IX Engineer Command

of freezing temperatures and enemy air activity.

The expected operational date for the Metz field was January 1, but the base was needed for close air operations against the Germans' winter offensive. The 830th made it operational for one fighter group a week earlier, presenting it to the Ninth Air Force as a Christmas present on December 25th.

Then came the Luftwaffe's New Year's morning party. The surprisingly strong GAF blow hit Metz and other key fields in France and Belgium on January 1. Battalion anti-aircraft guns joined in to give the Jerries a hot reception on some of these fields. This occurred during the time when Field Marshal Von Rundstedt's offensive through the Ardennes caught our forces in the Battle of the Bulge. Armies were shifted and regrouped, with the Ninth Army in the North assigned to the 21st Army Group. With the change in grouping and tactics, units of the command moved into Eastern Belgium, directly