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From Jeff Wignall comes the following:

"1-3 November 1944

"A" Company, 318th Regiment marched 2 miles to the regimental reserve area at Lixierres where Mike Mahoney took command on 2 November.  The weather continued foggy, cloudy, and cold.  S-2 reported that it had been learned from a civilian that the men taken earlier from Nomeny had been marched a few miles to the NW to dig fortifications near Sailly.  He also reported that German soldiers in the town were dressing in civilian clothes during the day to avoid being spotted by aircraft. Two regiments of the German 48th Infantry Division were occupying a defensive line running from Nomeny SE to Aulnois sur Seille, with the 126th Regt on the right and the 127th on the left near Letricourt.  “POW's have expressed confidence that the line is strong enough to hold, but believe there are no other defensive lines established between this and the West Wall, which they claim has been completely rebuilt and is fully manned.”  Further assessment on the 4th, however, determined that "the entire area between the Seille and Nied rivers has been prepared for defense.  All roads have foxholes for cover from strafing.  All villages can be turned into strong points. -- Many roads have prepared roadblocks with AT (anti-tank) guns.  Roads, bridges, and overpasses are prepared for mining and blasting.  The Seille river, though actually an MLR (main line of resistance) as far as positions and troops are concerned could be lost to the Germans without serious consequences to their many strong points behind the river. ---Delme Ridge is prepared for defense by infantry and artillery."

Numerous unidentified aircraft, and several identified as German, were reported daily, as was the case throughout the month of October. One German plane was shot down on the 3rd, and the sounds of vehicles continued to be heard around Nomeny.  General Patton returned to Div HQ in Ville au Val, a few miles to the west near Landremont, and "all field grade officers and a representative of each company" were requested to attend a lecture by the Third Army commander on 2 November.  General Bradley had authorized the Third Army to move forward as soon as the continual rain of the past several days would allow it.  The Belgian port of Antwerp had finally been secured, and it was expected that the harbor would be sufficiently cleared to receive shipping convoys by the end of the month.  Twelve EM were transferred into A Co from within the regiment: James Arthurs (hosp 10 Nov), Wesley Sumpter (hosp 12 Nov), Clifford Keech, Tom Taylor (WIA 29 Nov), John MacKay (WIA Feb), Mike Xidekus (WIA 11 Nov), Harley McCrary, Burdette Thomas (hosp 13 Nov), Herbert Rider (WIA 8 Nov, KIA 27 Dec), Robert Baskette (WIA 22 Nov), Benjamin Suls (WIA 9 Nov), Morton Pier (WIA 8 Nov).  All were from I Co except Baskette, from L Co, and Pier, from 3rd Bn HQ.

4 November 1944

We relieved the 3rd Bn at Ferme de la Borde southeast of Nomeny on the night of the 4th. Aggressive night patrolling continued..

5 November 1944

The regiment received Field Order No. 12, the attack order for 6 Nov at 1600.  Louis Sobczak out, medical.

6 November 1944

It began to rain heavily early in the morning.  Preparations were under way for the offensive across the Seille River scheduled for 8 November as part of an overall Third Army push to the east.  Patton had been well reinforced during the lull while the Germans had been withdrawing troops from the area for the planned Ardennes offensive in December, and his numerical ratio now approached 3:1.  Supply problems had been resolved and material was now being delivered over the reconstructed French railway system to Pont a Mousson.  The attack was to be directed northeast towards Faulquemont, lead by the 80th Division with the 6th Armored following.  The 35th, 26th and 4th Armored were to advance on their right, with the III Corps, 87th and French 2nd Armored Divisions covering the extreme right flank.   XX Corps - questionably - would not attack until a day later with the 90th and 10th Armored crossing the Moselle north of Metz at Thionville and moving southeast to meet the 5th Division moving northeast from its crossing at Arnaville south of Metz.  Metz at long last was to be by-passed, and isolated by the recently arrived 95th Division.  At this juncture a controversy developed regarding the use of the 83rd Division (III Corps), which was to have attacked the triangular area on the 90th, left formed by the Moselle and Saar Rivers.  Bradley reneged on the use of this division at the 11th hour, leaving this area in German hands, and a serious problem for the future.  The attack plan was basically flawed in its continued adherence to the broad front concept.  Patton was still unwilling to apply the principles of concentration.  Additionally he had overreached on his objective - still the Rhine - despite prevailing weather conditions, which made it impossible, although the poor weather on the night of the 7th did enhance the element of surprise for the jump-off.  The one-day delay for XX Corp’s advance left McBride’s 80th Division with an exposed left flank, another of the many 3rd Army problems resulting from poor coordination between the two Corps that Patton should have been more active in resolving.  Compounding this, the flooding of the Moselle prevented the 10th Armored from crossing until five days later.