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Penetrating Hitler's Seigfried Line

 

Feb.7-12:03am- received a message from Lt. Levin-Recon. Routes of the night of 6th February.  There were three patrols with four men each.  Two were from our Recon. Platoon.  Two patrols, #1 and #2 reached the river, but engineers stopped the fourth.  Recon. #3 Patrol left town and followed a trail.  Staff Sergeant Schaeffer walked into a Schu-mine.  The explosion knocked him over and he fell into another S-mine.  He is missing as yet.  Smith's leg was hurt in the explosion.  Hatfield suffered a sprained ankle.  12:35am-Anti-tank mines located at 937437.  9:30am-German concentration of artillery and mortar fell in Wallendorf at 8:30am.  9:35am-Machine gunfire in the vicinity of 945455.  Friendly artillery is now firing on that area.  9:59am-Estimated 150mm artillery landed in Hoesdorf 9344 at 9:35am.  10:58am-German counterattack at P952447 in the 319th R.C.T. (Regimental Combat Team) sector.  Two German counterattacks were repulsed by the 1st and 2nd Battalions in the 318th R.C. T. sector.  11:20am-Twenty five rounds of artillery hit Christnach.  12:04pm-Bettel and the road in the vicinity are heavily mined.  1:42pm-Heavy concentration of German artillery, caliber unknown, hit 956431 and 941435 at 1:00pm.  2:06pm-Twenty six rounds of nebelwerfer hit the vicinity of 957414 at 11:05am.  Fifteen rounds of 120mm mortar hit Walesdorf at 12:25pm.  Two Germans seen walking north from 968435 at 12:30pm.  Four rounds of 120mm mortar hit at Walesdorf at 12:40pm.  2:44pm-Probable small counterattack with artillery, machine guns, and small arms in the general vicinity of 9841.  4:32pm-Fifteen rounds of nebelwerfer hit the vicinity of 954437 at 12:59pm.  Twenty rounds of nebelwerfer hit Wallendorf.  3:13pm-Mortar fire still being received in the vicinity of 9841 at 2:45pm.  3:20pm-Twenty rounds of 150mm artillery landed at 906392, azimuth 400 mills, between 2:00 and 2:40pm.  5:32pm- Counterattack at L064382 consisting of an unknown number of infantry and more than two tanks, started at approximately 3:30pm, and is still going on.  6:15pm-Counterattack at 4:00pm, near 064382 was dispersed by artillery fire at 4:40pm.  There are several tanks around the town of Ernzen.  At 5:45pm-Counterattack had tanks with it.  6:22pm-Low trajectory weapon, 150mm, firing down a draw from the vicinity of 976430.  Shells landing at 975413.  6:25pm-Mortar fire was received in the vicinity of 9542.  6:45pm-Twelve Germans seen at 950445 came out of pillbox and went toward the woods.  Small arms fire came across the river.  9:00pm-Our initial assault waves met light small arms and machine gun fire, except Hoesdorf, which received heavy concentrations of artillery through the night.  As the Germans became aware of our crossing sites, concentrations of mortar, nebelwerfer and artillery increased in intensity and continued through the period.  After daylight, resistance on our troops attacking the Seigfried Line was intense mortar, machine gun, small arms and artillery fire.  The Germans attempted several counterattacks on our bridgehead.  All were repulsed west of the river.  The 51st Armored Infantry Battalion met no resistance in clearing Bettel, but found the town heavily mined and booby- trapped.  Cloudy mist is warm.  Frost coming out of the south.  The rivers are high.  No sun today.  Morale is high.

 

 

Feb. 8-7:20 am- Machine gun and small arms fire at 9841, at the present time.  11:15am-Minefield at P947423, is thirty yards square.  Mines are in the road at P959426.  12:10am-Three Germans walked north out of the draw at P974426, then disappeared at 975433.  1:43pm-Four P.O.W.'s from the 2nd Platoon, 3rd Company, 915th Regiment state that their platoon was the reserve platoon until the afternoon of 7 February.  3rd Company Command Post is in the pillbox at P989420.  The pillbox at P983413 was occupied by the P.O.W.'s.  2:18pm-From 12:20 to 12:50pm, a horse-drawn vehicle and twenty men on foot, left Hammerdingen moving northwest.  2:35pm-P.O.W. states that the Command Post of the 3rd Company, 915th Regiment is in the pillbox at 983413.  Command Post of the 1st Battalion, 915th Regiment is in the vicinity of 974432.  Four to six mortars are 20 meters east of the southernmost house at the end of Cruchten.  P.O.W. believes that no other group is in Cruchten or Beisdorf.  No houses in Beisdorf were booby trapped or mined as of 5 February.  A battery of 120mm mortar located in the vicinity of the edge of the lightly wooded area at 974434.  3:25pm-Heavy mortar and artillery concentrations were received in the vicinity of P98 and ending at 3:00pm.  3:30pm-Artillery is coming in heavy at 9542.  4:05pm-Occasional heavy barrages hit the vicinity of 958429.  4:20pm-Areas of 945452 and 948443 checked-no troops are now visible.  4:49pm-Heavy machine gun fire in the vicinity of 958434.  Heavy concentration of smoke in the vicinity of 965429.  5:07pm-Four P.O.W.'s state the mission of the 3rd Company is to push us across the river.  They believe that the unit intended to relieve them will arrive to help them push us back.  1st Battalion is in position from Hoesdorf to the north of Dillengen.  6:24pm-Small arms and machine gun fire at 955425.  Mortar and artillery fire received in the last two hours at 9548.  6:30pm-Reports of small arms and machine gun fire at 958434.  Heavy concentration of artillery in the vicinity of 965429.  7:14pm-Heavy machine gun and mortar fire from 961435.  Believed artillery fire from 9943.  Nebelwerfer believed located at L0249 off from Dillengen.  7:39pm-Teller mines are along the railroad tracks at 804418 (Diekirch).  Heavy concentration of artillery was received on our bridge sites throughout the period.  Lighter concentrations of nebelwerfer and mortar was received east of the river.  Heavy small arms and machine gun fire was received throughout the day.

 

Feb.9- (Location; Medernach vicinity)  Weather wet and visibility poor, with frost.  Trafficability poor.  10:25am-P.O.W. reports white smoke screen laid at 925443 at 9:10am.  Four rounds of 150mm artillery fire hit in the vicinity of Wallendorf at 9:10am.  German machine gun fire from the vicinity of 959435 at 8:45am.  White smoke covering the town of Bliesdorf at 8:43am.  Five rounds of nebelwerfer and four rounds of 150mm artillery fell in the vicinity of 960430.  Artillery firing from approximately 5,000 yards at 45 degree azimuth at 9:27am.  10:45am- I&R report eight Germans walking from 965936 and 961438 at 9:30am.  Six rounds of nebelwerfer hit at 950429, at 9:45am from 50 degree azimuth.  11:30am-Eighteen S-mines in the woods at P952424 in low ground.  Ten S-mines at 942425.  11:35am-Wooden Bridge on the Say River at Saymayen 960444 is prepared for demolition.  Stone bridge fifty yards from Saymayen prepared for demolition.  1st Company, 915th Regiment believed by P.O.W. to be in Wallendorf on February 2nd.  Junction at P958457 had four to six barracks and an estimated 210 men as of 2 February.  11:53am-Twenty five to thirty rounds of heavy artillery, including white phosphorus, fell in the vicinity of Hoesdorf.  11:55am-Fifty rounds of mortar landed near 968415 during the last hour.  Noon-Report of white smoke screen laid at 937448 at 10:35am.  Also a smoke screen on the slope of the hill at 969432 and 973429 at 10:47am.  12:10pm-Twelve rounds of nebelwerfer hit near 955438 at 11:15am.  Six rounds of artillery fell near 935436 at 11:17am.  Twelve rounds of heavy artillery hit near 938437 at 11:53am.  Twelve rounds of nebelwerfer hit 940423, and seemed to come from 860440.  1:50pm-Some resistance south and east of Dillengen P9840.  Germans are near 990408.  2:13pm- P.O.W. states that the 11th Battery, 1352nd Artillery Regiment at 996477.  He believed that the 10th Battery is in position at 996472.  Two 120mm mortars are in position, in Cruchten at 98054502.  5:00pm-Suspected rocket position at 966455.  6:00pm-Approximately seven rounds of 150mm artillery hit at 949369.  6:58pm-Two 88mm or 120mm mortar in position at 973432.  Heavy machine gun fire from 764727.  7:00pm-Sniper believed on the high ground east of Reisdorf, shooting into town.  7:45pm-P.O.W. states that the 1st and 2nd Companies, 1130th Regiment at 990433.  Command post of the battalion at 9944.  Presume that 2nd Battalion is in this sector.  10:00pm-Machine gun fire at the crossing site near Dillengen and Ailendorf.  Artillery, mortar and nebelwerfer fire was heavy during the period, principally on the crossing sites.  But, heavy small arms and machine gun fire was also received by our troops attacking the enlarged bridgeheads and on towns west of the river.

 

 

 

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