| 2nd Ranger Battalion in Belgium |
| 2BTN HQ CO LTC Michael Hanks XO Captain Hans Mielants TO&E 4 NOV 1944 SMC Quality 1 OCT 1944 |
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| TASK FORCES TF HOL Major Joergen Holmquist TF CLIF 1st Lieutenant Clifford Scheiffele TF SHEA 1st Lieutenant Michael Shea TF CHAS 1st Lieutenant Chas Argent TF MIEL Captain Hans Mielants |
| Introduction : After the liberation of Brittany 2BTN moves into Belgium for R&R and some addional training and will now probe the German lines. On 30 SEP 1944 CO Michael Hanks was promoted Lieutenant Colonel. |
| Mission 1 : Night Interrogation. 5 OCT 1944 Goal : The battalion has to detect and capture Germans in front in order to determine strenght and identity. Result : Only TF HOL managed to identify 347 Infantry Division of LXXIV Corps. So just a minor victory for the battalion. |
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| Our new environment : hills, forests and wooded creeks. The Ardennes Forest |
| Mission 2 : Recon Encounter. 20 OCT 1944 Goal : The battalion is attached to CCA/5th Armored Division and is to move north to act as a Reserve to General Gerow's V Corps. Any intervening Germans have to be pushed back. Result : TF HOL encountered little opposition but TF WILL got almost overrun before the German recon elements retreated. A very light American victory. |
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| Some M8 Armored Cars and Shermans are joining us to get to the northeastern part of Belgium |
| Mission 3 : Infiltration Busters. 4 NOV 1944 Goal : Arrived in Raeren, 2 BTN has to reduce a set of infiltrating German Assault Engineers. Result : TF CLIF, HOL and SHEA reduced the infiltrating Germans and took more than 120 prisoners. Only the left flank of 47th Infantry regiment was not restored as TF CHAS is MIA. |
| After a month in the Belgian Ardennes 2nd Battalion is now moving into Germany, relieving 2nd Battalion of the battered 28th Infantry Division in Vossenack in the middle of the Huertgen Forest. |