The Battle of the Bulge had started on December 18, 1944. The flying conditions were bad, and visibility over German targets was not favorable until the day before Christmas due to the extreme overcast. We were given another railway center as a target on Christmas Eve.

This mission was a marshalling yard at Daun-Gerolstein-Ober. Our plane (B-24) dropped twenty four 250 general purpose bombs on the target. It was of extreme importance that this marshalling yard be destroyed since munitions and supplies were supporting German forces at the Battle of the Bulge. Our formation descended to a low altitude in order to insure a visual bomb run. This was our eighth mission, and we logged 6 hours and 25 minutes of air combat time.

After the interrogation, I returned to my Nissen hut and found a package of broken homemade cookies on my cot. Mail was usually delivered to your cot while a crew was on a combat mission. We rode on our bikes to a shack so we could take a shower. We had to heat water (after gathering some wood) by starting a fire in a small stove. On the way back, we stopped at the Mess Hall for some Spam and brussel sprouts. I watched a combat training film that evening.