MEMORANDUM OF STATEMENTS MADE BY LT. GEORGE LAMM AT THE
HOTEL COMMODORE, NEW YORK CITY ON SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 1945.
"Thomas Lloyd Rockwell arrived on the continent from England on December
16, 1944 and went into action immediately. He was assigned to Company
"B" of the 508th Parachute Infantry and I saw him at various times
between December 17, 1944 and December 24, 1944.
"On Christmas Eve, December 24, 1944 at about 10:00 P.M.
he came to my platoon. We were near the town of Vielsalm, a little south
of that town. Our regiment had been ordered to retreat about eight miles
and establish a new line. I think it was the entire 82nd Airborne
Division that was to establish this line. The First Battalion of the
508th Parachute Infantry had picked one platoon from "A" Company and one
platoon from "B" Company to hold the line. It was a rear guard action.
One platoon from "C" Company was immediately in our rear, in reserve.
I had one officer with me and 39 men. Lt. Rockwell was
on my left, about 300 yards. We had a very thin line. He had one officer
with him, a Lieutenant whose name begins with C, but I can't remember
his full name. There was a Sergeant named Call with him. The line was
thin because we did not have enough men to hold a good line. Our men
were scattered along the front in small groups. We knew the Germans were
going to attack and all our artillery and large machine guns had been
taken away from us and removed to the rear so the Germans could not
capture them. We were left with small machine guns, rifles, and that's
about all. Our orders were to hold the line and not leave the line until
3:00A.M., December 25, 1944.
"At about 10:00 P.M. on December 24, 1944, Lt.
Rockwell came to see me and told me that he had found some German
Champagne and he was going to bring some over right after midnight and
we would celebrate Christmas by opening a bottle. He wanted me to take
him out in front, to my outpost, so that he could "get himself some
Jerries." We could hear the Germans working in the valley below us. It
sounded as though they were building a bridge across a small stream
there. We did not expect them to attack until daylight. I thought it
very foolish for Lt. Rockwell to desire to go out to the outpost and do
some shooting. But he said he had a new Tommy-gun and wanted to try it
out. I took him out to my outpost and told my men out there to point out
to him where the Germans were so that he could do some shooting. It was
foggy out in front and not much of anything could be seen but we could
hear the Germans plainly.
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