WAR CORRESPONDENT'S

Below are press correspondents written for the various events we participate in the writers make every effort to maintain both there own unique style of writing and the style of the period when ever possible. These stories are written using base historical facts and events which occurred during the event/tactical we participated in, they are written for your enjoyment, please enjoy. Your feedback is welcome.

EVENT: May 17-19, 2002 - "Kall Trail, Hürtgen Forest" Tactical Battle
Where: Tolland, MA, Sponsor: 3.Panzergrenadier Division

 For soldiers on both sides of the line, the Kall Trail is a test of not only battlefield savvy but survival against the elements. Proof positive that war can often be more about freezing feet and fingers than fear of what lies on  the other side of the muddy trenches. It is in places like this, the  soldiers say, that morale can break down. But on the Allied side of the camp it has not.  As the main force of Canadians continues to move north through the Scheldt  estuary in an effort to clear the channel ports of Holland, I decided to  take a trip inland to check the progress of our allies in the forest.

 In the five months since the invasion of Normandy, our forces have branched out and moved forward. The Canadians have been steadily moving north through  Belgium and Holland as British and U.S. forces have pushed west toward the Rhine. But the logistics of moving supplies to the advancing armies has been difficult. Without a port to land supplies, the advance has slowed. That's why the Canadians have been tasked with clearing the Germans out of Holland.

 The Kall Trail is barely a trail at all. This muddy, rain-soaked poor excuse for a road has been a lifeline for supplies. Conditions have worsened in recent weeks as the rains of autumn seep into the deep holes left by exploding shells and heavy equipment moving through. German defenders have cut trees and used them for cover and roadblocks. Disabled tanks and other vehicles lay stricken in the mud like so many dead elephants blocking the road.

 I arrived on the Kall Trail on a Friday afternoon, my driver dodging sniper and mortar fire from the German observation posts on the hills to deliver me to an Allied camp. It was peaceful and sunny. But as the sun set, the rains came, and continued through the night, soaking everything in sight. By  morning, the rain turned to snow. Without any suitable wood to build a fire,  it was a chilly and wet morning. I resorted to burning a few scraps of paper in a tin cup in an effort to warm some water to make coffee.

 Shortly before noon, the unit commanders had gathered up enough of a force to stage an attack on a German outpost on a nearby bridge. I've never seen such a combination of forces. British and Canadian infantry, Canadian paratroopers, U.S. infantry and even some members of the First Special Service Force were gathered together and marching out as the wet snow soaked through their boots and into their uniforms.

 For two hours the battle raged, the sounds of machine guns, rifles and mortar rounds resounding through the tall, icy pine trees. But it seemed little ground was gained on either side. German SS and infantry troops were able to hold their ground as they too slogged through the mud and snow.

 It was one of those uneventful days that soldiers press through the elements. Cold feet. Cold hands. Wondering when the weather might break. Another day. A hot meal and a chance to rest. Then back to the job at hand.