out there waiting to do a shooting with nothing to keep us company but our thoughts. Some of the officers had a nasty job of it then too, staying out on top of an OP tower a couple hundred feet high "with the wind and the rain in their hair," all night long.
During the siege of Aachen we had plenty of shelling. "Charlie" named one of their positions "Purple Heart Hill." It was there too that both "B" and "D" Batteries made claims against two enemy aircraft destroyed. We also began to see Buzz Bombs in abundance, but couldn't fire at them because of restrictions. "Dog" was heavily shelled there too.
On November 3rd Jerry turned out for a little target practice and he made a very nice target indeed, for "C" got a Cat I that day after an eight plane raid had been run off. Incidentally still holding the record of no areas or vulnerable points damaged while under the guns of the 440th. Three days after Charlie got theirs Dog got one too just to show them they were not to be outdone. Real winter weather was beginning to set in now and the boys were thankful for those good old "Long Johns" issued so long ago. About the middle of November the first real snowfall came spreading a white carpet over all the ugly traces of war. It was a novelty for a while then it became a misery of night-mares and discomfort. The day after the first snowfall "C" got it. The first platoon CP was shelled killing Pfc. Anton M. Anzich and wounding 1st Lt. George E. Higgins who was killed later in Holland by artillery.
While in these positions we witnessed the build up for the First Army attack east of Aachen. Wave after wave of heavy bombers came over and dumped their load on the German emplacements. Several misfortunes occurred here that go better unmentioned. After one more move with our respec-tive artillery units we were relieved of assignment. And our new one was really a surprise!
On the evening of November 30th the Battalion engaged its first PAC or "Buzz Bomb." We had reached the ultimate now, we had landed in "Buzz Bomb Alley" to put a stop to the pride of Hitler's Army in more ways than we ever dreamed of. All was peaceful enough at first with nothing to do but keep an alert eye open for V missiles. We got our share of target practice and brought down our share of targets too. Then it happened!
At 0530 the works began. Nebelwerfers and artillery was making already taut nerves ragged, con-centration after concentration came in on all Batteries one after the other. Machine gun and small arms fire was heard continuously with the rumble of tanks in the background, then on top of it all could be heard the throbbing roar of an occasional robomb. The mission was not forgotten in the midst of all this danger no indeed, "A" Battery engaged and made a claim for an aircraft destroyed. Word was received to hold on momentarily but after that messages were so slow in coming through. The battle was raging closer and becoming more fierce, the Cavalry screening outfit pulled out leaving us alone in our sector. Ground defense plans were put into effect, cold bodies got colder still, the day dwindled to dusk, the dusk to night, and still no word to move. The OP's had lost contact and they were given up as missing in action. At long last orders came through to move, we had received new assignments.
But fate was not through playing with us yet, no indeed! For while we were trying to withdraw we suffered a number of casualties. Up till this time we had been very lucky having no one hurt and but little damage to our equipment. Our luck ran out! A single enemy shell killed Tec 5 Merlin C. Pecoy and seriously wounding two other men, besides that two officers and one more man were less seri-ously hurt. In the subsequent withdrawal two men were hit hard and evacuated and three more being hit but remaining with the outfit. All the way out the twisting turning road was under severe shelling thus causing us more worry and anxiety. However we finally got in a Battalion assembly area and the recon parties took off to find the respective unit? to which we were being attached.
So off we went to search for the new assembly areas and wait for the Battery Commanders to return and show us the new positions. The trouble is we never saw the new positions at all instead we sud-denly found ourselves on the run again. So far we had lost three vehicles because of enemy action and mechanical failure at a critical hour. On the way to the vicinity of St. Vith where we were sup-posed to have an RC we lost 3 guns, or rather Baker lost 3 guns, due to enemy action. And what action it was too!
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