started to establish defensive positions on the west bank
of the Ambleve River, which skirts the east edge of town.
Company C's strength at this time was approximately 140
men, about 20 still being absent at the sawmills.20
The
company had eight bazookas, six .50-caliber machine guns,
and four .30-caliber machine guns. A 57-mm. antitank [At]
gun from the 526th Armored Infantry Battalion also became
available. In personnel, the company was reinforced by a
squad each from the 526th Armored Infantry Battalion and
Company A of the 291st Engineer Combat Battalion, as well
as several stragglers who were picked up coming through
Trois-Points.21
Trois-Ponts is studded with bridges, underpasses,
railroads, rivers, cliffs, and road junctions.22
The
Ambleve and Salm rivers join there, as do railroad lines
running south to Vielsalm, northwest to Avwaille, and
northeast to Stavelot.
Highway N23 enters Trois-Ponts
from Stavelot by underpassing the railroad at two points
just before it joins north-south Highway N33, merges with
N33 south for a few hundred yards, crosses the Ambleve
River, and then turns west across another bridge over the
S a l m River and proceeds toward Werbomont.
The enemy
approached Trois-Ponts by this road and was thwarted in
its attempts to go west to Werbomont because the 51st had
blown up two bridges over the rivers. The enemy then
turned its columns north after clearing the railroad
underpasses and proceeded toward Stoumont.23
The 1111th Engineer Combat Group had its CP [command
post1 in Trois-Ponts at the start of the action, and its
small staff hurried the preparations for defense before
the arrival of Company C of the 51st.
Somebody asked
Colonel Harry Anderson, CO of the group (and former
battalion commander of the 51st), whether he intended to
withdraw.
His reply was characteristic, "We have come
several thousand miles to fight these Nazis-not to
withdraw from them."24
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