that if the maneuver had succeeded, the war in Europe would have end-ed by December 1944.
“However, early on the morning of September 18, our task force was ordered to break contact with the Germans and return as quickly as possible to the drop zone. A Germans force of infantry with antiaircraft guns and machine guns was waiting to destroy the fragile gliders carrying the division’s three artillery battalions, and heavy engineer equipment.
Our task was to clear the landing zone of Germans and protect the arriving gliders.
Our battalion made a heroic frontal attack; it overran and destroyed the antiaircraft guns, and killed or captured the Infantry. All of the gliders landed safely.
The 82nd Airborne Division captured the Nijmegen highway bridge a few days later, but the British were unable to capture the Arnheim Bridge.
On November 11, 1944, after weeks of fighting and maneuvering, the 82nd Airborne Division with the 508th PIR attached was relieved from British command.
We marched 22 miles to the town of Oss, Holland to meet trucks that carried us to Sissonne, France.
In Sissonne, we occupied a French Artillery Post, and looked forward to a few weeks of the ‘good’ life - warm beds, hot meals, showers and a pleasant Christmas.
The 508th PIR’s stay in Sissonne was interrupted on December 18, 1944 when it loaded on huge open tractor-trailer trucks and rode for countless, miserable, cold hours to Werbomont, Belgium. The Germans had launch-ed a massive attack to split the allied forces and capture the English Channel ports. Our task was to help blunt and destroy the German attack and penetration.
During the following days, we frequently changed our position as the regiment maneuvered to confront the German forces from the most advantageous position. On December 21, winter arrived in Belgium when a heavy snow began to fall.
On December 23, at Vielsalm, Belgium a small town overlooking the Salm River, we made contact with the attacking German infantry and armored forces. The 508th PIR was providing an escape corridor through which the survivors of the badly mauled 106th Infantry and 7th Armored | 
