From 346th Infantry:
The short respite from fighting came to a halt on December 21, as orders were received instructing the outfit to leave its present mission and proceed to locations near Obergailbach, Neidergailbach, and Bliesbruck, France. Here two Battalions relieved the First and Third Battalions of the 320th Infantry of the 35th Division at 1200 hours. The men climbed into their defensive foxholes at dusk and prepared for the attack the next morning.
WE LEAVE THE SAAR – On the 23rd of December orders calling for another move puzzled everyone but were carried out the next morning. The nature of the change was not known at the time. Christmas Day was celebrated by a special turkey dinner and church services for all the troops. It was a far cry from Hometown, U. S. A. But there was turkey and holy thoughts and a chance to imagine and dream of the family. However, the brief celebration was interrupted in mid-afternoon by an order to move on to a new area.Under bitter weather conditions, the convoy crossed the IP shortly after dusk and not too long thereafter was bombed and strafed resulting in the injury of three D company men. That Christmas night will remain in the memories of those who experienced it for some time to come, etched there by intense suffering from the agonizing cold, cramped quarters and utter fatigue. But notwithstanding, the Regiment arrived at the Assembly Area, ten miles east of Reims, France, at 0900 hours the next morning.
From: An Historical and Pictorial Record of the 87 Infantry Division in WWII:
On December 13 the Germans launched their Ardennes offensive into Belgium. On December 23 orders were issued for the 87th Division to break contact with the enemy in the Saar region, turn its sector over to another division and get going to Belgium in a hurry. The movement in three stages to Dieuze, to a forest near Reims, to the vicinity of Seviscourt and Bertrix, Belgium, a total of over 350 miles, was accomplished with the loss of only five days fighting time for the Division.
Dec. 25, 1944
Christmas Day
Hello Everyone,
I sure hope you are having a Merry Christmas. To tell the truth, although it may not seem so, this has turned out to be a very wonderful day for me. I hate to always seem to be keeping secrets but, of course, I can’t explain the circumstances now. I’ll probably remember this particular day so if you’ll ask me about it later, I’ll tell you about it! Compared to how we might have spent today it is truly a work of God to be able to spend Christmas in this crude fashion. We have already got mail once today and before the day is over a few packages may come. I got the Christmas card and letter that you wrote Dec. 13. I generally have to destroy my mail as soon as I get it but this one today did me so much good that I think I’ll try to find some place in my pocket for it. To make the day complete we are having a worship service and turkey for dinner. Sorry I haven’t been able to write more but I’ve been getting mail every couple of days. Use Vmail. The other takes about a month.
God be with you all, Donald