F Company was an infantry company in the United States Army's 78th "Lightning" Division's second battalion of the 310th Infantry Regiment. The company was called Fox, which was the sixth letter in the phonetic alphabet used during World War II. The Company participated in three major campaigns: Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe. "Combat Diary for Company F, 310th Infantry, 78th Division," a 1947 book written by its members, recounts the wartime experiences of its members.
History The first Fox Company soldiers arrived at Camp Butner in Butner, North Carolina, on March 9, 1944. On March 27, 1944, Fox Company departed for Camp Pickett in Nottoway County, Virginia. Pickett's land, water, and other resources were surveyed in late 1941; by the end of 1942, more than 1,400 buildings had been built and were in use, including approximately 1,000 enlisted barracks and 70 officer's quarters. Here at Camp Pickett, Fox Company was trained and prepared for combat by Captain John H. Sharp.
Composition
Fox Company was composed of a Company Headquarters, 3× Rifle Platoons, and a Weapons Platoon. Fox Company left the United States with 189 men; 454 men are listed as having belonged to the company by the war's end, due to transfers and replacements. 53 men were killed in action, and 164 wounded in action. With a 47% casualty rate throughout their 125 days of combat.
+ Fox Company Officers 12 December 1944 - To - 8 May 1945 - * Denotes K.I.A Name & Rank Name & Rank Name & Rank Name & Rank Name & Rank Captain James K. Bowman * 1st Lt. William J. Barton 1st Lt. Donald Horsh 2nd Lt. Hubert J. Arsenault 2nd Lt. Cornelius G. Hinchey Captain William Edmunds 1st Lt. Joseph Coombs 1st Lt. Richard E. Neuman 2nd Lt. Lester J. Asher 2nd Lt. Robert Mattox Captain Richard M. Jones 1st Lt. Dallas E. Dimmer 1st Lt. Robert Tastor 2nd Lt. Burrel B. Budden * 2nd Lt. Fitzhugh Wallace Captain John H. Sharp 1st Lt. Robert Endress 1st Lt. Howard R. Walton Jr. 2nd Lt. Roger T. Duncan
Battle of Kesternich
According to the overall Allied plan, the 9th Army was to break through the Cologne Plain, where the flat terrain was ideal for armored divisions to dash the Rhine. The north-flowing Roer River and the three big dams on the upper Roer near Schmidt were a barrier that had to be seized and held. The attack was on December 13 in the region of Lammersdorf. The first town that the Fox Company entered was Pastenbach; when they left on January 13, it was freezing, and the snow that had fallen three days earlier was frosted over and was deceptively thick. They settled in for the night after entering Simmerath further to the west.
The Company was awakened by rifle fire early on December 14; patrols were organized and sent out to find the snipers, but to no avail. Captain John H. Sharp called his Platoon leaders, Lieutenants William J. Barton, Burrel B. Budden, Donald Horsch, and T-Sgt John D. Loos, and gave them the plan for the next move. With the first Platoon in reserve, the second Platoon was selected as the base platoon and launched. It was followed by the third—Company Headquarters—and fourth Platoon. The Company moved through a field to the west of Kesternich and took up position along a road that was submerged, providing protection from enemy fire. Fox reorganized rapidly and secured their position. All four Platoon leaders had become casualties. Sgts. Frank A. Leonard, Claude E. Blackwell, George A. Roman, and Horst took over the Platoons. As morning came on December 15, a much-depleted Fox Company of around seventy men moved towards Kesternich again. Fox advanced to an old sunken road bordered by more hedge-rows. They came upon the crest of a hill, and before Fox lay Kesternich. They continued into the town's outskirts after climbing a short slope. When they entered the village, they were surprised to be met with little to no small arms or artillery fire. Fox seized the target with minimal resistance.Around 1300, Company "E" reached the eastern edge of Kesternich with less than half of its initial troop strength and made every effort to set up defenses. Company "G," also with significantly reduced strength, reorganized and managed to hold the town's center. At midnight on December 15, Lt. Col. Creighton E. Likes took over the 2nd Battalions, 309th and 310th Infantry. These battalions were to attack and take control of the town of Kesternich with a platoon of tanks and a platoon of tank destroyers attached. The attack started at 0700 hours in the early morning hours of December 15. Company F moved east and encountered a minefield near a pillbox that was neutralized earlier in the day. After avoiding the minefield, it moved south and into the town, where it encountered the same grueling house-to-house combat as Company G. Around 1400 hours, it had cleared the southern sector.
At least 500 Volksgrenadiers participated in the German counter-attack on the 2nd Battalion, 310th Infantry, which started around 1615 and lasted until early December 16. In Fox's area of town, the counterattack lasted for about an hour and a half. After the Germans stopped firing, the men got back to work digging the foxholes. By the time Fox Company realized how serious the situation was, they were cut off from allied forces and surrounded by an enemy who had vowed to seize and hold this town at all costs. Eleven men were added as reinforcements around 1830, placing them on the far left. Around that time, Sgt. Isidor Tarnofsky reported to the C.P. that he had a minor injury to his left elbow but refused to be taken to the aid station. First Sergeant Albert J. Rosenblatt advised Isidor Tarnofsky to remain in the C. P. to ensure his safety. However, he disregarded this advice because he felt assisting his squad in reloading clips and magazines was necessary. When Tarnofsky returned, he started to lead his squad and carried out other duties; an immediate hit on his foxhole killed him, and Pfc Walter Trutko was seriously injured by the blast. For his actions, Isidor Tarnofsky would be awarded the Silver Star. With only two officers left, the NCOs took over many jobs besides their own. A meeting of all Platoon Sgts was called, and each Platoon was given a house to use as a perimeter defense and shelter from artillery and snipers. Fox quickly conducted a reconnaissance and discovered they were completely surrounded. Every morning about daybreak, artillery — Allied and enemies- would fall into Fox Company's makeshift defense area. Nightly, two-man patrols were sent out to contact friendly forces, but although most of them got through safely, no one ever returned. Over half of the guys had trench foot, and their condition only deteriorated as time went on. The injured men had to crawl to their posts because they could not walk there. They could not put their shoes back on after taking them off since their feet were three times the size of the typical person's. To make matters worse, it was freezing, and no fires were authorized due to the possibility of enemy detection. By the fourth day, virtually every man had trench foot, and several were in excruciating pain and crying nonstop. A friendly patrol sent by Battalion C.P. in the late afternoon of December 19 came across Fox Company. T-Sgt. Wilbur Horst and Pfc. Ivan E. Eikenberry volunteered when Captain Sharp called for two volunteers for another patrol on the fifth day, December 20. In Battalion C. P., another patrol was forming in the meantime (then) T-5 Charles L. Chignoli, having heard the conversation, offered assistance and requested that a litter squad join the patrol. T-Sgt. Wilbur Horst arrived at Battalion C. P. and reported the hardships and problems the soldiers were facing. Horst then led a patrol toward the beleaguered Kesternich garrison, including Lt. Priener, 1st Sgt. Scurlock, T-5 Chignoli, and a litter squad. The patrol reached Fox Company at around 01:00. Early on December 21, a delighted but devastated Fox Company withdrew to Simmerath. The division had this to say about the heroic action of Fox's men: "The courage with which these men continued to fight for six days without food, water, or communications until rescued is a tribute to the tenacity of 78th doughs."
Casualties In 8 days of fighting, the 310th Infantry Regiment lost 542 soldiers, 63 enlisted personnel, and 6 officers Killed In Action. Five officers and 96 enlisted men suffered wounds. 13 officers and 284 enlisted men were Missing In Action. Trench-foot incapacitated 61 enlisted men and 1 officer, and 13 enlisted men were non-combat casualties (including Combat Fatigue).
Fox Company suffered a staggering 149 casualties: 32 killed in action, 44 wounded in action, 18 captured, and 55 non-combat casualties.
Of the Company men who had gone through the 8-day battle of Kesternich, only eight men, 1st Sgt Rosenblatt, T-Sgt Horst, Sgts DiMarco, Clayton, Farnworth, and Pfcs Sharkey, Eikenberry, and Roberts, were still combat-ready. With a few Fox men who had not been through Kesternich, these eight men withdrew to Raeren Belgium, where S-Sgt Dallas E. Dimmer, the machine-gun section sergeant, received a Battlefield Commission.
Fox Company departed for a bivouac site in Lammersdorf, Germany, on December 25. Roer river campaign
Most of January 1945 was spent resting and participating in tank-Infantry training. On January 7, they departed Lammersdorf for Roetgen by truck, bouncing around the Monschau district until entering the Division reserve. Roetgen was the first German town under American control; Americans arrived in the village in September 1944. In Roetgen, the men got much-enjoyed visits by the Red Cross Club mobile, with donuts and coffee for everyone. It is here, too; the men got a chance to listen to some tunes by the Andrews Sisters; more importantly, though, the men could ease up, knowing they were safe from German shells. They left Roetgen via truck on January 20, 1945, and made it to Lammersdorf the same day. They only stayed briefly since that night; the men marched to Rollesbroich. The move from Rollesbroich was made the night of January 28; the weather was awful; it was bitter cold, and because of the snow drifts, the Company's supplies had to be pulled by sled. The Company arrived in Lammersdorf the same night, where it reorganized for further attacks against the enemy. Some men held up in an old Church were surprised the following day to see uninvited guests in the form of Germans praying in the same church.