third—Company Headquarters—and fourth Platoon. The Company moved through a field to the west of Kesternich and took up position along a road that was submerged, providing protection from enemy fire. Fox reorganized rapidly and secured their position. All four Platoon leaders had become casualties. Sgts. Frank A. Leonard, Claude E. Blackwell, George A. Roman, and Horst took over the Platoons. As morning came on December 15th, a much-depleted Fox Company of around seventy men moved towards Kesternich again. Fox advanced to an old sunken road bordered by more hedge-rows. They came upon the crest of a hill, and before Fox lay Kesternich. They continued into the town's outskirts after climbing a short slope. When they entered the village, they were surprised to be met with little to no small arms or artillery fire. Fox seized the target with minimal resistance. Around 1300, Company "E" reached the eastern edge of Kesternich with less than half of its initial troop strength and made every effort to set up defenses. Company "G," also with significantly reduced strength, reorganized and managed to hold the town's center. At midnight on December 15, Lt. Col. Creighton E. Likes took over the 2nd Battalions, 309th and 310th Infantry. These battalions were to attack and take control of the town of Kesternich with a platoon of tanks and a platoon of tank destroyers attached. The attack started at 0700 hours in the early morning hours of December 15th. Company F moved east and encountered a minefield near a pillbox that was neutralized earlier in the day. After avoiding the minefield, it moved south and into the town, where it encountered the same grueling house-to-house combat as Company G. Around 1400 hours, it had cleared the southern sector. At least 500 Volksgrenadiers participated in the German counter-attack on the 2nd Battalion, 310th Infantry, which started around 1615 and lasted until early December 16th. In Fox's area of town, the counterattack lasted for about an hour and a half. After the Germans stopped firing, the men got back to work digging the foxholes. By the time Fox Company realized how serious the situation was, they were cut off from allied forces and surrounded by an enemy who had vowed to seize and hold this town at all costs. Eleven men were added as reinforcements around 1830, placing them on the far left. Around that time, Sgt. Isidor Tarnofsky reported to