Report of Emil Weiß, soldier in 6^th Company, GrenReg 404 of 246^th VGD.

I was in unit 6/404. We dug in in the fields between Inden and Pier. We received replacements in Pier. Then we moved into the positions along the railroad embankment Inden-Pier. As far as we knew about the other side, they were said to be colored. We launched our attack all the way to the Inde with nine Tigers and four Panthers. The American retreated, vacated Inden, and fell back on Pattern. As far as I know Inden has changed hands five or six times. Combat was very tough, especially the hand-to hand fighting. The Americans attacked with tanks over and over again. They mostly shelled the area around the train station, our center of gravity. In our final attack, Regiment 404 was wiped out except for 44 men. Most of the casualties were due to artillery fire, many comrades had died or been captured.

After we had regrouped, we were pulled back to Niederzier on 12/11/44. We should launch an attack on Lucherberg on 12/12, reinforced with newly assigned Luftwaffe forces (paratroopers). We let Inden be Inden for now. The assault was well prepared by tanks and artillery. A barrage of approximately 2,000 rounds was supposed to hit the enemy.

Regiments 404 and 689/246^th Division, Major Ritter, carried the assault to about 150 meters short of Lucherberg. We took up positions 200 meters outside Lucherberg. From here the infiltration should be initiated by tanks after a brief artillery assault. We waited for the artillery barrage but it only comprised of about 600-800 rounds, much less than planned. As soon as it stopped we rose and charged at Lucherberg. The Americans must have noticed the attack early because there was no artillery activity, only single shots, while on the other days there had always been barrages on our dugouts.

The attack bogged down under the sudden outburst of the American artillery, which formed a ring around Lucherberg. Even American positions were hit by that wild barrage. We suffered heavy casualties, especially since the attack had failed. When both regiments reached the jump-off line again, there were only four men left. Lucherberg had been attacked in a semi-circle, along 800 meters of front-line. But the enemy did not capitalize on this moment of weakness, instead he just remained where he was. We had attacked Lucherberg because we intended to gain this strategically important look-out deep into the hinterland.

The remainders were gathered in Pier after that disastrous assault. Added to the mix were all the troops that were still available in Niederzier, Luftwaffe and paratroopers. We took up prepared positions in Kirchberg. This position was needed for the Rundstedt offensive, Our objective was solely to withstand the pressure. We noticed much decrease in the American pressure after the Rundstedt offensive, especially the artillery was much less active. The enemy kept quiet. Only occasionally we could observe American reconnaissance patrols on the road Inden-Pier. The assault on Lucherberg was the last bigger fight near Inden.