 The battalion was strafed by Bf 109s on the 3rd; two were downed by anti-aircraft fire, the first aircraft the battalion had destroyed.On the 8th, plans were made to pull the battalion out of the line to prepare for a crossing of the Roer River, with companies B and C remaining in action for the time being.On 17 December, the scale of the German offensive in the Ardennes was becoming clear; the battalion was immediately ordered to provide anti-paratroop patrols along the divisional supply lines, and on the 19th was detached from the 5th Armored and attached to the 78th Infantry Division in XIX Corps, north of the main offensive area.