. Although no one knew it as yet this phase of operations was practically at an end. The 304th Combat Team, substantially, had accomplished with stunning completeness and success its first real mission in the war. Beyond Meckel, in the path of the advance, was Olk and this too had its teeth completely drawn and was occupied. Territory immediately surrounding Olk and the path of the arrow was being mopped out but the tip of the arrow was now stationary--arrested, as if it were in mid-flight. Everyone's eyes and thoughts were still turned towards Trier. That was the objective.
And yet there were little signs and portents which should have been significant. For example, the movement of the regimental CP from Gilzem eastwards to Welschbillig. There was also the mission which was handed out to the I & R platoon on the same day, March 2nd, to thoroughly explore and fully report on the roads along the triangle formed by the villages of Ittel-Kyll, Idesheim and Idenheim. This was completely out of the route of the expected advance towards Trier, a movement which must have been expected by the enemy as well. That, perhaps, was why it did not happen in just that fashion. The right time to hit a man with your left is when his attention is focused on your right.

The big thing right now was that the regiment had been through its "baptism of fire." Not only been through it, but with flying colors--not without scratches and cuts and some pretty bad bleedings, but more full of fight even than when it had jumped off from Echternach--how long ago?--what?--only five days? It didn't seem possible, and yet there it was. Three rivers, a dozen towns and a hundred and twenty hours!

BEHIND all this was coordination and timing. The men began to be more and more conscious of this. And above all they had begun to realize that there was behind even that a guiding intelligence, something or someone or a force which made plans which they carried out. More than that they were growing to know that they and the "nerve center" were inter-dependent. The one was no good without the other. The plans that were made could be excellent in theory, but if they were not carried out as planned then the plans were NG. And vice versa they, the men, could be as good as the most veteran outfit overseas, but if the plans which were handed to them were impracticable and faulty then they too, as a regiment of fighting men, were inevitably "marked lousy." It was a team. Quarterbacking was important--but the line play was just as important.

SUBCONSCIOUSLY all this must have filtered through the minds of the rank and file. Sure, they had been hurt! But that was inevitable in the game called War. Someone was bound to get hurt! The big thing was that the whistle had blown for the first quarter and the tally showed yards gained and points scored on their side only. The team had clicked. This was the birth of confidence; of a different type of confidence than that with which they had started from Echternach. The confidence at that stage of the game had still been so untried that it smacked a. little bit of bravado. Here it was different. It was a confidence bred out of a respect for what each man knew about himself now and about the man who slogged along next to him and for the team they made up together with the man behind and the man behind him. This was a real Combat Team--now.