The commanders of four U.S. rifle companies which have been in contact with the enemy in the Siegfried Line have furnished valuable information about the resistance offered by German pillboxes, and have submitted comments regarding the vulnerability, as well as the capabilities, of these fortifications. The terrain in which these rifle companies have been fighting contains many steep hills (some as high as 500 feet), woods with thick underbrush, and streams. Consequently, most of it is poor tank country. The pillboxes encountered by rifle companies have been of three types: some have had only one aperture, others have had mounted machine guns and two apertures, while still others have simply been personnel shelters. As to density, there has been approximately one pillbox every 100 yards in width and depth, and the fortifications have been mutually supporting. The Germans have had very good observation and an abundance of artillery and mortar support.
None of the company commanders' remarks should be construed as necessarily coinciding with United States Army doctrine.
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