cal Sergeant Matthew R. Carlyle crossed the river, covered
by Major Yates and three others, and went up the Stavelot
road toward the knocked-out 57-mm. gun. (Map 3)
They
found nothing in the railroad underpasses but noticed four
men in American uniforms around the gun. A little farther
up the road was an M8 armored car and a jeep with freshly
yelled Sergeant Carlyle,
"Hey,
painted white stars.
and the men excitedly cried, "Amerikans!" and started to
The motors of the M8 and jeep turned over, but
fire.
Lieutenant Green and Sergeant Carlyle did not wait to see
if they were being followed.42
"After that, said Major
"
Yates, "we did not need any patrols; we could see
everything that was happening across the river."43
A brief firefight occurred on 19 December when men in
Lieutenant Nabors' platoon engaged enemy on the hill just
south of the Aisomont road at (680985). When rifle fire
was directed at this infantry group, the enemy replied
with both small arms and artillery on Trois-Ponts No
casualties resulted from this brief scuffle, but it taught
Company C to keep better hidden and change positions
frequently in order to avoid artillery concentrations.44
After the bridges had been blown, Colonels Anderson
and Kirkland observed several enemy tanks approach one of
the blown bridges. An elderly couple ran out in front of
their house and motioned with their arms; it was difficult
to tell at first whether they were waving at the tanks or
trying to tell them that the bridge was blown. One of the
dismounted tank men was observed shooting the woman with
his pistol; the man caught her w h e n she fell and then he
was, also shot.
Additional shots were fired into the
motionless figures on the ground.45
During the engagement, Major Yates observed a Belgian
boy of about 12 running toward the river c h a s e d by a
German rifleman, who was firing after him. Four or five
other German soldiers were standing across the river,
laughingly watching the performance. Enraged, Major Yates
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