We had a quick sand table briefing, said ‘farewell and good luck’ to our comrades, put on our gear and parachutes and marched to our designated airplanes.
Our planes had three large white stripes painted around each wing and the fuselage. Our officers had a 3” white vertical stripe painted on the back of their helmets. and the noncom’s helmets had a horizontal white stripe.
Just before we boarded the aircraft, we were told our destination was Normandy, France, and each noncommissioned officer was issued a silk map of France; and everyone was given 5 - 10 dollars worth of francs.”
[Note. Rock Merritt's entry into combat, his “first days” in Normandy and the heroic action in which he earned the Silver Star Medal is presented in Chapter II, Combat Operations along with his combat experiences in Nijmegen, Holland, and perilous fighting in Belgium.]
Rock Merritt continues. “On September 17, 1944 we parachuted into Holland. I was the Hq1 Light Machinegun Platoon Sergeant.
After weeks of fighting in Holland, we marched 22 miles carrying all of our equipment to Oss, Holland where we met trucks that moved us to Sissonne, France. Sissonne was great. We were billeted in an old French artillery post with warm dry beds and hot food.
Following a few weeks training replacements, we were alerted to prepare for a quick move to Belgium. The Germans had launched a surprise att-ack of 12 divisions (infantry and armored) through the lightly defended Ardennes.
Three American divisions tried heroically to defend the area, the newly arrived and untried 106th Infantry Division; the combat experienced 28th Infantry Division, and the 7th Armored Division.
In the morning of December 18, 1944, the 508th PIR loaded into large open trucks and headed for Werbomont, a small Belgian village located at the junction of the two main roads. A long cold ride with cold rations and very short rest stops.
In Belgium, we marched and maneuvered for several days while plan-ners tried to find the best defensive positions from which to stop and destroy the rapidly moving German forces.
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