Today in 1944: The 344th shuts down Kitchens.

Rumors are there are German infiltrators who speak English who are attempting
to penetrate our airfield to reach the mess tent and poison our food
supplies.. We close down our kitchens and mess tents and we all are issued K
rations. The cooks and bakers are issued rifles and sent out to join units of
the 7th (?) army forming a line of skermishers on the East end of our field. We
miss the hot food in the bitter cold and a diet of K rations is very hard to
fly on. But we think of those inside Bastogne and are grateful for little
things. We turn in for the night clutching our K rations, glad we have them. As
we drift off to sleep we hear the faint chatter of small arms coming from the
East. Those sounds are almost drowned out by the much louder sounds of R-2800's
being run up on test stand being serviced for tomorrows missions. Christmas Eve
comes tomorrow.


Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer