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Johnson sent word to Homan (Allen was already with Johnson) and
all of his subordinates apprising them of the situation and of
his conclusions. The Germans were coming on in an almost N-by-S
direction through the fields and marshes which lay directly east
of the road which had been used in the approach by Johnson's force.
They seemed to be on a straight march to the river and under no
particular apprehension. Johnson told his officers that he wanted
everyone to lie doggo and not fire a shot until one machine gun in
the strong point on his advanced right flank opened up; this gun
would be the signal for everything to cut loose. He told them to
go back to the men, see them one by one, and give them all this
word. (It is to be noted that the position was now reversed and
what had been the rear became the front of the position.) Every
man who could be spared from elsewhere over the ground was moved
up to the NE corner and spaced around the machine guns. In all,
about 120-125 men took up fire posts there. About six of the
eight machine guns were positioned in the same ground. The mortars
were already set in the center of the general position in well-dug
pits. It took about 30 minutes to complete these dispositions.
Then the men waited. Johnson took his post on the left flank of
the advanced position, near enough to the signal gun to give the
word. The enemy came on slowly, through the reticulation of small
swamps, canals and hedgerows, his men zig-sagging back and forth to
keep away from the west ground and water. Yet in general they
stayed bunched and they put out no advance security. About 1000
yds away they were seen to put out a flank patrol on their left.
Johnson at once sent out a counter patrol of five men with instruc-
tions to apprehend the German patrol before it could get up to even
with the American lines. This patrol did not get to close with the
German patrol; before the latter had moved up to where it could
observe the position , the engagement had begun and the German
patrol moved back to its main body.

By 1600, the frd groups of Germans had come to within 350 yds---
still moving along unconcernedly. It was the distance Johnson
wanted. He was trying to find a delicate balance in his fire---
to get them up to a point that his first volley would sweep the
Germans with a killing blast and yet not permit them up so close
that they could come on and overwhelm his position by sheer weight
of numbers. He said to the lad on the frd gun: “OK now. Let ’em
have it!" The signal gun got away not more than two rounds before
everything behind him out loose. The Germans were coming across
the field at the time, bunched up and well in the open. As the
fire broke out (Major Allen, near the CP, was in control of the
group composing the base of fire of the general position) those
who were watching saw many Germans fall but they couldn ’t tell how
many had been hit and how many were dropping for cover. The force
simply faded away. Within 30 seconds, those on the frd line could
not see a single German. The marshes and the canals gave them
good cover right at hand: they made the most of it and began
pouring small arms fire into Hell’s Corners as soon as they found
it. They sent up a rocket signal, and it brought a renewal of the
mortar fire from St Come and the arty fire from Carentan upon the