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Drive Into Germany

 

March 14-Near Buerg L1512 (Bethany)-5:45am-Two P.O.W.'s from the 7th Company, 137th Regiment.  Their company has three platoons with an approximate strength of sixty to seventy men each.  Defensive position is located at L202125, north of the railroad.  North of 7th Company, is 8th Company.  2nd Battalion trains are in Slienberg 3608.  A nebelwerfer battery is located at Schelling 3115.  6:20am-A minefield is located at 257096.  6:28am-Twenty five to thirty rounds of artillery hit near Needzerf at 5:15am.  9:10am-Fifteen German tanks were reported moving in from 230038 to the road junction at 231048.  One tank is reported firing into Greimerath from approximately 232057.  9:17am-Two tanks were attacking at 263073, at 9:00am.  9:20am-Two German tanks were reported on the north-south road near 232057.  9:18am-Tanks were near 231038 at 8:40am, near Britten.  10:30am-Tanks and infantry are at 284097.  10:31am-A concentration of tanks and infantry are at 268086.  Pillbox and troops at 232064.  11:20am-Minefield is located at 254098 (Oberzerf).  1:25am-Tanks entered the town at 235029, and other tanks are in the woods at 2305.  Suspected tanks are located at 23220635.  12:10pm-Observation Post reports a possible artillery piece firing from 295115 at 11:45am.  12:39pm-Undated captured map indicates minefields at 220085, 233092, 235093, 240102, 244083, 244085, 245092, 254096, 256098 and 242105.  1:20pm-Twelve rounds of nebelwerfer hit near 219085.  1:25pm-P.O.W. from the 5th Artillery, 416th Artillery Regiment-have one 105mm field howitzer, and one gun is in repair.  Their third changed position, and position is unknown.  416th Artillery Regiment Command Post is in Hargarteten L2795.  4th Battery is in existence.  6th Battery destroyed a gun captured near Greimerath.  5:10pm-One ME 410 at 09660.  6:40pm-A concentration of medium artillery hit near 267296, north of Losheim.  6:41pm-Several artillery concentrations hit in Greimerath.  During the afternoon it appeared to be several guns firing.  6:45pm-Germans are dug-in north of the road from 290095 to 280100.  Also, from the north road from 300103 to 293103 is believed held by men of the 137th Regiment-estimated as 200 men.  Four machine guns and one assault gun are located at 301102.  Four assault guns believed at 280602.  8:00pm-Heavy fire was received throughout the period from assault guns.  Elements of our attacking forces met moderate small arms and machine gun fire.  Artillery and nebelwerfer concentrations were received in towns throughout the division zone.  Minefields, booby traps and defensive works were encountered.  One German counterattack was repulsed without loss of ground.  Grumerath L2407 was cleared.  8:38pm-Pillbox is located at 233067.  Mortars are firing from near the pillbox.  Direct fire west from 235060.  9:20pm-German tank located at 232062.  9:50pm-Captured order indicates order establishing reserve battle-line of woods from Riedelback L3709, to Waldholzlench L2906, to Scheiden L2705 and Hausback L2401.  10:45pm-German artillery fell at 242106.  German engineer command post is in Bachem Q2595.  416th Infantry Division Command Post reported to be in Rimhingen Q2697.  11:13pm-Twenty four rounds of nebelwerfer hit near 215077 at 4:10pm.  11:15pm-Minefield located on the road at 253120.

 

 

March 15-12:20am-Tank roadblock at the crossroads 213069.  Germans are dug-in on the hill at 222055.  2:47am-P.O.W. states that two 150mm howitzers are in position at 306095.  Approximately one hundred trees are prepared for demolition on roadblocks.  A few have already been blown near 289096 and near 300083.  2:50am-A.P. mines from the road junction at 267095 to the single house at 268094.  3:15am-All roads from Greimerath to Britten have roadblocks.  The main road is in excellent condition.  The main road to Losheim is in good condition.  All roads to Losheim have roadblocks, as of March 12th.  Bridges at 252035 and 243039 were intact-no mines on the road from Bergen to Britten.  The road branching off and going to Greimerath has a bridge at 234052, which is trafficable, but was to be blown tonight.  No organized groups are in the area.  3:40am-Three P.O.W.'s from a SS Mountain unit are believed to be the 6th SS Mountain Division, states that the strength of two battalions are four hundred to five hundred men.  Sector L2205 and L2305 will be occupied, and a counterattack in a northerly direction believed to be planned.  3:44am-German troops are at 281077, dug-in with overhead cover estimated at one company-they have three machine guns, one tank, one half-track and possibly some horse-drawn vehicles.  4:58am-An average one round per minute of artillery for the last thirty minutes fell in Niederzerf and is increasing at the present time.  6:05am-Hamper White reports six tanks in Weiskirchen L3307 and meeting resistance.  6:58am-Small arms fire near 263066.  6:59am-Receiving fire from 20mm A.A. gun near L2607.  Received small arms resistance near Scheiden.  Some artillery falling intermittently in Greimerath 2307.  About twenty-five rounds fell during the night.  7:31am-One tank is located at 238040.  7:38am-Fifty Germans in position on the hill at 252067-they have no contact with other units.  7:40am-Hayseed reports five tanks near Bergen operating on the road south, southwest and southeast of Bergen.  9:30am-Direct fire fell at 279098, from near 283097.  Fifteen rounds of heavy artillery fell near 266096 in the past fifteen minutes.  9:35am-Fifteen Germans are moving east out of Waldhoelzbach.  9:38am-Four horse-drawn artillery pieces moved southeast on the road at 278020, at 8:45am.  9:40am-Germans are withdrawing to the east from Losheim.  10:20am-German artillery still falling near 265095.  10:22am-1st and 2nd Battalions, 12th SS Mountain Regiment, 6th SS Mountain Division was identified this morning, north of Scheiden L2705.  P.O.W. states they came in the area yesterday-strength is 250 men per battalion.  Command Post of the 12th SS Mountain Regiment is in Scheiden.  10:30am-1st Battalion, 12th Regiment, 677th Mountain Division was identified near 2606.  2nd Battalion, 12th Regiment, 677th Mountain Division was identified in position east of 2606.  P.O.W. states that the 3rd Battalion of the same regiment is in the area, but their location was unknown.  10:45am-Captain Nordstrom, S-2 Officer is back from the front.  He reports a German counterattack near Scheiden.  Germans have four tanks and an assault gun in the vicinity.  Six tanks were reported near Weiskirchen.  German action knocked out two of our tanks.  11:50am-Nebelwerfers are located at 243016.  11:57am-Mines are located at 260124.  11:59am-Three German tanks are moving at 268043.  12:07pm-Nebelwerfer fire from a position south of Waldhoelzbach landed in the same vicinity.  12:15pm-The road from L256073 to Scheiden is under German artillery fire.  Five German tanks are reported in Scheiden at 10:45am.  12:45pm-German position in the road triangle northeast of the road junction at L276097.  They have some elements south of the road near L284097.  One A.T. gun on the road at L282098, firing east.  Two assault guns on the road at L279098.  1:31pm-German artillery hit L265075.  3:25pm-Sixty P.O.W.'s captured in Bergen.  An estimated twelve tanks seen in Bergen and Britten.  5:40pm-German tanks and infantry are at 333059, 337064 and 344068 in a counterattack.  6:55pm-Counterattack on Weiskirchen was repulsed.  One tank was knocked out.  7:55pm-Forty eight rounds of nebelwerfer hit near 239064 from near 275011 at 1:45pm.  8:23pm-The Command Post of the 12th SS Mountain Regiment was in Waldhoelzbach on the morning of 15 March.  9:50pm-P.O.W. from the 3rd Battalion, 38th SS Regiment, 17th SS Panzer Division detrucked at Losheim on the night of 14 March, with the mission of counterattacking the night of 15-16 March, in the direction of Britten.  9th Company is located at 260025- strength is seventy men.  11th Company is at 249028-strength is seventy men.  12th Company is at 255022(their assembly area).  10th Company is located at 262040-strength is sixty men.  10:00pm-"B" Company is reportedly knocked out one German tank today (one of Lt. Dammarell’s platoon.).  10:30pm-Two counterattacks of infantry supported by assault guns were received northwest of Scheiden L2705 and near Weiskirchen L3306.  Both were repulsed without loss of ground.  Our attack forces met determined resistance by German infantry throughout the period.  Heavy concentrations of artillery, nebelwerfer and mortar was received in towns.  Units in contact were the 2nd Mountain Division (formed prior to 1939, with a strength of 1,000 men), and the 6th SS Mountain Division (Nord) (with 3,000 men).

 

March 16-We are near Beurig-The weather is very fine.  Visibility is good, the skies are clear and the roads are dusty.  1:30am-A German defensive roadblock is located at 261021.  Patrols heard German activity in Losheim, Hausback and Britten.  6:45am-A few rounds of artillery, possibly direct fire weapon, at 290093, between 12:45 and 1:00am.  8:02am-Counterattack of an undetermined number of infantry with small arms and at least one S.P. gun from northwest of Waldhoelzbach.  8:54am-One S.P. gun was knocked out in Hausback, and two are left in the town.  9:01am-20mm fire is falling at 274056, from Grid Square 2607.  Captain Nordstrom to the front line companies.  9:11am-Counterattack northwest of Waldhoelzbach consisting of small arms and direct fire weapons has quieted down.  10:32am-The advance of "C" Company is being held up by Germans at Losheim, by five assault guns and machine gun fire from Losheim 218020.  Air strike called for.  11:13am-Air Observation Post reports a fast German column at 432236 moving north at 10:44am.  11:50am-Twenty German aircraft at M1050 going north.  12:05pm-One unidentified tank at 269018.  1:14pm-German infantry are located at 325069.  1:52pm-P.O.W. states that a SS battalion is fighting in Weiskirchen.  Two other battalions of the same unit are in Wadern.  2:27pm-P.O.W. states that "T" mines are located from the road junction at 276095 to the house at 268094.  4:25pm-Four German tanks are moving southwest on the road at 275009.  4:45pm-The bridge is out at 377123.  4:55pm-Four German tanks leave Losheim, going to the northeast at 4:00pm.  6:05pm-German aircraft at L9095.  6:17pm-Losheim received heavy German artillery at 3:05pm.  Thirty Germans ran toward Losheim in the field at 281018, at 3:15pm.  One German tank firing from behind the house at 284022.  9:30pm-Resistance from small arms and machine guns continued stubbornly through the division zone until late in the period, when resistance became disorganized, except for stubborn German defense north of Weiskirchen.  One counterattack of an unknown number of infantry supported by assault gun was repulsed northwest of Waldhoelzbach early in the day.  The following towns were cleared; Scheiden L2705, Steinberg L3508, Hausbach L2401, Britten L2302, Losheim L2801, Niederlosheim L3000, Wahlen L3199, Mitlosheim L3004, Rappweiler L3206, Zwalbach L3105, Waldhoelzbach L2906 and Thailen L3434.

 

 

 

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