99 Infantry Battalion (Separate) (USA) several testimonies
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Testimonies:
John W. Kelly, Company “D”:
That evening “A” Company and the first platoon of “D” Company set up a road block in the valley a short distance from the village. The Germans came through in force and the casualties were heavy. Cpl. Milnor Olson was seriously wounded and later passed away. Private Andrew O. Muri was shot through the leg by a sniper and Adolph O. Kvalvik received a shrapnel wound in the thigh.
Captain Franklin Ferriss, Army Historian:
The next day (17th Oct.) “A” Company of the 99th Infantry Battalion was given the mission of establishing roadblocks on the Alsdorf-Aachen road, approximately at the point where S/Sgt Chastain’s patrol had crossed. The enemy, anticipating that we would make an effort to firmly secure this narrow exit from the Aachen pocket, placed extremely heavy artillery and mortar fire on “A” Company’s positions. At the same time, 40 to 50 hostile infantry, supported by two tanks, attacked the two roadblocks set up by “A” Company from the southwest. “A” Company found it impossible to hold its positions under the combined direct an indirect fire and withdrew in disorder, having suffered a great many casualties.
Charles Macdonald, The Siegfried Line:
…yet German attempts to reopen a route into Aachen would deny genuine adhesion in the last link of the Aachen circle for several days. A company of the separate 99th Infantry Battalion (attached to the 116th Infantry) discovered this fact early when German forays during the night of 16 October seriously contested a roadblock which the infantry company established across the Aachen-Wuerselen highway.
Periodic Report, 30th Infantry Division, Oct. 18, 1944
Later in the afternoon, however, he (the enemy) was able to eject the road block of A Company 99th Infantry Battalion with a force estimated at 40 men and two tanks.
Heinz Günther Guderian, From Normandy to the Ruhr
The 99th Infantry Battalion was deployed as part of the 116th Infantry Regiment, opposite the left wing of the 116th Panzer Division, and tried to close off the Würselen-Aachen road near Kaiserruh station.
After Action Report, 99th Infantry Battalion
On October 17th the battalion held present positions except for “A” Company which at 1600 was counter-attacked and driven from their positions by two enemy tanks and approximately 50 riflemen. “A” Company made several attempts to outflank the enemy and finally got back into the battalion sector, reorganized and at 2000 moved back into their positions.
Private Olen Palmer, 99th Infantry Battalion
I recall our company setting up road blocks and digging foxholes one evening, and the next day we were surprised by incoming mortar shells from the Germans.
One of the men (might have been one of the original battalion members) took a direct hit while he was taking cover in his foxhole. I recall the sergeant covering the foxhole with a piece of tent or similar. Luckily for many of the other men it had been drizzling all night so the ground was all muddy and prevented much of the shrapnel from spreading all over. The company was digged in on the side of a hill with a small cottage close by.
Short after the bombardment we met down by the cottage which had a small stream running behind it. Suddenly one of the men spotted a Tiger tank coming towards us and the we ran for it down the stream and into a wooded area. The tank fired several rounds into the trees, knowing the tree burst could be lethal, but luckily we had no additional casualties. We could however hear, while running down the stream, the hissing of the hot pieces of shrapnel falling into the cool water. 119th Infantry Regiment Official History Book: At 0900 of the 18th, the Third Panzer Division launched an attack against the roadblocks held by “A” Company of the 99th Infantry Battalion, inflicting heavy casualties. The attack was thrown back within 30 minutes with a loss of three Mark VI Tanks. Two of them were knocked out by our TDs and the third by a bazooka from F Company. Company A of the 99th had been back 100 yards back from the roadblocks. Ragnar Abrahamson, 1st platoon, D Company, 99th Infantry Battalion The next night we relocated and walked all nigh and then digged in. Then in the morning - with light - we got the chance to look around and there was this 88.-tank(!) up on the hill where we believed 1st Infantry Division should be. Milnor Olson was on the radio and he was killed on the spot.
One of the men (might have been one of the original battalion members) took a direct hit while he was taking cover in his foxhole. I recall the sergeant covering the foxhole with a piece of tent or similar. Luckily for many of the other men it had been drizzling all night so the ground was all muddy and prevented much of the shrapnel from spreading all over. The company was digged in on the side of a hill with a small cottage close by.
Short after the bombardment we met down by the cottage which had a small stream running behind it. Suddenly one of the men spotted a Tiger tank coming towards us and the we ran for it down the stream and into a wooded area. The tank fired several rounds into the trees, knowing the tree burst could be lethal, but luckily we had no additional casualties. We could however hear, while running down the stream, the hissing of the hot pieces of shrapnel falling into the cool water. 119th Infantry Regiment Official History Book: At 0900 of the 18th, the Third Panzer Division launched an attack against the roadblocks held by “A” Company of the 99th Infantry Battalion, inflicting heavy casualties. The attack was thrown back within 30 minutes with a loss of three Mark VI Tanks. Two of them were knocked out by our TDs and the third by a bazooka from F Company. Company A of the 99th had been back 100 yards back from the roadblocks. Ragnar Abrahamson, 1st platoon, D Company, 99th Infantry Battalion The next night we relocated and walked all nigh and then digged in. Then in the morning - with light - we got the chance to look around and there was this 88.-tank(!) up on the hill where we believed 1st Infantry Division should be. Milnor Olson was on the radio and he was killed on the spot.
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