One morning, under cover of darkness, we moved out on what was to be a long, cold and difficult march. We rode all day and into the night until reaching a bleak, snow covered bivouac area some distance from Reims. Here we stayed until the middle of the following night when suddenly the command to move out was given. At this point many of the men were suffering from exposure and exhaustion and several of them were ill, the most serious illness being that of the second Platoon's leader, Lt. Corey. We proceeded to an area in France between Nancy and Metz, which had been the scene of much combat activity and the scars and remnants of this were everywhere. Few buildings in the towns and villages had escaped damage and in many instances nothing remained but piles of rubble or gaunt walls full of jagged holes.

Our Troop, as other troops and companies, was assigned to a village and we moved in. At first we were at Thezy St. Martin but were almost at once moved to Liocourt where we stayed for the rest of January. The Squadron was split up amongst various similar neighboring villages and Squadron Headquarters was set up at Abbecourt.

At first it seemed an impossible task to make comfortable, livable quarters out of the few remaining undamaged, or unoccupied buildings. The enterprising American Soldier was soon at work however, and before long, rooms had been cleaned and cleared, odds and ends of furniture retrieved, and most important of all, a remarkable collection of stoves of all types and shapes was gathered from cellars, barns and back yards. In no time the Troop was again settled and fairly comfortable, considering the bitter, zero weather, quantities of snow, complete lack of decent toilet or bathing facilities and long hours of outpost guard, outdoor work and natural discomforts prevalent in an almost ruined little French village.

Several losses in personnel occurred while the Troop was in Liocourt. Lt. Corey, who was taken ill while we were en-route, had to leave the Troop and be moved to a hospital because he was not sufficiently recovered. Pfc. Sanders was taken from the Troop to a hospital because of trench foot. S/Sgt. Birk and Pvt. Cipolla were transferred to "F" Company and Pvts. Powell and Jackson were transferred to Headquarters Troop.

Probably the most important incident during the Troop's stay in Liocourt was the tragic accident suffered by "F" Company while some of the men were attending a demolition class near our area. Lt. Young was conducting the class in disarming mines and booby-traps when an unforeseen explosion took place killing 11 men including Lt. Young and seriously injuring two others. The violence of the blast was so great that assembling and identifying the remains of many of the victims was almost impossible. As we were the nearest source of assistance, several of our men were immediately called to the scene of the disaster. Medical aid and other necessary attention was quickly and capably administered and it was noted by our commanding officer, Capt. Stone, that First Sergeant Newman, T/5 Bokarae and T/4 Diltz be particularly commended and credited for their parts in this difficult task.

Mail being such an important part in the lives of men overseas, it seems fitting to mention our experiences. During our stay in England, and then later in France, most of us were fortunate in receiving V-mail not too long after it was sent. Air Mail on the other hand was often delayed. Many Christmas packages reached us during December but some straggled along as late as February and even then a few had not arrived. In Liocourt we were lucky for the most part because mail started catching up with us soon after our arrival.

Towards the end of January the bitter cold weather began to moderate, the snow to melt and mud and water to appear. The poor, battle-scarred village of Liocourt became even more forlorn with dirty water, mud and slush, so that no one seemed too sad to learn that we were again on the alert and would undoubtedly move.

February 3 to February 18

On the 3rd of February we moved out for what was to be another long and strenuous march. We drove all day and the following night through northern France. a part of Belgium and on into Holland. The driving at night was particularly difficult because of fog and rough roads with steep grades. The vehicles were so laden with combat equipment and ammunition that maintaining uniform speed and intervals was impossible. After this long and strenuous march we arrived in the early morning at the outskirts of Valkenburg, Holland, a large resort town in normal times. No definite arrangements had been made for billets so for most of the day we rested. ate and waited while such arrangements were being attended to. It was here that the Troop was most fortunate. We were finally quartered in the little village of Heek, just northeast of Valkenburg on the main road to Heerlen. We lived in several farmhouses scattered along the highway and the Troop CP was established in the one, more or less elaborate, pretentious dwelling in the village. It is certain that every man in the Troop will agree this stay in Heek to have been the most pleasant interlude in our whole overseas experience thus far. Each household took the men in as members of the family. My own experience, with the rest of Supply, was truly delightful. We descended upon a family already numbering seven, and our added thirteen seemed to upset our "hostess" not the slightest. Their comfortable, rambling house surrounding an ample barnyard was thrown open to us and we intimately joined the family group. We shared with them things we received from home and in our PX rations, and they in turn gave us good things to eat, of which they seemed to have enough.

During this period the Troop again had training and classes and we also gathered up more clothing, equipment and ammunition. We were given an opportunity to comfortably and leisurely prepare for our first mission.