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CHAPTER VI |
| The triumph at Chambois ended one phase of the Battle of
Europe. The scene shifted rapidly now to another, and the props were
arranged for the Battle of Germany. The long fingers of Allied columns
extended deeper into France, new landings had been made in southern France,
in the Marseille area, and the enemy found itself surrounded and overwhelmed
at every turn. The Germans had reached a state of thorough confusion, and
only occasionally was organized resistance encountered. Riding hard on the heels of the retreating enemy, the 90th spent only a few days in the vicinity of Chambois, days devoted to rehabilitation of personnel and equipment. And now the Division was assigned to the XX Corps and to the Third Army once more. Never again, for the duration of the war, was the 90th to become separated from General Patton's command, a command which was shortly to create a legend among friend and foe alike for its spirit and bravado, a legend comprising all the elements of Peck's Bad Boy, Robin Hood, Sir Galahad and the Cannonball Express all rolled into one. On August 26th the 90th began to move. Swinging slightly south of Paris the combat teams of the Division moved eastward through Fontainebleau and on toward the cathedral city of Reims. The names of disputed battlefields of the previous war were briefly noted and passed... the Marne, Château-Thierry, the Aisne and Reims at last. Verdun and the River Meuse fell to advance elements of the XX Corps further to the east. Early in September, however, occurred the "break" for which the Nazis had been praying. The Allied armies had advanced so rapidly and so far that communication lines were stretched almost to the breaking point. Critical supplies were lacking, gasoline to power the machines of war became a rare and precious commodity. The wheels ground to a reluctant halt at the approaches to Germany, while the 90th unable to advance further, remained in the vicinity of Reims. The enemy utilized this time to good advantage. Quickly they threw troops into the Maginot and Siegfried defenses. |
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