with the 14th Armored Division in WWII's Battle for Europe: New Year's Day, 1945, the huge German counteroffensive that includes the Battle of the Bulge is also rolling over American troops just to the South, one of which is an isolated unit of infantry with the 14th Armored Division: We listened to sporadic shelling and small arms fire from behind our retreat, and after a few minutes of marching became hopeful we would escape our predicament. Our column was moving along the ridge closer to the road when our hopes were suddenly dashed. I think there were between thirty and forty of us making up a single file column. I was about in the middle of the group and thought this was likely the rem-nants of our company. There were several walking wounded and we were all with little or ammunition. A German contingent of infantry, coming up on our left across the narrow road opened fire. Their machine gun was spraying the column, and I saw several men up front go down. Several in the column took whatever cover they could find and returnedfire, some expending their last rounds. I took cover in a prone position but did t fire, the last clip of eight rounds alreadyin my rifle.A German across the road called for our surrender; twenty or more in the column, some wounded, slowly laid down their weapons and began walking over, hands raised above their heads. Then I spotted a GI to my right front climbing up the side of the mountain. I thought this GI has a better idea and began crawling to my right towards the foot of the mountain,to maybe catch up with him...