"PATROLS WERE ACTIVE" DURING the "static" periods, Fifth Army communiques laconically reported: "Patrols were active." For the men who made those patrols there was enough activity to last a long while. It meant moving stealthily along a rocky path; sweating out ambushes; mines; and all the noises of night in no-man's land. There were flares, fire-fights, mortars, artillery and Screaming Meemies, and men got hurt. They sought information; looked for crossings along rivers; went for Kraut outposts; hunted Germans; and laid in ambush. It took a couple of hours to reach an objective and 20 minutes to come back. They went out whether it was raining or freezing cold. The weather made no difference. They went out and patrols were active.

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