Everyone excited. Show going "on the road." Grimness of task seeps in. Moved, 2200. Hour later in Germany.

Town's been through giant meat grinder . . . Air Corps and Artillery. Behind CP 240s lobbing shells across Prüm. In assembly area waiting "jump-off" order. Jerry mortars, MGs, small-arms--fall in love with a shovel. Before daybreak foot troops cross Prüm. Dangerous--difficult terrain . . . heavy mortar fire.

Meckel at 1600; continued attack. Under heavy fire. A & P platoon slipped ammo. Through; set up ammo. dump. Defensive positions--expected counter-attack. Objective-Gilzem. Well camouflaged pill-boxes did not stop attack. 88s, mortars . . . men running or hugging ground.

"Alles Kaput." Rubble on top of rubble. Hail of artillery. Commo. and AT platoon, establish new Bn. CP, provide security. Steady rain; grim slogging.

Surprise maneuver. Crossed Kyll, scaled cliff; enemy artillery, mortars tried time and again for bridgehead. Snipers, MGs, rifles, harassed troops, delayed vehicles. Kept on pushing!

"HELL-ZAPOPPIN-IN-ORENHOFEN." By far the hottest town the Bn. took. Nazi supply hub; Kraut won't let go lightly. Counter-attacks all night. Withdrew at dawn . . . mortars . . . meemies. Two shells, front and back of CP. (What is nicer than a "keller?")

Not too stubbornly defended. Restful after Orenhofen. Occasional mortar shell lobbing in.

Prepared for counter-attacks. AT dug in guns. Set up ammo dump. Relieved by the 2nd Bn. Then Altrich, regtl. reserve.

AT and A & P platoons back with "I" Co. Daybreak, observed what Heinies mean when say Rhine. Beautiful . . . this sight most beautiful any of us ever saw. A & P plat. to Boppard to guard installations. Rest of company remained here.

41 miles by motor. Ride miserable. Defensive installations; line companies search woods for German stragglers.

Arrived Allmuthshausen . . . 85 miles. Plenty tough for "sitter." Rainy . . morale good. Patrols out to search for enemy.

No rest for weary; but we know Germans taking awful beating. Move to Föhren and Röhrenfurth. Dig in. German fire light, sporadic.

Luftwaffe strikes . . . convoy accelerates. 50 cals. chattering. AAA accounts for Jerry pursuit ship. Can't stop us--we know that now.

Gala day for AT crews. 118 rounds 57 mm. into town containing enemy. Bn. Motorized; Mühlhausen, Eigenrieden enroute Dingelstädt. Strafed continuously, but squadron P-47s took after Jerries.

Entire Bn. Here. Medics brought in . . . killed by MGs. Rounded up SS in the town. Bn. to Kleinballhausen. AT guns follow against counter-attacks.

Jerry artillery pounding bridge. Zeitz largest city yet. Planes at night . . AAA. Contacted 6th Armd. at Rositz. 1100 ... Altenburg.

Line troops dug in. Wait for Russian's. Like sore thumb-about farthest point' in Allied advance. A distinction!.

Large city, cut in two by Zwickauer Mulde River. Except motorized patrols, everybody taking it easy.