The infantry was advancing steadily against stiff enemy opposition. The guns of the Maginot
Line were emplaced so that it was necessary to use 155 SP’s to fire direct on them. The 240’s knocked
out some, while the light artillery was used for targets in the open. Mud and rain still persisted and any
degree of comfort was impossible.
On the 18th, a couple of enemy planes came over and thanks to the 537th AAA failed to return to
Herman Goering. It’s rumored the pilots went down singing the new luftwaffe battle song, “Don’t get
around much any more”.
The enemy maintained its advance and the artillery kept firing. The terrain was rolling and the
enemy had dug many tank traps. This had its disadvantages as well as its advantages. While it slowed
our advance it also limited the number of roads the Jerries could run away on from the rapidly forming
Metz trap.
With the contact of our Division and the 5th Division coming up from the south, the
encirclement of the fortress Metz was complete. The city fell to elements of the 5th and 95th Divisions.
The 90th made contact with the 5th Division at Bauzainville 19th November. After the enemy realized
that the encirclement move was being made every effort was made to get as many forces as possible out
of the area. As the pincers closed, many enemy columns were caught on the road and destroyed. It was
a repeat of the Chambois trap on a smaller scale.
Thanksgiving day, just before the turkey dinner was to be served, a fire mission came over the
radio. “Enemy machine gun dug in, 4 Krauts, will adjust”. Cpl. Bill Pabst sent the data to the battery.
Baker fired three center rights in adjustment and after the first rounds in the fire for effect, the command
came back, “Cease Firing”. One of those rounds landed in the dugout and blew both MG and Krauts all
sky high. “Come and get it, turkey is served”.
The 90th crossing of the Moselle was another epic feat of the Tough ‘Ombres. The army
command called it off and ordered the infantry back, but these men were not to be denied victory after
so much was at stake. They stayed, and the angry river seemed to sense that such valiant men would
never turn back and even she decided to return to her banks and permit the bridge so badly needed to be
built.
With Metz out of the way, the 3rd Army turned its back on the city and headed toward the Saar
Basin. The 90th now feeling at home when at the front, as usual led the army.
On 29th November, Able and Charlie Batteries went into the first positions of the Battalion, in
Germany. Charlie Battery had, earlier on the 25th, fired the first rounds of the battalion in Germany at
0850, a check point registration. Now the 357th was on the high ground overlooking the Saar,
southwest of Merzig.
As the 95th Division sector was moved up to our right, we occupied a sector along the Saar
opposite Pachten Colony and Dillingen. We moved to the vicinity of Buren and Siresdorf with Service
Battery in Hunnersdorf.
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