Carroll H. Dunn
breakthrough to the north. However, they continued on to the west, where they were
met by other units, which finally stopped the breakthrough.
This was one of the few times that we blew up bridges as a part of our defensive
operation. On several occasions engineer platoon units had the job of blowing up some
masonry bridges across that river as a part of their defensive position. We also used the
First Army map depot, which was located at Stavelot, as a fortified position. The maps
in bulk were a part of the protection as you would use sandbags or other material.
Maps are pretty effective in stopping
bullets when they are in heavy
packages.
Q ..
So you made do with what was available. Near the end of December 1944, the 30th
Infantry Division became part of the XVIII Airborne Corps. Did this include the
engineer battalion with them at that point?
A ..
Well, we were already in place when the XVIII Corps came in together with the
Airborne Division. We became a part of the corps on the north flank of the Bulge. We
then participated as a part of the XVIII Corps in stopping the German penetration in
that area and in the counterattack to close the gap. When the gap was reclosed, as I
remember it, toward the end of January 1945, the division was transferred back from
the XVIII Corps to the XIX Corps, which had been our basic corps unit through most
of the war.
Q ..
What was the reason for that change?
A ..
The reason
purely the fact that we had been moved out of the sector that we had
occupied, which was then the XIX Corps sector, and transferred from XIX Corps to
the V Corps and then to XVIII Corps as it was brought in as a part of the reinforcing
reaction to the Bulge.
Q ..
The actual official date for the change back was the 2d of February 1945, at which
point the
journal recorded they felt that was good news because no one
wanted to go back to the Siegfried Line assault again.
A ..
Yes, but remember that this unofficial journal basically was kept by the operations
sergeant at battalion headquarters. Many of the comments are as he saw them, which
I think is unique and unusual, but they may or may not always describe the official
viewpoint.
Q ..
That's a good point. I was interested in what you thought about this comment. Were
there any unique things about this experience that you'd like to comment on-the time
when you were out of the XIX Corps sector?
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