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Hit The Leather And Ride
Sgt. H.P. Grigsby
28 August-2 September 1944
On the Chauffour (21) road through the Bois de Bailly (21), 15 miles southeast of Troyes (III), the morning of 28 August, we of Lt. Hueffner’s platoon encountered a strong enemy roadblock across our only escape route. We had had more than our share of trouble already that morning so we decided to drive directly through the enemy lines, cross-country on a compass bearing.
Almost immediately after we started we found a logging trail which led in the direction we wanted to go. After ten or fifteen minutes of rough riding along the trail we came to a vast clearing. Halting only long enough to check our direction, we proceeded on. As we entered the next clearing we received heavy small arms and automatic weapons fire. It was at this point that the order came over our radio, “Hit the leather and ride!” Throwing a heavy curtain of fire at the enemy, we shoved on.
A few hundred yards further along we came to a large barn housing an indefinite number of rats, heavily armed with automatic weapons. We promptly set the barn on fire with our 37’s and machine guns and it gave us no more trouble. The Germans who were dug in a few hundred yards farther along were so confused at seeing Americans so far in the rear of their lines that we were able to capture a man walking down the trail, evidently on his way to wash or shave himself. Gardner snagged him. A little farther down the trail we came to a large tent. We received the usual inaccurate return fire as they seemed even more confused than we were at the time.
A few minutes later we came into another clearing, checked directions, and driving through a fence, headed down a little gravel path leading to the main road. We found two of F Company’s tanks roadblocking at that point and new that we were home at last. We had passed through the enemy’s rear area and scattered hell and confusion in general but were sure glad to get back. (Eds. note: About 30 minutes before the story related above, Lt. Hueffner’s platoon lost two men killed, Patrick and Pollack, and one wounded while attempting to re-enter our lines in the vicinity of Courtenot (21), east of the Seine river. Sgt. Campbell’s section of Troop B, on a reconnaissance with the Squadron S-2 , had passed through the enemy lines to gain contact with a large enemy column, reported by air to be in the vicinity of Bar sur Seine (III)(21), and met Hueffner on the way. They covered his withdrawal and held until Lt. Pridgen’s platoon of C Troop, also working in the enemy rear area, arrived. This group by-passed the enemy positions, picked up the bodies of Hueffner’s men and returned unscratched).
The next day enemy aggresiveness east of Troyes increased. The advance of the 42d Squadron was met by vigorous action in the vicinity of Lusigny (III) and the Bois de Bailly by elements of the 15th Panzer Grenadier Divisions. Both Divisions had been newly identified by the Second Cavalry after they arrived from the Italian front.
From 29 August to 2 September, when the Moselle-Madon river line was reached, Group advanced rapidly, preceeding XII Corps in it’s drive to the east from Vitry le Francois (III). Once again resistance was spotty, but vicous, as the retreating enemy attempted to delay our advance with rear guard actions.
St. Dizier To Wassy
Troop A, 42d Squadron
31 August - 2 September 1944
On the morning of 31 August, one section of the 2d platoon, under Lt. Kellogg, left St. Vrain (III), pushed east, checked the Foret de Maurupt for enemy, found it unoccupied as far as vehicles could travel and continued through Maurupt (III)(IV) to Robert Espagne (22a).
We found three fourths of the town burned down. The stricken inhabitants were holding services for many of their men folks who had been cut down by German machine guns for attempting to extinguish the fires the Krauts had set prior to their leaving.
While still in the town we received the mission to cover the south flank of A Troop and the Second Cavalry below St. Dizier(III)(IV)(22b). As this was also the south flank of the Third Army we were really the last flea out on the last hair of the tail of the dog.
We pushed south through the Foret de Trois Fontaines, finally gaining Eurville (22b) at about 1400. About that time it started to rain. Wet and nasty as it was we went on through St. Dizier which the 4th Armored had cleared, and proceeded south, periodically checking the Foret du Val (22b) on our flank and moving at all times by bounds. At Wassy (III)(IV)(22b) the only danger was the civilian populace which turned out to great us with wine and kisses and bounced an occasional egg or tomatoe off our ear. Whether this last was a generous but misdirected offering of hen fruit and vegetables or an expression of displeasure by some French Nazi we were unable to determine. However, the eggs were fresh so we took it as a sign of welcome.
We fought our way through the town and turned east. Here we met some more teams from A Troop, near Magneux (22b), and after a short chat with them continued on to the east. Just before the Marne river we were held up by a column of 4th Armored Division tanks pounding south toward Joinville (III) where some fighting could be heard. Now we were going to have some flank protection - how interesting! During our journey it had become dark, so we went into bivouc just beyond Chevillon (22b) with 60 more miles tacked on our speedometers and not a Kraut in sight.
The 2d Squadron encountered scattered elements of enemy armor and infantry on 1 September.
Troops B and C of the 2d Squadron ran into heavy resistance east of Marbotte (23). In the assault on St. Agnant, the 1st Platoon of F Troop, under Lt. Stine, were working with a Troop C platoon. As the lead tank went around a corner it ran head on into a Tiger tank which blasted away with it’s 88, killing Lt. Stine and T/5 Markiewicz, and wounding T/4 Young.
Sgt. Cichantk then took over the platoon and under his direction they knocked out the Tiger tank, crushed numerous MG nests, and with C Troop killed 40 of the enemy.
At les Paroches (23), B Troop’s Cpl. Freeman, Jay Davis and Evans Adkin drove into town against 88’s and small arms fire under the barrage of Lt. Salt’s assault guns.
Enemy air was particularly active. Troop A was strafed by eight ME-109’s and our attached ack-ack brought down two of them.
The 42d Squadron determined the enemy was using the RR between Toul (IV) and Neufchateau (IV). Approximately 50 tanks were reported in the Foret de Haye, and a concentration of enemy troops was located in Neufchateau.
Neufchateau to Mirecourt
Two young SS troopers were captured near the CP and were getting a working over by the 1st Sergeant as our platoon left to head south toward Maxey (IV) on 2 September. We heard a lot of heavy gun fire going on in the Foret de Vau (4th Armored fighting for Gondre Court), so Lt. Kellogg ordered us to proceed more cautiously. Outside of Maxey we halted. Although the rain was coming down heavily enough to keep fish indoors, Sgt. Paschal was disturbed by the quiet. We began to advance slowly. Suddenly we came upon a German vehicle parked in front of the church. It was empty, so a man checked at a nearby house. The French were happy to see us, said stay for dinner, the Krauts left last night, the car was out of gas. Good news for once!
By way of Cerissey we entered Neufchateau (IV) and underwent the habitual reception. Here again the Germans had already evacuated.
An old woman came up to the armored car Spadafino, the radio operator, was in. “My dear Americans, you must let all the women in the city kiss you one after the other”. There must have been 2000 of them so Lt. Kellogg beat a hasty retreat. (The sap!). We passed a Tiger tank that was burned - same story - no gas.
We continued to tour on to the east. We went through Rouvres la Chetive, Chatenois (IV), and Houecourt (IV). At Gironcourt we picked up a Kraut, unarmed, at about 1000 and outposted the town.
We had scarcely got settled when an FFI man came to the Lieutenant and told him of three enemy columns converging on Neufchateau to our rear. One was coming from Chaumont (IV) to re-occupy Neufchateau, another from Langres (IV) was halted at Bourmont (IV), the third from Montigny (25) had the mission of occupying Vittel (IV). We refused to become excited, but waited for the 1st team of the 2d Platoon to join us. Then we returned to Neufchateau post haste.
As we entered the town from the east, we learned that the Germans, a column of about 2000 with 20mm AA guns and 4 AT guns, were in the south section. We sent the Maire down to their Colonel demanding their surrender.
Lieutenant Kellogg called Capt. Andrews on the radio and he arrived about 1400 with two assault guns, which raced their motors from time to time in different positions in order to sound like a whole Troop. Toward 1500 our emissary returned and said the Germans had received reinforcements and decided to make a fight of it.
Capt. Andrews was ordered by Col. Reed to make plans for the assault. Just then tremendous explosions were heard as the 5 bridges were blown by the Germans. However, before the attack A Troop was given a new mission and only a team left in observation. Our big bluff to gain the surrender of 2000 Germans by our 20 men had failed.
Patrols of Troop B of the 42d entered Toul (IV) on 2 September and found it to be evacuated. The rapid advance made possible the capture of an enemy supply dump in the vicinity of Vezelize (IV)(24). The same day 2d Squadron pushed it’s patrols to the Moselle river.
From 3 - 12 September the Group continued screening and patrolling along the Moselle river while waiting for the establishment of a bridgehead. It was not a quiet period as action flared up here and there all over the area. Contact was made with the enemy at Bainville (24) where approximately 150 paratroopers, elements of the 3rd Paratroop Division, were routed and the town captured by part of C Troop and a platoon of F Troop.
Capture of Bainville
Pvt. Lester Fell, 2d Platoon, F Troop, 42d Squadron
3-6 Sept 1944
Although the town of Bainville, France never made the headlines of the newspapers in the U.S. it will never be forgotten by members of the 2d Platoon, F Troop, 42d Squadron. This was our first real baptism of heavy artillery.
The whole affair started when we were called from the Company area and told to report to Bainville (24) to battle some German paratroopers. We started into the town in a column formation with Lt. Kraatz’s tank in the lead. We were expecting anything to happen as the civilians were all in there houses with the windows and shutters closed.
Immediately after we entered town it happened! Andy “Nose” Exposito was driving the first tank and out of nowhere there was a violent explosion direct to the front of him. We found out later that it was a German bazooka, but at that particular moment there were no enemy sighted, so we continued through the town to try to locate the paratroopers. It wasn’t until the last tank had turned around and started back that we drew small arms fire. We sighted the enemy as they started to move out of hiding and the battle was on.
We were firing from the road to the fields, and during a slight lull in firing, from my tank, we noticed a Frenchman put his hand from a window and motion toward a sewer pipe about 25 feet away from us. We spotted two men in the pipe and quickly removed them with a 37mm HE shell. We then realized that the Germans were hiding in the town, so the second section started to clean up the town, while the first three tanks under the Lieutenant took off across country to cut off those men escaping. It was getting very dark by then so as soon as the first section returned we began to set up our roadblocks to fortify the town against possible counter attacks in the night. We no sooner had our tanks in position than the Krauts started to whistle their barrage in on us. It lasted all night!
The particular Frenchman that was with us at the time, knowing that we were still a little green under artillery fire, took it upon himself to notify us when the shells were going to land close to us. We understood very little French, but we soon learned that when he told us “oui, oui, oui!” it meant the shells were right on us and “non, non, non!” meant they would land a safe distance away. He was doing very nicely the first fifteen minutes and we were gaining a little confidence in him until he reversed his decision from a “non, non, non”, to a very fast “oui, oui, oui!” I immediately made a fast dive under the tank, and although I was the closest to the tank I was more than surprised to find myself lying on top of the Frenchman, and he lying on top of the other three men. I thought I was fast but I was only a close fifth in that race!
The Frenchman, big hearted that he was, continued to notify us, as he did before, every time the artillery came in again, but from then on he didn’t have a very confident audience. In this fashion the platoon spent the whole night and half the next day, and it took only one Frenchman to make the party complete.
Bridges over the Madon were still intact, as determined by Bancroft’s platoon of C Troop, who crossed and reconnoitered to Benney (24). Some evidence of German defensive positions were encountered. The next day, the 4th, Troop B, 42d Squadron took possession of Mount Saxon Sion (24), an OP which provided excellent observation over the surrounding country side. From it’s OP Troop B reported an enemy column of approximately 1000 men moving north from Charmes (IV) to Tantonville (24). Artillery fire was laid on the column while elements of B and F pursued the fleeing enemy as he retreated over the route from whence he had come.
On the 6th the enemy again became aggressive along the Madon river, and during the middle of the day an enemy column of 200 vehicles approached Tantonville from Diarville (IV)(24). Artillery was laid on the column followed by a Squadron attack which drove the Germans back across the Madon at Mirecourt (IV)(NS).
Ceintrey Ambush
6 September 1944
Lt. Bancroft’s platoon of Troop C had secured a bridgehead over the Madon river at Ceintrey (24) which extended from Pulligny (24) to Benney (24) to Lemainville (24). Lt. Kraatz’s tank platoon was attached and held in reserve at Ceintrey (24). Here we went into position with three tanks covering the bridge from an excellent position on the high ground south of the town.
The tanks were hidden by piles of firewood and camouflaged. The road south from Ceintrey on the west bank of the Madon lay in our field of fire for a good half mile.
You can imagine our surprise when on 6 September, at about 1400, a Kraut column preceeded by a motorcycle and armored car drove into sight.
It hurt to wait but we let them come. We even waited until the motorcycle crossed the bridge (the dismounted guards picked him off down the road apiece) then we cut loose on the column. The first 14 vehicles were in sight and we worked both ends towards the middle.
The second round of 37 got the lead armored car in the fuel tank and it burned fiercely. We cut loose with machine guns when the rest of the Krauts started pouring out of their vehicles and that pinned them down.
Just then Capt. Watson and the reserve tank platoon came barreling around the hill from Autrey. Talk about timing!
All the German vehicles within sight were burning now, a tall pillar of black smoke marking each one for miles. That platoon of tanks just rammed down the road toward Tantonville (24), shooting Germans right and left and smashing those that didn’t scatter fast enough.
Recon men from C Troop splashed dismounted over the river as they appeared on our left, hitting the enemy in the flank. They cleared the Madon valley, while some other G.I.’s (we later learned they were from the 42d Hqs. Troop and A Troop) came boiling over the high ground to the west of the Kraut column.
Then the Germans started surrendering in large numbers. But that wasn’t the whole show by a long shot. We learned that evening that the recon men under Capt. Ebrey and Lt. Lindoerfer cut the road at Tantonville (24) and the tanks drove a couple of hundred prisoners into their arms. Some of the prisoners we took were from the 17th SS Panzer Grenadier Division but most of them were from scattered units trying to concentrate in Nancy (IV)(NS).
The next day the German radio blared how the “Elite 42d Panzer Division massacred a column of our valiant defenders who were surprised and outnumbered south of Nancy”.
(Eds. note: The troopers “appearing” so luckily are a tribute to the mobility and communications of the Cavalry. The enemy column was first spotted at Diarville (IV)(24) by the B Troop observation post on Mount Saxon Sion (24). Before this incident several columns had been cut up by the armored field artillery Battalion supporting the Second Cavalry. But Col. Reed decided to allow this column to enter a trap and annihilate it rather than just chase it away. The 42d Squadron was notified in it’s concentration area at Goviller (24) woods and Major Pitman quickly formed a task force from the tank platoon and headquarters men that were there. Even the CP halftrack and it’s 50 caliber MG went into action. At the same time Lt. Bancroft was alerted by radio, and Troop B notified to be ready to close the sack. The only German retaliation was the vigorous shelling of Autrey (24) by a Battalion of 105 How’s south of Nancy just after the last vehicle of Major Pitman’s task force cleared the town.)
In spite of this set back the enemy remained active and aggressive, sending many patrols to probe our positions along the Madon river. These were dispersed or driven back by our outposts. On 8 September, C Troop, reinforced with elements of E and F, assaulted and took Fort de Pont St. Vincent (24) from a strong defending detachment of German paratroopers.
Fort de Pont St. Vincent
8 September 1944
Fort de Pont St. Vincent (24), massive and powerful, towering 600 feet above the Moselle river, dominated the crossing over the river and the southern approaches to Nancy (IV)(NS) for miles.
Col. Reed ordered the 42d Squadron to take the fort to facilitate the XII Corps attack on Nancy. Troop C, reinforced by Troop E and F, was selected for the task. Troop C 2d Squadron was attached to the 42d for operational control and relieved Troop C in their zone from Bainville (24) to Benney (24). The 696th Armored Field Artillery Battalion was also worked into the fire plan.
The attack was planned for the 8th of September. That morning Troop C, under Lt. Harris, concentrated with the armor and assault guns in the Bois de Fey (24) on the high ground above Germiny (24) and Thelod (24). The artillery signaled the attack with a drum fire barrage that pasted the fort and surrounding entrenchments. White phosphorous shells mixed with high explosive air bursts made a pretty black and white pattern over the target. Troop E fired smoke shells to cover the deployment of the. Troop C pressed forward dismounted with the tanks in close support.
Now the artillery came in for a little trouble. A Battalion of German 150mm Howitzers southeast of Nancy opened up in counter battery fire. This somewhat reduced the fire support of C Troop.
When the assault groups started up the steep hill to the fort it was found that the tanks could not follow directly. The men in C Troop paused, waiting for the tanks with their yammering guns to close up.
Lt. Harris saw that this would give the enemy a chance to reconstitute his defenses, especially since the amount of smoke was being greatly reduced. He pushed forward to the head of his men to lead them in a charge to the top. This sudden move forward permitted the tanks to use a dirt road that was uncovered by the advance. S/Sgt. Moore and Cpl. Cea were some of the C Troopers hit during the assault and mopping up around the fort itself.
The fort was found to be manned by elements of the 3d German Paratroop Division, sister of the 1st Paratroop Division that held out so brilliantly at Cassino in the Italian campaign. But this was not another Cassino, for C Troop kicked the paratroopers from their last position in front of the Moselle, having previously driven them out of Bainville and Benney.
The next day the outraged German paratroopers hit back and for some time it looked as though they might have made a successful attack on the peaceful little town of Benney.
Affair at Benney
Troop C, 2d Squadron
8 - 14 September 1944
On the 8th, C Troop arrived at a small town called Benney (24), southeast of Nancy (IV)(NS) and fairly close to the Moselle river. We relieved the 3rd Platoon of C of the 42nd and were duly gratful to move into this quiet spot while they went to shed their blood in the attack on Fort de Pont St. Vincent (24). The usual outposts were established as a precautionary measure, and the entire Troop spent a quiet night. We felt quite safe and not particularly worried over the possibilities of a counter-attack.
Everything remained quiet all the following morning and well into the middle of the afternoon. About 1500 the excitement started. A band of over a hundred paratroopers appeared on the crest of a hill in the direction of the river, over-ran one of our outposts, and made a futile attempt to re-occupy Benney.
Firing everything from pistols to automatic weapons, the Jerries made a do-or-die attack and were repulsed only after a platoon of tanks was rushed to our support. After that, of course, they did a lot more dying than they did doing. Sgt. Duszynski and Cpl. Whary, from the over-run outpost, were believed to have been captured until they returned to the Troop the following morning. The sergeant, asked to give his report on the enemy’s appearance, told us his story.
“We had an OP set up in the water tower at the other end of the town. Pvt. Marion A. Aldrich was on guard when he called down to me that there was a couple of Heinies watching us. I sent him out with most of the rest of the guys in our two bantams to try to capture them. That left Cpl. Whary, Pvt. Call, and myself on OP.”
“The bantams had no more than left when about a hundred Germans came over the hill and started shooting. I looked at Whary and said, ‘Mike, we’re trapped’. I don’t remember him saying anything, so I hollered upstairs and told Call we were getting the hell out. He came down and by that time lead was going through the tower like water through a sieve. Why we weren’t killed I’ll never know.”
“Mike and I took off, waited a second for Call after we got outside, and when he didn’t come we started running towards town and the CP. I threw away a darned good Luger on that dash together with my trench knife, maps, and whatever else I thought was weighing me down. Mike did the same thing.”
“We ran through town, found the CP had moved, and just kept on running. I remember I’d ask, ‘Mike, where’ll we go?’, and he looked at me and said ‘I dunno Frank, where’ll we go?’, then we’d go right on running.”
“After what seemed an awful long time, we got to some woods where we sat down to rest. We looked back, and there was Pvt. Fred Dunlap and Jacques, one of the FFI guys we had with us, out in the middle of a forty acre wheat field. I don’t know how the hell they got there, but there they were with the Jerries shooting all around them. Dunlap would stick up a white flag, a burp gun would cut loose and the flag would come down. That happened three or four times, until, I guess, Dunlap got disgusted. Anyway the flag stayed down and the enemy probably thought they were dead.”
“Whary and I decided it was time to try and find the boys so we started out and finally ran into a TD outfit about six in the evening. The next morning when Shanahan found us, Mike and I were still winded from the damn run.”
Call left the tower right after Duszynski and Whary, and was picked up by the men in the bantams. Dunlap and Jacques had remained in the fields until the enemy withdrew. It was discovered that a Frenchwoman had acted as a guide for the enemy and was killed during the fight. The Heinies made what nearly amounted to a bonzai charge on Benney and withdrew only after suffering over fifty percent losses.
On September 12, 42d Squadron and Group assembled two miles notheast of Haroue (24) preparatory to movement across the Moselle river. The next day the river was forded at Bayon (IV)(NS) and the screen extended to the Montagne river at Gerberviller (IV)(25), where Troop B, 42d found the enemy defending the bridge. They made an attack, seized the bridge and secured several prisoners from the 115th Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion. As a result of the days operations two bridgeheads were secured over the Montagne river, the one at Gerbeviller and one at Vallois (25), a short distance south.
The following day, the 14th, the 42d Squadron found the bridge northeast of Fraimbois (25) blown. Troop C forded the river and met only slight resistance which it quickly overcame. Troop C of the 2d Squadron, then attached to the 42d, crossed the river at the same place and encountered the enemy at Marainviller (25). Here again the Germans were vanquished without too much trouble. A German ammunition dump was discovered at Moncel (25), and another in the Foret de Mondon (25). An officer PW taken in the vicinity of Fraimbois stated that 120 tanks were unloaded at St Die (IV)(NS), with assembly point at Baccarat (25)(NS), and there mission was to attack Charmes (IV). These tanks became of vital importance to the Second Cavalry a very few days later. Troop C 2d Squadron pushed their screen to Moncel - Marainviller, and cut highway N4 out of Luneville (IV)(25)(NS). Troop B, 42d Squadron established a screen along the line Vallois - Flin (25).
As the campaign of northern France came to its close, Group Headquarters crossed the Meurthe river just northeast of Fraimbois on the cooks’ bridge (25). | |
