Evening star., 1945-03-08
Arlington Officer Had Key Role
In Hating Nozi Break Through,
Broken Yonk Units
Were Reoreonized
By Col. Smythe
BY THOMAS r. HENRY,

=
WITH THE 1st ARMY IN GER
MANY, Mar. GA major role In
frustrating Won Rundstedt's surprise
counterattack toward Liege last
December was played by a regular
Army colonel whose home Is in
Arlington, Va, and who was quarter
back Of four West Point football
teams from 1920 to 1928.
He Is Col. George w. Smythe.
commander Of the 47th Infantry
Regiment Of the 9th Division.
With communications cut of, Col.
Smythe in a few hours organized
what was essentially complete new
division from American units caught
and smashed in the breakthrough.
Then he used it to stop In its
tracks the enemy assault. thus saw
ing the vital communications center
Iof Eupen In Belgium which Won
Rundstedt had fixed as the con-
vergence point for his assault on
Liege and making possible the re-
tention of the communications
system already established by the
LIST and 3rd Armies ineNortheastern
Belgium end Western Germany.
Col. Smythe's action. an example
of individual initiative, skill and
courage, which may have hastened
by months the defeat OF the German
armies In the west, hitherto has not
been revealed in detail.
The 47th Infantry, which Col.
Cu,,,tha bac coro poopdad e}rcn C;ejlv
had been ordered to quiet sector,
but ordered to keep themselves
ready to plug the gap II the Ger
mans attacked.
Suddenly ordered to move his regi-
ment to Eupen, Col. Smythe found
the counterattack in full force. He
was told to coordinate all American
troops in the sector for a last-ditch
stand. But he had no information
of the depth or strength of the
enemy penetration.
Through the winter forest Col.
Smythe set out in jeep with only
a driver and a radio operator
Stopped at the outskirts of Eupen,
he was warned that he would not
get mile beyond the town before he
would be killed or captured.
AT least I will know where they
are" he said. He found that his
radio was tuned to the wrong chan
mel so he was completely out of
touch with his outfit. Soon he ran
into roads with American troops and
guns retreating into Eupen.
Col. Smythe speedily organized
these retreating troops around the
nucleus of his own regiment and
was given unqualified command of
all the troops in the area.
He estimated that advanced Ger
man elements were still several
miles from Eupen Combat en-
gineers were ordered to make an
intricate pattern of defensive de-
molitions to delay the German ad-
vance.
Hearing from prisoners that Ger
man paratroopers had been dropped
in the area. Col Smythe took ex-
treme measures. He ordered all sus-
picious persons encountered shot
and all cars stopped and papers ex-
amined.
All this was accomplished in pour
ing rain and pitch dark in densly
wooded terrain. Scouts ordered out
by Col. Smythe located all American
troops in the area and wiremen set
up a communication system.
There was still no contact with
the enemy in force. An enemy para
trooper lurking in the woods was
shot. Before dying, he revealed that
a force of 800 had been dropped
nearby. Strong combat patrols were
sent out to And them.
At dawn, Col Smythe had fairly
clear picture of the situation. The
German main force had penetrated
within a thousand yards of the
foremost new American positions
set up during the night. .