All supplies in this advance were of necessity carried by men and mules, since jeepable roads were non-existent. Communication was extremely difficult to maintain because the front was wide, the distance between the regimental CP and the battalions great, and inclusive of rough and rocky mountains. Because of the constant forward movement and redisposition of the unit's elements, it was necessary for the wire team to work night and day in their efforts to provide even the barest minimum of communication required for the efficient functioning of the Combat Team.

Probably the most valuable asset possessed by the 504 in this phase of the Italian campaign was dogged stamina and the initiative and will to overcome or circumvent all obstacles in their pursuance of the part they were ordered to play in this operation.

On this mission, almost without exception, combat was restricted to small local engagements between patrols over a broad front. The terrain was such that no distinct front line, either enemy or friendly, could be designated. German patrols operated behind our "lines" and the same thing was true of the American patrols to an even greater extent. It is in this type of warfare that the 504 proved itself to be the unequivocal master of the enemy; there were few encounters, even when the Germans had the advantage of numerical superiority, that the enemy didn't come out second best. Trained to fight in small independent groups, in the technique of scouting and stealth, and for stamina and perseverance, the paratroopers proved the value of their specialized preparation for combat.

With the enemy failing back for a stand along a line running from Cardito to Alfedena, the 504 Combat Team was warned to stand by for a displacement forward to Scapoli. However, before any such movement began, the CT was ordered into Corps reserve, its positions to be exchanged with the 133rd Infantry.

The 3rd Battalion moved to the rear on November 23, followed by the remainder of the Combat Team on successive days thereafter. At Ciorlano, Thanksgiving was celebrated with a sumptuous repast transported in special containers to the regiment from Naples, and arrived in such quantities that mess kits were foregone in favor of the greater volume of tin helmets.

After a dull and somewhat uncomfortable two weeks spent in bivouac in a reserve position near Ciorlano, the Combat Team received orders to move forward for an assault on Mt. Sammucro and the adjacent hills beyond Venafro - positions that dominated the gateway to the German stronghold of Cassino.

On the rainy cold evening of December 10, 1943, the regimental CP was established at Venafro, and the 1st and 2nd Battalions closed in on their respective bivouac areas at the base of the high ground overlooking the Volturno Valley and Venafro. Companies G and I of the 3 rd Battalion moved immediately forward to relieve elements of the 3 rd Ranger Battalion who were in position on Hill 950. While advancing to relieve the Rangers, I Company became subjected to enemy small arms fire and in the midst of a German counter-attack, managed to take up their assigned positions. The next twelve hours found the Germans counter-attacking seven times in force, and although I Company had suffered 46 casualties by noon of the following day, they still held the position.

The following morning the 2nd Battalion completed the difficult climb up Mt. Sammucro (1205) to take up positions formerly occupied by the 143rd Infantry. The remainder of the 3rd Battalion joined G and I Companies and continued to repel repeated enemy counter-attacks. 307th Airborne Engineers laid a mine field in the draw between Hills 1205 and 950. Enemy artillery increased in intensity to a degree unprecedented in the Italian campaign - it became quite evident that the Germans were determined to regain these heights at all costs.

The 1st Battalion, supposedly in reserve, was used for litter-bearing details, and to carry food, water, and ammunition up the rocky, heavily-shelled trails to the troops clinging stubbornly to positions on the heights.

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