6-8 DECEMBER, 1944 - (RHINELAND CAMPAIGN)
By Lt. Frank U. Roquemore
2ND RANGER BATTALION SITUATION
During the preliminary phase of V Corps operations, the 2nd Ranger Battalion had been attached to the 8th Division along with Combat Command 'R' for the attack of 1 December. While the attack of the 8th Division was progressing toward KLEINHAU-BRANDENBERG-BERGSTEIN, the Ranger battalion, was located in an assembly area some two thousand yards southwest of VOSSENACK. The battalion had moved into this assembly area when relieved from the defensive positions in VOSSENACK-GERMETER by the 8th Division. Due to casualties suffered while occupying these defensive positions, the Ranger companies were understrength, some as much as fifty per cent. (26)
The 8th Division had assigned the Ranger battalion the mission of serving as a mobile counterattack force to be used should an enemy counterattack threat develop in the division sector. V Corps maintained control of the battalion as it was considered a part of the Corps reserve.
During the period 20 November to 6 December, the Rangers had been training in 'alerts' and rapid movements to various areas wherein the enemy would likely attack. As a Ranger battalion is not normally considered mobile, V Corps attached a platoon from a Quartermaster truck company, which gave the battalion sufficient transportation to remain mobile. (27)
The Ranger battalion commander placed a time limit of thirty minutes for the unit to be mobile, which included rolling packs and moving to the truck area several hundred yards away. On one occasion, when the column of the battalion was moving from the assembly area on a 'dry-run', it was strafed by enemy aircraft. At another time, the battalion officers were reconnoitring possible threat areas when an' enemy artillery observer sighted the group and fired a barrage. No casualties were suffered on either of these occasions but the battalion did have several casualties,while in their assembly area, from enemy artillery fire. (28) Forth mentioning is the manner in which these casualties occurred, and it might be termed typical of the Hurtgen Forest.
Once a week, whenever possible, the battalion S-2 presented the combat situation to the unit, assembling one platoon for each presentation. Danger of enemy artillery fire prevented any larger group being assembled. During one of these presentations, a platoon of C Company was grouped around the situation map. One enemy shell struck a tree directly over the group, causing a tree-burst, killing two men and wounding nine others. (29)
