B
Company 56th Engineers ZERO
HOUR It was shortly after midnight 30 December. The moon shone bright
and the night was clear and cold. In the distance could be heard the
occasional "krump" of a heavy artillery piece or the chatter
of a machine gun. On the nearby highway an intermittent stream of
vehicles moved, for the most part in one direction. Closer observation
would show that the great majority of these vehicles were ambulances
loaded to capacity moving back to a hospital area. To one side of the
highway a company of men .slept, wearied to exhaustion by the strain of
a continued forced march over hundreds of miles with a goal that could
only be combat. This was the picture on the eve of battle for Company B
of the 56th Armored Engineer Battalion, commanded by Capt. Will C.
McMasters. A sudden flurry of activity, broke the quiet of the scene as the
second platoon, commanded by Lt. Spiros Pantazi, moved out of the area.
To one squad had fallen the job of accompanying a troop of the 41st
Cavalry Rcn. while the other two joined Company A of the 21st Armored
Infantry Battalion. The pattern was already taking shape. The Company was divided,
since the task force was made up of several units of Combat Command B of
the 11th Armored Division. The platoons were moving out to join the
outfits to which they were attached, and all was being made ready to
.jump off at the appointed hour. Shortly thereafter the first platoon,
commanded by Lt. S. A. Scearce, moved to join the 41st Tank Battalion
and the third platoon, Commanded by Lt. Remo Pirolo, moved with the
reserve units. BAPTISM
OF FIRE H-hour was 0730. The first platoon advanced with the tank companies
as they went into the attack. Moving through Lavaselle the tanks struck
at and captured Houmont toward the end of the day. The first platoon set
up defensive positions squad of the third platoon was left at a damaged
bridge to make repairs. Artillery shells falling in that area struck a
building in which some tankers had taken refuge. Pvt. Arnold Pogodin, on
outpost nearby, rushed through the shellfire to the building and
administered first aid to the wounded men. For this action he was
awarded the Bronze Star Medal. As the squad moved up to join the
remainder of the platoon, a bursting shell wounded Pvt. Vincent J.
Todesco and T/5 Charles T. Justensen. All during the night the units
received continuous shell fire without being able to retaliate. At
daylight the third platoon pulled back a short distance to continue
working on the bridges and roads. Minutes after they had left, the
Krauts opened up with a terrific artillery barrage in preparation for a
counterattack which later drove the first platoon out of town. During
the barrage Pvt. Robert B. Bounds and Pvt. Theodore J. Mamola were
killed, and T/5 William J. Stoutt was wounded. The counterattack was
stopped just short of the bridge where the third platoon was -working,
and, after regrouping their forces, the task force again attacked the
town and drove the Krauts out. This time for good. Once again the third
platoon moved up to join the first in the defense of the town. As the
task force moved again on New Year's Day, both the first and third
platoons were in their respective places .and it wasn't until the
.evening of the next day that their services were needed. The infantry
was preparing a dusk attack on the final objective, Mande-St. Etienne,
and the first and third platoons of engineers were called upon to hold
the flank as the infantry moved up. The artillery and small arms fire
were severe but the town was taken and the two platoons moved in to aid
in its defense for the night. A terrific artillery duel raged throughout
the night and in the morning the body of T/5-Johnny T. Davison was found
amid the ruins of a building, victim of a sniper's bullet. Meanwhile the second platoon had also encountered difficulties. The
one squad of this platoon which had been sent out with the cavalry ran
into a counterattack and was forced to withdraw under very heavy fire.
Pinned down for several hours they managed to get all of their vehicles
and men out with the exception of their squad leader, Sgt. Frank E.
Learned, who was missing. Unbeknown to them he had gone to the aid of a
very seriously wounded cavalryman and stayed with him under murderous
enemy fire until the medics could reach him. For this action he was
awarded the Silver Star. The remainder of the platoon followed the infantry task force
toward the town of Jodenville which, although reported to be in Allied
hands, had been counterattacked and retaken by the Krauts during the
night. By the "time the engineer unit got to the town it had been
cleared, and a terrific tank battle was raging on the gentle slopes in
the foreground. The platoon pulled of to the left of the town to await
orders which, were slightly mixed up due to the counterattack. The
infantry, to which the second platoon was to have been attached, was dug
in several hundred yards back in the woods and the platoon was very
nearly in the middle of the tank battle. Just as they made ready to pull
out, an 88mm. shell, one of the many that had fallen in the area that
afternoon, hit the peep in which Lt. Pantazi and his driver, Pfc. Harry
E. Mibbs, were sitting, wounding them both. Several men from the first
squad went to their rescue under heavy fire. As evening drew nigh the
second platoon moved into town after several unsuccessful attempts to
rescue their vehicles and formed part of the town's defense. That night
nothing was to be seen except the red glow of a burning town far over
the horizon. The stillness was broken only by the whistling of an
occasional shell from our artillery, harassing the enemy who were lying
in wait for our attacks the following day.
By the next evening the attack had moved forward and the second
platoon had dug in on the rear slope of the hill above Chenogne. It was
New Year's Eve. As the next day dawned bright and clear the tanks
rumbled forward to strike at the foe holed up in Chenogne. The task of
the second platoon was to set up a rear guard defense line on the ridge
of the hill overlooking the town. Their positions were attacked several
times by barrages of mortar fire and Pfc. Henry W. Nelson was wounded by
a sniper as he was patrolling a nearby woods. As dusk fell the platoon
was assigned the mission of entering the town, clearing the buildings of
snipers, blowing captured field pieces and setting up another rear guard
defense. Slowly, building by building, two groups of men led by Sgt.,
Lombardi and Sgt. May cleared the town, followed closely by a demolition
party led by T/5 Winget who placed TNT charges in the breeches of the
captured field pieces. Darkness had set in and there was an eerie
feeling that they were being watched, but no trouble from snipers was
encountered. The following morning the platoon moved out with the
infantry as the attack progressed toward the now famous town of Mande-St.
Etienne. The second platoon dug in on the, edge of the woods just below
the town, and after sweating out several artillery and mortar barrages,
during which Pfc. Thomas Clifford was killed, pulled back to a safer
area. That evening just after the town had been taken, the platoon was
ordered to enter the town and mine all the approach roads and to help
set up the defense of the town together with the first and third
platoons who were entering the town from the flank. Some sporadic sniper
fire and a false cry of "counterattack!" sent the platoon
racing out of town to set up a defense line after abandoning several
trailers in haste. Some moments later the platoon again entered the town
and joined with the remainder of the company in setting up a defense.
Early the following morning, 3 January, the (first squad) of the second
platoon was sent out to cinder an icy slope. In spite of artillery fire
which dropped all around them, the job was completed and they headed
their track for the company CP. RELIEF Cheers of joy echoed in the town as long columns of the 17th
Airborne Division came trudging up the road to take over the positions.
About 1500 3 January a company of tired, unshaven and ragged-looking men
pulled into a bivouac area in Massul, Belgium, after having spent five
as grueling days in combat as ever faced green men. They were veterans
now and their only thoughts for the moment were of the delicious turkey
dinner that S/Sgt. Steffero was cooking for them in the shelter of a
barn. BITTER
COLD Darkness had fallen over the little town of Massul and the night
was clear and very cold. For the past ten days the company had rested
up, repaired their vehicle and personal equipment, had eaten well and
had caught up on their sleep. They were ready to go after the enemy
again. Many of those who had started out the last time weren't present
for the start of this trip due to enemy action and subzero weather. The
company had been alerted early that afternoon and at 2000 mounted up and
prepared to move to an assembly area. The roads were icy, the traffic
heavy, and the trip, which was to have taken the unit a little over an
hour to make stretched on through the night. The next morning, 13
January, each platoon moved out to join its respective task force. The
first platoon moved again with the 41st Tank Bn. and dug in on the edge
of the woods to the left and slightly to the rear of Foy on the
Bastogne-Houffalize highway. The second platoon joined with headquarters
company of the 21st Armored Infantry Bn. and entrenched in the woods to
the right and some distance to the rear of Foy on the main highway. The
third platoon remained with CCB Headquarters on the outskirts of
Bastogne. FOY
AND NOVILLE The attack was scheduled to jump off at 0630 14 January but Foy,
which was being held by the 101st Airborne had been retaken by the
Krauts the previous night and the plans had to be changed. Finally at
1230 the task force jumped off and attacked the town of Foy, retaking
it. Swinging to the left of the highway, it attacked the town of Cobru
below Noville. The first platoon was following a platoon of infantry and
went to the outskirts of the town under a terrific barrage of mortar and
artillery fire which killed T/5 Arthur J. Jacobsen. After having taken
the town, the task force pulled out leaving the first platoon of
engineers and a platoon of infantry to hold it. The engineers mined the
approach roads to the town under cover of darkness and dug in to defend
them. The second platoon, now under the command of Lt. J. E. Andersson,
had moved to the positions previously occupied by the first platoon the
night before and awaited orders. Shortly after dark they were ordered to
move to the reverse slope of a hill to the east and slightly to the
south of Noville and to set up a defense line connecting with the
infantry. To support this defense line the tank companies of the task
force moved out of Cobru and pulled up to where the second platoon was
dug in. Flares were darting through the air and the sound of tanks
maneuvering put everyone on his guard, for a severe counterattack was
expected at any minute. The first squad was sent out to put in and
defend a mine road block, while Lt. Andersson and Lt. Young along with
several men of the second and third platoons went into enemy territory
on a stream reconnaissance patrol. Meanwhile the first squad of the
third platoon stayed back with two Brockways waiting on a call that
would send them to the point where the stream was to be bridged. The
call never came through because the proposed bridge site was too far
into enemy territory to permit safe working conditions. The remainder of
the third platoon went but to look for a mine field which was reported
to be in the Vicinity of Noville. The next morning the task force again jumped off and attacked the
woods to the left of Noville, swinging around and crossing the main
highway from Bastogne to Houffalize, and digging in for the night with
their guns pointing toward the key communications center of Houffalize.
The first platoon followed the lead infantry company and underwent the
most terrific artillery and mortar barrage they had ever encountered.
One halftrack was knocked out when a shell burst and sent a screaming
piece of shrapnel into the radiator. A second shell burst ripped the gas
tank from the platoon tool truck. The first squad track was ordered to
withdraw to the rear. They approached Noville from the southeast and
entered the town turning into the main highway toward Houffalize.
Scarcely had they reached the outskirts of the town when a 57mm shell
struck the side of the halftrack and seriously wounded Lt. Scearce, Cpl.
Fitzgerald and Pvt. Walker. As they attempted to back up, a Tiger Royal
tank mounting an 88mm gun hit the track again. This time squarely in
front, the shell tearing through the motor and ripping under the back
seat. The men all jumped out as the track started to burn and the
ammunition began to explode. T/4 Schoonover of the first platoon and T/5
Dennis of the battalion medical detachment rushed to the aid of the
wounded men in the burning track. Pvt. Deshazzo who had sought cover,
returned to lend assistance. Under heavy small arms and artillery fire
they carried the men to safety. For this action the three were awarded
the Bronze Star Medal. Meanwhile the second platoon had pulled back to Foy in the early
morning, waiting for the infantry to move up. Later in the day they
moved up into a draw to the left of Noville and engaged in road
maintenance and assisting the infantry tracks over the bad spots. During
this action several barrages of artillery and "screaming meemies"
were sent in. After darkness had set in, the third platoon moved down to
the draw where the second platoon was located and the two platoons built
several bridges over a small stream. The work was finished about
midnight and the third platoon was ordered to the 21st Infantry to
replace the second platoon which, in turn, relieved the first platoon
with the 41st tanks. HOUFFALIZE The 16 January dawned bright and cold and the men, although tired
and hungry, were ready to push on the final objective, which was. the
severing of the supply route to Houffalize and the junction with the
First Army driving down from the north. After a short artillery barrage
to soften up the enemy, the task force moved out cross-country with the
second platoon trailing on the heels of the lead tanks. No resistance
was encountered until the platoon rounded the woods on high ground above
the little town of Wicourt, just off the main highway.' Suddenly shells
and mortars began landing among the vehicles. The men dismounted and ran
for foxholes which were conveniently located on the edge of the woods.
The barrage continued until the lead tanks had silenced some of the
guns. The platoon mounted up and continued to the other side of the
woods where they were again pinned down for an hour by
direct-observation mortar fire. Pvt. J. W. Hawkins was wounded from a
tree burst and Pfc. George Eversman was evacuated with battle fatigue.
Then came the mission of dismounting and entering the town of Wicourt.
With Lt. Andersson in the lead, the platoon moved across the
snow-covered ground toward the town. Their advance was impeded numerous
times when the area was shelled and mortars were dropped into the
already burning buildings, but the town was cleared. Many mines were
found and removed from the main highway near the junction of the
approach road to Wicourt. The platoon set up its CP in Wicourt until it
was ordered to move up to the high ground overlooking Houffalize and
form part of the task force defense line. During this action the first
platoon remained in the rear reorganizing and later that night swept the
main highway for mines from Noville to the approaches of Houffalize. The
third platoon remained on call with the 21 st Infantry until they moved
up to join the second platoon at Houffalize late that night. Morning
dawned and rumors spread that relief was on its way! Everyone kept
watching and waiting for the first signs of a relieving force. Shortly
after noon the same column of doughs that had once relieved them at
Mande-St. Etienne, the 17th Airborne, again made its appearance, coming
down. a wooded trail and disappearing out of sight over the horizon.
Once again vehicles loaded with tired soldiers wended their way back
toward rear areas for a much-needed rest. This time the rest consisted for the most part of a comfortable
place to sleep and good warm food. Considerable territory had been
retaken during the past few weeks, all of it a potential mine field.
Consequently the entire company spent the two days of rest sweeping
roads for mines, checking buildings for booby traps, and blowing enemy
equipment. The first platoon was also re-equipped during this time so
that each platoon was ready for the alert which sounded 20 January. The third platoon moved out first to take over the job of
maintaining the icy roads as the heavy equipment of the command moved
over. The first and- second platoons joined the 41st Tank and 21st
Infantry Battalions in the vicinity of Noville. Under cover of darkness
the third platoon joined the second and the two moved through Bourcy to
sweep the snow-covered roads for mines. The morning of the attack
several members of the third platoon went with bulldozers to clear the
roads of snow, knee deep in some places, while the remainder of the-
platoon sanded many icy places. However, the morning passed and the
expected advance didn't materialize. It was soon learned that the Krauts
had withdrawn completely from the area, leaving the division in battle
formation with no one to fight. The remainder of the day and the 'next
day were spent in the never-ending job of road maintenance. With new
tactics to be planned the company moved back to the little town of Isle
de Pres, west of Bastogne, for a two week break. DECORATIONS
AND SHOWERS Much had to be done during this period besides catching up on
eating and sleeping. There were many battle-scarred vehicles to be
repaired, new clothes to be issued, and reinforcements to be initiated
into the outfit. It was here that the men saw their first movie since
leaving the shores of England and many were just getting their Christmas
packages for which they had waited many weeks. Showers were available
for the first time. It was toward the end of this break period that the
men of this command first practiced their breakthrough tactics. Several
days were devoted to this and to the swift building of treadway bridges.
One of the highlights of this period was the ceremony one bright
February afternoon when Brigadier General Charles S. Kilburn, CQ of the
11th Armored Division, presented medals to those men who had won them in
the two previous engagements. MAINTAINING
SUPPLY ROUTES On 8 February about 0600 the Company moved out onto the Bastogne
highway, turned southeast in Bastogne, and headed for the village of
Steffenhausen, Belgium, on the fringe of the vaunted Siegfried Line.
Since the breaching of the Siegfried Line was a matter primarily for the
infantry and a few engineers, the next three days were spent in
maintaining supply lines for the infantry units who were cracking the
defensive positions of the Krauts. An early spring thaw had turned the
secondary roads into a quagmire and had swollen the Our River and
smaller streams into raging torrents, overflowing their banks in many
places. Day and night, through drenching rain and knee-deep mud, the men
of B Company labored to keep the trucks with their vitally needed
supplies rolling toward the front. Mines carelessly placed along the
edges of the road demolished a bulldozer and slightly injured T/5 Truman
K. Jessee, the operator. Still dazed but determined to finish the job he
obtained another bulldozer and continued to clear the almost impassable
roads. BAILEY
BRIDGE Then on 11 February the Company moved south along the Our River to
the village of Malsheid, Belgium. Here they continued their road work,
hauling gravel and rock to fill huge craters made from heavy artillery
shells and bombs. The first platoon had gone toward the Our River at
Peterskirch and swept the existing roads for mines in preparation for a
river crossing. They drilled holes in the sides of the cliffs and
planted demolition in case of a possible counterattack. Then on 18
February the entire company was sent to Peterskirch to erect a
"double-double" Bailey Bridge. The third platoon went across
the river in assault boats to act as security for the other two platoons
who were working on the bridge. The launching site was narrow and there
was considerable difficulty in getting the bridge under way. Later that
afternoon a platoon of infantry came to replace the third platoon as
security, releasing them to work on the bridge. But at 2100 the third
platoon was again called away and sent to Lutzkampen, Germany, to guard
civilians while the infantry reduced the pillboxes in the vicinity. The
following afternoon at 1600 two platoons of tired, hungry men drove back
to their bivouac area with the satisfaction of having completed a bridge
which was later to carry the entire division into Germany for the first
time. While the first and second platoons were finishing the bridge, the
third platoon was patrolling the Siegfried Line and sweeping roads
virtually into the jaws of the famed "dragon's teeth". On one.
particular stretch of road they laid a double lane of corduroy for about
3/4 of a mile. This road has come to be known as the "Eightball
Highway". SIEGFRIED
LINE The infantry had run into a group of tough pillboxes and on 23
February the first platoon joined a small task force on a mission of
reducing these pillboxes. Armed with bazookas, machine guns and several
types of prepared demolition charges they attacked, destroying 46
pillboxes and taking 200 prisoners. During the action Lt. Frank Toczola,
now leading the first platoon, and his peep driver, T/5 Pasquale Potente,
were blown into the air when their peep struck a mine. The vehicle was
severely damaged but neither of the men was injured. Another accident
occurred several days before, when Lt. John Ducey, leading the second
platoon, and demolition specialist T/5 John R. Bichoff were blown to
bits while attempting to destroy a stack of mines which had been removed
from a nearby field. PRUM Early 1 March the company, now completely equipped with halftracks,
moved through the Siegfried Line as part of the CCB column to the
village of Neidermehlen, near Prum. All along the march route small
groups had been dropped off to maintain bad spots in the road, and
finally regrouped in the assembly area. The company had scarcely had
time to dig in when word came that there were several mine fields which
had to be cleared before other units could move in to their bivouac
areas. By nightfall the areas had been swept for mines and although
sporadic long range artillery fire had fallen in the area, there were no
casualties. The following day was spent in road maintenance and mine
field clearing in the path of the proposed attack. MINE
FIELDS UNDER FIRE As dawn broke on the morning of 3 March a task force composed of
the 55th Armored Infantry Battalion and the 22nd Tank Battalion with the
second platoon of B Company of the engineers, all under the command of
Lt. Col. Hearn, moved through Prum. Crossing the Prum River, they
assembled on the high ground overlooking the river. Six men from the
third platoon joined the 21st Infantry and followed the main task force
on foot. The remainder of the third platoon was dispatched to a huge
road crater with orders to make it passable. The attack jumped off at
1255, the tanks storming the town of Schwarzheim and moving on down
across the open fields toward Budesheim. In the middle of the afternoon
four of the lead tanks ran into a mine field, which disabled three of
them. A call was immediately sent for the engineers:. The second
platoon, answering the call, pulled out of their position in the
assembly area and sped toward the scene of the action. Dispersing their
vehicles behind a ridge occupied by friendly infantry forces, two squads
of mine field specialists and demolitionists skirted the edge of the
ridge and set to work with mine detectors to breech the field and clear
a portion of it so that a tank recovery vehicle could reach the
knocked-out tanks. The men had hardly gotten underway when the Krauts
opened up with a terrific mortar barrage zeroed-in on the field. A
screaming piece of shrapnel struck T/5 Martin R. Murphy, detector
operator, killing him instantly. T/5 Earl F. Cameron, seeing one of the
detectors out of action, rushed to the side of his dead comrade, picked
up the detector and completed the job in spite of continued heavy
shelling and occasional small arms fire. For this gallant action he was
awarded the Bronze Star Medal. As the barrage let up, the remainder of
the men again went to work marking the mines and preparing them for
demolition. Several men were dispatched to either side of the broad
field to attempt to locate a bypass. Again the mortars came in, fatally
wounding Pfc. Charles Stoops. The mine field had been marked and the
demolition placed for breaching when one group of men came back with
news that they had discovered a bypass. This information was radioed to
the task force commander. Almost immediately the task force again began
to move toward the objective, while the engineers, one by one ducked,
crawled or ran through the continued heavy fire to their concealed
vehicles. Several moments later a blinding flash and explosion told them
that the field had been breached. The next morning, after a K-ration and a cup. of coffee, the second
platoon moved out again toward the objective of Budesheim. Traveling
cross-country through mud and rain, struggling to keep its heavy bridge
trucks from bogging down, the platoon finally arrived in Budesheim on
the morning of 5 March. Farther down the road, near the town of Oos,
several bridges, were blown and the second platoon moved into that
vicinity waiting for the other two platoons to join them for the
bridging job ahead. Meanwhile the first platoon accompanied the 41st Tank Battalion and
advanced through Prum past the third platoon as they were working on the
crater. Topping the hill above Prum the task force ran into mine fields
covered by artillery and small arms fire. The first platoon breached the
field under fire, being pinned down several times by snipers. Throughout
the afternoon and night and the whole next day the platoon worked on
mine fields. It was also at this time that a patrol of men led by Sgt.
Tulio Leonardelli was sent out to try to capture and hold an important
bridge. The distance and the number of enemy troops in the area
prevented the mission from being accomplished. While the first platoon
was striving to keep the task force moving, the third platoon was also
having its trouble with mine fields. Having been relieved at the crater
by C Company of the engineers, after the task force and supply vehicles
had passed, the platoon followed up and dug in with the infantry. The
next morning, as the infantry again moved out on foot, the first squad
followed with mine detectors sweeping the roads. The Krauts were using
the wooden box mine very cleverly, so that they were most difficult to
discover. The explosion of one of these mines brought on a terrific
artillery barrage which caught the remainder of the platoon. T/4 William
R. Lindsey and Cpl. Clark Bennett were seriously injured by the first
shells. When the second rounds fell T/4 Lindsey was hit again, this time
fatally. T/5 Fred W. Peterson who was attempting to move the platoon
tool truck and trailer, containing several hundred pounds of explosives,
was killed instantly. In the meantime Cpl. Bennett, in spite of his
wounds, was supervising the unhitching of the trailer from his track so
that his squad could move out easily. For this action Cpl. Bennett
received the Bronze Star Medal. The platoon withdrew to reorganize,
towing one vehicle which had been knocked out. Later the two squads with
vehicles moved out to continue the road sweeping job far into the rainy
night. The next morning they moved up into the vicinity of Oos where the
entire Company assembled to replace the blown bridges previously
mentioned. In preparation for the coming operation, the third platoon sent one
squad to sweep the roads to the bridge site. However, a fierce battle
for the high ground near the site halted all activities for the moment
and the Company dug in to await developments. just as the men were
getting settled for the night the order to "Load up!" was
given and the Company moved out toward the bridge site. The first
platoon and engineer section were chosen to lay the treadway over a
crater in the road, after the second platoon completed the road
sweeping. The third platoon swept from, the crater to the blown bridge
with a small patrol moving farther ahead to reconnoiter the road
conditions. Upon the return of the patrol it was learned that another
bridge further up the road had also been blown and a unit from C
Company, then attached to B Company, went up to lay that treadway and
were left behind to put up a Bailey Bridge over the blown railroad
overpass. B Company's bulldozer cut a bypass over the railroad tracks to
allow traffic to move while the Bailey was being built. KYLL
RIVER On the morning of 6 March the two task forces moved out. The force
to which the second platoon was attached attacking to the right toward
the Kyll River, and the task force to which the first and third platoons
were attached attacking to the left in a two pronged drive to seize a
crossing site. Each platoon was engaged in road maintenance since recent
rain's had made the dirt roads almost impassable. The second platoon
swung to the left through a patch of woods to construct a bypass near
Kalenborn. The first platoon with their task force swung to the right in
a pincers move coming down the road towards Kalenborn. One of the first
platoon's halftracks struck a mine as they attempted to pull off the
road to assist in making the bypass. That evening the Company assembled
in the town of Ober Bettingen on the Kyll River. This had been selected
as the site of the crossing. After a thorough artillery concentration on
the woods and possible defense lines on the far side of the river, part
of the 21st Infantry assaulted the river under cover of a dense smoke
screen and set up a defense line for the protection of troops who were
to bridge the river. The third platoon, which had been attached to the
21st, pulled out of the column and waited on the remainder of the
Company. Night fell and the Bailey Bridge which had been ordered failed to
arrive. Therefore it was decided to put a treadway with a bent across
the stream. The steel bent was put into place, but when the huge
Brockway came down to the water's edge to unload its cargo of treadway,
it sank to the hubs of the wheels on the soggy, rain-soaked bank. The
.project had to be abandoned. It was decided to build a treadway on land
and drag it into the water forming a reinforced ford. The entire Company
worked all night and when dawn came C Company came up to help with the
work. Shortly before noon on 7 March the crossing was discovered and the
site was subjected to mortar, artillery, anti-tank and sniper fire. Lt.
John E. Andersson and T/5 Donald LaPatra were slightly wounded by sniper
fire. Shortly after noon the project was abandoned due to increased
enemy activity and the task force moved back through Budesheim and then
south, crossing the Kyll River at Gerolstein where CCA had made a
surprise crossing the night before. The task force drove all night under
pale searchlights known as "artificial moonlight" and
contacted the 90th Division which had cracked the German line east of
the Kyll. Thus the stage was set for the inauguration of a new type of
"blitzkrieg" warfare that was to send armored spearheads deep
into the Reich as fast as 40 to 50 miles a day. TO THE
RHINE Early on the morning of 8 March CCB with the third platoon of B
Company on the point, moved swiftly down the highway, towards the Rhine
River. The Germans, caught completely by surprise, offered almost no
resistance and throughout the day long columns of prisoners were seen
trudging back along the column toward the PW cages far in the rear. By
morning the Krauts had managed to collect their forces and present a
more organized resistance. The column faced intermittent artillery fire
which grew heavier as it approached the Rhine and reached a climax in a
barrage which fortunately fell slightly wide of its mark. At 1400 on 9
March the third platoon reached Brohl on the Rhine, after dashing some
50 miles in 30 hours. All platoons had been engaged in removing road
blocks and maintaining roads and the first long drive was completed. The
Company assembled at Neideroberweiler and later moved to Bell for
vehicular maintenance and road work. Moselle Late in the evening of 16 March the company pulled out of Bell and
made a night march to an assembly area west of the Moselle River. The
following morning about 1000 a task force moved out to the southeast,
crossing the Moselle River at Bullay. In the evening, the head of the
column encountered a road block a few kilometers northwest of Lauferswin.
A hurried call for the engineers was sent out over the radio and the
first squad of the first platoon responded. Carefully a shaped-charge
was affixed to the logs across the road and with a terrific explosion
the road block seemed to vanish as. if by magic. Only then was it
learned that on the other side of the road block, just a few yards
ahead, was a railroad overpass which had been demolished. Another
hurried call was sent out and the first squad of the second platoon plus
two bridge trucks came to the site. Working with all possible speed the
two crews began to lay the treadway. No sooner had they gotten the first
section across the gap when the Krauts, who were dug in at the edge of
the woods across the tracks, opened fire with small arms, 20 mm ack-ack
guns, Panzerfausts and mortars. The men all scattered and hit for the
ditch, but even that was not enough protection for some. S/Sgt. Louis
Lombardi, second platoon sergeant, was hit twice in the leg by fragments
from two separate mortar shells. Pfc. Q, L. Anderson, who lay beside the
stricken man, gave him first aid and then helped him into a peep in
which he was driven to the rear. Realizing the area was entirely too
"hot" for safety, these two squads retired to a small group of
houses nearby and waited for the cover of darkness. That night, with the
aid of the third platoon, the job was completed and the site was ready
to carry the Combat Command the following morning. KIRN The next stop was at the outskirts of Kirn, on the Nahe River.
After driving unmolested all day, the head of the column was racing down
a long hill in an attempt to capture a bridge across the river intact,
but as they approached their goal it suddenly blew up in their face. B
Company of the engineers was again dispatched to the scene and it was
decided to ford the river with smaller vehicles going over a small
wooden bridge that was intact. C Company had arrived at the scene by
this time and under cover of darkness the combined units made the river
crossing, half of the men being employed in improving the approach roads
to the site. The following morning the task force moved out again and this time
drove to Kaiserlautern where the Company bivouacked for the night. A
peep driven by Pfc. Nick Terrizzi and carrying S/Sgt. Patsy LiSanti our
on a night mission failed to return. It was later learned that they had
made a wrong turn and were ambushed by aa group of SS men. By feigning
death by their vehicle until the Krauts had left, Sgt. LiSanti managed
to crawl into the damaged peep and drive it into the next little town in
spite of severe leg wounds. Help was summoned there and members of a
friendly infantry force in that town went back to the aid of the other
wounded man. Both were evacuated. Worms The next day proved to be the last, and uneventful leg of the
journey to the historic city of Worms which was captured on 20 March.
The third platoon was sent out with the infantry to clear a mined road
block on 21 March. This day also saw the beginning of increased air
activity when about 25 ME-109’s attempted to strafe the bivouac area.
Later that afternoon the company moved into Gross Neidersheim, south of
Worms, and spent a few days in maintenance of vehicles. The Luftwaffe
attempted to bomb the town on the night of 22 March but no hits were
registered. On 25 March the company moved to Gau Heppenheim where
several days were spent on resting up and preparing for the next drive
which was to take these men across the great Rhine River. Across the Rhine Utilizing the Third Army’s bridgehead over the Rhine near Mainz,
the company began their trek into the heart of Germany on 29 March. No
resistance was encountered until the lead units faced a large road block
several miles outside of Hanau. A squad from each of the first and
second platoons went up to do the work. Civilians around the area were
drafted to help. Suddenly a terrific explosion rent air. When the dust
settled, four of the civilians lay motionless on the ground, victims of
a booby-trap intended for the engineers. The remainder of the road block
was cleared and the column moved on, the Company stopping for the night
in the field. The next morning with the first and second platoons
traveling with the point, the task force moved out in the direction of
Fulda, which was defended by a large contingent of SS officer candidates
stationed there. The Company stopped in the town of Grossenluder just
north of Fulda for the night. EASTER
SUNDAY On Easter Sunday, 1 April, it was decided to bypass Fulda and move
on to the north and east in the direction of Arnstadt.. As the column
moved along the road, organized rifle fire from the hills and woods on
either side began to sweep the vehicles. Immediately "the machine
guns and rifles of the column opened fire and raked the area with a
deadly hail of lead, leaving hundreds of Germans dead and wounded along
the side of the road. Shots fired from a point blank range of 50 to 75
yards penetrated {the peep driven by Pfc. David Burnett, seriously
wounding him and slightly wounding Capt. Will C. McMasters riding with
him. Most of the other peeps and unarmored vehicles were scurrying to
get into the protecting shadow of the halftracks' armor while the
machine gunners and riflemen fought off this threat to the column's
progress. Late that evening the company moved into the town of
Kaltensundheim where they received some shelling from German artillery
and mortars. OBERHOF The following morning the company again moved out toward the Werra
River. As they approached the town of Wasungen the cavalry reported a
bridge blown and the engineers were called up to remedy the situation.
Several ME-109's attacked the column at this point and bombed the
service park where S/Sgt. Steffero and his kitchen crew were located.
Two of the attackers were shot down. Meanwhile C Company had been called
up to put in a treadway bridge with the second platoon of B Company
assisting on the approaches. That night after the bridge had been
completed the remainder of the Company moved into town and laid a
corduroy road of railroad ties in a driving rain. Thoroughly drenched
and with no sleep, the Company moved out again the next morning, 3
April, driving deep into the Thuringen Mountains to the resort town of
Oberhof. Just on the outskirts of the town another road block was
encountered and the second squad of the second platoon moved up to the
front to clear it. Using a tank recovery vehicle and cross cut saws the
abatis was removed and the cavalry began to move out. Hardly had they
gotten started when a, barrage of 88's and mortars began to fall in the
vicinity of the road block. A tree burst just above the second squad
halftrack seriously wounded Pvt. Robert L. West who was lying on the
floor of the vehicle. Artillery was called in and soon the enemy
shelling stopped, as the enemy tanks lumbered out of town. About 2200
that night the task force with the first and second platoons of B
Company moved into the town, cold and wet from the snow and hail that
had persisted most of the evening. During the next few days the first
and second remained at Oberhof while the third platoon, with the
Brockways, was left a few miles to the rear at Steinbach-Allenberg. Then, without warning, on 7 April, the course of the drive was
altered and the task force drove south through Zella-Mehlis and Suhl
meeting only scattered resistance for two days. Another short layover
was spent in a little village along the route of march and in the
evening of 10 April the Company pulled into the town of Meeder, near
Coburg. By this time the vehicles were beginning to wear and S/Sgt.
Vance, company motor sergeant, and his maintenance crew were kept busy
keeping them rolling. The third platoon moved out the next morning
toward Coburg with the mission to sweep the roads for mines. The first
and second squads dismounted in the suburbs and advanced with the mine
detectors while the third squad removed demolition charges from the
trees lining the road and examined bridges for demolition. When the
detector crews reached the city proper the civilians had disappeared
from the streets and all that could be seen or heard was the gentle
movement of the white flags hanging from the windows of the buildings.
As the platoon assembled in the center of the town they received a
startling surprise, for up the road they had just swept, came a double
column of doughs from the 71st Division advancing with fixed bayonets to
take the town! The third platoon, after finishing the job of sweeping
the roads, returned to the Company to prepare for the next day's move. BAYREUTH As the drive got under, way, on 12 April, with the first platoon
and the third squad of the second platoon on the point, the latter
acting as security for the bridge trucks, anticipation ran high at the
prospect of being the first GI's in Czechoslovakia. The task force
continued on its way against only scattered resistance until the leading
elements came upon a blown bridge across the Main River. Again the
engineers were called upon to fill the gap and keep the task force
rolling. Due to the shallowness of the stream a ford was considered the
quickest method of crossing. C Company and several squads from the first
and second platoons of B Company were dispatched to the scene and before
many minutes had passed, armored vehicles were again rumbling toward
Kulmbach. The Company spent the night in Markteuzen, near the river
crossing. Shortly before dark the Company was sent to the ford to put up
a Bailey Bridge, but one company of the 133 Combat Engineer Bn.,
attached to battalion headquarters, came up to do the work. It was a
happy bunch of tired engineers that went back to their billets that
night with the prospect of -some much-needed sleep. The next morning the
Company continued on its way and pulled up at Seidenhol just outside of
Kulmbach. On 14 April the point units, including the first platoon and
one squad of the second, moved down the highway to support the 71st
Division's drive into Bayreuth. The entire Company moved into Bayreuth
on 17 April and remained there two days guarding hospitals and banks,
and performing maintenance on themselves and their vehicles. CHAM
AND REGEN On 19 April, with the second platoon, now commanded by Lt. Bert O.
Young, on the point, the task force moved out to attack and capture the
Panzer Training Center at Grafenwohr. The remainder of the company dug
in outside of Hermannshof. Several days later both the first and third
platoon moved into Grafenwohr to guard a chemical-ammunition dump,
reported to be the largest chemical warfare dump in Europe. Meanwhile
the second platoon had moved to Mantel supporting the artillery in their
move through virgin territory. On 22 April the task force moved out
again and captured Schwarzenfeld, including three bridges intact. On
approaching the town a hurried call sent the second platoon peep with
two demolition specialists, T/4 Carl O. Thor and Pfc. Q. L. Anderson
aboard; roaring past the column to the bridges to remove several hundred
pounds of TNT before the Krauts had a chance to touch it off. Moving out
the next morning, the task force drove toward Cham. The second platoon
peep driven by T/5 Wallover Nellis and carrying two demolition
specialists, T/4 Carl O. Thor and T/5 William Ludwig was dispatched to
the 41st Cavalry Reconnaissance group to check all bridges for
demolition. As the task force moved down the highway a radio message
gave out the information that 6,000 Hungarians completely equipped were
anxious to surrender. Orders were instantly given not to fire on them
lest they decide to fight. The first and second squads of the third
platoon dropped out of the column to guard these Hungarians. Proceeding
further along the road the column met over 2,000 political prisoners
with their SS guards. When the column hove into sight the SS men turned
on their heels and ran leaving the prisoners behind, many of them so
weak they could not stand, and many others lying in the ditches along
the road, murdered by their guards because they could not keep up with
the crowd. As the task force approached the outskirts of the city the
liaison cub reported that the town was alive with civilians and that the
white flags were flying. Two tanks, a reconnaissance car and the
engineer peep were sent into town alone to capture the bridges and take
the town. No resistance was encountered until this small party reached
the far side of town where a well-built log road block impeded the
advance. A call from the peep radio to the remainder of the platoon
brought a squad with a shaped charge to the scene. A sharp blast mingled
with the sound of breaking glass from nearby windows reduced the road
block to rubble and the tankers moved on to hold the high ground outside
the town. After a good night's sleep the task force again moved out and
captured Regen. A large bridge on the Reichsautobahn leading into Regen
had been blown and prevented the vehicles from entering the town. The
infantry dismounted, went in and cleaned up, despite heavy casualties.
The Company of engineers spent the night erecting a small treadway
bridge across the stream and corduroying the approach road. On 25 April the second platoon, now led by Lt. Robert J. Donnell,
moved out with the point toward Passau where 20,000 SS troops were
reported to be defending the town. The second platoon peep again went up
with the cavalry, T/5 Walter Padgett replacing T/5 Ludwig as
demolitionist. Resistance was beginning to stiffen as town after town
had to be burned almost to the ground before the defenders would
capitulate. Late in the afternoon the leading elements came across
another log road block stoutly defended by SS men armed with machine
pistols and Panzerfausts. The lead tank suffered three bazooka hits
before it could withdraw, and a company of infantry dismounted to clear
out a portion of the woods and hold it so the engineers could work in
comparative safety. The second platoon plus one squad from the first
platoon and the bulldozer came up to the sight and cleared the road
while the remainder of the column had found a bypass and were moving out
of the area. The platoon loaded up and had barely started to move past
the road block when the woods on both sides of the road suddenly became
alive with burp guns and rifles. The staccato of the pellets bouncing
off the sides of the halftracks sounded like hail on a tin roof. The
engineers immediately opened up with every available weapon and sprayed
the woods with murderous fire. Things seemed quiet and the unit prepared
to move on with a tank escort while the second squad track turned around
and headed back for an aid station carrying Pfc. Harlow A. Briggs who
had been creased in the temple. Hardly had the lead tank gone a quarter
of a mile when it took a direct hit from an anti-tank gun camouflaged
somewhere in the woods. The tank crew bailed out and scurried down over
the hill. The lead halftrack, in command of Sgt. Walter Pagels, tried to
back up. The peep which had previously been put out of action by a
machine gun burst, was being towed by Sgt. Pagels' track and prevented
it from backing up. A second shot screamed over the radiator and this
was the signal to get out and get down. Several more shots destroyed the
track and the peep and covering fire prevented the rescue of the other
vehicles at the time. A defense line was hurriedly set up and Lt.
Donnell radioed for help from a tank. A patrol made up of the first
squad, led by Sgt. Pagels, moved back toward the road block to contact
the security guards for the Brockways, led by Sgt. Gilbert L. Parker. It
led them and the trapped drivers of the bridge trucks to the defense
line. Presently several tanks came into view and shelled a house where
an AT gun appeared to be. Then under cover of darkness the men scrambled
on the backs of tanks and in other vehicles which had been recovered and
started their trip to rejoin the task force. Shortly before arriving at
that area a sniper's shot wounded Pfc. Hollis Ferrill in the leg and he
was evacuated. Several vehicles were lost. Had it not been for T/5 Harry
G. Hasher who disregarded sporadic sniper fire to rush up the road and
drive one of the halftracks which was in the direct line of fire to
safety, another precious vehicle would have been added to the casualty
list. For this action he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal. When the news of the ambush reached the main body of the column, it
halted and the third platoon moved on to the point with a company of
tanks to secure a bypass. As the task force pulled onto a ridge
overlooking the town of Limbach several ME-109's strafed the column. The
first plane started his dive but ran into a curtain of lead that ended
his career nose first in the hillside. His fate discouraged the others
and the column moved on unmolested into Limbach. The next morning the
advance lagged while recon sought a new route. When the decision had
been made, the first platoon moved to the point to take and pass the
town of Rohrnbach and set up a defense line beyond. The remainder of the
Company stopped in Rohrnbach where it received increased attention from
the Luftwaffe. INTO
AUSTRIA The following morning about 1000 the Company was preparing to move
on to a new area when the town began to take a terrific shelling from
flanking heavy artillery which had been bypassed. The Company quickly
moved out to a small town, Atzeldorf, where they remained for several
days. On 29 April the third platoon moved out with a task force of tanks
and infantry, the infantry moving on foot through the woods on the
flanks because of increased sniper fire. Progress was necessarily slow
as the infantry cleared the woods and the engineers removed several road
blocks. The Austrian border was crossed on 30 April to mark the first
entrance of American troops into Austria. 1 May saw the task force reach
Lembach with the third platoon going on ahead to remove five road blocks
in close succession. The remainder of the company in the meantime had
pulled out of Atzeldorf on 30 April and continued down the road to
Lembach arriving there in the evening of 1 May. After roadblocks had
been cleared it was learned upon further investigation," that a
bridge had been blown just beyond the last road block. Several recon
vehicles and the third platoon peep started out the next morning to look
for- a new road that would take them to the vital highway to Linz, but
all the roads that were investigated ended up as nothing but trails.
Upon receipt of a radio message of this fact, C Company started to work
on the bridge while B Company worked on the approaches. A nearby lumber
yard facilitated the construction. On the morning of the 3 May the third platoon and one squad of the
first moved out again on the point with their peep, driven by T/5 R. A.
Davidson and carrying Sgt. George Gillespie and Cpl. George Scholl, up
with the cavalry. After two days of practically no activity they arrived
at Gallneukirchen. On the 5 and 6 May the third platoon set up road
blocks and maintained several roads leading in and out of the town.
During the preparation of one of the road blocks, using captured enemy
vehicles, Cpl. George Scholl was seriously injured when the truck which
he was driving went into the ditch. A mine on the back of the truck
rolled off and under the wheels, exploding some thirty mines in the
truck, completely demolishing it, and throwing the driver clear. UNCONDITIONAL
SURRENDER The remainder of the Company moved along with the main body
reaching Gallneukirchen on 7 May. The news of the unconditional
surrender of all the German armed forces reached the ears of the men of
B Company on 8 May as they prepared to move to Urfahr, across the Danube
River from Linz, Austria. To the men of Company B whose worthy deeds and actions are not specifically mentioned in this account, go the highest praise and tribute. Only by their undying devotion to duty and their high regard for their fellow men throughout grueling days of "bad weather and hard fighting could the above action have been accomplished. Three Silver Stars, 23 Bronze Stars and 42 Purple Hearts were won by men of this company during 4 months and ten days of combat. That alone speaks for their brilliant record. These men have now settled down to a sort of garrison life, awaiting orders that will send them on their next move. Where and when —? Only time will tell! |