Thursday, 21 December Lu and Cliff Hope

Interactive Timeline and maps

Interactive map for 12/21/44

Lu, from Rae Hight's book:
On December 21, after we were out of the Bulge and had gone down into France to regroup, out mail caught up with us. It had been three weeks, and it was a wonderful Christmas present! Letters from home, including those from my mother and Leona, boosted my morale, and I was especially pleased to read about Lynne. My dad, still in iran, could send his mail out of the American Embassy in Teheran, as well as the APO, so we could exchange letters faster than those going to and coming from the States.

Cliff Hope
Thursday, 21 December

While the general military picture remained obscure, the enemy continued to make progress. But this date marked the high point, or perhaps the low point, of our 5 day retreat. It was over. It was also my 21st birthday. I was tired and dirty but alive and thankful. I was in good spirits as I went out with the survey parties to put in a control for gun batteries which turned out not to be there. We were called in to move with the outfit, leaving Neuvillers to head for the French border. We picked up all the gasoline we could carry in a dump in the woods to our south. The convoy proceeded by a roundabout route to Matton on France, arriving about 4 p. pm Matton was far behind the front lines The battalion was to get rehabilitated and reorganize for combat. I went with Schlusing and Bruno to a house where we washed and shaved for the first time in five days. That evening we received our first mail, including Christmas packages, since our retreat had begun. We were grateful, of course, but the gifts added to all the stuff we were lugging around. I muttered about that to myself.

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