At 9:00 PM, Christmas Eve the 508th PIR started
withdrawing -- a covering force of a platoon per company with skeleton crews
manning Command Posts was left behind to shield the regiment’s movement.
As the withdrawal started, the Germans launched a series of
deep encircling attacks attempting to isolate the salient and destroy the 508th
PIR men at the tip. German infantry infiltrated the regimental area and
made frequent attacks against the flanks of the withdrawing main body of the
regiment. These penetrating German flank attacks slowed but did not stop
the withdrawal. Many Hq1 men
will recall that at midnight, December 24, on the top of a moonlit snow
covered ridge, T/Sgt Adam Koziol, (81mm mortar platoon) halted the nearby men
and suggested they kneel a few moments in prayer - as it was now Christmas Day
A memorable tableau ensued, considering the Germans were aggressively trying
to destroy the men kneeling in the snow.
With the 508th PIR covering force of one platoon per
company, it was a different story. These platoons were deployed in
heavily wooded, snow-covered terrain, where even when the whole regiment was
available it was difficult to maintain contact with adjacent units.
Now with less than one-third of the regiment holding the same
terrain, it was nearly impossible to maintain contact. The German
patrols easily infiltrated throughout the area.
The most critical area for the First Battalion covering force
centered on the Salm River bridge site in Vielsalm. The only site where
the Germans could cross tanks and vehicles without constructing a bridge.
In the early evening of December 24, activity was heard near the bridge site.
The Germans were attempting to repair and reinforce the remnants of a
demolished bridge for projected crossings.
The artillery that started falling on the First Battalion area
earlier in the evening increased in intensity causing several more casualties.
Shortly after the German artillery barrage reached its fullest intensity, the
range was shortened, and smoke was substituted for high explosive shells.
With the river and both banks shielded in smoke, the Germans
crossed the river in large numbers.
The 508th PIR covering force platoons were forced to
withdraw under pressure, fighting, running battles with German infantry.
Many historians say that the delaying actions by the covering force were among
the best fighting in the 508th PIR’s history. | 
