
Bloody Moselle
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The 80th Division G-2 report on the ninth stated;
"On 9 September, the Division captured P.W.'s from the 1119th and 1121st Regiments of the 553rd Division. This was the first identification of this division and also the first positive identification of any of the "Goterdammerung" Divisions formed by Himmler early in August, through his total mobilization plan."
The Hendricks diary of "B" Co. contained the following entry for the ninth:
"We are deployed in a defensive position for another counter-attack, which we repulsed and continued to push the Germans back and into the winding Moselle River. The Germans fight like all hell to hold every inch of this ground. They are throwing everything at us; machine gun fire, mortars and some artillery. But we are a determined bunch of Americans and we will continue to push them back until they are beaten. Another day is coming to a close. We ate 'C' rations today and deployed in a defensive position for the night."
Captured German Airfield
In "The Lorraine Campaign" by H.M. Cole, is a good description of the situation facing "C" Company 702nd Tank. Battalion, and the 319th Combat Team:
"But Fort Villey-le-Sec, occupying the high ground on the Southern flank, was stubbornly defended by a full battalion of the 3rd Parachute and proved tough to crack. The fort was surrounded by a deep, dry moat faced with stone. The inner works had reinforced concrete walls and ceilings, five feet thick and steel cupolas housing automatic weapons and at least one 75 mm gun. In the woods surrounding the fort the Germans had dug in machine guns, strung wire, and emplaced a few artillery pieces.
A preliminary attack on 6 September reached the fort but was broken up by cross fire from the German machine gun emplacements in the woods to the South. Company K led off a coordinated assault on the next day, accompanied by tanks and supported by fire from two towed tank destroyers. Lieutenant Colonel Elliot B. Cheston, Commanding Officer of the 3rd Battalion, led his men up to the moat, firing tracers from his submachine gun to designate targets for the tanks. At the edge of the moat the infantry tried to force an entry, while the tanks beside them fired at the enemy embrasures. But the American assault failed to cross the moat: the tanks were forced to withdraw in the face of heavy antitank fire, and the infantry were beaten back by automatic fire and hand grenades pitched out of the port holes. Fort Villey-le Sec finally was occupied on 10 September when the German garrison withdrew toward Nancy.”
The Ed Wizda diary entry for the tenth read:
"With tank destroyers, artillery and infantry massed on the hill above Toul, our tanks were now ready for their second assault on Fort Villey-Le-Sec. Supported the 3rd Battalion, 319th Infantry on the attack and captured the fort at 3:00 P.M., a job well done, well appreciated."
The Hendricks diary entry for the tenth stated:
"Rosiers - Again we are forging along to gain a foothold on the Moselle River and we are getting there. The battle is going to be a test for our company and we are really building up a score for ourselves. Knocking out two antitank guns and four enemy tanks in this battle, we secured the ground for a bridgehead across the Moselle River. We then pulled back to an assembly area to guard the completion for the bridge. We have reached our objective with complete success." |
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