The 314th Infantry Regiment

  This outline is compiled from research material provided by personal accounts, unit diaries, online sources, "The Complete History of World War Two...
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This outline is compiled from research material provided by personal accounts, unit diaries, online sources, "The Complete History of World War Two" edited by Francis T. Miller (1948) and the 314th Infantry Association's "Through Combat." A special thanks to Joseph W. Campbell and Dwight Pruitt. 17 September 2003 © Lori Cutshall 2003-2013 Photos and images used on this site are previously published, from private sources, or from the public domain unless otherwise credited. Credit will certainly be given for the use of any photo currently not properly assigned. Any image used herein which is under private copyright will be removed. Permission is granted to link back to this Profile, it can be printed for personal use and reference, but cannot be republished in any form unless the express written authority is given by the author. Thank you!

The 314th Infantry Regiment

On 15 May, 1942 the men who would form the 314th Regiment of the 79th Division of the United States Army arrived at Camp Pickett, Virginia. The 314th was to be formed out of the 12th Regiment of the 4th Motorized Division. These   were dark days: Pearl Harbor was only five months past, and on 6 May, nine days before the Regiment was formed, Rommel was on the move with the next Libyan offensive. On 15 June, 1942, the 79th Division was officially activated.

Training for the new unit was intense. Infantry school at Ft. Benning, Georgia; Camp Blanding, Florida, for MTP (Mobilization Training Program); Tennessee Maneuvers in the snow outside of Murfreesboro where they trained crossing the Cumberland River in freezing conditions; Camp Laguna, California/Arizona in 130-degree temperatures for desert training. Due to medical discharges or men being sent to OCS, replacements from the 42nd Rainbow Division joined the 79th beginning in December, 1943, and throughout the early months of 1944.

  Training Maneuvers

In December, 1943, the unit was moved to Camp Phillips, Kansas to prepare for deployment overseas. POM (Preparations for Overseas Movement) began in earnest with the number 6002 stenciled onto all sea bags - this was the code for deployment in Europe. 22 March, 1944 the 314th moved from Camp Phillips to Camp Miles Standish, the Boston Port of Embarkation, to load onto two ships; The USS Cristobal and HMS Strathmore. Cristobal carried the 1st and 3rd Battalions, Regimental Headquarters (HQ), Anti-tank, and the Service Companies. Strathmore took 2nd BN and the Cannon Company. They sailed on 7 April, 1944. The shipping convoy split up off the coast of Ireland with the Strathmore landing at Glasgow on 16 April, and the Cristobal docking in Liverpool on 17 April. The timing was late in the pre-invasion days, and troop quartering was scarce. The 314th divided into two groups, with half billeted at Goldbourne Park, a golf course in Newton-le-Willows between Liverpool and Manchester, and the rest at an estate named Tatton Park near Knutsford, 20 miles away. The invasion tension was high, and increasing every day. Cherbourg and Fort du Roule The 79th's initial invasion plan called for the Division to remain in reserve with General George S. Patton's 3rd Army until it was time for the breakthrough out of Normandy, on to the plains of France. But the Germans moved into Carentan for maneuvers, and the plan changed. Allied High Command switched the 79th from VIII Corps on loan to VII Corps, and the Division moved to an assembly area near the southern coast - Southampton - on Lord Mountbatten's estate.

On 13 June, 1944 the 79th shipped out from Southampton en route to the vicinity of Carentan. Debris from the D-Day invasion was still all over the channel, and Utah   Beach was a mess. Mine sweepers working the area set one off by mistake, which only raised the anxiety level up farther than

thought possible.

Upon disembarkation, the 314th marched up Utah Beach, and headed towards Cherbourg. They assembled at Blosville, 10 to 12 miles from the beachhead, near St. Mere Eglise, on 15 June.   16 June, 1944, the 79th was placed on a two hour alert for movement as VII Corps was assigned to breach the German defenses at Cherbourg. Two days later, they moved to Picaville, relieving the 90th Division on approach to Cherbourg. On 19 June, orders came down committing the 314th to its first combat; the 313th/315th were assigned to attack from the north (the former position of the 90th Division) bypassing Valognes to the west, while the 314th night moved to an area near Binneville. At 0600, 2nd BN jumped off towards its objective to seize the ridge at Croix Jacob, outside Negreville. They took this position with little trouble, and along the way 1st BN took 14 POW's, one 88-mm gun and eight tanks. 2nd BN found four D-Day paratroopers hiding in the woods. They had watched the Germans pulling back towards their Cherbourg defenses. 3rd BN captured eight 88's, two AA guns, and a V-1 "Buzz Bomb" rocket launching site in nearby Brix. The 314th was on the outer perimeter of Cherbourg on 21 June, and the artillery fire from the enemy was intense. These were the main defense forces around Cherbourg. Allied radio broadcasted to the Germans to surrender before a deadline of noon, 22 June. After the deadline was summarily ignored, the 314th pulled back 1200 yards to allow room for a bomb release line. They watched as the Allied bombers dropped their payload. After roughly 80 minutes of bombing (one stray took out a 3rd BN anti-tank gun and prime mover, and the fragmentation reached as far back as Regimental CP), the 314th moved onward towards Cherbourg with 1st's B/Co in the lead. C/Co was sent to the left through Tollevast, with A/Co on the right. All took heavy fire and amassed numerous casualties. It was decided to bypass the strong point and send 3rd BN on along the Regiment's right line boundary, and collect what they could of 1st BN's troops. B/Co could not disengage, but the rest followed 3rd through a hole created in the German lines. To the west, the left flank of the attack was covered by a battalion from the 315th, and the 79th's Recon BN. The morning of 23 June, 2nd BN was ordered to clear the supply routes serving 1st and 3rd BN's positions. 3rd's I/Co ran into heavy artillery and arms fire and had to withdraw due to heavy causalities. 1st and 3rd BNs (without B/Co) took their objectives and became the first ground troops to look upon the city of Cherbourg.  

The morning of 23 June, 2nd BN was ordered to clear the supply routes serving 1st and 3rd BN's positions. 3rd's I/Co ran into heavy artillery and arms fire and had to withdraw due to heavy causalities. 1st and 3rd BNs (without B/Co) took their objectives and became the first ground troops to look upon the city of Cherbourg.

US troops marching German POWs

Air support was called in and 1st BN wasn't far enough away from the drop line, subsequently suffering many casualties again. G2 sources noted two main obstacles to the 314th's advance - two German strong points of considerable strength. 2nd BN was assigned to one, 3rd BN the other, and by 0800, 24 June, air strikes hit the positions. By 1000, both were secured. Fort du Roule was the key to Cherbourg. The Germans had fortified it with Anti-Aircraft guns (AA's), concrete emplacements, pill boxes, antitank ditches and barbed wire. 3rd BN made three attempts for heights adjacent to the fort. All were unsuccessful and resulted in heavy casualties. The next day's attack (25 June) 2nd BN took off for "Point 46" - an area of AA guns and concrete shelters on the edge of a cliff overlooking Cherbourg, with 3rd BN providing covering fire. Two hours of fighting, destroying the German machine guns and securing pill boxes ensued, and over 100 POW's were taken.

 

Fort du Roule viewed from Cherbourg

The remaining enemy held on through two more attacks by the 2nd BN before finally surrendering late in the evening. By midnight, 2nd was on the lid of Fort du Roule, 1st at Point 46, and 3rd in reserve. 1st BN began sending patrols into Cherbourg - fighting was taking place house to house. On 26 June, while 1st   and 3rd BN's were fighting house to house in the town, amassing casualties and capturing over 2000 Germans, 2nd BN was facing its own problems at Fort du Roule. The Germans had bored

Overlooking Cherbourg from Fort du Roule

tunnels into the face of the cliffs, and had mounted guns on retractable mounts which promptly disappeared into the rock wall after each round. They were firing primarily on the patrols going into Cherbourg.

2nd BN's E/Co drew up a demolition crew and blasted the tunnels. By the end of the day, 26 June, the city of Cherbourg was under 79th Divisions' control. 314th's 2nd and 3rd BN's received a Presidential Unit Citation and two Congressional Medals of Honor were awarded, as well. La Haye du Puits The 4th Division took over garrisoning Cherbourg on 27 June, 1944 and the 79th reverted back to VIII Corps. They moved south to just outside of Bricquebec (the troops called it "Bricabrac.") The landscape changed from beaches and cliff faces, to farms, small towns, and the dreaded hedgerows. On 29 June, 2nd BN moved south to take over a defense line near La Picoterie, relieving the 90th's 357th Infantry Regiment. The 1st and 3rd BN's joined later, and as of 2 July, they were still awaiting   orders.

Map of troop movement Cherbourg / La Haye du Puits

Behind the line of Carentan - St. Lo, there was a small town called La Haye du Puits. It was a focal point for supply lines and the 79th's next objective. On 3 July, the attack moved out with the 314th approaching on the left, the 315th on the right. 1st BN / 314th drove forward to Bolleville, the 3rd worked on securing "Hill 121" left of Bolleville and the 2nd remained in a defensive position north of the Douve River in support.

The Regiment's Battalions lost radio contact with Regimental HQ CP for several hours and mission specifications   were relayed by an artillery liaison. The objectives of 1st and 3rd were reached at 0230, 3 July.

  During the night, 2nd BN crossed the Douve to the north-northeast sector of "Hill 121." The approach exposed the troops to

the most extreme fighting they had experienced to date, and fatigue ran high. At 1830, 4 July, 2nd BN moved through 1st BN's position to bypass La Haye du Puits to reach an assembly area about 800 yards northwest of Bolleville. 1st BN was holding the line to the right, and 3rd was in a defensive position northwest of Ste. Catherine. 5 July - After six hours of heavy fighting, 2nd BN managed to only advance one-half mile and was stopped cold until tank support arrived. 3rd BN's K/Co was sent to recon La Haye du Puits and, at 0900, secured the railroad station on the north end of town. The Germans bombarded the station heavily and orders for K/Co to pull out were issued that afternoon. Later in the day, the entire 3rd BN pulled back to regroup to the right flank (south of Bolleville) for the next day's assault.

2nd and 3rd BN's moved out early on 6 July to take ground southwest of La Haye du Puits. 1st BN moved in south from Bolleville. Late in the afternoon, 3rd BN ran into a battalion of Waffen SS in defensive positions of La Haye du Puits.   The 315th, near Montgarden, was so far away that what resulted was a 500 yard gap in the 3rd's right flank. On the northern sector, a 1st BN recon unit ran into resistance and had to fall back to Bolleville.

Waffen SS troops deploying

On 7 July, 2nd and 3rd BN's tried to advance again with slight progress and at a high casualty cost. By nightfall, command of 2nd BN had changed three times due to heavy losses. 1st BN made another attempt to reconnoiter La Haye du Puits, but ran into heavy German defensive positions - mine-studded fields strung with checkerboard patterns of piano wire about one inch off the ground, mortar bursts, and machine gun batteries. Behind the 314th's position, the 8th Infantry Division was preparing it's 28th Regiment to relieve 2nd BN's position. The next day's orders were for the 1st BN to just contain the town, leaving the dirty work to the 8th Infantry Division. But, as will become pattern, the orders changed sending 1st into town. The battalion broke up into smaller units to penetrate the German defensive positions. It was an awkward, almost Guerilla-like attack, but after a day of this tactic, on 8 July, the 1st BN secured La Haye du Puits. To the south, 3rd BN was taking a beating from the SS in its attempt to  

secure a position noted as "Hill 84" and the 28th had no progress moving in for support. 2nd BN was called up to assist. By 9 July, F/Co had only one officer, and 94 enlisted men left. Between 8 and 9 July, F/Co lost 14 men, 34 wounded - almost half the Company. The 315th established contact with 314th's 3rd BN, and 2nd's remnants pulled back to the assembly area. 3rd BN moved forward to hold the slope of the hill area, and 1st BN relieved by a unit of the 8th Division, turned over disposition La Haye du Puits, and moved north to regroup. Later, "Yank" magazine did a full story spread on the 8th Infantry Division "taking La Haye du Puits" with only a passing mention of the 314th/315th Regiments efforts and involvement. Typical media. However, there is a memorial monument to the 79th Division erected at La Haye du Puits, France.

 

The 1st BN received a Presidential Unit Citation which read in part:

"The 1st BN, 314th Infantry is cited for extraordinary gallantry for the assault and capture of the city of La Haye du Puits during the period 7-8 July 1944. In the assault and capture of this most important communications center, it displayed outstanding courage, determination, fortitude and fighting spirit..." The Breakthrough at St. Lo After three weeks of fighting, many of the men who'd trained together for over two years were gone and the whole face of the Regiment was changed. Replacements arrived, 50 to 60 per company, and about the time they signed in on the roster, it was time to move out again. Objective orders for 10 July were to take the ground about 1000 yards southeast of "Hill 84." The G2 reported that the "Der Fuehrer" Panzergrenadier Regiment of the "Das Reich" SS Panzer Division (the best Hitler had in the west) awaited them. The "Der Fuehrer" was very ruthless. They had just massacred the adult population of the villages of Tulle and Oradour-sur-Glane. 3rd BN led off the Regiment in columns. By nightfall, 3rd reached the objective. The 314th Regiment was the only unit on the Corps front line to do so. 1st BN moved to 3rd's rear and held the forward slopes of "Hill 84." 11 July, 1st BN led off the southwestward push to the next objective, 1200 yards beyond the 10 July line. C/Co met a pocket of resistance that kept it held up for most of the day, and both sides exacted heavy losses. On 12 July, late orders arrived for the 314th to take the east/west line about 500 yards north of La Picorie. On 13 July, at 0800, 1st BN led off, 2nd in the middle of the column, and 3rd bringing up the rear. They met heavy resistance, and gained no ground until tank support arrived. 2nd BN would see progress, but then would stall out west of Hierville. With the objective in sight, the advance went quickly the morning of 14 July, and by 1130 the new line was consolidated. The rest of the day was spent patrolling the Ay River. 15 July, the 314th was relieved by the 315th, and fell back to an area 500 yards south to rest. The location was called "Dirty Gertie's" after the dirty old woman seen rummaging about the garbage and rubble. One remarked that   it appeared she hadn't washed since the fall of France. The 314th got a much needed rest, hot chow, showers, mail and church services. A mission brief by the 314th's commander, Colonel Warren Robinson came on 17 July. The destination was a concealed bivouac area near Les Puits Rault. The move was to begin late 19 July undercover of darkness to be in position to relieve the 8th Division's 137th Infantry on 21 July. The 314th secured the line between le Bocage and la Uilaumerie. The Regiment closed in and regrouped at 0225, 20 July. They spent the next five days patrolling the Ay River. CP devised plans for the exchange of support fire between the

8th's positions and the 314th.   On 25 July, 3000 Allied Bombers laid the way to begin the breakthrough at St. Lo. Ground troops drove the Germans westward toward the coast with the 314th "maintaining pressure." 314th's 1st and 3rd BNs moved up on 26 July 1st on the slopes beyond La Banserie, 2nd BN established a bridgehead across the Ay near Pissot. the 3rd BN piled into the rear of the 28th Infantry because they hadn't advanced as far as the reports indicated. 3rd went to an assembly area north of La Banserie for the night. 1st BN swung west, but all three battalions ran into heavily mined areas. A/Co lost 36 men. Regimental CP, on the morning of 27 July, relayed to the battalion positions that the 28th never reached its objective. The 314th was dispatched around the stalled advance and reached the original objective, the la Bocage line, at 1840. This operation book marked the breakthrough which would reach all the way to the Seine. The assault column made another eleven miles advance on 28 July, with the 314th reaching Coutances by nightfall. 29 July, they waited and watched as the 6th Armored Division raced through the position hot on the enemy's heels. A fifteen-mile gain towards Avrances took place on 30 July. Along the way, the destruction of the Allied Air Corps was everywhere.

 

Street in St. Lo

On 1 August, 1944, the 79th Division (as a unit, belonged to VIII Corps) went under control of General Patton's 3rd Army at midnight. The assignment was to march down the Britany Peninsula behind the 6th Armored, but the 79th's mission changed. On 2 August, they would join XV Corps to protect the 3rd Army's flank on an approach to the German communications center at Fougeres. The 314th, on a southern course, headed for an assembly area south of St. James. They were greeted by flower-laden French townspeople and three ragged French buglers in worn out uniforms playing the Star Spangled Banner. Fougeres was secured early in the morning of 3 August.

City of Fougeres

The mission was to set up a defense around the town, and after spending two days preparing, 5   August brought orders to march 3540 miles south to Laval. After the 314th, accompanied by the 313th Regiment, arrived in Laval, they were sent to Change, just north of Laval. En route, orders changed and the destination became the hills leading to the Mayenne River. At 1115, the 1st and 3rd BN's attacked and established a bridgehead by late in the day.

No resistance was met on this latest push, so the 79th moved onward to Le

Mans. Talk of Paris, only 125 miles away, began to circulate among the troops. After a light fire fight, the 79th reached Le Mans on 8 August. Word came that at Le Mans the 79th would revert to Corps reserves with the 90th Division and 5th Armored in relief. Two days of rest was had in Le Mans by the 79th/314th. On 10 August, orders sent the 79th along with the 90th, 5th Armored and the 2nd French Armored to the southern edge of the Falaise Gap after the damaged remnants of the German 15th Army. The 314th moved out, with it's Regimental combat team of the 311th Field Artillery, B/Companies of the 749th Tank and 304th Medical BNs, and B/Co of the 304th Engineers. The column led off with the I&R (Intelligence and Reconnaissance) guys leading the way, arrived just southwest of Bonnetable that night. The 314th moved up behind the 5th Armored to prepare a defensive position on 11 August just south of the Foret de Perseigne. Original plans for an aerial attack on the region were called off and the troops re-routed around the Foret and moved on to La Mele-sur-Sarthe. During this move, the 2nd BN in the column's lead, was strafed by an unidentified plane, suffering eleven wounded. The battalions regrouped northwest of La Mele, and billeted for two days. On 15 August, orders arrived from Division for an advance on Versailles and Paris immediately. XV Corps took off in two columns - 5th Armored on the left, 79th following the 106th Cavalry on the right. A 77mile advancement placed the Divisions near Nogent le Roi. The 313th and 315th established bridgeheads across the Evre River on 16 August, while the 314th drew reserve and enjoyed some much needed time off. The main topic of conversation was laying 60 miles away - Paris. It was almost destined, to them at least, that the 79th Division would be the liberating unit. On 18 August, orders for the 79th to move north and take over Mantes-Gassicort were issued. Located 40 miles outside of Paris, it was the   key point of German escape routes across the Seine after the Falaise Pocket disaster. On 15 August, the German 15th Army had been cut off and surrounded. They were attempting to escape through a small gap near Falaise when attacked by heavy Allied forces. The results were high losses on both sides: several entire German divisions, including Panzer and SS, were destroyed.

Troops headed to the Falaise Gap

XV Corps, with 5th Armored on the left and the 79th on the right, moved out. Mantes-Gassicort and the Seine The enemy were already talking about the "Cross of Lorraine" guys, and it was clear the unit had made an impression on the German troops; this is one Divison not to be messed with, and had the reputation as a tough fighting unit. On 19 August, 1944, a small task force was dispatched to go into MantesGassicort to stop any lateral movements by the enemy on the south bank of the Seine. A/Co riflemen stopped and captured a German dispatch rider along with his dispatch case and motorcycle.

 

The 314th was deployed, aided by 76 assault boats and B/Co from the 304th Engineer Battalion on 20 August. The 313th had reached its assembly area without incident, so at 0825 the 314th crossed the Seine River from the south bank. Once ashore, the 1st and 3rd BNs went east to secure the main road between Limay and Fontenoy St. Pere.  

749th Tank BN crossing the Seine Courtesy of http://personal.pitnet.net/heathde/749/

C/Co ran into two German vehicles - one carrying fuel and ammunition (promptly taken out by a bazooka blast) the other carrying troops. The Germans hurriedly deployed and a fierce firefight ensued. It was quickly over with the 3rd BN eliminating one-half of the opposition and both battalions registered 40 POWs.

By nightfall, 20 August, 2nd BN was in reserve at Regimental CP - 1st and 3rd in solid positions of defense. Around the CP area, there were five 88-mm guns, eight multiple 20-mm AA guns and plenty of ammunition, but thankfully no German soldiers. On 21 August, the 314th extended the bridgehead 1000 yards further southeast. A battalion from the 315th took over the southern part of the Regimental sector.   In the morning, a group of 150 German troops was spotted moving towards the river road near Limay. F/Co, supported by tanks and a platoon from the AntiTank Company sent the Germans headed back to Berlin with the first assault. A few other small skirmishes broke out randomly, but the real battle began late the night of 21 August in the 1st BN sector.

German POWs detained

Troops from the 36th Luftwaffe Field Regiment, supported by five

 

German King Tiger tank

King Tiger tanks, had arrived from Holland and moved south from Drocourt into the 1st BN outposts. A/Companies outpost was driven back and a few men captured. The rest of 1st BNs outposts were driven back to the main line of resistance. Fighting continued well after midnight. It was an anxious night for the 314th, as this was the first real counterattack in force the enemy had mounted. Only the artillery barrages launched by Division Artillery and the 30 Batteries attached from Corps broke up the first enemy attack.

At 0700, 22 August, German infantry, supported by four tanks, hit the 3rd BN from the south, forcing I and L/Co to pull back. But the Germans, known for being stingy on its armor usage, sent their tanks back to the German assembly area. I/Co regrouped and, supported by B/Co of the 749th Tank BN, caught the German infantry cold. By just before noon, 3rd BNs lines were reestablished. 1st BN had it somewhat easier as the resistance they faced had no armor support. On 24 August, at 0600, XV Corps (including the 79th) went over to 1st Army control. Work continued as before, laying anti-tank mines and stringing wire preparing for the next wave of German attacks. The Luftwaffe roughed up the 3rd BN area that day, and to the left, the 2nd BN was set in the event of an enemy breakthrough in the 1st BN lines. Not until midnight did the 314th see any action. A B/Co outpost was driven back from the woods southeast of Fontenoy St. Pere. The loss was short-lived, however. By 0230 (25 August) supported by artillery and mortar fire, the position was restored. The situation stayed fairly quiet throughout the rest of the night. At 1630, 26 August, B/Company's position east of Guitrancourt and Fontenoy St. Pere was hit hard by a battalion of enemy which burst through the woods accompanied by five tanks. 3rd BN's lines were hit by another infantry attack supported by armor, but the combined artillery, small arms and 57-mm High Explosive fire staved off the enemy, and cost them wholesale casualties. In the 1st BN area, German King Tiger tanks were on a rampage. The battalion was taking a heavy hit but managed with small arms, and a few well  placed bazooka rounds, to disable two of the tanks. They held on until artillery pushed back the German attack. On 27 August, the 314th moved 20 miles north to Vernon where the British 43rd Division had crossed the Seine. 3rd BN was sent to a

Crossing the Seine River

point 200 yards south of Fontenoy St. Pere, directly to 2nd's right flank, and just in behind 1st BN. After a few setbacks courtesy of German resistance, the 749th Tank BN and artillery fire helped the 314th meet its objective.

The 3rd BN rolled into Drocourt on 28 August, 1944, supported by nine tanks. The 2nd, with armor support, took residence on the high ground northwest of Drocourt. Ahead, the remains of the German 18th Luftwaffe Field Division (keystone unit of the Paris Defenses) went back towards Germany, beaten. At midnight, 28 August, the 79th was   transferred to XIX Corps control. The 29 August objective was to take a sanitarium held by the Germans near Le Tremblay. Backed up by the 2nd Armored Division, the 1st BN reached its section, with the 2nd BN arriving to the east two hours later. The breakthrough was on, and well ahead of schedule. Operations had XIX Corps going east towards the Belgian front on line - the 2nd Armored Division on the left, the 30th Division on the right, with the 79th down the center. On 30 August, the I&R led off with tanks, two platoons from 3rd BN, a platoon of tank destroyers (TDs), Cannon Company, with 1st and 2nd BNs bringing up the rear. At Henonville, the lead elements of the column ran into an enemy demolition crew setting off an ammunition dump. They were dispatched after blowing only one bunker. The march forward was progressing smoothly and quite fast, driving deeper into eastern France. 31 August found the troops in the vicinity of Mouy, but the real push to the border began 1 September. The emphasis of troop movement was on speed. The 79th split into two motorized combat teams with the 314th on the left. Five hours of riding, and the column had covered half the distance to the objective. They crossed the Somme, ever wary of ground resistance and the Luftwaffe, at 0215, 2 September. next morning, (2 September) a 60   The mile march with the 2nd BN in the lead, was fairly uneventful. Shortly after midnight, the 314th was at its objective - an assembly area northwest of St. Armand - two miles from the Belgian border. In 72 hours, the 79th Division covered 180 miles through enemy-held territory, crossed the bridgeless Somme, and reached the objective. Major General Charles H. Corlett called it "...one of the fastest...advances

of comparable distance by an infantry division in warfare." The 79th Division crossed the Belgian border, becoming the first American division to do so. As reward, the 314th drew three days of R & R. The added bonus was that the enemy had pulled out so fast the Division ran out of gas trying to keep up. Charmes and the Moselle River, Crossing the Meurthe At 0300, 7 September, the 314th headed for the cathedral city of Rheims to hook up with XV Corps. The 79th had been dispatched to cover the exposed east flank of Patton's 3rd Army. The Regiment traveled 158 miles to an assembly area eight miles east of Rheims. The German 19th Army was being overrun by the United States' 7th Army and was fleeing back towards Germany through a corridor near Charmes on the Moselle River. On 8 September, the 79th moved in to prepare positions to shut down the escape route on the left flank of the Corps section.

The 2nd and 3rd BNs had worked to set up road blocks on the Cirey-sur-Blaise-Vignory line when orders were sent on 10 September   for the 79th to move east and secure the west bank of the Moselle, between Charmes and Epinal.

On 11 September, the column set off, accompanied by the 106th Cavalry Group, to screen for any advancing German troops. The Cavalry had the enemy held at bay in Neufchateau, Poussay and Mirecort. At 1915, the 1st BN disembarked just outside the town limits, and went on foot into Socourt. The advancing elements received some small arms fire as patrols moved down the canal to the city. They were pushed back. 2nd BN buttoned down on "Hill 376" outside of Socourt, and 3rd on the opposite end, kept eyes out on the road between Socourt and Gripport. The 314th Regiment had advanced across the front of the entire German 16th Infantry Division (deployed from Neufchateau to the Moselle) and was unaware they did so. While awaiting the consolidation of the column (313th was fighting to clear Poussay), on 12 September, Regimental HQ sent I&R and L/Co out to secure the southern approaches into Charmes (which were secured at 1800.) 1st BN, with tank support, was coming into Charmes from the north. After six hours of fighting, and tank and artillery rounds, 1st had the heart of the town.

Charmes is divided into half by the Moselle River, and as the battalions met up at the bridge, the Germans blew it up. After exploring, the 1st BN found a ford   roughly 800 yards north of town, regrouped, and crossed at 1930. 2nd BN moved down to take over 3rd's position at the roadblock to Gripport.

Crossing the Moselle River

By 0925, 13 September, the 1st BN had cleared the balance of Charmes with little resistance. 3rd BN set up south of the city and 1st patrolled the eastern bank of the Moselle.

  The City of Charmes

  In taking the city of Charmes, the 314th also captured an airplane motor repair company, 350 airplane motors, one 88-mm gun, two 75-mm guns and a 20-mm AA gun. Crossing the Moselle

For two days, the 314th patrolled Charmes while awaiting the remainder of the Division to catch up. After the 313th and 315th secured Poussay and Neufchateau respectively, the two regiments closed into Charmes on 15 September. Word on an enemy uprising near the French-held sector reached the   unit in Charmes on 16 September. Ten German tanks accompanied the force, but it reached no further than Chatel. Rumors of a counter-offensive were so rampant that the 314th planned to move out. But only four tanks appeared, and they were dealt with swiftly by the 773rd Tank Destroyer BN.

On 18 September, 1944, Bing Crosby showed up in Charmes, and the entire Division gathered in the airplane factory   to hear him perform. During the show, the 314th went on alert to move out ASAP.

The 106th Cavalry patrols had spotted 15 German tanks and an infantry column stretching over a mile in length moving through Vallois to Gerberville. The 79th was dispatched to cover the west bank of the Mortagne between Luneville and Gerberville by midnight. The 313th and 315th Regiments drew the trucks for a run to Lamath while the 314th had to march its way to Haudonville. The 314th made it to Moriviller in three hours, but reports of enemy activity near Gerberville stopped them until dawn.

By 1000, 19 September, the 1st and 3rd BNs had Haudonville secured. Past Haudonville, the next objective was Marainviller on the Vezouse. To get there, the Division had to cross two hazardous rivers - the first, Mortagne at Haudonville. After building a   ford, hampered by a soft riverbed and withstanding sporadic enemy attacks, the Division was ready to cross at 2000. Darkness forestalled until the next day. The advance had to wait.

At dawn, 20 September, 1st BN moved out to secure Gerberville. Meeting slight resistance, they secured at 0745. At 1015, the 314th moved out towards Fraimbois and Marainviller - 3rd BN leading, 2nd BN center, and the 1st BN bringing up the   rear. The move to Fraimbois was peaceful, but Division HQ reported troops in the woods on both sides. 3rd BN was ordered to hold in town while the 2nd advanced to take over the lead, and the 1st moved northwest to its position.

To the right wooded area of 3rd BNs position, patrols found a cache of German weaponry and vehicles. Seemingly abandoned, the enemy could not get them across the river in time to outrun the Division's advance. 2nd BN established road blocks northeast and southeast of town, and 3rd BN moved up to a position overlooking the Meurthe River...what was to be the site of the Division's bloodiest victory. Crossing the Meurthe River Below the 3rd BN position lay what was seen as the overwhelming task of crossing the Meurthe River. It moved too fast to build a solid ford, the banks were barren and provided no cover, and on the German side it was worse. Bald banks led to a wooded area perfect for enemy cover. The only buildings in site were a group of barns located on the enemy side, several hundred yards from the bridge. At 1630, 20 September, TD's rolled into place on the ridge line. K/Co dispatched a six-man patrol to check out the bridge. They got to within 80 yards of the river when they were driven back by a German machine gunner. Regrouped, K/Co sent out a platoon of infantry along with a platoon of the 749th tanks to force the bridge, but the enemy force proved too great and they were forced back again. This left the 3rd BN holding on the ridge, 2nd at the outskirts of Fraimbois, and 1st BN in reserve between Gerberville and Fraimbois. The 313th and 315th Regiments were further north near Luneville looking for an alternative corridor. That night, the Germans blew the bridge.

At 0600, 21 September, 3rd BN slid down the bluffs and moved toward the river on the flat lands. K and L/Companies made it to the river, but the L/Co area was too mucky for tank support. Both companies made it to the riverbanks with no opposition. L/Co sent a small patrol across and back successfully, but when a larger force was deployed, eight enemy guns fired from the barns on the eastern bank driving them back for cover. K/Co had better luck. The entire Company ferried across the river with I/Co following. The objective was a roadway, called the St. Clement-Moncel, 400 yards away, and their advance was peppered with enemy machine gun fire and mortar bursts. The crossing cost a heavy price; I/Co had to fall back across the Meurthe to regroup. This left only one platoon of K/Co behind to hold the position. The showdown was set for 0530, 22 September and was kicked off by a 15-minute artillery barrage. K and L/Companies moved out to take the St. Clement-Moncel highway. K/Co reached the objective, but L/Co got pinned down on the west bank by machine gunners firing from the farm area stronghold. Finally, two tanks managed to wade through the marshy area to L/Company's position. With the tanks leading the assault, they ran 27 enemy out of the barns. Another stalemate ensued as German anti-tank fire halted the infantry advance. I/Co regrouped to attack past the highway to the railroad tracks. The Company destroyed five enemy machine gun nests, clearing the highway. F/Co was sent to cover I/Company's rear after reports of enemy tank sightings. The Regiment had it's objective, and the engineers were sent in to build a bridge overnight. At 0430, 23 September, the bridge was completed. Anti-tank units were the first to cross and the day was spent moving the troops around to further secure the area. Patrols reported little resistance, and what was left was dealt with by mortar and artillery fire. At 1600, elements of the 314th met up with the 313th's southward advance. The enemy was fleeing, but the 314th's positions were too haphazard to allow pursuit. Once the dust had settled, the 79th Division, 314th Regiment had lost the equivalent in casualties to onequarter of a battalion - most occurring in the 3rd BN's ranks. The 3rd BN received a Presidential Unit Citation for its part in the Meurthe River battle. The Foret de Parroy On 24 September, Marainviller was secured and A/Co held guard while the rest of the 1st BN patrolled the edge of the Foret de Mondon, along the Fraimbois-Marainviller road. They passed discarded equipment left by the 2nd Cavalry, for they had run   out of gas: six light tanks, three assault guns, and several Jeeps. This had occurred earlier in September when the Germans were so disorganized they were still on the other side of the Siegfried Line. Then, the troops could drive across the Meurthe without drawing fire. An A/Co platoon crossed the bridge at Marainviller over the Vesouze River on 25 September to check out the outer edges of the Foret de Parroy. The patrol was cut short by enemy small arm and mortar fire. Intelligence reports showed the forest was held in strength, so the 314th was ordered to remain south of the Vesouze and

continue patrolling.   1st BN worked the expanse of the river trying to find a crossing point. A patrol near town drew fire, as well as one east of the city. All along, artillery was being poured on the city itself. Field orders for the next attack came down from Division on 26 September: XV Corps was to clear the Foret de Parroy. The 79th on the left, the 2nd French Armored on the right. Prefacing this advance was a bomber run out of XIX TAC. 79th's battle plan had the 313th and 315th on the northeast drive with the 314th in reserve at Foret de Mondon preparing to cross the Vesouze at one of three points: Chanteheux, Croismare of Marainviller. The attack was set to begin on 27 September, but weather delayed the bombers. On 28 September, a 75-minute bombing assault took place with minimal effect to the enemy. The bulk of the German troops in Foret de Parroy were veterans of the 15th Panzergrenadier Division, and had seen combat - complete with dive bombing runs - in Sicily and Italy. Two hours after the bombs were away, the 313th and 315th Regiments attacked. At midnight, XV Corps went over to the Seventh Army - the third of six U.S. designations committed to the European Theater of Operations; First, Third, Fifth, Seventh, Ninth, and Fifteenth. The 314th's 2nd BN located a ford near Croismare for future use. On 29 September, the Regiment sent several patrols out scouting, and after a Divisional CP meeting, the 314th received orders to move out across Croismare and join the 313th and 315th in the fight. The timing of the 314th's advance was directly relational to the progress of the other two regiments. Word came in that the troops were meeting with harsh counter-attacks for every advance they made, so the 314th's jump-off was postponed until 1 October. The battalions were deployed at 0615, 1 October, into merciless warfare. The 313th and 315th had moved about one-third of the way eastward into the Foret de Parroy. They were facing the 15th Panzergrenadier Division, and the 113th Panzer Brigade supplied by a constant stream of reinforcements, tanks and assault guns. Mark IV tanks were everywhere. The 314th, after 45 minutes of artillery, gained ground fast. G and F/Companies reached the forest in an hour with E/Co close behind facing heavy return fire brought on my the 314th's artillery barrage. Croismare and Marainviller were under heavy shelling as the 3rd BN started across the Vesouze.  

Ahead, the 2nd BN, after losing one tank and capturing 16 POWs, stopped at 1200 to allow 3rd BN to catch up to their position. By 1430, the battalions had regrouped, and met little resistance moving forward. They set up camp for the night holding a line 1800 yards from Parroy. The 314th established contact with the 313th on its left. In Marainviller, the 1st BN was relieved by the 313th's 1st BN, who had been in Corps reserves. B and C/Co was sent across the river to positions on the Regiment's right. This location was the southern portion of Parroy, called Les Grands Bois. An Anti-Tank Company held road blocks at Beaulieu Farms.   Artillery fell all night on the 314th's position, and trees were exploding everywhere from the bursts and mortar fire. At 0800, 2 October, the Regiment attacked again. 3rd BN made its objective through the woods to a clearing on the western edge. K and L/Companies attempted patrols into the open area, but enemy fire drove them back. 2nd BN moved out to the left to cover the retreating and hard hit 313th position, but as it neared its objective, German machine gun fire stalled the advance. E and G/Companies attempted to advance beyond the 313th's line, but had to turn back to reorganize. The cornerstone of the German defenses in Foret de Parroy was the main supply crossroads on the Regimental boundary line. 3rd BN, leaving a small group in the western clearing, swung around to augment 2nd BNs attack on the strong point. 1st BN, still south at Les Grands Bois, was hit with an infantry company of Germans, so they were ordered to hold position. E/Co moved in behind the 313th's position to shore up a gap which had opened between the 313th and 315th's sectors. At 0615, 3 October, 2nd BNs E and F/Companies advanced up the ridge line to take out the enemy pocket blocking the 313th. Further on, contact was made with the 315th Regiment. Moving eastward, the companies caught the enemy off guard, and had the position by 0800, with 17 POWs captured. The two companies, with the 315th, moved ahead again along the boundary road until stopped by a heavily-armed German road block. E/Co waited for tank support, while F/Co moved up on the right a few hundred yards where they startled a loose group of German infantry. On the 3rd BN's right flank, 1st BN's B/Co had regrouped with K/Co. At 0900, German infantry, supported by tanks, moved back B/Companies entire line. C/Co held fast, to the right, halting the

advance. K/Co repositioned back to maintain contact with B/Co. The tanks rolled in just in time to force the enemy for rear areas. By 1600, 2nd BN was back in line (E-left, F-center, G-right), and by nightfall F and G/Companies were on the objective with E/Co just 150 yards short. The tanks set up a blockade to the right of the position, and settled in for the night. More artillery tree bursts went on all throughout the night. Tree bursts occur when artillery shells are fused to explode super-quick. The shells hit tree tops and explode there, showering everything below with schrapnel and wood splinters. The attack for the crossroads was set to go off a 0700, 4 October. As the companies prepared to deploy, four Mark IV tanks and a company of German Infantry moved to 2nd BNs front. Two tanks were at E/Company's line, and one was hit with a bazooka shot at five yards. The others slammed into the battalion's area, with E and G/Companies taking heavy casualties. As soon as the U.S. tanks started their engines, the enemy opened fire with a hard concentration of mortars. Before 2nd BN could reorganize, an enemy counter-attack drove into the sector between E and G/Co, and knocked a hole in the line.   2nd's HQ, along with the heavy weapons from H/Co, was thrown into battle and helped close the gap. By 1700, the major fighting had stopped, but there was a huge sag in the 2nd BN line. A/Co sent over a platoon of reinforcements for a secondary defense later than night. The other battalions remained in position.

US Mortar crews preparing to fire.

The order for 5 October told the 314th to hold fast while the 315th moved around to the left to outflank the crossroads defenses. At 1300, the 2nd BN let loose with all its firepower to mask the 315th's movement. There was a lull in activity for most of 5-8 October, so the 314th sent out patrols for spots to park tanks and TDs (tank destroyers) for the upcoming attack. German artillery filled the air almost constant. Rumor had it that the Foret de Parroy was Hitler's favorite forest - where he himself had fought in World War One - and he had ordered it held at all costs. A captured German Colonel was overheard saying that "...the Americans hadn't taken the forest in the last war, and this one would end with them still trying." Late 8 October, the 314th received orders to resume the attack. German forces had counter-attacked again on the 2nd and 3rd BNs positions, but the 314th held them off until they withdrew. At 0650, 9 October, E and G/Companies moved out with F/Co looping around to the right to take the main feed road behind the German position from the other direction. At approximately 0800, E/Co ran into a dug in German infantry position supported by tanks on the west side of the crossroads. G/Co moved left reversing for an enveloping approach. At 1300, once in position, F/Co sent off a platoon with a tank down the road behind the German position. E/Co moved out into the clearing towards the crossroads and advanced with no resistance. They discovered a house full of wounded Germans on the opposite side. At 1530, the crossroads was secured.

With its capture of the crossroads by the 2nd BN, the German's hope of holding Foret de Parroy was shattered. A weary and exhausted 2nd BN pulled out to rejoin the rest of the 314th Regiment, leaving the pursuit of the fleeing enemy to the 313th. Manonviller and the Bois le Remabois After questioning of the enemy POWs revealed that the Germans had retreated, 1st BN moved out to the southeast of the woods on 10 October, setting up a perimeter facing Marianviller. 3rd BN moved east of 1st's position 1000 yards, but ran into anti-personnel mines and suffered heavy casualties. On 11 October, 2nd BN moved to within Croismare, and the other battalions - facing no resistance - deployed on the line north or Manonviller to Foret de Manonviller. The Regimental orders were keep contact tabs on the Germans. 3rd BN moved forward a few hundred yards on 12 October, and the 1st moved about one-half mile to the section called Les Quatres Mamelons. On 13 October, the 314th was alerted to move out on the attack again - H-Hour, 1300. The left line was the railroad from Marainviller to Avricourt. The 3rd BN took the left along the ridge line while the 1st BN took right flank. 2nd BN remained in reserve. 1st and 3rd moved out, accompanied by a super-sized company of tankers from the 749th, and a company of the 773rd's TDs. At roughly 1600, I, L and K/Companies encountered some sporadic arms fire, but by nightfall all was secure. 1st BN tied in with patrols from the 315th Regiment to its southern flank. The weather conditions were horrid; cold winter rain, and sleep only came at the point of exhaustion.

 

Sign: 'You are leaving the American Sector'

Early 14 October, 3rd BN was sent an order to bypass the railroad station strong point, and drive to the objective: the ridge line. I/Co was shut down by machine gun fire coming from an entrenched enemy. The advance was further stalled by mines, booby traps and barbed wire.

Mine detection crew

broke through the obstacles, and the   Tanks Infantry was underway again. By 1650, I, L, and K/Companies established a line past the railroad station moving south to 1st BN's position. A German patrol had passed within 100 yards of the CP, and were eventually caught by M/Co troops. 2nd BNs G/Co was used to plug the gap between 1st and 3rd's positions, but the rest of 2nd BN remained in reserve.

The 314th was ordered to "dig in" - fortifying the positions on 15 October. G/Co moved up to

fill out the thin line and managed to capture   an entire German platoon. Patrols brought back the news that a full regiment of the 15th Panzergrenadier Division awaited ahead.

At 0330, 16 October, the Germans sent a small task force consisting of two companies of infantry and twelve tanks forward into G/Companies line. After resisting for nearly two hours, the Company finally fell back. F/Co, coming up from reserve, counter-attacked at dawn with tank support, and captured 45 POWs. G/Co was back at its original line by mid-morning, 17 October. The Germans attacked again, at the same location - the G/Co line - but this time had almost a battalion strength of troops and nine tanks. G/Co had to scatter. F/Co moved back in at daybreak 18 October to regain the position, but found it vacated. It was beginning to seem like harassment tactics, and later that day when E/Co moved forward to relieve G/Co, they captured 49 more German's moving forward. Rumors were floating that the 79th would soon be relieved by a new division the 44th, fresh from the United States. The 79th had spent over 120 days in combat and needed a rest. But before they got it, one more objective came down from Regimental HQ. Take ground at Bois le Remabois. The movement was going to be a little difficult. It would require a "wheeling maneuver" because the left sector was too far away to implement a full-scale attack scenario. On the evening of 19 October, the 114th Regiment of the 44th Division took over 1st BNs position on the extreme right so the 1st could move over 2500 yards southeast of the railroad station.   From this point, the 1st BN was to time its advance to coincide with the 3rd BN reaching Le Remabois, and continue up the tracks. 3rd BN, after taking Le Remabois, would keep moving to the central objective - Bois le Remabois. 2nd BN, leaving E/Co to guard the southern position, would follow up behind 3rd BN setting up defenses. L/Co spent 20 October clearing a section of the woods to be used as the launch area. The remaining 314th Regiment stayed in position. H-Hour, 21 October was scheduled for 0635, but it was delayed for one-half hour to allow for the tanks to arrive. The rainy and cold conditions had slowed their advance. In less than two hours, L/Co, the spearhead, along with I and K/Companies were inside the Bois le Remabois. There was brief mortar and small arms fire, but by 1300, the objective was taken with 2nd BN filling the line. To the north, 1st BN began its attack, and lost two tanks almost immediately. A/Co, on point, kept moving forward and was on its objective by

1145.

The ground was peppered with trenches and still in place from World War One,   pillboxes and the 1st BN gathered in them, grateful for the shelter from enemy mortar fire.

1st BN patrols spotted some enemy troops and tanks, and artillery fire dispatched them quickly. The only real enemy attack came around 1200, 22 October, as a small German patrol came through a hole between the I and L/Co line. A C/Co platoon quickly sealed off the gap. In the afternoon of 23 October, the 314th's 2nd and their counterparts from the 44th Division's 71st 314th's officers and enlisted were left behind for a remainder of the battalions wasted little time temporarily attached to the 315th Regiment, and it 1944.

3rd BNs were relieved by Infantry. A few of the day as advisors, but the in leaving. 1st BN was was relieved 24 October,

The 314th Regiment had been withdrawn from combat after 127 days. Luneville, the Saverne Gap, Fremonville, and Hattigny

The much deserved break at Luneville gave the 314th men hot meals, clean clothes, a place to sleep with an actual roof, and a meal or drink from a cafe or two still opened for business. The billets were located in a series of old buildings left virtually   factory untouched by the Germans. There were replacement troops brought in, and they acclimated quickly under the training and drilling from the seasoned veterans. After USO shows, movies, company parties and so on, came 30 October. This date marked the beginning of a planned two-week training schedule. It lasted one day. The first alert arrived. An order was issued to move the 314th out to Baccarat to stand reserve for the 2nd French Armored Division. After   three days of waiting, on 4 November, the 314th was taken off the alert. On 5 November, the entire 79th Division received orders to prepare for a move to Benamenil in the 2nd French Armored's sector four miles

east.

Recon patrols were sent out, and on 9 November, field orders came down. Take the Saverne Gap in the Vosges Mountains. The Vosges were   heavily defended by the Germans who were spread out, staggered, in the old World War One pillboxes and machine gun strong points.

The positions were dotted along the mountainside, instead of uniformly deployed at the ridge line. The 7th Army's plans were the smash the line wide open and beat the German defenses to the Saverne Gap to take the city of Strasbourg. XV Corps - the 44th on the   left, the 79th on the right, with the 2nd French Armored closing in behind, were dispatched to Sarrebourg on the western side of the Vosges. The 79th's zone ran from Ancerviller to Nitting, five miles northeast of Hattigny.

Aerial view - Strasbourg

The 314th's first objective lay north of Harbouey, northeast of Ancerviller. Under cover of darkness with silence and secrecy   stressed, on 12 November, the 314th moved to the assault assembly area southwest of Montigny. Troops in the terrain located in the Vosges Mountains

The situation map showed eleven high point objectives (designated numerically and by terrain markings) along the line between the 314th and 315th positions. Once these eleven points were taken, the 2nd French Armored could roll in and the breakthrough would be underway. 1st BN was assigned Points 1, 2, 3, and 3A, while 2nd BN took Points 4 and 5 - all along one sweeping ridge. B and C/Companies were moved to the slopes of Point 1 late the night

of 12 November for a surprise attack at dawn 13 November. It was common knowledge that German troops loved their comfort, so most were pulled off the line at night and billeted. The rainy conditions turned to snow early 13 November, and the assault troops' stealth paid off as they took Point 1 by 0815. Point 2 wasn't as easy. The troops in B/Co dodged artillery and mortar rounds, as well as anti-tank fire losing one of their support tanks, and eventually had to retreat and regroup. B/Co lost 47 men in the failed advance. The 2nd BN advance met little resistance. F/Co, leading point, took the battalion through the woods, and even though they were hit with small arms fire along the way, they took both Points 4 and 5 by early afternoon. 2nd BN had control of the major road between Domevre and Montigny. B/Co regrouped and took off at 1410 to secure Point 2. In just under two hours of battle, it was taken. Moving on to secure Points 3 and 3A, 1st BN caught sporadic artillery fire, but reported success at 1700. L/Co was brought up to bridge the gap between the 314th and the 315th's positions. The 315th had yet to make their objective of Ancerviller which left the 314th with no flanking cover. And the enemy's main line still lay ahead. On 14 November, the 3rd BN moved into the attack at 1115 with a battalion from the 315th to begin securing the next four Points: 6, 7, 8, and 9. Points 6 and 7 were taken, but darkness halted troops for the night. 1st BN sent C/Co to 7A and they drew artillery fire. 2nd BN moved forward to assemble near Point 6 to support 3rd's drive the next day. Once the 315th had advanced to equal points in line with the 314th, 3rd BN jumped off to take Points 8 and 9. The 2nd BN advanced with the 315th to Points 10 and 11. By 1530, 15 November, 2nd BN had F and G/Co occupying Point 10, E/Co at Point 11, and 3rd BNs I/Co held Point 8. The rest of 3rd secured Point 9. Resistance was minimal, but every move was punctuated with mortar and artillery. All eleven points were held by the 79th Division. At 1620, orders from Division called for a patrol to capture the bridge and crossroads south of Fremonville on the Vesouze River. The same river the 314th had crossed at Marainviller and Croismare on the trek to Foret de Parroy. The orders called for the bridge to be taken at night. The Regiment was to follow the patrols to Fremonville and send a force over to secure Barbas. 1st BN was given the Barbas assignment, while 2nd and 3rd took the Fremonville assault. As the plans were being drawn, the CP was being showered by German artillery. Orders were modified as a patrol reported that Fremonville's bridgehead was intact and defended by a squad of German infantry. The attack was reschedule for the next morning. At 0840, 16 November, the 2nd BN moved out headed to Fremonville. E/Co took immediate small arms fire and artillery, halting them fast - while G/Co faced artillery coming in from German positions southeast of Blamont. 1st BN headed into the woods south of Barbas, with C/Co on point, and captured 25 Germans at an outpost along the path. Entering Barbas, there were German tanks and infantry held up there, and a squad worked its way house-to-house throughout the town. These troops witnessed four tanks and some 300 German infantry leaving Barbas by the back road to Blamont. B/Co remained in Barbas, while A and C/Companies moved to a position south of Blamont on a   ridge line. By

that

night,

3rd

BN

was located

between Points 10 and 11 - near the main road to Blamont, and 2nd BN a little north of Point 11. 2nd sent out a patrol to the Fremonville bridge, but it was turned back by small arms fire coming from the woods past Point 11. A second patrol was dispatched to find an alternate route around the right side of the woods, but reported back that Germans were on both banks of the Vesouze. 1st BN spent the night lobbing grenades back and forth with the German troops until the enemy got tired of it. 3rd BN was patrolling the woods west of Point 11, and at 0515, 17 November, they moved in. Two companies of the 3rd BN had made it to the woods by 0800, but were receiving fire from both sides and were quickly pinned down. 2nd BN was supposed to be on the right flank, but had hit heavy resistance along the way. Only E/Co had advanced to the 3rd BNs position. At 0900 in the 1st BN area, the Germans attacked with one tank and squads of infantry to recon A/Company's position. The tank was taken out by a bazooka blast and the ground troops retreated. By the end of the day, 3rd BN and 2nd's E/Co only gained a few hundred yards. The remainder of 2nd BN attempted to advance to 3rd's location, but German artillery held them back. Early 18 November, the 1st BN withdrew to an assembly area near Halloville after being relieved by the 313th's 2nd BN. At 0700, the 3rd BN moved quickly through the woods, and sent I/Co across an old wooden bridge west of the main bridge. F/Co moved in with tanks forward of E/Company's position, and slammed into the Vesouze at the main bridge area in Fremonville. The bridge had been blown by the Germans during the night. The troops waded across the river forced to leave the armor behind. Another 300 yards through challenging enemy fire lay Fremonville. Almost the entire Company had been stalled in the crossing, but one 12man patrol pushed on. They finally reached the main road at 1700. The remainder of the Company moved forward slowly, dodging two  

Mark IV tanks and enemy infantry on the western side of town. As I/Co moved up to the railroad tracks southwest of Fremonville, the Germans threw all they had at the advancing troops. With no one to support them, I/Co fell back across the river. By nightfall, E/Co moved into western Fremonville to secure the area around the railroad station, and G/Co followed to hold the remainder of the western section of town. By 1100, 10 November, 2nd BN had removed most of the threat of enemy fire from Fremonville. 1st BN made contact with the 313th at their objectives, and finding no enemy, regrouped for the march four miles to Richeval. The 1st BN and the I&R Platoon took point. The breakthrough to Alsace had begun. The column reached Richeval without incident and swung east to Hattigny. A/Co topped a hill a half-mile beyond the town, and was peppered with mortar fire. A/Co was ordered to engage as cover for the advancing column. They faced an enemy with no cover as the had none, so it was a small arms battle. Behind the diversion A/Co created by engaging the German infantry, B and C/Companies moved across the   field to Hattigny. The Germans held on to Hattigny until after midnight, then torched the town in their retreat. The German's Vesouze line had been shattered at Fremonville, and the withdrawal to the Vosges was fast becoming a rout. The Vosges Mountains and Alsace The 314th moved out of smoldering Hattigny the morning of 20 November, following the 2nd French Armored Division spearhead. The combat situation at the time depended on the French's armor to deter any German counter-attack. The first resistance was met at La Neueville-les-Lorquin, four miles northeast of Hattigny on the road to Sarrebourg.  

3rd BN took 20 POWs, then ran into more enemy troops south of Nitting. The Germans had blown the bridge and the troops had to wade across the river under heavy fire. That evening, the 2nd and 3rd BNs camped in the town of Nitting after it was cleared of enemy, and 1st bunked at La Neueville-les-Lorquin.

Units of the 2nd French Armored Division

On 21 November, 2nd BN relieved the 3rd in the lead off position, and had delays crossing its tanks and armor across the river; a problem they had faced quite often along this advance.

Rhine-Marne Canal (Saverne)

  At the Rhine-Marne Canal, the column halted again to allow engineers to check the bridges for explosives. By nightfall, the 2nd reached St. JeanKourtzerode, the 1st, La Pote de Homarting, and the 3rd BN in the town of Homarting. This concluded a thirteen-mile advance.

The bulk of 22 November found the Regiment sitting tight while the I&R men moved out to make contact with the 2nd French Armored. The French Armored Division was already at the approach to Phalsbourg - the gateway to the Saverne Gap. 1st BN moved A and D/Companies to relieve the French party at Middlebron. The action was at the Belfort Gap, and that night, reports came in that the French had poked through the German defenses there. The 2nd French Armored moved in north behind the Vosges to attack the Saverne defenses from the rear, and it forced the Germans to flee Phalsbourg. Thanksgiving Day, 23 November, 1944 found the 314th underway to an assembly area at the eastern end of the pass near Saverne. Past the Vosges, Alsace stretched eastward to the Rhine River. At midnight, orders were sent to the 79th Division to move out to Brumath to hook up with the 44th Division in the taking of Haguenau, and recon the area between Strasbourg and Gambsheim. The 314th Regiment was sent to Weyersheim. At 1015, 24 November, the 314th moved out - 3rd BN on point, 1st, then 2nd in the rear. Weyersheim was sixteen miles away. They encountered no ground troops, but were bombed and strafed several times by a renewed Luftwaffe. Road blocks were set up at dusk, with 3rd BN in Weyersheim on the left, 2nd BN outside Hoerdt, and the 1st BN in reserve. Safe billets became more important from a security standpoint because it was rumored the Alsace-area was home to many French

sympathizers to the Hitler regime. That night, due west of 2nd BNs position -   at Bois de Geudertheim - the 311th FA BN stumbled into enemy forces who had strayed from their units due to the breakthrough at the Saverne. The cannoneers held fast, and the next morning, 2nd BN policed up 130 POWs from the Bois. Motorized patrols were sent to scout the towns southeast of the line. The day of 25 November passed in relative quiet, and that night orders were sent for the 314th to move out north to set up a defense from Weitbruch to Kurtzenhausen. The new objective needed to be established by nightfall 26 November. The 314th arrived at 1400, with the 1st BN patrolling around Weitbruch, 3rd BN had the main line of resistance around Gries, and the 2nd BN spread out: F/Co in Weyersheim tied into a 3rd BN patrol outpost at Kurtzenhausen, with the rest in reserve at Regimental HQ in Geudertheim. German artillery began again, and reports had a considerable enemy presence in the Haguenau / Bischwiller area. The Luftwaffe, back to operational strength, flew 52 sorties over the Division on 26 November. The 463rd AA BN scored four kills. On 27 November, the Division was ordered to move out to the south bank of the Moder River. This river flowed through the northeast edge of both Haguenau and Bischwiller. The 315th was sent forward on the left, and the 314th was assigned to take the towns of Niederschaeffolsheim and Schweighausen. They were to also set up road blocks from the southwest leading to Haguenau. 1st BN, accompanied by a platoon from the 749th medium tankers, was sent to establish the road block. 2nd, with another tank platoon, was sent behind 1st BN to approach Niederschaeffolsheim from the northeast, and to be ready to drive on to Harthausen. 3rd BN, still in reserve, stood pat over its blockades in Gries and Kurtzenhausen. H-Hour was set for noon, 28 November, but the tank platoons were late in arriving. A/Co moved out and arrived in Birckwald at 1400. A smattering of enemy small arms fire was the only resistance met. By dark, A and B/Companies were posted near Birckwald, and C/Co, along with the entire 2nd BN, were holding Weitbruch.   0730, 29 November, 2nd BN headed for Niederschaeffolsheim, and C/Co was sent to man the road blocks leading to Haguenau. The 2nd BN met the first objective, and at 1245 began a drive for Harthausen. Enemy artillery and ground fire met the 2nd en route, but they took possession of the town by the afternoon. B/Co had joined C/Co on the blockade route, now moving forward to the Haguenau-Harthausen road, when they met two German tanks and 50 or so infantry armed with machine guns. The surprise attack exacted heavy casualties on the two companies, forcing them to fall back 400 yards south to regroup. Fifty-six men were lost in C/Co alone in the two days (28-29 November). Late the night of 29 November, a change in direction was necessitated to send the 314th head on into Haguenau.

On 30 November, at 0800, the 1st BN moved out, supported by all the tank destroyers, anti-tank guns and 50-caliber machine guns that were assigned to the 1st and 2nd BNs. Progress was still slow, and by 1045, the battalion had reached its objective of the Haguenau-Niederschaeffolsheim road blockade. 3rd BNs orders changed to recommit ahead of 1st BNs position to take 1st's next objective. The 2nd BN had advanced to the road leading north to Schweighausen when it came under heavy fire. E/Co made it across, but G/Co took the brunt of the attack, and the whole left flank was rolled back. 3rd BN had almost reached the objective at the Harthausen-Niederschaeffolsheim crossroad, with K/Co on point, when German fire attacked from three sides. 3rd pulled back and called in counter artillery fire. 3rd regrouped, and K/Co crossed the junction first. By the evening of 30 November, the 314th held a line around the woods overlooking Haguenau. Haguenau As of 1 December, the 79th Division still fell under the control of VX Corps, 7th U.S. Army. The 44th Division had been replaced by the 45th Division "Thunderbirds" from the brutal Italian campaigns. The 44th remained in the Vosges guarding the Saverne. The next stop for the 314th Regiment was Haguenau. At 0800, 1 December, 2nd BN was dispatched in a limited offensive to secure Meyershollam Farm located just forward the Regimental line. Some small arms fire erupted from the buildings, but the farm was taken by 0940. F/Co advanced, but took a beating from 20-mm flak guns cutting the road from Haguenau to Winterhausen. E and G/Companies followed, securing positions in the woods beyond at 1230. To the right, 1st BNs A/Co sent a patrol to a walled farm at Walk Chateau, and drew some fire. The patrol regrouped and held the area, tying into the 3rd BN position; holding a line to the right of the 1st BN in the woods overlooking a pasture. Everyone buttoned up for the night. The next day, 2 December, the 1st and 3rd BNs held their positions, with A/Co facing one counter-attack at Walk Chateau, but the 2nd BN had some organizational problems and needed to straighten their line. F/Co moved onehalf mile to a quarry on the battalion's left. They faced arms fire and mortar from a waiting enemy, but advanced through it to put the 2nd BN back in   alignment. At this stage, the troops dug in to wait out orders and battle plans, sending out patrols and covering up when the artillery flew. From 3 December to 7 December, they waited. On 5 December, the 79th Division transferred over to VI Corps to form one flank of the new Corps defensive to breach the Siegfried defenses.

German troops prepare anti-tank fire.

On 7 December, the first details of the plan came in: the 79th was to move out on the right, 103rd Division center, and the 45th on the left. The newly-deployed 14th Armored Division waited for word of a break in the line to advance. The 79th Division's line of attack would take them through Bischwiller and Seltz, destroying the bridges crossing

the Rhine. The 314th's immediate objective was Haguenau and the Foret de Haguenau where enemy ammunition dumps were located. Beyond the Foret de Haguenau lay the fortifications of Hitler's infamous "Westwall."   The attack zone had the 314th headed to Haguenau, the 313th moving north to Bischwiller, and the 315th leading off to take Kaltenhaus - all supporting the other's attacks if necessary. On 8 December, the battalions special unit commanders met at the Regimental CP in Niederschaeffolsheim to coordinate. The 315th was to lead off the attack at 0645, 9 December, while the 314th activated at 0715 laying fire to thwart a German attack to the left. City of Haguenau

On the afternoon of 8 December, the 315th moved into position on the right flank. That night, 314th's 2nd BN pushed up a few hundred yards, but could get no further. Patrols reported heavy enemy activity, and the 314th jump off time was pushed back until 1400 the next day. The 313th and 315th moved out as originally planned. Early 9 December, B/Co sent out patrols, but they were stopped by enemy fire just beyond Walk Chateau. B/Co attempted, along with the 315th's 3rd BN, to align with the A and C/Co positions at Walk Chateau. 2nd BN   was facing heavy resistance, but was able to insert G/Co along with F/Co at its quarry position. By nightfall, 2nd BN was still well behind the time table. 3rd BN faced heavy fire, but was able to reach the southwest edge of Haguenau before dark. I/Co patrolled the woods and captured 25 POWs. 1st BN was situated on 3rd's right flank. 1st BNs A/Co was now sharing the position with 3rd BN on the edge of town. 2nd BN, seeing more resistance than the others, sent E/Co over to Walk Chateau to guard the Regiment's right flank, and went into reserve. Germans had moved back into the 3rd BNs zone on early 10 December, and the jump off was delayed by one hour to deal with the threat. The advance into Haguenau had A/Co on the right, L/Co in the center, and K/Co holding the left. It was slow going as units worked house-to-house, all   the the while dodging mortar rounds. As the advance came up to Haguenau proper, the progress was halted because a crossing

bridge over a deep railroad track had been blown. German defenses were only 50 yards away, and were secured in reinforced positions in the houses. The companies moved to a three-story building beside the railroad tracks to regroup and plan. E/Co sent out a patrol to the tracks east of Haguenau to gauge crossing the 2nd BN there. They made it to within 30 yards of the tracks when it was attacked. They retreated. A second patrol sent out at midnight was also heavily fired upon. With the bridges out, armored support was out, and any attack fire was returned in kind by the Germans. At 0500, 11 December, 2nd BN, coming out   of reserve, swept around to the right. By 0825, they were at the tracks due north - close enough to see A/Co and the 3rd BN crossing the deep tracks. Miraculously, the Germans had withdrawn sometime during the night. The units closed in on Haguenau, and had road blocks in place north and east by 1400. The townspeople were gracious and surprisingly pro-Allied. The engineers set about repairing the bridges so the armor and the other vehicles could cross. The next stop was to be Soufflenheim, eight miles east through the Foret de Haguenau. The 313th was already there facing a fierce fight. On 12 December, a scouting party from the 1st BN was sent out to determine the route. They discovered the bridge west of Soufflenheim mined, but whole. The demolition engineers cleared the explosives, and the 314th reached town at 0830, and ordered to hold in place and support the 313th Regiment. The 13 December orders had the 314th moving north through the Foret de Haguenau to the town of Niederroedern. The assignment was to set the stage to cross the German border into Scheibenhardt - the edge of the Siegfried Line. Troops were loaded on any vehicle that moved for a fast-paced mechanized advance. Speed was a must for this move to be successful. Along the way, however, were dozens of streams at which the Germans had blown every bridge, and had left tanks to guard the positions. Roughly four miles short of the objective town, 2nd BN moved to Leutenheim, the 3rd BN fell back all the way to Soufflenheim, and the 1st BN, never having began the move, remained there as well.

With the routes to Niederroedern congested or impassable, the 314th was ordered to swing out right to Seltz and cross there on the heels of the 313th. The 3rd BN reached Seltz, and the orders changed - again. 2nd BN moved out to assemble in Wintzenbach, but word reached the Regiment that Wintzenbach was overcrowded, so 2nd diverted to Schaffhausen. The 1st BN moved out later, and assembled at Seltz across from the 3rd BN position. The 314th was finally in line - right behind the 313th Regiments' drive north to Lauterberg. Riding on tank hulls, the troops got the first look at Hitler's Germany across the Rhine. On 15 December, 1st BN assembled in Neewiller, while 2nd and 3rd BNs billeted in Wintzenbach awaiting the next battle plan. At 0645, 16 December, the 314th was alerted to prepare for crossing the Lauter River and move up through the 315th's position near Scheibenhardt. The approach was a forested area, and there would be no cheering townspeople. The 314th prepared to invade Germany.

 

Germany...Into the Siegfried Line As the 314th Regiment moved north from Haguenau, it passed the French Maginot Line. Thankfully, the forest was void of enemy troops. A few miles ahead, however, lay the Siegfried Line which was manned heavily. The plan to move into Germany had the column crossing with 1st BN in the lead, 3rd BN, and 2nd BN in the rear. At 0900, word came in of a delay due to a bridge was repaired on the main road between Buchelberg and Lauterberg to allow armor to precede the ground troops. The bridge site came under heavy enemy fire, so repairs took longer than anticipated. The move was postponed until 17 December. Orders were specified to send the   79th Division north, breach the Siegfried Line, and capture Kandel on the other side of the woods. The attack jumped off at 0700 with the 1st BN moving in two columns; C/Co going straight up the main road into Kandel, and A/Co moving up on the left. After dealing with road blocks, C/Co reached the crossroads at Buchelberg-Berg/Kandel.

The Siegfried Line was blocked by German "Dragon's Teeth" for miles.

A/Co was still to the left, one trail over. To avoid more road blocks, the units moved eastward. B/Co, with two tanks, had been tracking C/Co when they encountered an enemy defensive position 400 yards east of the road. B and C/Companies spent the rest of the day observing the enemy. K/Co met resistance to the left of 1st BNs position. By nightfall, the placement was following: B and C/Co facing enemy to the right of the main road into Kandel, A/Co tied in at the road but behind slightly to the west. K/Co, to

A's left, was at the junction of Berg and Scheibenhardt-Buchelberg, with I and L/Co to it's left position. F/Co was north of Scheibenhardt with the remainder of 2nd BN into town proper. At midnight, K/Co patrols reported an enemy presence of unknown number left of the 1st BN sector. At daybreak, 18 December, the 1st BN reconned their forward area slowly. B and C/Companies breached an area of pillboxes, capturing one. Artillery fire in the area was heavy, and the 1st BN only succeeded in pushing close to the Line unable to penetrate, but gained valuable intelligence. Another failed attempt to gain ground by the 1st BN took place later in the day. The 313th Regiment had lost its forward position   by a German counter-attack. On 19 December, the 2nd BN marched a reconnaissance in force around the left side of the Line. They met blockades of felled trees across the road. E/Co advanced cleaning out small pockets, but the enemy fire was relentless. The next two days were spend sending out patrols for spots to exploit in the German's defense of the Line. 2nd BN was called in from its recon run on 23 December, and 3rd BN sent forward to secure a good jump off position, and maintain a defensive line. Troops set mines and booby traps all along the German side of the Line behind the Lauter River. On 24 December, the 314th withdrew to the new Regimental line - 2nd BN at Lauterberg and Berg, 3rd BN to Scheibenhardt, the woods beyond and Neewiller. 1st BN established a position on a ridge between Neewiller and Lauterberg. Christmas Eve, 1944, was spent patrolling the German woods. Platoons were rotated so that the troops got a chance to warm up and have a meal. The 79th Recon troops reported from the right flank of the Rhine that the enemy was laying wire. Numerous enemy flares were also reported. On Christmas Day, an I&R platoon along with the 79th Recon were patrolling between Lauterberg and north along the bank of the Rhine. Defenses were bolstered by AT mines, demolition preparations for bridges, barbed wire, TD and tank positions, and overall ground weapons. The 314th's line of defense was a little over 9000 yards; the covering was thin due to support Infantry Troops crossing the Siegfried Line troops being pulled and sent to assist into Germany   in the Battle of the Bulge in Bastogne.

A quick meal and rest around the cook fire...

Over the next four days, 26-29 December, the troops spent the time patrolling and observing the German troops crossing the Rhine. Orders came in for the 314th to move gradullay to a new position six miles southwest - the old French Maginot Line. This new line ran from just above Rittershoffen, south through the Foret de Haguenau, to Koenigsbruck. The Regiment moved out 30 December.   Enemy artillery fell on the 314th's positions throughout the nights of 30 and 31 December, 1944, while the second line was being established. Patrols were still being sent out from the original line. The new year started out badly as enemy forces pressured the Division's entire position west into the Vosges Mountains. Division prepared to withdraw to the secondary line on 1 January, 1945. Four battalions (1st and 2nd of the 313th, 1st BN, 314th, and 1st BN 315th) were temporarily shifted to the Vosges to hold off a breakthrough at the Saverne. At 1400, the 1st BN of the 314th was rerouted to swap positions with 3rd BN/315th. This gave control of the 313th/314th area solely to the 314th Regiment. 3rd BN/313th acted in reserve capacity. Later, at 1820, 1st BN/314th's orders changed again, as they were ordered to load onto DUKWs (sea-going 2 1/2 ton trucks) to move out to the northeast section of Zinswiller to assist in a battle taking place near Reipertswiller. They had 36 miles to go to meet the DUKWs. The remainder of the 314th was to fall back to the secondary line. Since the current line was so thin due to the troops sent to Bastogne, the decision was made on 2 January to withdraw and shorten the line. AT/Co and Regimental HQ were to begin the fall back, followed by Cannon Co, the 311th FA BN, with the infantry units to begin its move at 2000. At 0400, 3 January, the demolitions were to be blown taking out the bridges. A delaying force consisting of E/Co, a Company each of TDs and tanks, and the I&R platoon was left in Neewiller to cover the enemy approaches. The withdrawal was executed without detection. The 2nd BN assembled from the Saltzbach River (located between Hatten and Buhl) extending 2500 yards to just shy of the Haguenau woods. 3rd BN was to the right, fanned out 3000 yards south through

the woods to the outskirts of Koenigsbruck. On 3 January, orders came down for a motorized move to a new position near Kriegsheim. This was later amended for a deeper move back to Walk-Chateau and the Saverne Pass - the November 1944 objectives. Luckily, at 1430, the orders were rescinded, and new orders issued held the battalions in their current locations, and to patrol - quietly.

On 4 January, the 314th's 2nd and 3rd BNs were notified they were being relieved by the 242nd Infantry, and to go into temporary reserve. The 2nd BN was to assemble in Schwabwiller, and 3rd sent to Oberbetschdorf. The 1st BN was now located six miles north of Zinswiller, roughly 40 miles from its Regiment. Due to transportation difficulties, the 314th was not fully relieved until 0700, 5 January. At   1430, the 314th loaded on trucks for a move to the area of Bischwiller to secure it. German troops had crossed the Rhine and now occupied Gambsheim, Herrlsheim, and Offendorf. The order also outline a planned attack on Rohrwiller, situated between Bischwiller and Drusenheim. Patrols spotted prepared enemy positions on the outskirts of Rohrwiller, but they were not presently manned.

Rohrwiller and Drusenheim On 6 January, at 0830, the 2nd BN, supported by a company of 749th tanks, moved out to Rohrwiller. Foggy conditions provided excellent cover, the objective was met and the town under 314th's control by 0100. The attack drive was ordered forward to take Herrlisheim.   Word reached the 314th elements that A/Co 232nd Infantry was in trouble in Drusenheim. 2nd BN was to clear and secure the town en route to Herrlisheim. 3rd BN was called from Bischwiller to Rohrwiller as the 2nd moved out. At 1400, G/Co riding on its tank support, entered the northwest side of Drusenheim. After meeting up with elements of 232nd's A/Co, 2nd BN moved its units under small arms fire across the Moder River bridge to clear and secure the southern part of town. Five tanks managed to clear the bridge before it broke down. The tanks then accompanied F/Co, on point, on the attack southwest of Herrlisheim. At 1630, as F/Co reached the outskirts of Drusenheim, it met

light artillery fire.   F/Co attacked the enemy's strong point - a factory building on the east bank of the Moder - capturing two officers and 51 enlisted men. The rest of the 2nd BN were in positions in or around Drusenheim. As the 3rd BN moved up the take over positions in Rohrwiller, it fell under the heaviest artillery barrages it had faced to date. During the night of 6-7 January, the bridge in Drusenheim was repaired in the midst of constant enemy fire. I&R and Cannon were outposting Bischwiller alone, because the 1st BN was still away on the Zinswiller mission. The 2nd BN was hit with heavy artillery at dawn, 7 January, and it continued for an hour. Enemy infantry, estimated at one battalion strength with tank support, hit F/Company's factory building position. F/Co was ready for them. The Germans were using the high embankment of the Drusenheim-Herrlisheim road for cover, and when they broke cover, F/Co and its tanks attacked. After a quick exchange of fire, the enemy broke off and moved its attack northeast to G/Companies position. E/Co was ordered to advance to Drusenheim proper, from its position in the eastern part of the Bois de Drusenheim. F/Co was ordered to move out to the G/Co position, as well. E/Co arrived at G/Companies position without a problem, but when F/Co began to execute the move, it fell under heavy fire from artillery positions on the highway embankment. F/Co was sent back wading across the Moder to the old E/Co position. As night approached, suspecting an armor attack from the Germans, G/Co was pulled back across the bridge to man the perimeter along the southwest of town. F/Co manned the eastern edge of the Bois de Drusenheim, with an outpost in the northwest section of town. E/Co remained on the southern tip of Drusenheim. These positions rarely changed for the next twelve days. Early 8 January, the zone of attack switched to the 3rd BN sector with L/Co assigned the main objective - establish a bridgehead across the Zorm River near where the Zorm connected to the Moder, and the factory buildings beyond. K/Co was to advance in support eastward from Rohrwiller to the Moder on L/Company's left flank. As the advance stepped off, Rohrwiller was shelled hard amassing multiple casualties in K and M/Companies. L/Co escaped the more harsh shelling and waded the Zorm, establishing the bridgehead. The rubble of factory buildings provided the only cover, and L/Co held it precarious position for the next ten days. Combat Command B, 12th Armored Division, moved through L/Companies bridgehead and made it to the northern outskirts of Herrlisheim, but the 12th Armored Division, who was to support the drive, was held up and did not follow in time, forcing a wholesale withdrawal. I and K/Companies regrouped, reached the Moder River, and spent the rest of the day thwarting the enemy's crossing. That night, engineers started repairs on the bridge at L/Company's position amidst heavy fire which culminated in an infantry attack at 0800, 9 January. L/Co, aided by tanks, broke up the attack, and the bridge was fully repaired by 1645. At 1840, L/Co faced a second attack. The enemy was strongly supported by armor, but American tank fire, along with machine

gunners from M/Co, forced the attack away after a three hour fight. There was little activity during the night of 9 January, into the next day, 10 January. By nightfall, however, it became evident that an enemy attack was forming on the 3rd BN position.  

The only artillery available to the units was the 8-inch shells. They were thrown at the advancing threat. To take pressure off the 3rd BN, 2nd BN staged a live-fire demonstration, and took heavy shelling for the effort. For once, the Germans had more artillery at their disposal than the 314th   Regiment. The enemy barrages were heavy and frequent on both Rohrwiller and Drusenheim. Communications took a constant hit as wiremen from both battalions and Regimental HQ were continually on the go making repairs.

314th Regiment HQ/Co Wiremen courtesy of J.W. Campbell's personal collection

For the next several days, the situation remained fairly unchanged; 2nd and 3rd BNs held their positions. On January 12, I/Co captured an enemy patrol of five men which had managed to skirt the L/Co position. I/Co exchanged assignments with K/Co, sending I/Co to Rohrwiller. The F/Co outpost at the factory location was hit hard at 0300, 13 January, and they withdrew to a position at the Bois de Drusenheim. The enemy was slowly increasing its presence in front of both battalion positions. An enemy tank, firing on the factory positions, threw about 50 rounds into the church steeple in Rohrwiller. Just moment before, the steeple had been M/Companies OP. Luckily, they had evacuated just prior to the action. The remainder of M/Co got out of the area quick. Drusenheim and Rohrwiller met heavy enemy shelling on 14-15 January, and the 232nd Infantry's A/Co was ordered to leave Drusenheim. A platoon from F/Co was sent to plug the hole left by the withdrawal from the northern sector. The 2nd BN was left alone in its defense of Drusenheim. At 0130, 16 January, 2nd BN threw up a diversion to allow the 12th Armored to make its second attempt on Herrlisheim. The enemy response was a sustained shelling that left Drusenheim in

shambles.   At 0200, the 12th Armored went through the L/Co bridgehead over the Zorm River. It was met with 88-mm gunfire that tallied twelve tanks before retreat was issued. By 1200, the remains of the 12th Armored attack force had withdrawn through the L/Co position. L/Co took sustained fire as well. Earlier, at 0515, the 1st BN had rejoined the Regiment at the assembly area at Oberhoffen. Immediately placed on alert, a reported attack came in on the 242nd Infantry position east of the Foret de Haguenau. The report proved false. At 0930, 17 January, 1st BN was sent to Schirrhoffen with a platoon of tanks, and Regimental HQ was set up in Schirrhein. At 1600, A and B/Companies were released to the 3rd BN 232nd Infantry, and took up a position with K/Co 232nd along the railroad tracks between Sessenheim and Drusenheim. C/Co committed on the east edge of the Bois de Rountzenheim blocking the road between Soufflenheim and Rountzenheim. Division ordered another company be sent to the 1st BN, so I/Co was immediately transported from Rohrwiller to 1st BNs command. I/Company's position in Rohrwiller was taken over by 3rd BN HQ and M/Co. During the move, I/Co caught heavy fire and suffered nine casualties. The 232nd's K/Co lost its lines under heavy attack at the railroad tracks, on 18 January. A, B, and D/Companies also fell back under orders from the 232nd Infantry's command to the Bois de Soufflenheim. The 1st BN from the 410th Infantry attempted to restore the line, but failed due to darkness. The 1st BN companies of the 314th remained in their positions along the woods of Soufflenheim. Meanwhile, enemy elements had slipped through into the southwest sector of Rohrwiller overnight. Small arms fire was everywhere, and the 3rd BN units were issued an order: remain stationary in position, and shoot anything that moves. In Bischwiller, the main Bischwiller-Rohrwiller road was heavily mined by a crew from the AT Company. Around midnight, the firing in Rohrwiller died down, and as the 3rd BN troops were calming somewhat, the town received a concentrated shelling. The ironic orders were to "remain alert." After day of exchanging fire, it became obvious the major offensive mounted by the Germans on both Rohrwiller and Drusenheim was to take place on 19 January. Drusenheim was exposed on three sides with the withdrawal of the 232nd's units. Only the 314th's 2nd BN remained. All day, 2nd and 3rd BNs reported the enemy build up concentrated to the woods southwest. Regardless, the 2nd BN command placed much of the unit's firepower northwest of town. The German attack on Drusenheim began at dusk, 19 January, with heavy mortar and artillery fire. To the south, an intense barrage of machine gun fire created the diversion, while the main attack did, indeed, come from the north. Assault teams quickly gained the town limits, taking out machine gun positions and tank destroyers in H/Companies sector. Two companies of enemy infantry, along with five tanks, dispersed throughout the town. The remaining H/Co positions were quickly taken. To the south-southeast, the Germans crossed the Moder River near F/Company's position in the factory buildings. This enemy element pushed on into the Bois de Drusenheim, up the left side of K/Company's position, and forced the right flank of F/Co back to Drusenheim. F/Co was ordered to move to the northwest corner of town, leaving its original position outposted. In Drusenheim, the enemy moved freely, and dealt with any point of resistance. Battalion CP was taken almost immediately. All communication wires were cut, which left only radio

transmissions. 2nd BN reported the situation to Regimental HQ at 2010, and was ordered to break out and assemble northwest to F/Company's position. An advancing enemy, poor communications and not enough time to organize properly led to the breakthrough failing. Efforts did continue until 0300, 20 January. F/Co was ordered northwest as fast as they could go. Only five officers and 93 enlisted from F/Co made it to Bischwiller. A few more troops from E (one officer, 28 enlisted), G (no officers, 44 enlisted), H (no officers, 23 enlisted) and BN HQ and I&R (two officers, 45 enlisted) returned. A total of 241 men. The rest of 2nd BN was "missing in action."

As F/Co was in the midst of its withdrawal, K/Co redeployed to block the Rohrwiller-Drusenheim road. A and B/Companies moved to defensive positions southwest of the Bois de Soufflenheim, blockading the road between Soufflenheim and Sessenheim. A unit from the 410th Infantry Regiment was sent to close the hole left by the loss of the 2nd BN, but they failed to make contact on K/Companies left flank. The 2nd BN - Captured at Drusenheim Starting at 0630, 19 January 1945, German troops rained its artillery and mortar fire on the 2nd BN position in Drusenheim for more than an hour. The 2nd threw everything they had right back at the enemy. After the elements of F/Co had escaped, the rest of the battalion was trapped - essentially cut off from any help whatsoever. Facing 20 tanks and over 100 heavy artillery pieces, capture was close at hand. Hand to hand combat took place until the early hours of 20 January. At 0430, the Battalion CP was captured, and within the next one-half hour, the remainder of the Battalion was taken by the enemy. The American POWs were relieved of their cold weather clothing and forced to march in the snow,

gloveless and in stocking feet. At the German CP in Dalhunden, about 500 yards from the Rhine, the troops were separated; officers in one group, enlisted in another. On 22 January, the troops were ferried across the Rhine on their way to a POW camp. For four days, they marched through the Black Forest in Germany until they reached the camp at Baden-Baden. They were interrogated one by one by an SS officer posing as a representative from the International Red Cross. Food was very scarce, and some of the men hadn't eaten since their capture. On or about 27/28 January, the troops were marched to a railroad station and loaded into cars to be transported to a second camp. After two days of being shoved into railcars in sub-zero temperatures, they arrived in Stuttgart. There was roughly 3000 POWs representing almost every U.S. Army outfit, and they were marched ten miles north to Ludwigsburg. After ten days of a hellish situation of no food and no warmth, the troops were loaded into railcars once again, and transported to a third location: Hammelburg-Läger. They spent roughly 45 days here.

 

On 27 March, report reached the camp that American troops had broken through and were moving on Hammelburg. The prisoners were ordered to gather their belongings and prepare to evacuate. Stall tactics forced the captors to turn the camp over to their captives. White flags were raised and small battles ensued. It was quickly over, and the joy of the win was soon dampened by the realization that the liberators equaled one company of tanks dispatched by General Patton. The tanks took as many men as they could carry, and the rest were left with finding their way back to the American front as best they could; the rumored front being Frankfurt. Every route the fleeing prisoners took, there were German troops waiting. Eventually, most were recaptured and returned to Hammelburg-Läger. On 31 March, the remaining prisoners once again loaded into railcars and, 12 hours later, arrived in Nuremberg, Germany. They were fed well for three days, then began a 150-mile march to Moosburg on 3 April. For 17 days, they marched; borrowing, begging and even stealing food along the way. Most had been issued a Red Cross care package, the first of their long captivity. Seven days after reaching Moosburg, on 29   April 1945, liberation came for good finally came for the men of the 314th Regiment's 2nd BN at the hand of the 14th Armored Division. They were taken to

Ingolstadt and flown to Rheims, France on C-47 transport planes. Food, clothing, rest, and one more stop in LeHavre to board ships headed, finally, home. Aerial view - Nuremberg 1945

The men of the 2nd BN spent 72 days in captivity. The Moder River and Schweighausen On 20 January, L/Co still held the bridgehead on the Zorm River, and 3rd BN was sent to a new defensive line along the Moder near Bischwiller. The 8-inch artillery was fired at enemy positions spotted by K/Co patrols in the Bois de Drusenheim. No counterattack came, so the bridges were blown across the Moder and Zorm, allowing the withdrawal to go ahead. A, B and I/Companies joined the rest of the Regiment later that day. The 314th Regiment was solidly established at the new line position along the Moder near Bischwiller and Kaltenhaus on 21 January. BN was on the left, with 3rd on   1st the right with the remnants of F/Co attached. I/Co went to Regimental reserve. On 22 January, word came that the 313th Regiment would be relieving the 314th position, sending them to reserve near Niederschaeffolsheim. (The relief unit ended up being the 315th at the Moder River position.) Before the reserve orders came through, reports of clear indicators of an enemy buildup forming northeast of Bischwiller. Roughly 200 troops had been spotted in the Bois d'Oberhoffen across the Moder. The 813th TD Regiment and the 25th Tank Regiment sent armor to the 314th for a defensive show of force. Now that the artillery was more plentiful since Bastogne had been secured, Corps artillery threw TOTs (time-on-target) rounds to dissuade any enemy

attack. At dusk, 3rd BNs position came under sporadic fire. At 2200, 1st BN reported seeing five tanks near Camp d'Oberhoffen. Enemy infantry was also settling along the outskirts of town. At 0220, 23 January, B/Co reported trucks and tracked vehicles unloading enemy troops to their front. At 0530, a German patrol hit C/Co, and B/Co forced another patrol back shortly after the first attack. The outposts were withdrawn, and a TOT round fired. Hitler's new jet-propelled plane flew over the 314th's position and dropped several bombs. A/Company's CP was hit. Retaliation came in the form of two Allied bombing runs over Camp d'Oberhoffen. The plans to move the 314th to reserve were called off as more enemy vehicle movement was reported near Oberhoffen. To make   matters worse, some of the vehicles spotted were the 314th's own that had been captured earlier. At 1800, 24 January, relief finally began of the 314th by the 315th. 1st BN was to move to Winterhausen, and the 3rd BN to the remnants of Niederschaeffolsheim. Relief of the line was completed undercover of a huge snow storm.  

Before the 1st BN had arrived to its reserve location, reports came in that enemy troops had crossed the Moder River between Neubourg and Schweighausen, breaking through the 42nd Division's 222nd Infantry positions. 1st BN was placed on a one-hour alert, and as the 3rd BN closed in at 0030, 25 January, it was also on the alert. At 0130, 1st BN was sent in knee-deep snow 2000 yards north of Winterhausen to Ohlungen. The task force (consisting of elements from the 42nd Rainbow/222nd Infantry and the 314th) assignment was to force the Germans back across the river. The enemy force had broken through the 222nd's line in an effort to take Haguenau. Units moved to Schweighausen and eastward on to Neubourg at 0530, accompanied by two medium tanks.

Schweighausen was being cleared by the 1st BN 222nd, while the 1st BN 314th sent out a recon patrol to establish a CP and install communications. The Command Post was billeted in a house with a solid cellar. The battalions tanks began down the Schweighausen road and were lost to the unit when one was hit, and the other crashed. Both crews   escaped. The ground troops advanced forward about 500 yards to a brewery building occupied by the enemy. After a short firefight, the building was cleared and the column advanced to the outskirts of Schweighausen. They observed the forward CP in trouble. They were taken prisoner, and ended up with the 2nd BN POWs. B/Co was deployed to the left of town in a wooded area, and was immediately pinned down. Combat Command B of the 14th Armored Division cleared the woods due west of Schweighausen, and by 1830, the 1st BN held the town. With five light tanks, 3rd BN was sent on foot toward Neubourg to help restore the 3rd BN 222nd's line. At 1100, the unit was advancing and attacking east through the Bois d'Ohlungen. I/Co faced heavy resistance, and was pushed back 400 yards. They managed to regroup, counter-attack, and gain back most of the lost ground. The battalion dug in for the night tied in with the ranks of the 222nd. Reports reached the exhausted task force on 26 January of a considerable enemy force moving across the river. A company of 155's were dispatched to shore up the force from VI Corps. Early in the morning, 1st BN had tied in with the 222nd's 2nd BN in Schweighausen. The attack began at 0730, sending the 3rd BN east through the woods, Combat Command B 14th Armored west, and 1st BN with units from the 222nd hitting north. They discovered the enemy had withdrawn in full. By 1100, 26 January, a Moder River defense was reestablished.

On 27 January, elements from the 101st Airborne Division had arrived signaling once and for all the Battle of the Bulge was over - to relieve the

314th Regiment's position. The battalions assembled for replacements, and moved out again to the banks of the Moder taking over the area held by the 242nd Infantry This section of the line, from the southern edge of Haguenau to just south of Kaltenhaus, was the area the Germans broke through on 24 January. Relief finally began, and despite a snow storm and some enemy activity in A/Company's sector, by 2200, 28 January, the 314th was back in Haguenau. The next three days were spent patrolling, and the only incident of record happened when C/Co attempted to capture a three-man enemy scout force early the morning of 31 January. C/Company's position was hit by a heavy mortar barrage. The church steeple was hit by enemy artillery in Kaltenhaus, as well.

 

On 1 February, a newly trained and outfitted 2nd BN arrived to make up the Regimental reserve. The 79th Division was holding VI Corps front, the 314th's sector assignment was southwest of Haguenau, including Bischwiller. All of the units were depleted and exhausted - the veterans needing rest, and more training for the replacements. Division orders were sent of an "identification of the enemy force" which opposed the 314th presently. The objective was Taubenhof Farm, one-half mile west of Camp d'Oberhoffen - right across the river from Kaltenhaus. Warmer temperatures was melting the snow, causing the Moder River to rise fast, so small boats had to be used to cross the 1st BN patrols. At 0130, 2 February, the returning patrols reported enemy located at and around the Farm location. An attack patrol had almost captured two Germans soldiers, but in the firefight they evaded, and the enemy was alerted to the patrol's presence. They retreated without identifying the enemy element, and further patrols were stalled due to daybreak. Patrol actions took place over the next several days, and the enemy was finally determined by papers found on a dead German soldier. All in all, the forces faced by the 79th Division in the battles taking place in the Alsace included: the 25th Panzer Division, the 25th Panzergrenadier, 21st Panzer Division, 553rd, 4th, and 405th Infantry Divisions, the 7th Parachute Division, and the 10th S.S. Division - plus the 256th and 361st Volksgrenadier Divisions. Orders arrived for relief of the 314th from the line on 5 February. It was also alerted for a move to Pont-a-Mousson, France, but before the move across the Rhine to spearhead the 9th Army's movement - and after 87 days of combat - the unit was due a rest and training period.

Pont-a-Mousson, France

They cleared the Haguenau area, and moved out on 7 February to towns along the Moselle River - Regimental CP at Jezainviller, 1st BN at Pompey, 2nd BN at Belleville, and 3rd located at Dieulouard. The units trained, rested complete with passes to Paris, and USO shows - until 14 February, 1945. Belgium and the Roer River At midnight, 14 February, the 79th Division transferred over to XIV Corps, 9th U.S. Army. The Division had been assigned to four different armies at this point: twice each in the First and Third Army, once in the Seventh, and now the Ninth Army. The Division was moved by rail to Tongres, Belgium. On arrival, they were   moved by motorized columns to billet areas; 1st and 2nd BN's in Diepenbeek, 3rd in Rombershoven, and Regimental CP at Ridderborn par Cortessem. Although the 79th was in Corps reserve, the 314th Regiment was issued an independent mission: recon the area to relieve the 137th Infantry, 35th Division. The 314th was to participate in the 9th Army move across the Roer River. On 22 February, all units of the Regiment moved into position relieving the 137th - 1st BN near Heinsberg, 2nd BN around Lieck, and 3rd in the Kirchoven area. A night attack was planned to take the regimental front to the west bank of the Roer River. The 1st BN attacked at 2400, and caught the enemy by surprise. Resistance was minimal, small arms and smaller patrols. By 0630, 23 February, all of the 1st BN objectives were met: they held the west bank of the Roer River, from Roerhof to Hochbruck - and netted 36 POWs. 2nd and 3rd BN's jumped off at 0330, and F/Co took a hard hit from mines around the perimeter of Kempen. After carefully maneuvering in the dark, Kempen was secured and the mines disabled by 2130, 23

February. 3rd BN met with resistance of small arms fire as but by nightfall had   well, secured a line through Karkien and Hingen. The next push was postponed due to rain and flooding. At 0600, 26 February, 2nd BN began crossing the Roer with a volley of gunfire from the enemy. German artillery fell throughout the Regimental sector. The 35th Division began forging the river, and the Germans were pulling out in retreat. XIV Corps orders placed the Regiment holding positions until the 35th had secured the section of the east bank of the Roer. 1st BN sent two platoons to Orsbeck to act as a security force for an engineers corps. They were constructing a bridge from Orsbeck to Roerhof.   On 28 February, the 314th assembled in Heinsberg for redeployment to rejoin the 79th Division. The battalions arrived at their billets by 1600. For two days, the troops rested in Heinsberg, and on 3 March, moved out to rejoin its Division, now located near München-Gladbach. The motorized move to the 314th assigned area near Holtum went smoothly. In the new location, the troops saw the first "displaced persons camps for forced laborers." They were empty. From 4-8 March, the troops policed the area, found and repaired captured motor vehicles and other equipment. On 9 March, the 314th moved approximately 35 miles to the area of Amsterrade, Holland, backtracking over the now completed bridge at Orsbeck. Preparations began for the new mission: an assault attack by the 79th and 30th Divisions crossing the Rhine. The plan called for two Regiments (the 313th and 315th) to attack side by side with the 314th in Regimental reserve. Practice took place on the Maas River, above Maeseyck near Roostoren. The units refined their strategy over the next few days by repeated practice. The 314th moved out 57 miles northwest to an assembly area near the Rhine, along with Company B, 89th Chemical Mortar Battalion, on 21 March. Upon their arrival at the assembly point, they were greeted by 58 artillery battalions, almost as many mortar companies, and direct fire weapons to support the drive. This was to be one of the most extensive and difficult

operations since 6 June, 1944 - the D-Day Invasion. The Rhine Regimental CP held a meeting 22 March with all commanders to discuss the final plans. Early evening, 23 March, the units moved forward by trucks four to five miles, then on foot the final two miles to the forward assembly areas. At 0200, 24 March, artillery fire commenced. With the rationing of ammunition not an issue anymore, the sky was lit up almost non-stop for over an hour. At 0330, the 1st and 2nd BN's were alerted for the crossing. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, along with General Simpson, and General Anderson were at Division Command Post to observe. At 1000, 2nd BN began its forge of the Rhine and reached its objective - the outskirts of Overbruch. There was a small amount of artillery fire scattered over 1st BNs position, coming from an area close to Dinslaken. 3rd BN followed 2nd's route and close up just right of the 2nd BN position. The plan called for the 313th to push south, 315th to push north with the 314th in between in an attempt to expand the beachhead width before moving on due east. Without TDs or tank support, the 1st and 2nd BNs jumped off headed to Dinslaken at 1630. Speedy progress was made as they faced minimum resistance.   Along the outskirts of Dinslaken, C/Co took a large factory building and had reached the railroad tracks coming in from the northeast. A and B/Companies swept the rear of town clean, and 2nd BN moved down the center of the sector seeing little and sporadic resistance. By dark, the Regiment was settled in for the night with the railroad tracks serving as the outpost line. 3rd BN had reverted to reserve at Overbruch. Overnight, the Regiment moved 147 vehicles, including the Cannon Company guns, across the Rhine. The 25 March objective was a   wooded area west of a yet to be completed autobahn five miles inland. At 0700, 1st and 2nd BNs restarted the attack to enlarge the bridgehead. Both received fire from 40-mm AA guns firing horizontally. B and C/Companies led off 1st BNs attack with B/Co moving into Heisfeld from the east, and C/Co coming up the west side. By 1200, the town was secured.

 

E/Co led point for the 2nd BN, and F/Co attempted to advance east of the railroad tracks, but had to fall back and regroup behind E/Company's position due to 88-mm gunfire. Eickhof was finally cleared early in the morning hours of 26 March. The 315th Regiment position was relieved by the 134th Regiment of the 35th Division on 26 March, and they proceeded northeast with the attacks. The 314th attacked with the 134th on the left flank. The 315th moved to secure part of the 2nd BN position. The 313th Regiment went into reserve. 3rd BN was still in reserve at Regimental HQ, and the position received sporadic shelling. The 1st BN objective was to seize the command ground at Zur Forst Wesel to the edge of Koter Bruch, some 3000 yards forward. The 2nd BN was to hold its position in a defensive stance, and 3rd BN was activated to move up between the 1st and 2nd BNs positions. The 3rd BN was tasked with following the right flank of 1st BN, and defend facing south. 1st BN moved out with A/Co on point, followed by B/Co. A/Co cleared out an enemy strong point about 500 yards past the autobahn. Now reaching open space beyond the woods, A and B/Companies attacked strongly and quickly - out advancing the 134th Infantry to their left. By 1200, A/Co had secured the northern half of the battalion objective. B/Co was held up by two enemy tanks and support infantry, but reached its portion of the objective and secured it by 1400. 3rd BN companies I, K and L moved in to shore up 1st BNs position and to relieve the manned outposts. Later in the day, I/Co was ordered to push its flank into the woods to the main roadway running northsouth on the line's east side tying into E/Company's position. E/Co had been delayed by resistance from the houses located in the east sector of the woods. E/Co cleaned out these strong points on their progress, while F/Co was hit hard by artillery and roughly 100 German infantry. The counter-attack was shut down by the Regiment's artillery and chemical mortars. The 315th moved over to secure this position at 2030 to allow F/Co to regroup. At 0845, 27 March, the 1st BN was relieved by the 137th Infantry. They were moved to the assembly area at Heisfeld for Regimental reserve. The Regimental front was facing south towards the city of Sterkrade and the Rhine-Herne Canal, with the 2nd and 3rd BNs stationed on the line. The Rhine was crossed. Sterkrade The Regiment moved eastward to the outskirts of Sterkrade, the night of 27-28 March. Along the way, I&R captured 17 POWs, 2nd and 3rd BNs captured six 88-mm guns amongst heavy fighting. At 0600, 29 March, with the 3rd BN attacking from the Regiment's left flank and 2nd BN on the right, pushed the advance forward against little resistance.

By nightfall, 1st BN had moved up shadowing   2nd's line of attack, and Sterkrade was secure. The established line advanced to the RhineHerne Canal, consolidated, and the Regiment held this position for the next week. The 314th's situation was so secure that a Corps team arrived with movies to entertain the troops. Sunday, 1 April, was Easter, and church services were held in a beautiful cathedral in town. A captured German food depot yielded eggs and wine. 2nd BN's elements were pulled from the line during the week for guard duty around intelligence targets in the area. Steele On 6 April, the 17th Airborne Division relieved the 79th Division in the Sterkrade area, and the 79th moved about five miles northeast to Bottrop. There, they went into Division reserve to rest and refit for what was to be the Division's last attack mission. The objective was the large city of Essen and its surrounding hamlets, including Steele. Early evening, 7 April, the 1st and 3rd BN's crossed the Rhine-Herne Canal in preparation for the attack toward the town of Steele. At 0930, 8 April, the attack jumped off to virtually no resistance. 2nd BN was deployed eastward to the town of Sevingham. All three battalions were on their objectives quickly. 1st BN patrols had an excellent observation point in Steele of across the Ruhr River. Opposite the position was a strongly built German AA battery. The fire was almost constant until the 311th Field Artillery took the German position out. The 3rd BN position was relieved by the 315th Regiment on 9 April, and moved into reserve. 10 April, 1st and 2nd BN's attacked to advance the Regiment's position all the way to the Ruhr. B and C/Companies were hit hard by another concrete surrounded AA position, and sustained heavy casualties. Tank support pushed the enemy back, and the battalions moved forward again. At sunset, led by the 3rd BN, the entire Regimental rear elements drove to the river banks, and before midnight, 10 April 1945, the entire area was secure. This completed the 314th Regiment's last attack mission. Dortmund, Czechoslovakia and Home The 314th Regiment, being relieved again by elements of the 17th ABN, moved to the city of Dortmund on 14 April. The task was to outpost the Ruhr River line. German troops were observed in several large concentrations, occasionally throwing harassing artillery.   Return fire from the 314th was not called for as long as the enemy remained on the opposite side of the

The Ruhr River Pocket

Ruhr. Late that night, it was reported that I/Co had linked with the relieving elements of the 8th Infantry Division. The 314th Regiment's part in the war was over.

Contact with the enemy was lost on 16 April, and the 314th officially passed into the next phase of the war - military government. This occupational function would include everything from governing and policing, to caring for the "displaced persons" (slave laborers from all over Europe) and guarding POWs. Dortmund was the center of the factory district and most of the displaced had been working there, so the problem of dealing with so many people was particularly bad for the 314th. There were over 19,000 people who needed repatriation to their homelands. Hospitals were set up and staffed, and   troops acted as "guards" to quell looting attempts. By 1 May, 1945, the entire area, including the camps, was secured and running smoothly.

Sea of refugees in Dortmund

On 7 May, 1945, a Liaison Officer brought the following written message from Division HQ signed by General Dwight D. Eisenhower: "A representative of the German High Command signed the unconditional surrender of all German Land, Sea and Air Forces in Europe to the Allied Expeditionary Force and simultaneously to Soviet High Command at 0141 hours European time 7 May, 1945, under which all forces will cease active operations at 0001 hours 9 May, 1945. Effective immediately all offensive operations by Allied Expeditionary Forces will cease and troops will remain in present positions. Moves involved in occupational duties will continue. Due to difficulties of communication there may be some delay in similar orders reaching enemy troops so full defensive precautions will be taken..."

 

It was all over. Beyond V-E Day After the glorious V-E Day celebrations, the troops began training for the possibility of entering the Pacific Theater of Operations. Dortmund was still considered a hostile area, so guard duty was kept up, along with administering to all the displaced. Dortmund fell within the British zone of occupation, and on 28 May word came in that the 48th BN Royal Artillery would take over duties there sometime between 2-7 June. On 30 May, a Memorial Service for the entire Regiment was held at Garden Suburb, a large park in Dortmund. On 5 July, after being relieved in Dortmund, the 314th moved out for a 400 mile journey to Cheb, Czechoslovakia. On 9 June, the 79th was transferred to the control of V Corps, 3rd Army. Regimental HQ was established in Konigsberg, in relief of the 1st Infantry Division. Duties for the Regiment included maintaining road blocks, guard and patrol duty, military governing, and training. This section of Czechoslovakia was opposite the Russian positions. Life in Czechoslovakia was a repetition of the site in Dortmund as regards to the displaced persons. The Division was assigned "Category II" status: re-equip, retrain and ship back to America as reserves for possible deployment to the PTO. A review of personnel took placed based on the "point" system: high-pointers were to be moved out to units due for departure home, mid-pointers moved to units assigned occupational duties, and low-pointers scheduled for training. The unit was moved on 3 August to an isolated village named Dalherda in Bavaria. This location was an old German Panzer Division facility - perfect for training. But the conditions were horrible - what buildings remained were roofless, and it rained almost non-stop. On 6 August 1945, at 0815 the first atomic bomb was dropped from a B-29 bomber on Hiroshima. On 9 August, the second one was dropped on Nagasaki. The Japanese surrendered - it was finally over.

Formal surrender ceremonies on the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay

The 12 August orders pending a trip home were rescinded for the 79th was to replace the 99th Division and the 6th Armored Division on occupational duties. On 23 August, the 314th relieved the 395th Infantry Regiment (of the 99th Division), and the 735th Tank BN. The 314th was again manning road blocks along the Russian frontier in Germany. 3rd BN found itself governing a huge civilian camp, previously known as the German camp Hammelburg-Läger. Men who had enough points started going home. The unit settled into what would be its last post in Europe: 1st BN at Konigshofen, 2nd BN at Mellrichstadt, 3rd BN and the Service Company at Hammelburg-Läger. The HQ Company resided in a small town called Munnerstadt, while the Cannon and Anti-Tank Companies camped in the resort town of Bad Bruckenau. At the end of October, 1945, the Regiment was alerted to prepare to ship home. The 79th Division was relieved by the 1st infantry Division on 15 November 1945. The 314th moved to a tent camp in Aschaffensburg, and later taken by train to Marseilles, France, to board ships headed for America. Sailing began the last week of November. The ships ported all   along the eastern seaboard from Boston to Norfolk, Virginia ten to fifteen days later. On 11 December, 1945, the 79th Infantry Division, including the 314th Regiment, was officially deactivated. The men who wore the Cross of Lorraine and the Sign of the Falcon were finally home.

Troops arriving home (National Archives)

  This outline is compiled from research material provided by personal accounts, unit diaries,

online sources, "The Complete History of World War Two" edited by Francis T. Miller (1948) and the 314th Infantry Association's "Through Combat." A special thanks to Joseph W. Campbell and Dwight Pruitt. 17 September 2003 © Lori Cutshall 2003-2013 Photos and images used on this site are previously published, from private sources, or from the public domain unless otherwise credited. Credit will certainly be given for the use of any photo currently not properly assigned. Any image used herein which is under private copyright will be removed. Permission is granted to link back to this Profile, it can be printed for personal use and reference, but cannot be republished in any form unless the express written authority is given by the author. Thank you!

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