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Sunray -> (10/11/2001 2:55:00 PM)
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Found this book on-line
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/wwii/7-8/7-8_CONT.HTM
THE ARDENNES: BATTLE OF THE BULGE by Hugh M. Cole (of the series UNITED STATES ARMY IN WORLD WAR II) page 359
On the morning of 21 December the American forces in and around Malmedy were substantial: the 120th Infantry (minus a battalion in division reserve); the "Norwegians," that is, the 99th Infantry Battalion; the 526th Armored Infantry Battalion; a company from the 291st Engineer Battalion; a tank company from the 740th; and two platoons from the 823d Tank Destroyer Battalion. [Footnote 14 : History of the 20th Infantry Regiment and H. R. Bergen, History of 99th Infantry Battalion (Oslo, n.d.); also 120th Inf AAR. The story of other detachments in the Malmedy fight is told in 12th Army Group, Special Forces, AAR, December 1944.]
The American infantry line formed an arc south of the town, swinging to east and west. On the left this line touched the 1st Infantry Division outposts near Waimes; on the right it had a tenuous connection with the 117th Infantry at the junction of the road from Stavelot and the road running north to Francorchamps. In passing it must be said that the responsibilities of the two sister regiments at the vaguely defined interregimental boundary were none too explicit. All roads leading to Malmedy had been blocked by mines and barricades or were barred by outpost detachments.
and page 361
Here, on the first day of use of the new POZIT fuze, the Germans were roughly dealt with. Nearly a hundred were killed by the shellbursts and for a moment panic spread among them, some running forward into the fire shouting "Kamerad." But Skorzeny's troops were tough and tried repeatedly to break Lt. Col. Harold D. Hansen's "Norwegians," an outfit characterized in the German intelligence reports as "old men." German machine gun crews tried to set up their pieces right in front of the railroad embankment where B Company lay but were shot down or blasted by hand grenades. Several times the enemy infantry reached the foot of the embankment, but could go no farther. Finally the assault died down.
And yes it was made up entirely of Norwegians, formed at Camp Ripley to undergo commando training. The 99th battalion was formed to "demonstrate to the Norwegian people all over the world the determination of the United States to restore their government to its rightful sovereignty" -- see
http://www.dma.state.mn.us/starc/poto/rtsm/RTSStud.htm
This unit also fought in Sept 44 on the Meuse river - see
http://2ndarmoredhellonwheels.com/7_days_combat_reports.html
with some details about its organization
Hope it helps
[ October 11, 2001: Message edited by: Sunray ]
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