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| Herschwiesen, Oppenhausen and Alken fell to the 357th
in spite of strong resistance. In the meantime, the 359th, on
Division right, had made its crossings in the vicinity of Hatzenport and
Moselkern. No difficulties were encountered until Morshausen was reached.
Here elements of the 159th Volksgrenadier Division defended
strongly with the aid of several tanks and armored cars. The unsupported
infantry of the 90th fought back with whatever arms were
available to them, but it was not until the bridge was completed by the 315th
Engineers Battalion that tanks and Tank Destroyers were able to race to the
support of the infantry, and the town was taken. Burgen and Macken were
taken in quick succession despite determined resistance. The swift current of the Moselle again proved to be a formidable opponent. Cables were snapped on the footbridges, and the construction of bridges was delayed for precious hours. It became necessary to ferry vehicles and armor across the river late in the afternoon. On the following day the 4th Armored crossed the Hatzenport bridge at noon to begin its mission of slicing through the rear areas of the enemy. The 359th Regiment prepared to move with the Armored Division as infantry support. The 358th was committed and drove forward swiftly to capture Dieler, Ney, Halsenbeck and Kratzenburg. In the sector of the 357th, however, the enemy counterattacked violently, apparently sensitive to the threat of an American advance northward toward Koblenz. The counterattacks at Herschwiesen and Nörtershausen were repulsed with the aid of supporting artillery, and the regiment moved on to capture Windhausen and Buchholz. Again the swift advance and daring strategy of the Third Army had caught the enemy off balance. The spectacular speed of the 4th Armored, utilizing the bridgeheads gained by the 90th and the 5th Infantry Divisions, spread panic in the ranks of the German defenders. Long columns of convoys stampeded eastward toward the security of the Rhine. Bumper to bumper they were spotted by the Division's Cub planes. Long Toms and 8-inch howitzers and guns laid their deadly concentrations on the columns, increasing the havoc, turning the retreat into a rout. The next day saw the enemy resisting furiously, however, on the Division's left flank. Five companies of SS troops engaged the 2nd Battalion, 358th Regiment. The enemy lost heavily in the ensuing fight which continued throughout the day, and in the evening his remnants were forced to withdraw. The 1st and 2nd Battalions, 357th, fought last ditch SS defenders at a crossroad near Buchholz and at Pfaffenheck respectively, and forced the enemy to withdraw under cover of darkness. As an indication of the ferocity with which the SS fought, in one engagement 70 German defenders chose death rather than surrender, and only 9 were captured alive. |
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