30th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop (Mech) Timeline

5 January 1945

No entry in the AAR.

The Journal had entries similar to the previous days about patrol training.

It also had these:

"1035 - Send the man selected to leave the United States on furlough to the rear to make arrangements."

"At 1130 the enlisted man selected to return to the United States left for rear to make arrangements and returned to his platoon at 1245."

I wonder who this fortunate soul was.

 

6 Jan 1945

AAR: no entry

Journal: More training patrol problems through the day and evening.

There were other miscellaneous entries, including this:
"From 0800 to 0900 orientation classes and lectures on VD by an officer."
I'll bet he was thrilled about this assignment.

"At 1400 Commanding Officer inspects vehicles and notes deficiencies. Corrections made."

 

7 Jan 1945

AAR: no entry

Journal:
"From 0830 to 1000 Troop performed motor maintainence [sic] under supervision of motro [sic] Sergeant and officers. Drivers remained in motor pool with mechanics unit [sic]1200.

More entries pertaining to training exercises.

 

8 January 1944

No entries in either the AAR or the Journal for this date.

 

9 January, 1945

AAR:

"A five-man patrol from the 3rd Platoon was sent out to determine enemy strength and position and if enemy armor or artillery was at Logbierme Belgium. Patrol left troop area at 1900 9 January 1945 and returned at 0800 10 January 1945. Reported they crossed the river at 731018 by 2200, moved to 739937 (Malmedy) and seen [sic] one vehicle at the edge of a field at that point. Patrol was challenged by German sentry and withdrew to 739980 where it remained in observation. From this point they heard an estimated enemy squad digging in and cutting down trees in vicinity of 740979. Roads in area reconnoitered showed no signs of vehicular traffic, snow on roads was in drifts at points to four or five feet deep. No motor movement was heard. Patrol withdrew at 0400."

The Journal had nothing significant to add.

I plotted the grid coordinates via EchoDelta but I am not convinced that they are correct. If they are, it appears the patrol moved started a bit east of Stavelot and went south for several thousand yards. The river that the patrol referenced was the Ambleve.

 

10 January 1945

AAR:

"10 January 1945 to 14 January 1945 - Troop only practice patrols in immediate area."

 

11 Jan 1945

No entry in the AAR.

The Journal had entries addressing additional training.

 

12 Jan 1945

No entry in the AAR.

The Journal had entries addressing additional training to include allied and enemy tank recognition.

 

13 January 1945

AAR:

no entry

Journal:

"Troop in motor pool performing motor maintainence from 0830 to 1200"

"A mortor [sic] vehicle was sent to serve as an O.P. on the outskirts of Malmedy (803037).

Other entries detailing normal activities and more training patrols.

The grid coordinates work out to be southeast of Malmedy at the village of Belle Vue. Two more miles down the N421 (Grand Rue) is Baugnez Crossroads, where the Malmedy Massacre occurred. The survivors had made it back to US lines by then but the bodies of those executed had not been recovered yet. That would happen on the 14th (the next day). I wonder just how much the 30th ID and/or the 30th Recon was involved in finding and securing the area, considering that they had apparently been in the area, passing near it several times during the previous three weeks and the day before the recovery was in a location less than two miles away?

 

14 January 1945

AAR:

"At 1150 the first section of the 3rd Platoon was sent to 803037 (Malmedy) [Belle Vue] to establish an observation post. Post established and maintained throughout the night. No enemy activity."

Journal:

"Training schedule still being carried out. Orientation classes held from 0830 to 1200."
"1030 - Mortor [sic] vehicle still in position at 803083. We are remaining on O.P."
"Platoons left for training area at 1300 for purpose of running patrols. Platoons returned at 1700."
"1350 - M-8 ran over a mine in the vicinity of the O.P. (803083). No one injured but M-8 badly damaged."
"1900 - Contact has been made with the adjacent unit digging in accross [sic] our front. Above the bridge five of our tanks and four TD's are in position. We will make further reconnaissance."
"1920 - We are now on the road parallel to the bridge. We will remain here."

Mr. Sanford has these two photos of a damaged M-8. On the back, it is written "ran over land mine." He says that the incident occurred in Belgium, but he is not sure where. He did say that the vehicle was traveling on a section of road that the Troop had been traversing for several days. They left Belgium a few days later, so I feel fairly confident that this M-8 was lost SE of Malmedy, near the village of Belle Vue.

View attachment 21918

View attachment 21919

 

15 January 1945

AAR:

"At 1150 Troop [was] attached to 120th Infantry and assigned mission of covering engineers on road clearing detail. Troop left Sart Belgium and proceeded to Germont via Malmedy. Vehicles were left there and platoons dismounted and covered the engineers clearing road from 819023 to Thirimont. Mission completed at 1600. 1st ans 2nd Platoons then given mission of gaining and maintaining contact by outpost line, between 1st Bn 120th Infantry [30th ID] and 2nd Bn 23rd Infantry [2nd ID]. This mission completed at 1800 and platoons maintained contact throughout the night."

The sole Journal entry was slightly reworded version of the AAR entry.

I can not find a location named Germont on the map. I think the author misunderstood or misspelled the name of the village and that it was actually Thirimont that was mentioned in the second sentence and not Germont.

 

16 January 1945

AAR:

"At 0915 Troop attached to the 117th Infantry and at 1120 given mission of moving through Lingeuville, then east along the road south of the Amel River and to take over a roadblock at 820983. 3rd Platoon took over roadblock. 1st Platoon had mission of proceeding on east-northeast along road beyond the roadblock to the division boundary at 843990; destroying any enemy artillery along either side of the road and driving any Germans out of the division zone. Two pieces of enemy artillery were destroyed by thermite grenades and platoon reached division boundry [sic] at 1530. 3rd Platoon maintained roadblock throughout the night and 1st Platoon ran dismounted patrols throughout the night and 1st Platoon ran dismounted patrols between roadblock and division boundry [sic] throughout the night."

Journal:
Essentially a rewriting of the AAR entry with an additional comment about the 2nd Platoon's activities. "The 2nd Platoon was to maintain a motorized patrol along that road. This patrol was forced to dismount, because of obstructions including mines on the road. Patrols continued throughout the night."

"2200 - From Commanding Officer: The first patrol of the 2nd Platoon left roadblock at 820983 at 1300. Dismounted. Arrived boundry [sic] 1420. Saw one enemy running southeast at 1420 at 845987. Returned 1530. Second patrol left 1600, arrived boundry [sic] 1705. Reported friendly forces vicinity 850000."

Attached is a map showing locations and movements December 1944 through 18 Jan 1945.

The encampment Sart Belgium is marked at top of page . The red lines show the movement of the troop, first to Belle Vue, the further south to area near Lingueville. The two black lines lower right show the approximate divisional boundary.

It hard to show the scale for the map. Lingueville is about halfway between Malmedy and St. Vith, which is to the south of this map. Waimes is about halfway between Lingueville and Butgenbach, which is to the east northeast of Lingueville.

View attachment 21928

 

17 January 1945

AAR:

"Troop attached to 120th Infantry but mission did not change. 3rd Platoon maintained roadblock at 820983 and 1st Platoon continued patrolling between roadblock and division boundry [sic] at 843990. At 2030 three Germans were captured and 845990 by our patrol and turned over to friendly engineers for evacuation. At 2200 3rd Platoon was ordered to move the roadblock from 820983 to 841989. Move was completed by 2330.

Journal:
"At 1700 Troop attached 117th Infantry. Relieved of attachment and attached to 120th Infantry. Mission for the platoons remained the same. 3rd Platoon maintained roadblock at 820983 and 1st Platoon continued running patrols between that point and division boundry [sic] at 843990. Ten men were detailed with the engineers along the road between the roadblock and the division boundry [sic] where trees and mines obstructed the way. At 2200 3rd Platoon was ordered to move the roadblock from 820983 to 841989. Move was completed at 2330. 1st Plat captured 3 prisoners at 2030 at 845990."

 

18 January 1945

AAR:

"At 1300 the road east-northeast beyond roadblock at 841989 was cleared of mines and trees which the Germans had places as obstacles, to a point 300 yards short of the division boundry [sic] at 843990. 1st Platoon continued running dismounted patrols every two hours between the roadblock and division boundry [sic]. At 1400 a patrol from 1st Platoon was ordered to contact friendly forces east of the division boundry [sic]. At 1500 this patrol ran into a four-man German patrol; guns of both patrols were frozen and neither could fire. The German patrol withdrew south and at 1545 our patrol contacted Co "E" 18th Infantry [1st ID] in vicinity of 845991. At 1730 1st Platoon was ordered to contact Co "A" 18th Infantry. Contact was made at 1930 and maintained by hourly patrols throughout the night."

The Journal was a repeat of the AAR with no new or differing information.

The format of the Journal differed substantially after November. I do not know what position within the troop maintained these records but I suspect the person responsible changed when they were in reserve during the early part of December. Apparently the same person kept (or typed) both records as the same grammatical and/or spelling errors were repeated in each document.

Maps will follow as I have time to prepare them.

 

19 January 1945

AAR:

"1st Platoon continued to run hourly patrols to the 1st Bn 18th Infantry in vicinity of 844991. At 1600 2nd Platoon relieved the 1st Platoon. Roadblock at 841989 still being maintained by 3rd Platoon. 1st Platoon held in reserve."

The attached map shows the operational situation 1200 this date. The 30th ID is pushing south along the Grand Rue with the 1st ID to the east and the remnants of the 106th ID to the west. The 106th has begun to be pinched out by the 75th ID and is being pulled from the line. The 112th IR is about to be relieved from its attachment to the 106th ID to return to the 28th ID's control further south.

View attachment 21929

See also the map on Jan 16 entry that was added this date.

 

20 January 1945

AAR:

"Troop ordered to relieve 1st Bn 119th Infantry who were in vicinity of 832974 in a dug-in position on the divisions [sic] flank. Troop moved at 0730 from near Ligneuville and relief was accomplished by 0930."

Journal:

"At 0700 the Troop moved from positions near Ligneuville to relieve the 1st Bn 119th Infantry, who were in a dug-in position on the divisions [sic] flank in vicinity of 832974. This relief was accomplished at 0930. 2nd Platoon occupied positions from 835967 to 837967 to 838970. One squad from 3rd Platoon occupied position at 837972: remainder of platoons and the Troop Command Post at 832974. Vehicles were left vicinity of 822983. Troop still attached to 120th Infantry."

 

21 January 1945

AAR:

"No change. Positions taken over on 20 January 1945 were held."

Nothing significant in the Journal.

 

22 January 1945

AAR:

"Dug-in positions were held until 1715 when Troop was relieved. Troop moved to Bellevaux Belgium, all three platoons held in division reserve."

Journal:

"No change in mission. Dug-in positions still being held."

"Troop ordered to assemble in division reserve vicinity of Bellvaux 776007. Quartering party was sent ahead. Troop closed in area at Bellevaux at 2325."