| Instructions regarding War Diaries and Intelligence
Summaries are contained in F.S. Regs., Vol. 1.
and the Staff Manual respectively Title pages
will be prepared in manuscript. |
WAR DIARY or INTELLIGENCE SUMMARY |
Army Form C.2118 |
| Unit: 2 H.C.R. | ||
| Month and Year: December 1944 | (Erase heading not required). | Commanding Officer: Lt. Col. H. Abel Smith |
| Place | Date | Hour | Summary | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 2 HCR came under comd 0200 hrs of 30 Corps who had moved to HASSELT and at 1000 hrs of Gds Armd Div. Responsibility was now incl CHARLEROI - NAMUR (which was held by a scratch force from ARUs and ARGs in BRUSSELS) - incl HUY. A rt B centre D left. The method adopted was for a tp to be responsible for a bridge or ferry. This entailed cars being placed in a tactical position near the site being watched. A permanent guard being placed at the site. Tps were billetted in n[.........]ease at or near the site. The tie up with the various parties concerned i.e. US anti sabotage guards, US REs (on the US Brs at HUY and ARDENNE) British REs; British FS Sections and Belgium Grendarmes took a great deal of time and much mileage and work by the C.O. C Sqn sent out offr scout car patrols to contact US units in area OUFFET - MARCHE - ROCHEFORT and got much valuable information as very little was known of what the Americans were doing or who they had on the ground. 29 Armd Bde who had been refitting had now appeared on the right under direct comd of 21 Armd Group and 43 Div were moving down to take up position on the Meuse from HUY - VISE. The fog of war was very thick and it is hard to describe how little Second Army knew of what was happening on the American front. Actually the Americans by hanging on to the main centres of communication VIESACH - MARCHE - BASTOGNE were already slowing up the German thrust and except to the immediate West of the thrust towards DINANT and GIVET where the situation with 2 Pz Div thrusting through was fluid, a definite line was forming on both flanks of the bulge. Originally the 30 Corps plan was to let the Hun over the Meuse and then crack at him from the flanks but as the area for this battle if it came off was the US Supply Dump, F.M. Montgomery who had now taken comd of First and Third US Armies as well as of 21 Army Group, altered this plan to one of holding the line of the Meuse. 2 HCR at MELIN 9441. Another day of fog. |
Source: Joris Nieuwint, The Battlefield Explorer, transcribing: Mia Litjens.
Disclaimer: This War Diary is based on its original, but typos might be corrected. Locations are calculated, so might not be in the correct place. For historical research, always check the originals.
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