reinforcements. Major Yates hit on the idea of simulating
the presence and arrival of armor in Trois-Ponts. This
was done by putting chains on a single four-ton truck, and
it was clanked back and forth repeatedly during the next
few days. The closest facsimile to artillery or antitank
guns that the company had were the bazookas, and as Major
Yates said, "They made a pretty loud noise, so we used to
shift them around from place to place after dark and it
may have deceived the enemy into thinking we had a couple
of light artillery pieces." In addition, he moved small
groups of riflemen from place to place and had them fire
in such a way as to create the impression of considerable
strength in small arms.39
On the afternoon of the 18th, P-47s were observed to
take a toll of four or five enemy tanks that were circling
north and northwest along N33 toward Stoumont. Enemy
armored columns passing along this road were strafed and
dive-bombed quite effectively. "But lots of us in Trois-
Ponts felt pretty helpless with rifles and carbines on our
shoulders," said Lieutenant Green.40
After the return of Lieutenant Green's group and the
withdrawal of Lieutenant Nabors' platoon, the three
platoons of the company were consolidated into two-one
group being placed on the river south of town, with its
line swinging back to the west on the edge of town. Most
of Lieutenant Green's 3d Platoon was on the north side of
Trois-Ponts, also swinging its line to the west on the
Listening posts were established 500 to 600
outskirts.
yards out from the MLR [main line of resistance], and
pulled into a tight perimeter defense after dark. (This
was done because the small number of men available for
listening posts were widely separated and would have given
the enemy opportunity to infiltrate patrols between them
had they not been pulled in about 300 yards from their
daytime positions.)41
At 0900 on 19 December, Lieutenant Green and Techni-
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