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Brachtenbach -- At The Border - A further move of 17 miles, coming February 7, took us to the small town of Brachtenbach, nestled away in a valley of western Luxembourg. The town had once housed a strong force of Nazi soldiers but their quarters had been reduced to rubble. The townspeople were still probing the wrecked houses and debris for their remains. Close to the church was the burial ground of some who had resisted to the last, interred as the civilians related, in graves prepared by them at the point of guns. We remained here for a week, during which time a number of men volunteered, while others were selected, to return to the woods in the vicinity of Bastogne to police up a sector. Some were lucky enough to obtain pistols, binoculars and other items of personal value. Upon their return, the interest of those who had shunned the job was aroused and more volunteers were added to the ranks of the salvagers. Company personnel were billeted from one end of town to the other and there was some difficulty to find roofed structures for all. Headquarters Company, once again, had reserved a section of the town's liveable buildings for their use and there weren't many billets to choose from.  German dead at Brachtenbach More favorable working and living conditions were necessary to support the fast rolling commands now fighting at the German border. |
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Wiltz -- Skytop Halt - With Headquarters Company already estabished [established] at Wiltz, Luxembourg, we moved to join them February 15, travelling seven miles without incident. The company occupied the plant facilities of an extensive leather tannery which had suffered partial destruction but not enough to interfere with our operations. We took over several floors and administrative offices for sleeping quarters and were at home once again. All vehicles were parked near the buildings and the work progressed as usual in the town from which our forces had been compelled to withdraw in haste the weeks before as the Germans made their last bid in the Battle of The Bulge.  The gate at the Tannery - Wiltz Service Section and its cabinet makers and craftsmen, Smitley and Gladke, began the construction of another ultra-modern field headquarters, this time for Brigadier General Read. It was similar to the big van previously built for General Grow, but the boys were improving with each order. All vehicles were given a thorough checkup and washing to rid them of the thickness of hardened mud clinging to the undercarriages. The fine record of performance of our trucks to date had been due to splendid maintenance work of Sgt. Loschiavo and members of the Second Echelon Section. A group consisting of Knappman, Thomas, Lafferty, Mooney, Register, Boeder, Dabrowski, Mayo, Schoenberger and Hilger left one day for Brussels to obtain new vehicles and equipment. Their work done, they had three gay nights in the big city and it was no surprise that these details were sought after by beaucoup men without a call for volunteers. Close family ties were resumed when Henry Devall was reunited with his brother, Boyd. The men hadn't seen each other for three years and Henry had made every effort to have the "kid" assigned to the company. Boyd was an excellent cook -- how long he would remain that way was questionable -- and we awaited his arrival for several months until his transfer was completed.  What was left of Dasburg De Simone, the smallest man riding the halftrack, but apparently the strongest physically -- he was the only member of the track crew to finish the war without illness -- met an old buddy attached to a Third Army photographic mission while at Wiltz. Company personnel as well as other units frequented the public playhouse, high on a hilltop overlooking the town, to pass an evening viewing the films changed daily. |
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Dahnen, Germany - February 27th marked the first entry of the company into the Nazi homeland. We left Wiltz early that morning and the column wound its way through mountainous country, over the narrow roads descending to the banks of the Our River marking the German-Luxembourg border at Dasburg. Throughout the 22-mile route of march enemy equipment, tanks, trucks, personnel tracks and horsedrawn carts lay wrecked along the roadside or at the fringes of the heavily wooded area where the debris had been heaped by road clearing bulldozers. Division elements had established a bridgehead at this sector along the Our, and we now prepared to move across onto enemy terrain considered impregnable just a few days ago. On either side of the bridge lay German tanks and guns almost covered by the rain-swollen river. We could see concrete fortifications and strongpoints on the far bank barring an approach from the west. Across on German soil, we observed for-the first time the sign erected by division units welcoming us to the recently won positions.  Bailey bridge over the Our River - Dasburg Dahnen, Germany, a small farm village on the mountain ridge was an almost deserted and destroyed community. Its former residents, with a few exceptions, had fled with the enemy and their homes were partially destroyed. Furniture, household effects and personal belongings were scattered about the rooms. But we had considerable experience in disposing of all non-essentials, and were soon engaged in preparing billets for a stay. A man's curiosity had to be controlled here, for the entire terrain was most treacherous -- fields and paths were studded with mine positions, and defensive chains of abandoned concrete pillboxes ringed the entire valley. Although no determined stand or struggle had been made for these outer Siegfried defense points, the Nazi had left a quantity of small-arms, mortar, and artillery ammunition around. The dreaded antitank Panzerfaust bazookas were scattered before the fortified positions, and any weapon might have been booby-trapped. Cpl. Forinash's curiosity could not be curtailed. He was bent on exploring one of the small forts several hundred yards behind his billet. No one was aware of his absence until an explosion was heard in the field. Some tankers close by, hearing the report and calls for help, rushed to the scene to find he had stepped on a personnel mine, seriously injuring his leg. One of the tankers also was injured as he attempted to get to Forinash. Lt. Bragg, hearing the commotion, and realizing what had happened in the field, made his way to the men, cutting through a wire fence and thicket to escape injury to himself. With the help of Battalion aid men, they removed the wounded men from the field. Cpl. Forinash was given immediate treatment and evacuated for recovery. Lt. Lewis and his Second Echelon boys, who had been probing for boobytraps and mines, discovered a piece of wood which had been drilled and then filled with a powder charge. Had it been tossed into a fire, serious injury might have occurred to company personnel. While the company remained at Dahnen, Lt. Krebaum, and Ed. Kissel, engaged in liaison with CCA, were billeted in a prisoner of war enclosure at Lunebach. The Lieutenant said that on one occasion an SS tank commander had been captured after an armored battle in which the latter's Tiger had been destroyed. With the fight taken out of him, he talked freely, relating the most accurate means of knocking out a Tiger Royal. As he explained it, our gunners should aim and hit below the gun shield when the enemy weapon was elevated, or just above the shield when the gun was depressed. The Heinie maintained these points were the most vulnerable. In return he wished they might permit him to see our "automatic double-barreled 90mm antitank gun" which he contended must have destroyed his tank because of the rapidity of fire and accuracy. The holes were not more than two inches apart. The Lieutenant learned that the enemy, when they had time and opportunity, operated as we did in salvaging parts from destroyed materiel for the repair of others. There was the usual free-for-all to acquire "cannabalized" items on both sides, a practice often resorted to in the absence of parts. Lt. Krebaum and Kissel were often in the thick of the conflict maintaining our liaison with the line elements. It was the lieutenant's task to ascertain and facilitate a clearing station for ordnance support of combat units and to secure from their motor officers reports of the number, locations and types of vehicles in need of repair. The division's semi-monthly publication, "Armored Attacker," made an auspicious appearance while we remained at Dahnen. A three-column picture of the sign welcoming all units into Germany was prominently featured with stories of the division's battle across the frontier. Allen 'Scoop" Raines, the able news hawk, represented the company, working unceasingly to get all company activity recorded for posterity. When not otherwise engaged in digging a long, deep hole, from bivouac to bivouac, he covered a beat from Springhill, England, to the war's end in the ETO.  The work goes on at Dahnen Lt. Carroll D. White, formerly Master Sergeant with Headquarters Company Inspection Section, received his field commission for outstanding past performances, and now joined the company staff as assistent [assistant] shop officer. As was customary for almost all newly assigned officers, he shared the heavy burdens of the Evacuation Platoon which had remained behind at Wiltz until the bridge across the Our River had been sufficiently strengthened to bear the ponderous load of the prime movers. Tech. Sgt. Ernest D. Lambert, shop foreman, passed to the elevated rank of Master Sergeant, an increase in grade so long merited for his splendid supervision and execution of all company duties. Lt. Yohn, formerly of the Armament Platoon, in the absence of Lt. Naas, who had departed for his duties as Division Ammunition officer, was transferred to another letter company in the battalion and Lt. Shafferfer took his place. |