Just after midnight, Greer’s raiders were attacked by dozens of fanatical enemies, who charged again and again from the west, south, and east of their south-facing ridge, probing for a weak point. One enemy soldier made it past a raider OP[1] before being cut down by a rifleman.[2]

The men quickly determined that they were being counterattacked by fresh, well-armed, aggressive rifle squads from the crack 201st Mountain Battalion, based upon the soldiers’ clean uniforms, markings, and the astonishing amount of ammunition and grenades they carried. The American GIs were now facing 600 of Germany’s best infantrymen—all of whom were well-equipped Austrian mountaineers. The enemy’s initial attack was beaten off only after an intense hour-long firefight, but the men knew their respite was only temporary.

After the skirmish, the men radioed the battalion CP for more ammunition and supplies. Phil and Private Happy D. Vales were the only A&P staff still at the spiderweb junction. Vales had been with the battalion since their first landing in Fedala, French Morocco, nearly two years earlier. At thirty-three years of age, he was one of the oldest of the enlisted “old men” in the unit.

They loaded up the two remaining mules with ammunition, rations, AP mines, and rolls of wire. Climbing the mountain slopes was a struggle. The muddy paths were difficult enough during the day, but even more so in the pitch-dark night and driving rain. After a couple of hours of torturous slipping, stumbling, and scaling, they reached the Greer Task Force perimeter.

Upon their arrival, Captain Greer greeted Phil and Private Vales. Then the captain ordered some of his men to help them unload ammunition and place the ammo boxes on a medic’s stretcher for Phil and his partner to carry down a steep ridge path to the raiders.

Arriving at the raider OP, Phil was greeted by his friend 1st Lieutenant Morris E. Porter, who directed his men where to unload the supplies. After several fatiguing trips hauling ammunition, Phil and Vales put on thick leather gloves to string concertina wire around the OP and quickly laid many land mines down the slope. They were planning to head back down the mountain to get more supplies when the 201st Mountain Battalion instigated a predawn surprise attack with almost one hundred elite combatants. The odds against the Americans were a staggering five-to-one—in both men and guns.[3]

TO BE CONTINUED LATER TODAY.

~~~~~

[1] An OP is an outpost that is a small detachment of troops stationed at a distance from the main force or formation.

[2] Larimore, At First Light, 158.

[3] Ibid, 158-159.

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