It had been presumed that the 90th would force an immediate crossing of the Rhine but suddenly
the direction was changed. The division stampeded 30 miles to the southeast and crossed the Nahe River
between bad Kreuznach and Bingen on 19 March. Scattered mines, knocked out or abandoned vehicles
littered the roads leading into the city of Mainz. The engineers were fighting to clear the routes of their
respective combat teams and task forces.
The assault on the stronghold of Mainz began 22 March and with each of the six attacking
infantry battalions and engineer team moved forward to clear mines and debris from the streets. Bitter
house-to-house fighting was expected but the capture developed into a “snap". The disillusioned
civilians were eager to hoist a white flag, to help clear the streets of debris and to help locate mines. All
went well until, in the 359th sector, a booby trapped mine killed one and seriously injured two other
engineers of Company C.
While the 90th was clearing the remaining resistance from Mainz, the 5th Division crossed the
Rhine between Oppenheim and Nierstein. The 90th had missed assaulting the greatest of the European
rivers but quickly, on the heels of the 5th Division crossed on the 22, 23 and 24th to expand the
bridgehead, capture Darmstadt and drive 19 miles to the outskirts of Frankfurt.
On 27 March the battalion CP was set up in Bierber just outside of Offenbach. Here plans were
rapidly made for still another assault crossing. This time the Main River at Muhlheim between Frankfurt
and Hanau. A thrust would be made into central Europe.
Figure 8-¹
Figure 8-2
Figure 8-3
Figure 8-4
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