Patrick K. O'Donnell describes how over the next 40 hours, the Rangers on Hill 400 withstood five major German counterattacks and a relentless artillery barrage. Fifteen battalions of German artillery conducted "time on target" missions, raining shells do

Patrick K. O'Donnell describes how over the next 40 hours, the Rangers on Hill 400 withstood five major Germancounterattacks and a relentless artillery barrage. Fifteen battalions of German artillery conducted "time on target" missions, raining shells down so fast they were described as "belt-fed." Tree bursts were particularly lethal, showering the men in foxholes with shrapnel and large wooden splinters. The Rangers, reduced to only 40 effective men, fought with desperate intensity, using their own weapons and captured German MP40s to repel elite Volk Grenadiers and paratroopers. When Lomell suggested surrendering to save the wounded, the men universally refused, choosing to fight to the death. The hill was eventually secured when Duke Slater led a makeshift reinforcement platoon of mortar teams and any available personnel up the slope, finally breaking the German will. From the top of Hill 400, the Rangers observed massive movements of German troops and equipment, but their reports were ignored by a chain of command that failed to connect the dots. Consequently, the Germans achieved complete surprise when they launched the Battle of the Bulgeon December 16. While the Rangers moved to the "Northern Shoulder" to help stem the German tide, Len Lomell was rotated back to the United States, having been severely wounded during the Hill 400 defense. The Battle for Hill 400remains a testament to the Rangers' resilience, even though the intelligence they secured could have changed the course of the winter campaign. (7)
1944