ASLComp Straß Westfront '44 Everyman Edition

STRASS, GERMANY, 10 December 1944: The 83rd Infantry Division, also known as the "Thunderbolt" division, landed on Omaha Beach on 18 June 1944, less than two weeks after the Allied D-Day invasion of western Europe. By the end of September 1944, the division had moved into Luxembourg. The Division had three infantry regiments, the 329th, the 330th, and the 331st. They spent 244 days in combat and suffered 23,980 casualties, 15,248 of which were combat casualties. The 83rd was sent into the Hürtgen Forest to relieve the 4th Infantry Division. The latter formation had sustained heavy casualties in its attempt to clear the forest, and reach the Roer River beyond. Running along the western edge of the forest is a important road, with key intersections in the town of Gey. To the south and east is situated the village of Strass, a locale held in support of German forces in Gey. On the morning of 10 December, the 83rd reached the western edge of the Hürtgen Forest and prepared an assaults on both Strass and Gey. The Divisions’s 331st Infantry Regiment was ordered to capture the latter of the two towns. That left the task of seizing Strass to the 330th Infantry Regiment, a unit that had already suffered heavy casualties. The Regiment launched the attack at 0630 hours, with 1st Battalion securing the forward slope of Hill 375 to prevent counter-attacks, while 3rd Battalion launched an attack on Strass in column of companies. At 0725 hours word was sent to regiment by the 3rd Battalion that they were amidst the dwellings of Strass, with ‘K’ Company on the right and ‘L’ Company on the left. Plans were to then begin mopping up operations.