About five hundred Germans, from the 183d Regiment, defended Rochelinval. The town was bristling with German machine gun nests. Prior to the attack, the 551 sustained a large number of combat causalities. The weather, the coldest in decades, also caused "trench foot," another source of causalities in the unit. Minimal artillery support, a lack of armor (only one tank arrived after the attack started) and poor communication with supporting units made the attack tragically bloody. The day before, realizing the attack was practically suicidal, attempts were made by the battalion commander to cancel or receive reinforcements but higher headquarters refused and the deadly assault on Rochelinval proceeded on schedule.

"A" Company, consisting of less than fifty men, was tasked with making a diversionary attack on the town while "B" and "C" Companies moved around the flank. At the end of the attack, only seven of "A" Company’s men were left standing. Durkee was the only surviving officer. Meanwhile, B and C Companies, with the help of a Stuart light tank, miraculously took the town but not after also suffering an enormous number of causalities. The attack on Rochelinval would prove to be a mortal wound for the 551 (pko).

Just before we launched the attack, Sgt. Hill told me that the attack was going to be a bloody fight and that a lot of men would never get out alive. I reconnoitered the area prior to the attack and realized how impossible the task would be. I expressed this to Lt. Booth, "A" Company Commander who agreed. However, we had our orders – take the town. Our route of attack was a small country lane that had brush on both sides. Our jumping off point was about 250 yards from the town. When Lt. Booth gave the nod we moved out. We had one squad lead by Sgt. Hill go down the left side of the lane and one squad led by Sgt. Courtney go down on the right side of the lane. Lt. Dahl and I were in the lane behind the two scouts. Pvt. Mowery was the first scout and he was hit in the stomach and once through the head. I immediately put my machine gun into action behind a tree stump. No sooner had we set up the machine gun than the German’s started firing on our left flank. We were caught in crossfire. Sgt. Hill, seeing Mowery die, picked up his BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle) and stood there firing two magazines at the Germans. He was wounded several times and finally killed. Following Hill’s example Lt. Booth tried to take out the machine gun that killed Hill but was cut down. Meanwhile, I became second scout and Dahl first scout and we continued moving toward the town. A bazooka man followed me.

Halfway up the sloop of the hill, which was close to the outskirts of town, I fired the bazooka(the other man loaded) obliterating a machine gun nest. Meanwhile, a sniper was firing on us behind the corner of one of the buildings in town. I knew that I could lob a grenade at him if I had covering fire. So I told Dahl to fire on the sniper while I tossed the grenade. It came up short. Again, I asked Dahl to continue firing but he was kneeling there with his eyes closed - dead.

I still had the bazooka man with me and saw another man running up the hill. I recognized him as my runner Pat Casanova. I yelled at him to bring up the rest of the men in a hurry. His answer is something I’ll never forget "Sir, they’re all dead." I knew that this was it and I broke off the attack and ordered the bazooka men to crawl back while I covered him. He started crawling back and then he got up and began to run for the woods. He got about three feet and was cut down by a hail of machine gun bullets. I started crawling back and found the reason for Casanova’s response. The bodies of the men were all over the place, in all kinds of positions. Some of the men were lying face up with sightless eyes, others face down, faces submerged in the snow. From my position, I could not be seen by the Germans so I said a prayer to myself and got up and ran for the woods. I still don’t understand how I survived that day.

Sources:

Multiple interviews by Patrick O’Donnell with Dick Durkee 3/97
Interviews with other A company survivors Pat Casanova, Harry Renick and Chuck Miller by Patrick O’Donnell
Author’s trip to Rochelinval on 4/97