The 30th Infantry Division began its advance on 2 October, using divisional heavy artillery to target German pillboxes; even then it took, on average, thirty minutes to capture a single pillbox. The Americans found that if they failed to immediately press on to the next pillbox, the Germans were sure to counterattack.Ambrose (1997), pp. 148–149 Heavy resistance had not been expected, and one company lost 87 combatants in an hour;Hitler's Army, pp. 323–324 another lost 93 out of 120 soldiers to a German artillery strike.Whiting (1976), p. 89 The attackers were slowly able to cross the Wurm River and engage German pillboxes with flamethrowers and explosive charges.Whiting (1976), pp. 89–90 By the afternoon of 2 October, elements of the 30th Infantry Division had breached German defenses and reached the town of Palenberg.Whitlock (2008), p. 39 Here, GIs advanced house-to-house and fought a number of gruesome hand grenade duels.Whiting (1976), p. 91 (Private Harold G. Kiner would be awarded the Medal of Honor for throwing himself on a German grenade near Palenberg, thus saving the lives of two fellow soldiers.)Whitlock (2008), pp. 39–40 Fighting in the town of Rimburg was equally terrible; American armor had not been able to get across the Wurm River, and therefore could not provide fire support to infantrymen who were attempting to storm a medieval castle being used as a fort by the Germans.Whiting (1976), pp. 91–92 The 30th Infantry Division subdued roughly 50 German pillboxes on the first day of the advance, often having to envelop the structure and attack from the rear.Rule (2003), pp. 61–62 The division's effort was aided by the 29th Infantry Division's diversionary attacks on their flank, leading the Germans to believe that that was the Americans' main attack.Rule (2003), p. 62 On the night of 2 October, the German 902nd Assault Gun Battalion was ordered to launch a counterattack against the 30th Infantry Division, but Allied artillery delayed the start of the raid, and ultimately the attempt failed.Hitler's Army, p. 324
