Battle of Heartbreak Crossroads: Difference between revisions

The U.S. soldiers were met with concentrated fire from hundreds of German weapons. Shortly after the fire fight had begun a patrol from Company E wriggled out into the clearing for more than 80 yards to reach a slight elevation before the barbed wire barrier.<ref group=notes>Although not obvious due to the surrounding forest, the Dreiborn and Höfen-Alzen ridges join a few 100 metres/yards south of the crossroads to form the highest peak ({{convert|655|m|yards}}) in this part of the Ardennes.</ref> about {{convert|80|yards|m}} from the edge of the forest. There the men were stopped by heavy machine gun fire. It was quickly discovered, however, that from this rise in ground a much better view of the pillboxes could be obtained than from the edge of the clearing. Word was sent back to the lines. Artillery was notified. Accompanied by two radio operators, Capt. Homer G. Ross, of Elyria, Ohio, Company Commander of Company E, crawled out in the face of enemy guns to join the platoon. From the middle of the clearing, he directed artillery fire by radio and succeeded in calling down direct hits on pillboxes. The patrol, however, could not breach the barbed wire, and, after the artillery mission had been fired, withdrew.<ref>{{cite web |title=From D+1 to 105: The Story Of The Second Infantry Division |url=https://ia802605.us.archive.org/22/itemsdetails/FromD1To105/FromD1To105.pdf |publisher=MCoE HQ Donovan Research Library}}</ref> The fight continued for two more days with little progress. On the first day, the battle for the crossing earned the nickname that stuck with it after the war, the Battle of Heartbreak Crossroads.<ref>{{cite book| title=Battle of the Bulge, Vol 1: The Losheim Gap/Holding the Line |first1=Hans |last1=Wijers|isbn=978-0811735926 |publisher=Stackpole Books |date=October 21, 2009 |pages=448}}</ref>{{rp|324}} The Americans pulled their troops back and called in American artillery, including the huge [[155 mm Long Tom|155mm Long Tom cannon]], which repeatedly targeted the pill boxes.<ref name=story2nd/> The Americans tried to clear the waves of barbed wire with [[bangalore torpedo]]es but their progress was slowed by wet fuses.