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During the course of some research recently, I came across a rather interesting journal entry, and shared it with my buddy Jack "Bucky" Weaver.  "Bucky" was writing in response to it.  First the journal entry from Company C, 702nd Tank Battalion:

"Jan. 8; At 3:00 A.M. everything seemed peaceful.  Everyone was on the alert.  Then the Germans 'let loose' with a terrific barrage - the worst ever encountered.  The 3rd Army's worst and strongest counter-attack had begun.  A German regiment, plus tanks were moving in for the kill.  They had plenty of surprises.  As the white-clothed Heinies came down the hill, our infantry machine guns and the 30 cal.’s from the tanks mowed them down.  Tracers were all over and they chased away the darkness with them.  S/Sgt. Shaulis, looking through his field glasses, saw a mass of blackness that looked nothing more than a manure pile.  When he saw a head move on that so-called manure pile, he knew he was face to face with a German Mark V.  The tank was already aiming its gun on Sgt. Beard's blade.  With one shot Cpl. Beadle got the tank.  The shell landed under the gun.  The Heinies can really evacuate tanks in a hurry, too.  Those guys proved that.  Our T.D.'s and infantry bazooka teams made short work of the remainder of the tanks.  We had three casualties during the fierce counter-attack - Cpl. Zedalis LWA, Cpl. Porzuzek LWA, and P.F.C Sudal LWA.  They were hurt when one of our hand grenades exploded inside the turret.  When the sun came up over Dahl this morning, it gave us a full view of the havoc, death and destruction that we had inflicted upon the enemy.  Later in the day, Prestridge and his platoon left for Goesdorf.  Two platoons stayed in Dahl.  Our trains were still in Heiderscheid."

Now, "Bucky" Weaver's response:

"A fascinating account of what combat was really like.  What grabbed my attention, beside the battle itself, was that our casualties were the result of one of our own hand grenades exploding within the turret and only wounding three tankers.  The supposed devastating power of hand grenades has always made me wonder how effective they really were.  True, we hear dozens of stories of hand grenades being tossed into German pillboxes, totally wiping out the occupants, and the same with German grenades being tossed into the hatches of our tanks with the same results.  In a wartime movie, Paul Muni throws a hand grenade at a row of German occupied houses in Norway and the whole row goes down.  I never tossed one in combat, only in training.  Harry McCabe (or was it Tom?), the Colonel's peep (Jeep) driver had a grenade attached to his ammunition belt jiggle loose and go off, injuring him but not killing him.  He was soon back in the peep.  While at Camp Phillips (I may have told you this before) I was assigned, along with Harold Newton, I think it was, to unload the grenades that our outfit was to practice tossing on the range the next day.  In the crate was a model grenade, not loaded, that the instructor was to use as he demonstrated to us how to launch a hand grenade.  The supply room where we were unloading the crate was adjacent to the orderly room where First Sgt. Gross was goldbricking the day away, every once in a while making some smart-ass remark to us about hurrying up and get the job done and get out of here.  So we did just that.  We "accidentally" dropped the fake grenade and saw to it that it rolled into the orderly room.  When Gross saw that thing rolling toward him he damned near shit himself as he scrambled out the front door, falling down the front steps.  We told him it was just a dummy.  He was mad as hell but he never punished us with extra duty.  At least, I don't think he did.  I'm not certain whether my accomplice was Harold Newton or someone else...could've been Stew [This would be Floyd Stewart, my uncle's Loader, and later Gunner.  I can only imagine my uncle's amusement at what Bucky describes, if he ever knew.  First Sgt. Gross was strongly disliked by most of the men, including my uncle, who had to do First Sergeant duties, while Gross got the title and goldbricked.]."