November Footnote 10: "to the west of Germeter"

"Surviving soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment, began their withdrawal shortly after dark. Even that was not easy. Corporal Joe Philpot, of G Company, told how on the way back, 'A lucky barrage fell on us and 1st Lieutenant Julian Ferrier and 1st Sergeant Dale Todd were hit. Medics took care of them. The rest of us continued on back for what seemed like three miles through heavy mud up to our knees.' Finally they were picked up by trucks and driven to a rear kitchen area, where they ate and pitched tents."  Curry, Follow Me and Die, 200

"On Wednesday, November 8, in a drenching rainstorm, the haggard, battle-worn survivors of the 112th . . . began their withdrawal to the Kall. As darkness fell, every man was ordered to strip down to absolute essentials. All remaining equipment, including the three surviving tanks, was to be wrecked as silently as possible. The Germans were not to know the Americans were retreating.
"As the covering artillery began to thunder, the men slung greatcoats between poles to fashion litters and makeshift stretchers that would be used for taking the many wounded down the trail."  Whiting, The Battle of Hurtgen Forest , 92

Return to HQ Company: 112th Infantry: November 1944