## January 23-25: The Days Before Holtzwihr
The specific sequence of events that led to Murphy commanding eighteen men at Holtzwihr on January 26 began three days earlier.
On January 23, 1945, the 30th Infantry Regiment (another regiment in the 3rd Division) advanced into the Bois de Riedwihr, the forest that overlooked the approaches to Holtzwihr. The 30th encountered ten German tanks and tank destroyers with at least 100 infantry, was cut to pieces in the open, and withdrew. The forest had to be cleared; it sat directly in the path of the advance.
On January 24, the 15th Infantry Regiment was ordered to retake the ground the 30th had lost. Company B was thrown into this assault. By the time the company reached its position, all of its officers except Murphy had been killed. Of its 120 enlisted men, 102 were dead or wounded. Eighteen men remained when the company reached the tree line at the south end of the Bois de Riedwihr, facing the village of Holtzwihr.
Murphy had taken command of Company B during the night of January 24-25. By midnight on January 25, the company had advanced 600 yards into the forest, then moved to the south end facing Holtzwihr. The frozen ground made it impossible to dig proper defensive positions. The men could not dig foxholes in the freeze.
Two M10 tank destroyers from the 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Walter E. Tardy, arrived at dawn on January 26 to support Murphy’s position. Five armored vehicles from the 3rd Reconnaissance Troop were also present to cover the right flank. Company A had a loose connection on the left.