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    THE COMMAND AND GENERAL STAFF COLLEGE

    LIBRARY

    Fort Leavenworth, KS 660 27- 69 00

    Call Number

    CGSC Label 131 Jan 85 Edition of 11 Dec 72 is obsolete.

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    THE ELEVENTH CAVALRY..... *"

    " "IS FROM

    THE ROER TO THE ELBE

    7 7 . S .

    1 9 4 4 - 1 9 4 5

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    H E A D O U A R T E R S

    H C A V A L R Y G R O U P ( M E C Z l

    APO 4C3, U. S. Army

    22 June 1945

    Officers and Men of the 11th Cavalry:

    This little pamphlet , the story of yourparticipation in World War II written so as to high-light and personalize some of those engagements inwhich you acquitted yourselves so well, may s.erveto remind you in years to come of the campaigns fromthe Roer to the Elbe during which you added anotherglorious chapter to the history of our famous old .

    regiment.As this booklet goes to press we know that

    redeployment is disintegrating this fine organizationwhich so well upheld the standards and honor of the11th Cavalry.

    It is a bitter disappointment that our twosplendid squadrons , the 36th and 44th, which haveacquitted themselves with such distinction in theE. T.

    0., cannot continue together while thereis a

    war still to be fought.

    In saying goodbye I can only repeat thatwhich I have said so often before, "I am proud to beone of you ."

    PERSON

    Co lone l , y f i th Cava l ryCommanding

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    CONTENTS

    C H A P T E R PA G E

    !. EARLY HISTORY . . . ' . * 11

    II. THE REBIRTH O F THE 11TH CA VA LR Y 17

    III. FRO M G EO R G IA TO THE ROER 25

    IV. THE BATTLE O F THE ROER 31

    V. FR O M THE ROER TO THE RHINE 43

    VI. FR O M THE RHINE TO THE ELBE 57

    VII. THE C O M M A N D I N G OFFICER - A BRIEF HISTORY . 77

    VIII. C O M M E N D A TIO N S , AW ARDS, AN D CASUALTIES . 81

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    Chapter I

    EARLY HISTORY

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    EARLY HISTORY

    The original 11fh Cavalry was born a horse regiment through 8 Ac t of Congress, February 2. 1 9 0 1 . Fort M eye r, V irginia, became the scene of activation with the organization ofHeadquarters and ihe 3rd Squadron culminating in {he signingof the first morning report on 11 March 1 9 0 1 . The 1st and 2n dSquadrons were organized at Jefferson Barracks, M o . , and Fo ttEthan A llen , V t , respectively.

    The Comm anding O ffice r was Q olone l Francis M oo re , adistinguished veteran of the Civi l , Indian, and Spanish American Wars, the first of a long line of colorful and outstandingcommanders which ultimately included such men as Leon B.Kromer, later Chief of Cavalry, Hom er M . G ron inger (nowMajor G en er al), Ben Lear (now Lt G en era l), and James G .Harbord, later M ajor G en era l and Chief of Staff to G en era lPershing during World War I.

    Evidently the 1st Squadron's_aEqanizalion was attended withcertain difficulties which prompted the Commander \o includethe following woeful statement in a W a r Department telegramasking for more officer personnel: "I have four hundred horsesthat have never seen a soldier, four hundred recruits that havenever seen a horse, and four second lieutenants that have neverseen either a soldier or a horse."

    However, all obstacles must have been successfully overcome,for nine short months later found the 11th Cavalry bound forthe Philippine Islands, the 1st Squadron via San Francisco andthe Pacific, and the rest of the regiment via New York and theSuez Canal. The 1st Squadron was stationed in Samar, the 2ndin Batangas and the 3rd in Northern Luzon. All saw subsequentaction during the insurrection, the most important of which wasthe campaign against G enera l Ma lvar in Samar. The 1 st Squadron

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    so distinguished itself in this operation that battle honors wereawarded the 11th Cav alry lor which it now carries a streameron the ferrule of its regimental standard marked "S A M A R 1 9 0 1 " .

    In A p ri l, 19 04 , the regiment returned to the U nite d States

    where it remained until the summer of 1906, when, minus the1 st Squadron, it was sent to Cuba as part of the Army of Pacification. Here the 1 1th continued to distinguish itself, this timeby setting a marching record which it is believed has never beenequaled with such good results. Under the broiling Cuban sun,Troops " F " and " G " marched 110 miles in 29 and 30 hoursrespectively, and came into cam p without so much as a sore back.

    After its return to the U nite d States in February, 19 09 , theregiment was stationed at Ft. Oglethorpe, Georgia, until May,1914, except for a short p er iod at Fort Sam Houston, Texas,during the Mexican Border trouble of 1911 . The Colorado coalstrike of May 1914 afforded the next job for the 11th where itassisted in quelling upheavals caused by the strikers, receivingofficial commendation for its effectiveness. January, 1915, folind

    the regiment again at its Fort Oglethorpe Station.W h ile celebrating its 15th birthday on 11 March 19 16 , the1 1 ih Cavalry was forcibly reminded of the reason for its existencewith the arrival of W ar Department warning orders for a moveto the Mexican Border. The 16th and 17th found the regimentdetraining at Columbus, N. M., where a few days earlier PanchoVilla had staged the infamous raid which brought down Uncle

    Sam's wrath in the form of General Pershing's Punitive Expedition. The next eleven months of the M exican Cam pa ign broughtsevere test to the m ettle of man and beast alike. More trying thanthe frequent engagements with Villa's bandits were the blisteringdusty days, the freezing nights, and probably the cruelest terrainany Cavalry in the world has operated over. Several exploitsduring this period enhanced the military reputation of the 11th

    Cavalry and received the acclaim of the press as well.Probably the most notable achievement du ring this period wasthat of a provisional Squadron of the regiment under the command12

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    of Major Robert L. Howze, who years lafer died a Major General- Acting under special instructions ol General Pershing on24 March 1916, the Squadron left Colonia Dublan for the south.The subsequent march to Parral occasioned the publication of the

    following remarks in the New York World: "Among many instances of achievements since troops entered Mexico one to thelasting credit of the men stands out among the rest, at the timewhen two hundred eighty men of the Eleventh Cavalry, cut loosefrom all com munication on the desert march. O n an issue of fivedays rations the column marched in twenty one days, five hundredand seventy one miles, only one hundred miles less than the

    distance from Paris to Berlin. The country through which theymarched a desert waste. It afforded no fodder, and only at longintervals water for the horses. There were no roads, at best onlyuntraveled trails. During the entire march they were beyond thereach of*relief. They fought several engagements and had onlyone man killed. It is to be doubted if there are Cavalrymen inthe Armies of Europe capable of equaling this feat."

    The action upon which the l i t h e Cavalry's Organ izationDay is based occurred 5 May 1916- Major Howze led sixtroops of the regiment on a night march to O j o Azules whereat daylight he surprised one of Villa's band . A two-hour runn ingfight resulted in the complete dispersement of the Villistars and42 of the enemy killed without an American casualty. M ajorJenkins' Squadron distinguished itself in a like manner by hard

    marching and by its rescue of two troops of the 10fn Cavalrywhich had become engaged at Carrozal.The regiment was with drawn from M exico on 5 February191 7,

    along with the other Expeditionary forces, andproceeded toC am pStewart, El Paso, Texas, where it remained until 23 May 1917.

    During W o r ld W a r I the regiment was stationed at Chickamauga Park, near Fort O gle th orp e . Two-thirds of the regiment

    was cadred to form the 22 nd and 23rd Cavalry, which laterbecame the 80th and 81st F ield Art illery . M an y of the officersand enlisted men were assigned important duties in France and

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    served whith distinction and ga llantry. Several enlisted men roseto the rank of Major during the war and one to Lt Colonel.

    Following the war the regiment was stationed briefly at FortM ey er ,Va., and thence proceeded to the Presidio of Monterey,

    Californ ia, where it remained until M ay 19 40 . C am p Lockeft,at Campo California, became the last station of this proud oldhorse regiment and during the ensuing period witnessed thedeath throes of Am erican horse cavalry as regiment after regiment reluctantly relinquished their faithful mounts in favor ofthe new-fangled tanks and amored cars. The day of reckoningfor the 1 1th Ca valry arrived 11 July 1942 , when the regiment

    was inactivated and its personnel, "sans chevaux",was absorbedin the 9th and 10th Am ored Divisions. C olone l Frierson, thepresent C O was at this time the Regimental Executive.

    Let us not pass up such a long and illustrious history so lightlywithout first inquiring into the origin and significance of the1 1th C ava lry insignia which we wear todaywith justifiable pride.O n 12 December 1934, general orders were published at .the

    Presidio of Monterey indicating the Secretary of War's approvalof a Coa t of Arm s for the regiment of the following blazonryand description:

    BLAZONRY

    Arms: O r , w ithin an orle sable in chief two bolos saltire wisegules hilted azure and in base a cactus proper.Crest: U pon a wreath of the colors a horse's head erased sable.Motto: Al lons .

    DESCRIPTION

    "The regiment was organized in 1901 and saw service in thePhillipines. This is indicated by the crossed bolos with red blades14

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    and blue hilts. The regiment rendered very good service or>the Me xican Border in 1 91 6 and this is indicated by the cactus.The regimental colors; black and yellow, are shown by the bladeborder wiihin the edge and by the colors of the rest which shows

    against the yellow regimental nag."So, with a greater understanding and appreciation of the high

    traditions of the 1 1th Cavalry, let us pass on to pick up againits thread of history to determine if these traditions have beenupheld by those destined to be the heirs in this great contemporary emergency know to us as World War II.

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    Chapter II

    THEREBIRTH

    O FTHE 11TH CAVALRY

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    THE REBIRTH OF THE 11TH CAVALRY

    The ardent horse advocates, accused of lighting with theirhearts rather than their heads, did not meekly retire Irom thecontroversial field of battle, but rather bitterly contested everyinch of ground. Even today they still point knowingly at Russiansuccesses in the employment of large masses of horse cavalry.However, although the adherents were inevitably overpoweredby the surge to mechanization, they did not abandon oldcavalry tradition, dash, and color, and ultimately infused it asthe spark which has made the American Armored Force the mostfeared in the world.

    Even in face of this encouraging fact the picture was to become brighter. Although the great bulk of American Cavalrylost its horses and was absorbed into the Armored Force, thecavalry did not completely lose its identify as in other armies,particularly the British. The W a r Department organized allcavalry into mechanized reconnaissance units, some separategroups and some attached to armored and infantry divisions, thuspreserving and ex plo iting the cavalry "esprit" and the changelessprinciples of cavalry use, namely, battlefield mobility and shockaction. The wisdom of this decision has been since clearly evi

    denced by the enviable record established by Cavalry Groupsduring the present war.

    Thus we may be able to attach more than just ordinary significance to a certain event which took place on 5 May 1943, andwhich was destined to furnish the medium of our contribution tothe great cause of human liberty for which we now fight . Theevent referred to was the rebirth of the 11th Cavalry, this time,

    in accord with a new era, as a Mechanized Cavalry Group, thefirst of its kind in the American Army.

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    Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 11th Cavalry CroupMechanized, was organized at Camp Young, California , drawingits officer cadre mainly from the Cavalry School, Fort Riley,Kansas, and its enlisted cadre from the 107th Cavalry Regi

    ment, Santa Rosa, C alifo rn ia . The initial strength was 13 officersand 53 enlisted men which has since been increased to anauthorized strength of 19 officers and 64 enlisted men.

    Co lone l W illiam H . W . Re inburg, Ch ief of the Tactics D epartment at the Cavalry School, was given command of theGroup, bringing with him several officers of the school. Four ofthe original officers have served continously and outstandingly

    to the present time, M ajo r Thomas J. Brett, M ajor Jack R. Todd,Major Charles E. Hermanek, and Captain Donald A. Soil.Early in June 19 43 , C ro u p Headquarters took station at Cam p

    Hyder, Arizona, where it was ultimately joined by the 6th Reconnaissance Squadron from San Luis O b is p o , C alifo rn ia, theSth Reconnaissance Squadron from Camp Laguna, Arizona, andtfeie 90th Reconnaissance Squadron from Camp Barkley, Texas.

    The 6th Squadron was soon transferred to another assigment, neverto return to the Group. The brief sojourn at Camp Hyder wasmarked by intense desert heat, furious dust storms, and suddenviolent rain storms resulting in frequent floods which swept throughthe camp. Here the 8th Squadron suffered the loss of a promisingofficer when Lt. Young of Hq & Sv Troop was instantly killed bya bolt of lightning during one of the storms.

    The 8th and 90th Squadrons, later to be redesignated as the44th and 36th Squadrons respectively, were destined to becomepermanent fixtures in the Group. The 90th Squadron was activated at Cam p Barkley, Texas, on 15 September 1 94 2, whenthe 90th Division was motorized. The new table of organizationrequ ired a reconnaissance squadron instead of a troo p. Consequently the 90th Reconnaissance Troop provided the necessary

    cadre. The Squadron was rapidly brought up to strength drawingthe majority of its personnel from the various units of the 90thMotorized Division. Two members of the original officer cadre20

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    are still with the Squadron, Cap tain Roy L. Huckabee, and C a ptain Donald K. Winter, squadron surgeon.

    During the period 2 February to 30 March 1943, the Squadron participated in the Louisiana Manuevers, returning to Camp

    Barkley where it was relieved from assignment to the 80 th InfantryDivision, which had again been reorganized. Troop A of theSquadron was relieved and assigned to the division as the 90thReconnaissance Troop. Soon thereafter the Squadron made preparations for a move to the Desert Training Center and on15 June detrained at Hyder, Arizona, where four days later itwas attached to the 11 th Cavalry Croup.

    The history of the 8th Reconnaissance Squadron is very similarto that of the 90th, differing only as to geographical locationand time- The 8th Squadron sprang from the 8th Reconnaissance Troop when the 8th Infantry Division was motorized atFort Jackson, S. C on 20 June 194 2. Captain (now Colon el)Brainard S. C oo k, was the first commanding officerand soon roseto M ajor and Lt C olonel. H e became a recognized authority

    on reconnaissance and ultimately left the Squadron to be assigned to the Cavalry School at Fort Riley in July 1943. Soonafter its activation the Squadron participated in the TennesseeManuevers from September to December 1942. Following themanuevers the 8th Motorized Division moved to Fort LeonardWo o d , Mo , where it remained until it was alerted for deserttraining. The 8th Squadron preceeded the Division .to the Desert

    Training Cen ter, detrained at Yum a, Arizo na , on 21 March 1 943,and immediately marched to its station at Camp Laguna 25 milesaway. After a few weeks of acclimatizion, training began inearnest for the coming maneuvers of June and July.

    Late in June the Squadron moved to the California-A rizonaManeuver Area in blazing desert heat, and for the next threeweeks was subjected to a severe physical test as it engaged in

    the maneuver exercises. The tank troop suffered especially during this period, but the men showed remarkable physical staminaeven when their tanks had to be buttoned up.

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    The 8th returned to C am p Laguna in July to fin d itself anorphan as a consequence of Ine reorganization of the 8thM otor ized Division into an Infantry Division . TroopB was assigned to the division as the 8th Reconnaissance Troop, and a new

    troop was formed in its place under Captain HermanW. Fowler.After Lt Col Cook was reassiqned, Major William C. Rountreetook command and the Squadron moved to Camp Hyder, Arizona, on 1 August 1943, to take its place in the 1 1th CavalryC r o u p .

    Two men of the original 8th Reconnaissance Troop cadrefrom the 7th and 8th Cavalry of Ft Bliss, Texas, are still in the

    Squadron , ba ttlefield-appointed 2nd Lt James R. Paul of Troop B,and Tec 4 Lawrence G uillo ry of H q Troop. Two officers, MajorM illar d R. Seaton, Exec O r and C W O Robert L. Groover,Adjutant, were members of fhe cadre which activated the 8thSquadron.

    The Group, thus intact with the 8th and 90th Squadrons, wasmoved to Cam p Pilot K n o b , C alifo rn ia, on 15 August 1943,

    where an intensive period of training was undertaken which culminated in the maneuvers of late November and early December 19 43 . It was during this period that the G ro up firstbecame acquainted with the Army Ground Force tests designedto determine its proficiency for combat service. O n 2 2 December 19 43, the 8th and 90 th Squadrons were reorganized andredesignated. as the 44 th and 36th Squadrons, respectively,

    under the new table of organization which resulted in the additionof the assault gun troops. Soon after came the long-awaitednews of the projected move to the Eastern seaboard and consequent relief from the grueling desert training. The44th Squadron, claiming the dubious honor of the longest desert periodspent by any combat unit in the Army, (over 10 months), hadyet another unpleasant, if not humorous, experience to face.

    With tents struck and turned in, and equipment packed andloaded for the trip, they were informed at the last minute thatpassenger cars were not ava ilable for the personnel. There in22

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    he midst of the sandy desert waste the 44th, without overcoatsand only two blankets per man, weathered rain, sand storms,and the freezing winter nights until transportation was availableabout a week later.

    Early February 1944, found the Croup under the control ofthe Easiern Defense Com m and , at Fort Bragg, N . C , undergoing an intensive schedule of range firing in preparation forits first tactical mission of the curren t war. O n 15 March 194 4,the 11th Cavalry took over the defense of the Eastern Coastline of the United States from the Santee River in South Carolina (on the north), to the southern tip of Key West, Florida.

    The 44th Squadron was stationed at Camp Stoney Fie ld, Cha rleston, South C aro lin a , with Troop A outposted at Brunswick,Ge orgia. G ro up Headquarters and the 36th Squadron tookstation at Atlan tic Beach, Flo rida , with Troops A and C outposted at St. Augustine and M ia m i, respectively. Intensive pa tro ling was carried out and close liasion maintained with the CoastGuard, Harbor Defense, and FB I authorities. Com munications

    were perhaps the most important phase of this mission, and inrecognition of the outstandingly efficient manner in which hedischarged his duties, Captain Donald A. Soil, Group Communications Officer, was awarded a Certificate of Merit by theCommanding General of the Southeastern Sector, Eastern Defense Command.

    During this period Colonel Reinburg left the Group for

    another assigment and Lt C o l Harry W . Candler was left intemporary command.

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    Chapter III

    FROMGEORGIA

    TOTHE ROER

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    FROM GEORGIA TO THE ROERO n 1 June 194 4, the 11th Cavalry reverted to the control

    of the Army Ground Forces and assembled at Camp Gordon,Georgia, for what everyone correctly sensed to be the final tune-up for overseas combat duty. Four days later on 5 June 1944,our present commander, Colonel Andrew A. Frierson, assumed

    command of the Group.A W est Pointer wiih lo ng years of valuable experience behindhim and realizing what lay in the future, Colonel Frierson sethigh standards of discipline and proficiency for the 1 1th and didnot rest until he saw them reflected in every subordinate unit ofthe Group. During ihe ensuing period of intense training allpersonnel responded whole-heartedly and great proficiency was

    shown as the units successfully passed the rigid tests for combatservice.Troops of the 1 lth Cavalry will not soon forget the POE pre

    parations involving the tedious ordeals of the innumerable showdowns, manicuring vehicles for ordnance approval, and packingand crating of impedimenta for shipment, to enumerate only afew. However, the big day arrived at long last and 22 September 1944 became remarkable in our history as POE-Day atCam p Kilmer, N . J ., the last stop before embarkation. Finalprocessing and inspection was accomplished in six short days andon 2 8 September 19 44 , via train and harbor ferry, the G ro upmoved to Pier 48 in New York, to board ship. This marked thesecond time in the history of the 11th Cavalry that it was to leavefor overseas service from New York.

    Colonel Frierson, in remarks made later in England, stated ineffect that any doubts which he might have entertained concerningthe Group's future vanished completely when personnel of the

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    11th C avalry broke up the gangplank wfth a spontaneous cheer,unprecedented in his experience. Before midnight of 28 September 19 44, the entire group was aboard US Transport N Y 398and at 0500 on the 29th she weighed anchor and passed quietly

    out of the harbor and in to the open sea. In private life the N Y 39 8is known as the S S "C il ic ia " , a good Scottish ship which had seenextensive service as a passenger liner before being refitted atMobile, Alabama, as an auxiliary cruiser for the British Navy.A fast ship and heavily arm ed , she had done escort du ty priorto her conversion to a troop carrier; the 11th Cavalry, an AAABn, and a small IP W unit made up her first troop con tingent.

    A s the " C i li c ia " passed out to sea she was joine d by other shipsuntil approximately 40 assembled to make up the convoy.As the convoy neared Europe orders were received to proceed

    to the R iver C lyd e rather than C he rbou rg, our original des tination; and after 12 long days at sea, the m orning of 10 O c tober 1944 found the "Cilicia" anchored in the River ClydenearCreenock, Scotland. All U.S. Army Personnel aboard ship were

    soon made to feel somewhat at home by the visit and warmwelcome of a Major General of the British Army, a former Commandant of Sandhurst, Grea t Britian's W est Point. O n October11th the G ro up debarked at Greenock, Sco tland, and boardedtrains to the martial strains of a Scottish band . Swanage, Englan d,a southcoast channel resort, proved to be the immediate destination where, for the next six weeks, emphasis was placed on a

    final schedule of physical conditioning and last minute gatheringof equipment.The period culminated in a G ro up review at which C olo ne l

    Frierson addressed the command, briefly reviewing the historyand traditions inherited from the old 11th Cava lry Regimentand pronouncing the new 11th w ell-trained, fully equ ipped , andwith magnificent espirit, ready for the great adventure.

    The first unit of the 11th" Cavalry Group to crossthe Channelwas a platoon of Troop "B" 44 th S quadron , under the commandof Lt. Leonard D . Holde r. This platoon was attached to28

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    SH AEF for C P security and escort du ty, where it remaineduntil alter VE-Day when it rejoined the Squadron.

    O n 23 November 19 44 the Gr ou p marched to an assemblyarea near Weymouth, England, prior to loading on a small

    fleet of LST's for the final sea leg of its journey to the Continent and combat. With this accomplished, they threaded-their way through mine fields along the English Coast until opposite Soiithhampton and thence across the channel to Le Harve,where the 36 th Squadron debarked. The ships carrying G ro upHeadquarters and the 44th Squadron proceeded on up thewinding Seine River to the bomb-torn river port of Rouen.

    After debarkation all units of the Group marched to the""Block B", Red Horse Assembly Area near Forges Les Eaux,France. Here the Group camped for ten long days in ankle-deep mud and incessant rain, and had good occasion to breakin its new "puptents" which were pitched alongside the narrowroad jammed with vehicles, bumper to tail gate.

    The next hop was made to Soissons, France, of World War I

    "fame, on 6 December 1944, where the basic load of ammunitionwas picked up. After a brief over-n ight stop the 11th marchedthrough Belgium to the southern tip ofHolland,via Laon , Mons ,Charleroi, and S t. Trond on the 7th and 8th, experiencing abrief but furious snow flurry in H olla nd . G ro up Headquarters and the 36th Squadron took billets at Arens G enhout andthe 44th was quartered in Hu lsburg, nea rValkenbu rg. It is quite

    safe to say that personnel of the 1 1th Cavalry will never forget-the unparalleled hospitality and good will of the Dutch peopleas they imposed great inconvience upon themselves in taking inevery man their houses would hold. The morale boost was immeasurable as the men were able to escape the nasty weatherand to enjoy the genuine friendship of these grateful people.

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    Chapter IV

    THE BATTLEO F

    THE ROER

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    THE BATTLE OF THE ROER

    But now the stark reality of combat lay just ahead, and takingleave of its new -found friends on 1 1 December 194 4, the G rou pundertook the short march out of Holland and into the front linesof Ge rmany. Assigned to N inth U . S. Arm y and attached to theXIII Corps, the 11th Cavalry's initial combat mission consistedgenerally of re lieving the 4 06 th Infantry Regiment of the 102nd

    Division of the defense of a sector beiween Linnich and Lindern,Germany, near the Roer River. Naturally everyone hoped for atrue cavalry mission but since the front was static at all points,none was available. Organ ize d and trained for war of movement,the troopers of the 11th disliked being separated from their vehicles. However, with traditional cavalry adaptability, the 11thturned to the doughboy role with a determination which drewnothing but praise from both Division and Corps Commanders.

    O n 12 December 19 44 , G ro up Headquarters and the Squadrons established CP's in Gereonsweiler, the scene on 17 November of a violent tank battle which the German radio termed"the most terrible and ferocious battle in the history of all wars.The reconnaissance and tank units parked their vehicles in therear areas and went into the line; the assault guns were attachedto the 102nd Division Artillery for fire missions in direct supportof the sector.

    At this point there occurred a change in command as Lt ColStoker of the 36th Squadron was succeeded by Lt Col Candler,formerly Gp Ex Officer.

    The events of the next few days will not soon be dimmed inthe memory of the men of the 11th Cavalry. Now, with all theveneer of military glamor torn away, men became acquainted atfirst hand with the true ugliness of war. There was the intensecold, the everpresent sem i-frozen m ud , the deadly .whine and

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    sickening crunch o l the 88's , the stacafto reverberation of theburp guns, the characteristic ripping of the M C 34's and 42's,and the crack of the sniping K98's. But more trying than eventhese were the incessant m ortar shells, which plum meted down

    without warning, and the endless patrols where "Joe" crawledout of his foxhole to come to close grips wilh "Jerry".

    The 11th took its casualties, to be sure, but though green anduntried during this initial combat period, statistics reveal 2 casualties inflicted on the enemy for every one received.

    Troops on the line during tms period also came into intimatecontact with that most notorious Nazi weapon of war, propaganda.

    The medium was loud speaker and musical recordings, and theprograms were intended to lower morale by making the Yankslong for home. O n Christmas Eve our troops were treated to aspecial serenade with the theme "Wouldn't you rather spendChristmas at H om e?" Propaganda leaflets, sent over in base-ejection artillery shells, had the same intent and bore themeswhich revealed the depraved, unscrupulous Nazi character.

    O n 22 December the C ro u p was relieved by the 40 6th Infantry and reassigned a sector just south of Linnich on the RoerRiver. The Croup established its CP at Setterich and directedthe 36th to defend the assigned sector and placed the 44th inmobile division reserve. The assualt gun troops were shifted toEderen and attached to the 252nd FA Bn for fire missions. O n23 December the C ro u p moved its C P to Ederen and the 44 th

    Squadron relieved elements of the 406th Infantry of the sectorin the vicinity of Linnich.Intensive p atro lling was aga in resumed, this time w ith the added

    difficulty of crossing the Roer River each time . O n 25 Decem berTroop B of the 44th Squadron presented the Group with aChristmas present in the form of its first P W , a radio operatoron a JU88 from which he had bailed out when it ran out of gas

    behind our lines.An outstanding patrolling activity took place the night of26-27 December when a patrol, consisting of 18 enlisted men34

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    of Troop A, 36th Squadron, and led by Lf Col Candler, Squadron C O crossed the Roer in the vicinity of Tetz on a loo tbridge constructed for that purpose by engineers. A id ed byM ajor Kram pitz, Sq Exec O fficer, and Lt Sullivan, Lt C o l C a n d

    ler led the patrol toward Tetz until stopped by barbed wire, rifleand burp gun fire. M ajo r Krampitz promptly liquidated the burpgunners by two well-placed grenades, and the patrol then proceeded un til b roken up by heavy mortar concentrations. By2350 the patrol had returned in small groups except for the 3officers and 3 enlisted me n. The two field officers, now alone,continued on the mission, running a nine-mile gauntlet of sen

    fries and groups of Germ ans and capturing a prisoner. W h ilethe officers were endeavoring to retu rn, the prisoner fe ll into theriver and drew fire from the Germ ans by his shouts. M ajo rKrampitz received a flesh wound and the prisoner escaped.The officers returned at 0150, but at 0245 Lt Col Candleragain led a platoon across the Roer to rescue Lt Sullivan and themissing members. The force met heavy fire , and after Lt C o l

    Candler was wounded in the calf of the leg, returned at 0 53 0without success. Acc ord ing to information received since, LtSullivan was taken prisoner and was later released when theAllies drove into the Reich. For their leadership and gallantryin this action, Lt Col Candler and Major Krampitz were subsequently awarded the Silver Star and the Bronze Star Medals,respectively. Both were evacuated and M ajo r Carter assumed

    command of the 36th.At this time the great German counter-offensive into Belgiumand Luxembourg was now nearly two weeks old, and with fanatical fury the Nazis had pushed a bu lge almost to the Frenchborder. M any combat units were pulled out of the line in staticsectors and had been thrown into ihe battle to halt the Nazioffensive. This resulted in considerable thinning of the line in

    the XIII Corps sector, and eventually the 11th found itselfoccupying the same front originally held by the 102nd Divisionwhen the Group was committed.

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    A dded to the increased sector, the new year, 19 45, broughta new directive (or harrassing the enemy, and plans were immediately instituted to carry out these instructions as effectively aspossible. A "Commando" platoon was organized consisting of

    volunteers drawn from all units of ihe Croup, to operate as acombat patrol under the personal direction of the Group Commander. Dummy tanks were constructed, provisional weaponsunits were formed, and a scheduled firing of pyrotechnics wereall coordinated with other activity of the reserve tank companyand demonstration by front line units as harrassing agencies.The program got under way the early morning of 2 January 194 5,

    when Co F of the 36th ran their tanks along the roads of thefront, and the provisional cal..5O M G ' s opened up on theenemy position- As exp ected, this activity drew heavy artilleryfire from the Germans, which was promptly neutralized by ourcoun ter-battery fire . The dummy tank positions also drewenemy fire.

    The program was effectively climaxed 6 January 1945, by the

    "Com m an do"platoo n in an elaborately-planne d raid designatedas operation "C leav er ". The objec tive was the destruction of atroublesome troop shelter which the enemy used as a base fromwhich to launch harrassing operations into our sector. Le d byLt Rodney P Lukens of the 3 6th and Lt R oger S. Ma ddocks ofthe 44th, the patrol moved to its forward assembly area afterhundreds of rounds of artillery and mortar shells had been

    poured into the adjacent enemy positions. Cov ered by a smokescreen the"Com m ando s"jum ped off at1630,quicklyachieving theirobjective before the surprised enemy could open up . Lt Lukensand Sgt Tony Castelli of Co F, 44th Squadron, entered theshelter under cover of the rest of the patrol and placed a 40-p oundcharge of TNT which completely destroyed it. After eliminatingall enemy resistance near the objective, the patrol withdrew

    under heavy fire of all types, narrowly escaping being cut offby enemy who had infiltrated behind them.N o detail had been neglected in the plan ning of this opera tion.

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    O n e which possibly saved the lives of many members of the patrolwas the foresight which had caused a wire line to be run from the102nd Division Artillery Fire Direction Center to the Colonel'sO P , the attic of a house on the outskirts of Linnich and imme

    diately adjacent to the terrain over which the combat patroloperated. The attack of our combat patrol was the signal for theenemy to cut loose on the town of Linnich with all their artillerywithin range. The artillery F O was heard to tell the Fire DirectionCe nter that his O P was getting too hot and that he was withdrawing. Shells were now fa lling on all sides of the Co lone l's O P ,one shell goin g through the attic in which his party was located.

    Realizing that to withdraw would leave the patrol without artillerysupport, the Colonel ordered the enlisted men to the basementbelow; and with Ca ptain (now M ajo r) Brett, Captain (now M ajor)Todd, and Cap tain E. C . Jones, 44 th Squadron, who refused toretire, the C olo ne l personally acted as F O and directed the fireof the Division Artille ry until completion of the action- The officers with the patrol later stated that wifhout the help of ourartil

    lery it is extremely doubtful if any of the members of the patrolwould have returned a live . Two members of the patrol wherekilled and several wounded, the latter being evacuated by litterbearers who were led back under intense fire by Lt Lukens.

    The G ro up Com man der, after witnessing the dauntless courageof the patrol, stated that "if all our soldiers were of their caliber,the war wouldn't last long". Their gallantry did not go unrecog

    nized- Every member of the patrol was subsequently awardedthe Bronze Star Me da l by M ajor Ge neral A . C . G illem Jr.,XIII Corps Com mander. A complete list of their names maybe found in the S TATISTICS S E C T IO N of this history. The patrol leaders and Lt (now Captain) Robert C. Hess, Group AsstS-2, who had participated in the raid as forward observer, werepersonally decorated by M ajo r G en eral G ille m . Lt Lukens

    received the Silver Star for his heroism in returning for thewounded.A t this same time C olonel Frierson was awarded the Silver

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    Star M ed al by the C G 102d InfantryDivision,for his outstandingleadership and gallantry in action extending over the period13 December to 7 January 194 5. G en era l G illem made thepresentation. Cap tain Brett, G ro u p S-3, came in for a lion's

    share of the credit for the outstanding performance of the Groupover this same pe riod, when he was awarded the Bronze StarMedal for meritorious service.

    O n 13 January 1945 the 17th Reconnaissance Squadron wasattached to the Group and was sent into the Linnich sector torelieve the 44th Squadron, which was sent back to a rest campnear Kerkrade, Holland, for a program of maintenance and

    orientation.The 36th Squadron, still on the line , con tinued to conductpa trolling over the Roer R iver in an aggressive manner. O n thenight of 1 6-1 7 January 19 45 , a volunteer patrol of Troop " C "Ted by Lt F erdinand A . Do stal, Lt W illiam W . W a d d e ll, andSgt. Kingdon J. Gould, crossed over the Roer;. assaulted astrongly defended troop shelter, captured a prisoner; and after

    blowing up the shelter, successfully returned with the prisonerin face of heavy enemy fire, although Lt W add e ll was woundedThe outstanding succes of this operation was due to carefulplanning and reconnaissance carried out for 72 hours beforehand, under the skilled direction of Captain John E. Newlin Jr.,Troop "C" Commander. The three patrol leaders were all awarded the Silver Star Medal for their gallantry in this action.

    During this period the British were attacking steadily in the21 st Army G ro u p S edor imm ediately to the northin order to extendtheir lines to the Roer River in preparation for the great springoffensive. From Linnich to the northern boundry of the Am ericanXIII Corps sector, the battle line had not been extended to theRiver. Conseq uently, it was necessary for the Co rps to co ord inate an attack with the British drive which would clear the western

    side of the Roer for use as a springboard in the big drive to come.This attack was designated as operation "Swift"and certain supplementary missions were assigned the 11th Cavalry Group.38

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    Regrouping of the forces in the line for the coming operationresulted in the 36th Squadron being relieved by elements of the277th Engr C Bn on 17 January 4 5 . The Squadron moved backto Ederen for rehabilitation and began preparations to go back

    into the line. On 25 January the 36th relieved elements of the17th Squadron and the 406th Infantry in the sector justnorth of Linnich, and the 44 th Squadron moved into positionnear Lindern. The 36th Squadron was to attack and gain objective "P opla r" , and then to consolidate the M L R , in orderto control the west bank of the Roer. To the north the44th was to be passed through by the 406th Infantry attacking

    Brachelen. The 17th Squadron was to move out and occupy allground to the river in its sector. D-Day and H-Hour were tobe announced.

    A deserter was picked up by the 36th at 2300 on 25 January 45, who volunteered the information that the Germans hadpulled the bulk of their forces back across the river. Immediatelythe G ro up C om mander directed that the 4 4th Squadron send

    out 3 patrols to verify this vital information. O n e of the patrols,ably led by Lt. Neal R. Kemp who personally reconnoitered aroute across a mine field, pushed into the outskirts of Brachelenin face of sporadic enemy fire to ascertain the fact that the townwas only lightly he ld by a de laying force. Lt Kemp led the patrolback without a casualty and was subsequently awarded the BronzeStar Medal for his outstanding leadership and disregard for per

    sonal safety.As a result of the information that the enemy was withdrawing,H-Hour was advanced from 100 0 to 06 30 26 January 1945,and the lavish artillery preparation which had been planned wascancelled on the information of the withdrawal of the Germanforces, in order that the dawn attack might be a suprise. Troop Bspearheaded the 36th attack with A and C in support, and soon

    occupied objective "P op la r" . Immediately heavy fire was receivedfrom Gut Rischmuhle and, although it was an infantry objective,Troop "C," moving around the left flank, captured it and flushed

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    23 Germans into the arms of Troop " 'B ." The 17th Squadronmoved out to occupy its objective and at 0853 Division announced that all objectives had been taken. At 0920 Corps announced that operation "S w ift " had been com pletely successful. The

    price pa id by the 11th in casualties was extremely ligh t, two officers and six enlisted men being w ounded and only one man killed .

    For the 11th Cavalry, the Battle of the Roer was all but over.The 44th Squadron relieved the 277 Engineer Combat Battalionon the line and the 1 7th Squadron was relieved and detachedfrom the Gr oup on 29 January 4 5 . The G ro u p continued activelyto defend its sector until relieved on 2 February 1945, by the

    3rd Battalion, 405th Infantry. Reverting to Corps control, the11th moved back to He erle n, Ho llan d, to be placed in mobilereserve. Immediately the G ro up Commander instituted a vigoroustraining program to bring the command up to its highest state ofefficiency in preparation for a true cavalry mission in the proposeddrive to the Rhine.

    W it h over 5 0 days of active combat of the bitterest kind under

    its belt, men of the 11th Cavalry had won commendation fromboth Division and Corps Headquarters in terms of unqualifiedpraise and admiration for the superior manner which all units hadaccomplished their missions. N ow they looked forward eagerlyto the opportunity of demonstrating the ir ab ility and prowess asmechanized cavalry for which long arduous training had prepared them.

    Looking back to the period just completed, the 11th Cavalrycould point with pride to 8 officers and 28 enlisted men of theGroup whose battlefield valor had won them official decorations.O f these, 5 officers and 3 enlisted men won the Silver StarMeda l , the remainder receiving the Bronze Star Medal.

    The long-anticipated crossing of the) Roer was now imminent,but in a sense it was to prove as ticklish a feat as the future

    crossing of the Rhine. The flow of the Roer was contro lled by thehuge Schwammaneaeul Dam at its head waters, which had beenconstructed primarily as a weapon of defense by the Nazis shortly40

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    before the war broke out. To cross before American Forces, whichwere driving hard to gain control of ihe dam, had attained theirobjective would be to risk being cut off by the blowing of thedam, and the subsequent flooding of the Roer Valley. As the

    Americans approached the dam and with the Ninth Army poisedto make the crossing, the Germans, rather than release the totalreservoir contents at once by completely blowing the d am , craftilyblew only the flood gates which resulted in an excessive flowwhich delayed the attack from 1 0 February to 23 February 1945.

    The 11th Cavalry meanwhile made good use of the time,getting vehicles into top notch condition and studying maps of

    the terrain over which they expected to operate when the CorpsCommander saw fit to commit the Group. When the time came,the 11th was ready and its subsequent performance more thanbore out the bold prediction of its Commanding Officer inEngland.

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    Chapter V

    FROMTHE ROER

    TOTHE RHINE

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    FROM THE ROER TO THE RHINE

    The lightning-like stab of the American lorces Irom the Roerto the Rhine may be better appreciated and understood by a brielexamination of the assigned mission of the N in th A rm y. TheNinth, freshest and potentially most powerful of all the Am ericanArmies, was watched like a hawk by the Germans, whose superlative intelligence correctly predicted that the Nin th would spearhead the drive and that the focal point of the crossing would bein the vicinity of Linnich.

    In general the mission of the N in th was to cross the Roer, feinttoward Cologne, wheel north to meet the Canadians, ahd thenwheel right to the Rhine between Neuss and Moers. The XIIICorps was to spearhead the d rive , making ihe initial crossingof the Roer, and then driving along the path outlined above,withthe X V I Corps moving on its left. Corps attacked with divisionsabreast, the 84th Division on the left. The mission of the 11thconsisted of screening the Corps left flank as the 84th Divisionpushed out ahead of XVI Corps.

    After a tremendous 45 minute artillery preparation, the 84thand 102nd Divisions broke across the Roer at 0330 on 23 Fe

    bruary and O pe ratio n "G re n a d e " had exploded. Smashing thecrust of the Germ an resistance on the east bank of the River,the XIII Corps drove several miles toward Co logne and thensuddenly wheeled directly north. Before the bewildered Germansrealized what was taking place, Task Force Church (84th Division) was knocking at the gates of W eg be rg and on 26 February,Major General Gillem called for the 11th Cavalry to screen

    the exposed left flank of the 84th.The 44th Squadron, under command of Major (now Lt Col)

    Ralph L Foster, was alerted for movement at 03 05 on 28 February45

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    to Brachelen, G er m an y. The 36 th was to follow on C r o u p order.G ro u p Headquarters opene d its C P in Brachelen at 0 5 0 0 andordered the 44th to screen the Corps left flank from Golkrathto the no rth , maintaining contact with the 35 th Division, X V I

    Corps , on the left and the 84th Division on the right. The 44thmoved to Golkrath, established roadblocks along the flank andaggressively contained all enemy forces on the flank.

    This first day of action cost the 44 th Sq uadro n considerablelosses. At the break of day in Brachelen the explosion of a largeshell or mine resulted in 3 en listed men k illed an d 3 officerswounded, not to mention the loss and damage of several vehic

    les. A t G olk ra th a small task force under C a pt ai n Eldred C .Jones, C O Troop " B " , with the mission of establishing a roadblock, encountered an enemy roadblock, covered by small armsan d antitank fire. C ap ta in Jones' forc e, du e to the heroism ofseveral of its officers an d men an d its cpo l vigourous figh ting,ex tricated itself with the loss of on ly 2 killed and several wdlind ed .1st Lt Jimm ie S. K nig ht was aw arded the Bronze Star M ed al

    and Staff Serge ant A nd rew Clem ents rec eiv ed the Silver StarM e d a l for gallantry in this action . Lt K n ig h t, who die d laterfrom a mortal w ou nd , gallan tly con tinued to d irect his platoonuntil he lost consciousness. Sg t C le m en ts , with utter disregardfor his life, was responsible for sav ing the plato on leader's vehicle and crew which had become mired.

    With the 44th Squadron containing the enemy to Waldniel ,

    G ro u p Headquarters open ed its C P in W e g b e r g on 2 8 Februaryand o rdered t he 36 th Squadron to screen a nd mop up theC orpsboundary ahe ad of the 44 th from W a ld n ie l to B oisheim after thelatter had been captured by Task Forc e C hu rc h. O n this missionthe Squ adron was without T roop " A " , which had previously beendiverted and assigned interior gu ard duty at the X II I Co rps CP .

    Troop " B " , 36th Squa dron, while performing a supplemen

    tary Sq uad ron mission near W a ld n ie l, suffered the serious loss offour of its officers who we re on dismounted reconnaissance. O n eof the officers, Lt M ars ha ll,was killed an d the other three,Lts A n46

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    derson,Lukens, and W illiam s were wounded and captured but werelater liberated from a German hospital by advancing troops.

    By 1 Ma rch, C C A of the 8th Arm ored Division of the X V ICorps had advanced sufficiently along the Corps boundary for

    the Group Commander to withdraw the 44th Squadron, andassign it a new mission of leap-froging the 36th and seizingbridges on the Dyek-Rennekoven Road northeast of Boisheim.The 44th encountered spirited enemy resistance in the accomplishment of this mission which resulted in 25 enemy killed andwounded and 40 captured.

    With the Corps now wheeling east to drive to the Rhine and

    with contact made with the 8th Arm ored Division near Boisheim,the G ro up Com mander o rdered the 36th Squadron to screen theexposed flank from Rennekoven to Oedt and to seize the NiersCanal Bridge in the area- The screen was complete by 1 6001 March and the follow ing day the 36th pushed aggressivelyacross the Niers Canal and initiated reconnaissance into Kempen, which was fou nd to be unoccupied. A t this time the Sq ua

    dron reverted to the command of Lt Col Candler, who hadreturned to duty from hospitalization during the morning of2 March 45.

    The push of the 36th into Kempen on 2 March 45 was markedby the heroism of Sgt Benjamin A. Waer and 2nd Lt KingdonJ. Go uld of Troop " C ," who ignored heavy small arms fire delivered at close range to evacuate wounded comrades from a dis

    abled vehicle. Lt Gould and Sgt Waer were awarded the SilverStar M eda l and the Bronze Star M edal, respectively. This wasthe second to be won by battlefield-appointed Lt Gould, whoalso distinguished himself the following day near Kapellen, Germany, when disregarding intense enemy fire, he helped extricatetwo men trapped in a burning tank.

    At 0700 on 2 March the Group was reinforced by the

    attachment of the 6 05th TD Bn. O n e company was attached toeach of the Squadrons, the remainder of the Bn being placed inGroup reserve.

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    Forces of the XVI Corps had by now advanced sufficiently tocover that portion of the flank which had been screened by the44 th Squadron. O n C ro u p order the 44 th marched all night of2-3 March and closed in Huls at 1100 to receive a new mission

    of screening to the Niepkuhlen River and reconnoitering forcrossing sites. The 36th was withdrawn from its screen and assigned the mission of crossing the river, establishing the screen toMoers and pushing on to the Rhine.As the Squadrons pushed on against stiffening enemy resistance,the veteran 5th Armored Division, which had now replaced the8th, rolled past the 44th Squadron screen. Therefore on the

    afternoon of 3 March, the 44th was directed to assemble in thevicinity of Kapellen and await further orders.Heretofore both Squadrons had accomplished their missions

    in face of only ordinary resistance, while- capturing many prisoners. Now as the C ro u p pushed its screen nearer the Rhine,G erm an resistance progressively stiffened . The 36th, driving hardon Moers, bore the brunt of the fury of this enemy now fighting

    with his back to the wall. As Troop " C ," spearheading the Squdron s advance, approached the town of Kapellen, the columnwas stopped by fierce, accurate, antitank fire which quickly knockedout the two lead tanks. Sgt Dale W . Riser and Tec 4 StanleyL. G ru nke risked their lives to extricate the wounded from thesetanks for which action both received Silver Star Medals.

    Captain Newlin, the Troop Commander, cooly withdrew his

    force a short distance, organized a dismounted party to flank thetown; disposed his attached TDs and assault guns for support,and led his troops into the town under heavy shell fire, forcingthe withdrawal of the enemy garrison which included two tanks.D rivin g on to Moers in the darkness, he vigorously engagedthe enemy on the outskirts and greatly facilitated the advanceand occupation of the town by his Squadron the next morning.

    For his aggressive and inspirationa l leadership in this action,Captain Newlin was awarded the Silver Star Medal.The drive to Moers was marked by many outstanding deeds

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    of personal valor and sacrifice. W it h its Squadron pushing northfrom Huls to establish its screen to the Rhine, a platoon ofTroop J I B", 36th Squadron, was proceeding along its route approaching the town of Brusterhafe, Germ any. A three-man

    patrol, including C p l Earl R. Sheler and Tec 5 G ra d y B.Tharpe,wiih the mission of reconnoitering the route in advance of its platoon, suddenly encountered strong enemy positions. Tharpeimmediately started back on foot to warn his pla toon and hadadvanced about 100 yards when he was painfully wounded inthe leg by enemy machine gun fire . H e fe ll but struggled to hisfeet and continued with the message. C p l Sheler, realizing the

    runner would not be able to get through una ided, left his coveredposition, manned the machine gun mounted on the jeep , andfired on the enem y positions until killed at his post. Tharpe,covered by Sheler's fire , was able to get through and warn hisplatoon in time to prevent it from being ambushed. Cpl Shelerwas posthumously awarded the Silver Star M edal for his valorand Tharpe received the Bronze Star Medal.

    The 4 4th Squadron , m oving into Kap ellen on the heels of the36th, repelled a determined Germ an counter-attack on the townduring the early hours of 4 March 1 94 5, whichwas supportedby heavy artillery and rocket fire.

    G ro up Headquarters moved into Moers while it was stillbeing mopped up , and the 36th was ordered to extend its screenon to the R hine. This was accomplished early on 5 March and

    Colone l Frierson, seeing his forces being pinched out by theadvance of the 5th Arm ore d and 84th Infantry Divisions, requested M ajor G en eral Bo iling , Com manding G ene ral of the 84thInfantry Division, to relieve the Group of its screening mission,which request was granted.

    Thus closed the second brilliant chapter in the combat historyof the "11th Cavalry G ro up . In six days of the most difficult

    of battlefield operations, the Group had effectively screened 32miles of exposed X II I Corps flank. The 11th had capured 288prisoners and killed 199 of the enemy compared with its own

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    losses of on ly 11 killed and 45 wounded. Vehicular loses wereextremely light, totaling only 20 of all types, although units ofthe Group were constantly facing the deadly German 88.

    Although the primary mission of the Group in this operationwas security of the left flank and counter reconnaissance, thetraditional Cavalry role of reconnaissance was not neglected.Liaison officers were kept moving continuously between theG ro up C P and XIII Co rps , the 84th Division, 5th ArmoredDivision, 8th Armo red Division, X V I C orp s, the 102d Division,and smaller units. These officers , using the G ro u p C P as a

    clearing house for info rm ation , were able to give com manders valuable information not only of the enemy, derived fromreports from our Squadrons, but were also able to keep commanders informed of the disposition of adjacent friendly* unitsand in many cases were able to give commanders important information of the dispositions of their own subordinate units.

    Immediately upon being relieved of its combat screeningmission, the Groupwas assigned a new mission of screening thecivilian population for military personnel and of locating andreporting all military supplies and equipment in the 84 th Divisionarea. The 44th Squadron was assigned this mission, and on thefirst day picked up 500 suspects in the area from Krefeld northto Kap ellen. O n 6 Ma rch 37 2 more were picked up with manysupply dumps located and reported. The third day, 7 March,netted 130 more making a total of 1000.

    Meanwhile the 36th was given the task of locating, assembl ing , and guarding all railroad locomotives and cars in thevicinity ofViersen. This resulted in a haul of 1 2 locomotives and143 cars which were turned over to the Military RR Service.

    In addition to these missions, tfie urgency of adequate provisions for the control of the civilian po pu lation in this area also50

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    weighed heavily upon the C ro u p , and the C ro up Commanderdelegated the supervision of this matter to Major Jack R. Todd,Croup S-2.

    On 7 March the 11th Cavalry was detached from the 84thDivision and reverted to control of the XIII Corp s. Upo n therelease of the Group, Major General Boiling, 84th InfantryDivision Com m an de r, presented Colo ne l Frierson with theBronze Star Medal for heroic service in recognition of the superior manner in which he had directed the-1 1th's brilliant performance of its mission from the Roer to the Rhine . In additionto Colonel Frierson s award, M ajo r Ge neral B oiling on 8 Marchforwarded a letter of comm endation for the splendid performanceof the G ro up through the XIII Corps Headquarters to whichMajor General Gillem added his own commendation. The fulltext of this letter and indorsement may be found in the STATISTICS S E C T IO N of this history.

    In recognition of the meritorious service and devotion to dutydisplayed by various members of the G ro up and Squadron Staffsduring this same period, Colonel Frierson recommended thatespecially deserving officers and men receive appropriate awardsfor their ou tstanding contribution to the success of the 11th'soperations. Lt C o l C andler was presented with the Bronze

    Star Medal for his sound tactical decisions, continual presenceat scenes of the hottest f ig h tin g , and his aggressive leadershipof the 36th Squadron. M ajo r Brett, G ro up S-3, received theOak Leaf Cluster to his Bronze Star for the superior manner inwhich he discharged his duty as Operations Officer. MajorTodd,Group S-2, M ajor Charles E. Hermanek, G ro up S-4, andMaster Sergeant Victor J. Sayre and Tec 4 Robert F. Johnson,both of the Gro up Staff, were all awarded Certificates of M eri tfor outstanding performance of duty during this campaign. In a

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    letter of com mendation on 7 M arch, C olo nel Frierson expressedhis "pride and admiration lor the superior manner in which allmembers of the Eleventh Cavalry performed their combat dutiesduring the advance from the Roer to the Rhine .

    O n 7 M arch the 11th C avalry, "jack-o f-all-trades " troops ofXIII Corps, received the mission of searching and providing security in the Corps rear areas in ih e vicinity of Dulken and Viersen. From 8 March to 12 March the Squadrons patrolled andsearched the area, reporting great quantities of valuable suppliesand rounding up all potentially dangerous German civilians.

    A new mission was received on 11 March, directing the Groupto defend a front line sector on the Rhine. O n 1 2 March GroupHeadquarters closed its CP in Suchteln and reopened in Osterrath on the Rhine near Dusseldorf. The 44th Squadron wasordered to defend the six-m ile river line and to patrol and searchone-third of the Group sector.

    The 36th established its CP in Willich, and received the mission of pa trolling and searching two-thirds of the G ro u p sectorand of conducting nightly combat and reconnaissance patrolsacross the Rhine beginn ing the night of 15 -1 6 M arc h. As atthe Roer the assault gun troops were attached to division artilleryfor fire missions, this time to the 5th Armored Division Artillery,

    which was in direct support of the Group.The period which followed was anything butdull . The Ame

    rican and G erm an artillery lost no time in probing into theother s defenses, and engaged in fierce counter-battery duelsas flash and sound sections located hostile gun positions. Patrolling was conducted determinedly in the face of defenses mannedby alert paratroopers, on edge with the constant expectancy ofof the imm inent Am erican crossing. To cross the R hin e, gainany kind of information, and return with a whole skin came to52

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    be regarded as a remarkable feat. Yet the men of the 11 thwent over night after night, many times to be met on the easternbank by withering fire which sometimes forced them to returnby swimming when their boats were ridd led and sunk. It isimpossible within the short space afforded by this publication todo justice to this phase of operations when men of the 11 th tooktheir lives into their hands and dauntlessly carried out this missionof harrassing the jittery enemy. O n ly the more outstanding instances may be recorded-

    The 36th Squadron sent its first patrols over the night of15-16 M arch. O n e of these, led by Lt Da vid H . Shenk ofTroop J I A / was pa rticu larly successful due to the heroism oftwo of its members, Tec 5 Frank J. Stefonick and Sgt SidneyFischer. These two men, while acting as the point of the patrol,silenced an enemy strong poin t, which had pinn ed the patroldown by its fire, by b oldly charging the position and h an d-gre

    nading it. As the patrol sought to re turn, these men cut a paththrough a barbed wire entanglement and then voluntarily coveredthe withdrawal of the patro l, killing and wounding several of theenemy. Both were awarded the Bronze Star M e d a l.

    O n 21 March the 36 th and 44th Squadrons were interchangedin the Group sector, and the 44th took up the Rhine Patrols. As

    a result of the constant patrolling and other harrassing action inthe Group sector, the enemy had become increasingly sensitiveto our operations, and all indications supported the belief thatthe enemy strongly expected a major crossing to be launchedfrom our sector. First, the Group sector lay immediately north ofthe important industrial city of Dusseldorf and wasa logical pointfrom which to springboard an encircling spearhead. Second, andmost important, the enemy replaced his isolated Volksgrenadieroutposts, which the patrols had first encountered, with alert and

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    we ll-organized defenses m anned by paratroopers, the N azi's besttroops. The enemy came to react violently to our patrols withintense li re of al) types, by H oo d-lighting the area with flares,and strong aerial reconnaissance.

    Under these conditions the 44th Squadron sent 11 reconnaissance and combat patrols across the Rhine during the period21-28 March. Speaking eloquently of the hazards faced, andalso of the effective manner in which the Croup harrassing missionwas accom plished, is the fact tha t 7 of these patrols were met byheavy fire at the river's bank. The others were able to penetrate

    the defenses only a short distance, encountering newly installedminefields, some of which had not ye t been a ctivated. To thisfact at least one of the Troop " B " pa trol'mem bers owes .his life,when he became entang led in a trip wire and unearthed a "Bouncing Betty" (S-Mine) while freeing himself.

    Since the Ninth Army had crossed the Rhine in the XVI Corps

    sector just south of Wesel, the 11th Cavalry was now markingtime until it was comm itted in O pe ra tion "P lu n d e r" . Followingan hour artillery preparation unprecedented in the history ofwarfare, troops of the X V I Corps swarmed across the Rhine at0200 24 March, accomplishing the first phase of the Ninth'smission of crossing the Rhine, driving through the Westphalian

    Plain, isolating the Rhur by link -up w ith the First Arm y, and thenon to meet the Red Army.

    The 17th Airborne Division, which had been dropped behindthe Rhine defenses on D-Day, had teamed up with the British6th Guards Arm ore d Brigade and had driven to the shadow ofMunster by 30 March 19 45 . This sector was given to the XIIICorps which alerted the 1 1 th Cavalry on 28 March for movementto this area. For this operation the 771st TD Battalion (SP) wasattached to the Group.54

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    Chapter VI

    FROMTHE RHINE

    TOTHE ELBE

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    FROM THE RHINE TO THE ELBE

    The 11th Cavalry crossed the Rhine at W ese l, which was nowpractically leveled in the fierce baffle which had passed over it.A t 02 30 on Easier Sunday, 1 A p ril 4 5 , Cro u p Headquarters,followed by the 36th and 44th, and 771st TD Bn, crossed over

    the pontoon bridge which lay between the twisted wreckage ofthe great highway and railroad bridges blown by the Germansas they retreated. Already the Engineers were driving piling forthe railway bridge which was to carry supplies to the racingAllied forces.

    A t 1600 the column closed in its forward assembly area in thevicinity of Rorup, about 15 miles west of Munster. The missionof the Croup was to protect the north flank of the XIII Corpsfrom Coesfeld east, maintaining contact with the Second BritishArmy on the left and the 17th AB Division, which was nowdriving on Munster, on the right. Major General Gillem andColonel George B. Peploe, XIII Corps G-3, visited the CP anddiscussed the G ro up 's mission with the C O and S-3. LiasionOfficers were dispatched to the VIII British Corps, XIII Corps,17th AB Division, 5th Armored Division, and the 84th InfantryDivision.

    The 36th Squadron was given the initial mission and at 20351 April began the move to the flank, with C o " A " , 771st TDBn, attached. The screen was quickly established from Coesfeldto the Dortmund - Ems Ca nal, which runs through Munster. H erethe situation become complicated. As Munster was still in thehands of the enemy and the only bridge still intact over thecanal was south of Munster and for the exclusive use of the 5thArmored Division, the 11th found itself faced with the difficultproblem of moving screening forces to the east side of the canalwithout a bridge.

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    It was known that the British on our north held a bridge overthe Canal at Greven. Reconnaissance dispatched to observe thesituation at the bridge reported that the British were not makinglull use of it. As the British had on several occasions, when it

    was to their advantage, seen fit to consider the boundry as "elastic", we decided to turn the "elastic" boundry to our advantageand succeeded in infiltrat ing the bulk of our forces across thebridge before the British discovered what was happening, andobjected. Those small units which had not yet crossed succeededin crossing under cover of darkness.

    The 11th Cavalry was now facing the greatest job in its long

    history. From the time the C ro u p was com mitted in this operationto its termination it was continually operating in virgin enemyterritory faced with a hard fight to accomplish every mission. Asthe screening wedge was driven deeper and deeper into Hitler sReich, the superiority of the 11th's quality of training, discipline,battle proficiency and courage began to manifest itself as theto ll of enemy casualties and prisoners began to mount. This fact

    will become more apparent as we continue to follow the exploitsof the Croup as it swept to the banks of the Elbe.The first brush with the enemy in this particular phase came

    on 2 April when the 36th encountered 88mm AT guns, losingone of its M-24 tanks, but reducing the guns and capturing 35prisoners. The 44th Squadron was now directed to extend thescreen to M elle . O n 3 A p ri l, as Troop " B " was pushing toward

    Isum, the column was fired on from ambush which knocked outthe point jeep and armored car behind it. The crew of the jeepdismounted and took cover in the ditch. Behind the armored car,the crew of the mortar jeep , Pfc Charles O . Fink and Tec 5Charles F. Garlitz, quickly surveyed the situation and unhesitatingly drove their vehicle 200 yards through the hail of bulletsto pick up the beleagured men and successfully return them to

    safety. Both Fink and Garlifz received the Silver Star Medal forthis gallant action.O n 3 April J9 4 5 , the G ro up found itself in a tight spot.

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    the Bordenau Bridge. They were d irected by radio to change{heir direction of march, cross the Liene on the Ricklingen Bridge,assist the 44th Cavalry in holding the bridgehead and pushreconnaissance to the east. The move to the bridge was made

    during the late hours on 8 April, against heavy mortar andartillery lire from the opposite bank. D ur ing this day's ac tion, theG ro up captured 58 3 prisoners and k illed 29 of the enemy.

    Heavy shelling greeted the 36th Squadron as it pushed itstroops across the bridge to secure the eastern approach. H q & SvTroop suffered heavy casualties in this barrage. The tenacity of" A" and " B" Troops of ihe 36 th which rou ted the enemy on the

    eastern bank deserves special commendation. These troopsaccounted for eleven 88mm guns and one 75mm SP gun whilesecuring this br idgehea d. For exceptional leadership in thisaction and a subsequent one near Lagenhagen the followingday, C apta in Raymond H . Reed, C O of Troop " A " receivedthe Bronze Star M e da l. Ca ptain H erbe rt S. Tinstman, C O ofTroop " B " also distinguished himself by exemplary leadership

    during this action.Great individual sacrifice and devotion to dutybyPvt(laterSgt)Robert H . Heddleston of Troop " C " 36th S quadron, markedthis action as the b ridgehead received intense shelling during thenight, resulting in 5 men killed and 27 woun ded . W it h complete disregard for his personal safety, Heddleston continouslyexposed himself to the hail of fire as he tirelessly searched the

    area for the wounded, personally evacuating six men and administering first aid to 1 5 more. H e was later killed in anotheraction and was posthumously awarded the Silver Star Medal.

    Brilliant though the collective tactical and battle achievementsof the 11th Cavalry Group are, one cannot search the individual and unit action citations and reports without reaching theconclusion that the combat record of the Group is highlighted

    by the recurring instances of uns tinting self-sacrifice and devotion of the many officers and enlisted men who countedtheir lives of no value in order to assist their com rades. Men64

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    like Sheler, Could, Heddleston, Garlits, Fink, Utz, Miller, andBrown, to name only a lew, deserve the highest tribute andacclaim of their comrades of the 1 1th Cava lry. The exceptionallylow casualty rate of the Group would have been much higher

    but for the heroic action of these men.Another example of this same spirit occurred when the 3rd

    Platoon, Troop " E " 44th C ava lry, was guarding an approachto the town of Wunstorf on 8-9 April. During the night the outpost was attacked by a platoon of enemy commanded by a captain, who managed to knock out one of the assault guns with apanzerfaust, wounding the two men on duty. Sgt Charles M .

    Huntington, commander of the gu n, was awakened by the firingand immediately took part in the fight. Seeing the tank afire andgrenades already exploding from the heat, he unhesitatinglymounted the deck of the tank, retreived the fire extinguisher fromthe burning tank, and put out the fire before the ammunitioncould explode. This accomplished, he dismounted and aided hisplatoon in routing the Germans, of which two were killed and 5

    captured, including the captain. Huntington has been recommended for the DSC, action on which is now pending.Still another outstanding example of heroic devotion occurred

    on 10 April when Tec 4 Charles J. Coleman, Hq & Sv Troop,44th Squadron, drove through an artillery barrage to rescue abadly wounded comrade, for which he was later awarded theSilver Star Medal.

    The 84 th Divis ion , moving across the bridge at Ricklingen,relieved the pressure on the 36th Squadron which immediatelytook advantage of the opportunity to extend its screen toHeitlingen, eliminating pockets of enemy resistance enroute.Major G ene ral Bo iling, CG of the 84th Division, was highlyappreciative of the seizure of the Ricklingen Bridge and com mented that he fully expected to be delayed in crossing the riverwhile a pontoon bridge was built. The British having made theirprincipal crossing of the Liene River at Neustadt some ten milesto the north, a considerable enemy occupied sector between our

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    forces and the British was created. General Boiling at this timeexpressed his confidence in the ability of the 11th Cavalry toprotect his flank and rear as he disposed his division for theassault on Hannover- In his own words to our Liaison Officer,

    " I 'm not going to worry a bit about it, for I know Frierson is outthere and will take care of it. '

    Colonel Frierson immediately disposed his Squadrons to rrosteffectively cover this area with the 44th ex tending its screenfrom Heitlingen to Bissendorf, which was accomplished againststern enemy resistance late on 9 April. Action on this day resulted in 232 enemy captured and 47 killed.

    Meanwhile, Major John M. Aylor, Croup Executive Officer,had left the W unstorf C P witha reconnaissance team of Troop " B",36th Squadron, to reconnoiter "the area north of Hannover fora new Group CP. Proceeding toward the town of Langenhagen,Major Aylor's team ran into an ambush. An antitank gun not20 yards away blasted his vehicle throwing Major Aylor out.Taking cover beh ind the hedge he opened fire with his pistol.

    Pic Thomas R. Billings, the machine gunnor, was killed at hisgun but not until he had taken severe toll of the enemy in killedand wounded, Billings was posthumously awarded the Silver StarMedal . After wounding several of the enemy, and running outof pistol ammunition, Major Aylor was captured-

    Group Headquarters, moving into Langenhagen shortlythereafter, learned from PWs of the action and Were informed of

    the direction in which the enemy had withdrawn with M ajor Aylor.As they were withdrawing along the projected axis of advanceof the Group, a vigorous pursuit was initiated employing thewhole of the 36th Squadron. Numerous dual purpose 88mmpedestal mounted guns were em placed along the route of advanceand had to be reduced as they were encountered which limitedthe speed of the pursuit somewhat. The following day, haying

    pushed a slender column into enemy territory twenty miles in advance of other friendly troops, the C olonel felt that to continue thepursuit farther would leave the left flank of the Corps unprotected.66

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    With the Group CP at Langenhagen, north of Hannover,a lull now occurred in the operations while waiting lor the infantryto come up, providing a welcome breathing spell for the troopsto clean up, rest, and perform much needed maintenance on the

    vehicles. O n 12 A p ril M ajor A ylor walked into the C P to everyone's astonishment, after two days in the hands of the enemy.The Major had induced his interrogator, a German Naval Captain, to return with him to the American lines after promisinghim safe conduct.

    The advance was resumed 13 April as the 36th pushed itsscreen to Celle where heavy resistance was met. This was repor

    ted and bypassed. The 44th was then directed to screen theCorps flank from Eldingen to Hankensbuttel.

    The back of the enemy resistance now appeared to be brokenas XIII Corps forces were moving swiftly toward the Elbe. Thisfact necessitated accelerated speed by the 11th and the Squadrons were pushed along as fast as possible. This was madedoubly urgent by the fact that the British were again diverging

    from the boundry, leaving a considerable pocket of enemy-heldterritory on the exposed Corps flank.The 36th continued to cover the flank from Hankensbuitel to

    Dahre and the 44th extended it to Salzwedel by 1600 14 April.Here Com pany " F " , 44 th Squadron, liberated 1,000 Americanprisoners of war, many of whom had been captured in the Battleof the Bulge. Several thousand slave laborers, including many

    Jews, were freed to their unbounded joy.Still taking advantage of the fluid situation, the Group Commander directed the 36th to bypass the 44th at Salzwedel andpush the screen to the Elbe River without delay. Driving hard,the 36th reached the river at a point slightly north of Wittenbergat 02 10 15 A p ri l. This marked the high tide of the G roup's advance eastward as orders were received that the Allies would

    advance no farther than the Elbe. During 14 A p ri l, the 11th hadcovered an exposed flank of over 50 miles.But the job was not over. Behind lay extensive wooded areas

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    which ha d not be en m op ped up an d from which soon were todebouch bands of determined, diehard Nazis, some of whichwere to cause serious troub le H ow ev e r, of greater urgency atthe present was the large ene m y pocket facing the C r o u p on the

    north which had been formed when the British had swung northto drive on Hamburg.

    O n 15 Ap ri l , therefore, with the G ro u p C P at Aren dsee , the44th was ordered to withdraw its forces west of Salzwedel andrelieve the 36th of one-third its screen, thus strengthening theentire Group sector. At the same time strong patrolling wasinitiated north into the enemy-held territory to feel out their

    strength and to keep them off balance by constant thrusts.Liberated American prisoners reported another concentration

    of 200 of their comrades held by the Nazis in Seeben, 5 'milesnorthwest of Salzwedel. The Group Commander immediatelydirected the 44 th Squ adron to raid the town, liquidate the captors,and liberate the prisoners. This was accomplished in an expeditious manner. Large enemy ordnance dumps and many railway

    ammunition cars were located, reported, and placed under guard.During the day, 15 April , the Squadrons captured 340 and killed42 of the enemy.

    During this period the Luftwaffe began to put in its appearancein cons iderable streng th, making reconna issance, strafing, andbom bing sorties in the a rea. G r o u p personn el took advantageof this to limb er up their anti-aircraft guns an d he lp the A A A

    outfits repel this threat. The 4 4 th Sq uadron shot dow n three ofthe enemy planes over Salzwedel.

    Interrogation of the 3 4 0 prisoners captu red 15 A p ril 4 5 stronglyindicated that an en em y pan zer division was opera ting in thepocket to the north. To prevent a surprise attack on this vulnerableflank the Squadrons were alerted and instructed to intensify theirpatrolling. Numerous mounted patrols from both Squadrons were

    sent deep into enemy territory, many of them encounteringenemy pockets of resistance which were eliminated.

    O n e of these actions involving a patrol of Troop " A ' , 44th

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    Squadron, was highlighted by the dauntless fighting spirit ol PfcWalter Farley, a machine gunner. Approaching the enemy townof Winklestedt from the west, Farley, riding in the point jeep,captured two enemy soldiers riding bicycles. A tthis point an enemy

    machine gun opened fire from a nearby house and Farleyremounted his jeep and returned the fire with his machine gun.Under cover of this fire the platoon leader was able to disposehis platoon to attack the enemy positions. During the fight apanzerfaust landed near Farley's jeep and knocked him senselessto the ground, slightly wounded. Recovering consciousness, hesaw enemy soldiers fleeing from their position and, mounting an

    armored car, he took over the machine gun and joined in therout of the enem y. W ith a spirit of having just begun to fight,Farley now volunteered to replace a wounded jeep driver andmade a thorough search of the rest of the village, before hisplatoon proceeded on its mission. For this action Farley receivedthe Silver Star Medal as well as the Purple Heart.

    Another action worthy of note during this period occurred on

    17 A pr il when a pa trol of Troop " A " , 36th Squadron, shelledthe town of G ar tow , G erm an y, and moved in to mop it up. Thedismounted force under an officer received machine gun firefrom hedges close by. The officer was badly wounded, and ordered the men to take cover. Sgt. Wa llace E. Brown, a member ofthe patrol, refused to leave the officer and instead charged theposition single-handed, which was about 50 yards away, killing

    two and dispersing the rest, making it possible for the officer tobe quickly evacuated. Sgt Brown has been recommended for theaward of the Distinguished Service Cross-

    Reports, confirming previous indications that enemy panzerforces were opera ting in the pocket to the north, now were received that substantial panzer elements were working south towardthe Corps flank and west of the Group screen which extended

    west only as far as Salzwedel. O n 18 April, the 11th Cava lrypatrols encountered various small mechanized forces north of thescreen which were knocked out, with the 44th accounting for a

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    Mark IV tank with "bazooka" fire near Glatenbach- Cpl CharlesR- Pith, Troop " A " 44 th Squa dron, was individually creditedwith its destruction when he penetrated enemy-held woods toblast the tank as it rolled up. This action won Pitts the Silver

    Star Medal.Enemy action from the north in the Corps rear areas to the

    west of the 11th Cavalry's screen had now reached such proportions that newspapers published reports that an enemy counterattack had driven 15 miles into the Ninth Army's rear areas.Although not as bad as it appeared from these stories, the situation was becoming serious as a large panzer force had shot up the

    towns of Jubar, Brom e, Voitze , and others as it moved south,hiding out in wooded areas and striking suddenly and unexpectedly at the break of day. This force , which later was identifiedas part of the "Von Clausewitz" Division, had succeeded insevering the main supply routes in the XIII Corps sector, necessitating the rerouting of all convoys on a southern route.

    Although elements of an armored division had been endea

    voring to run them down, the Nazis had succeeded in eludingthem and had moved on south into the Klotze Forest which bordered on the town of Klotze , in which was located the X III CorpsCP . G en era l G ille m imm ediately organized a task force todestroy this last enemy threat.

    O n 19 A p ril the G ro up Com mander arrived at the C P, XIIICorps, at 07 00 to coordinate the m ovement of the G ro up to a

    new sector and was informed that a large enemy force estimatedat approximately eight hundred men, thirty-six halftracks, eight75mm assault guns, four M IV tanks, some towed artillery, andvarious German and captured American thin-skinned vehicleswere reported to be entering the Klotze forest, which forestpractically surrounded the town of Klotze on the northeast andsoutheast. It was also reported that the force had captured some

    Am erican vehicles and personnel on the M SR approximatelyfive miles from the Corps CP in Klotze during the night.The G ro u p was directed to take steps to pa trol the forest to

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    determine ihe streng th, composition, and movement of the enemyforce and to contain the force in the Klotze forest until stepscould be taken to eliminate it. The Com manding Officer ofthe 44 th Squadron was immediately directed to employ his Squad

    ron, which was at that time moving from the vicinity of Salzwedelto the assembly area, by establishing road blocks on all approaches to the Klotze forest and by sending patrols intothe forest to obtain enemy information. Due to the fact that thisenemy was in the immediate vicinity of the Corps CP and theG roup C P was still at Arendsee , a temporary Gr ou p C P wasestablished at the Co rps CP and G ro up C P at Arendsee was

    directed to displace to Neuferchau, opening there at 1615.Reconnaissance patrols of the 44th Squadron indicated that

    the enemy was concentrating in the southern section of the woods,apparently engaged in reconnoitering and preparing for subsequent movement to the south. The patrols destroyed threeenemy halftracks, killed approximately 50 of the enemy, andcaptured 64 prisoners on this date.

    O n 20 A p ri l the Corps Commander directed that the entireCavalry Group, the 175th Infantry, and the Corps Artillerywould coordinate plans to liquida te the enemy in- the Klotzewoods. The 654th TD Bn (less one company) and the 771stTD Bn (less 1 company) were attached to the 11th CavalryGroup. One company of the 771st TDs was already with theGroup, but it was expected that the other company would not

    arrive in the vicinity until the following morning. The 654th TDBn could not arrive in the vicinity un til late that evening. Thecommanders of the Corps Artillery, the 175th Infantry, the11th Cavalry Group and attached TD Bns met in the officeof the C orps Security Office r in the afternoon to coordinatethe plan. The bulk of the 44th Squadron and attachedTDs had been positioned around the east and southeast portion

    of Klotze as this was deemed to be the natural route of withdrawalof the Germans in their effort to reach the Hartz Mountains. The36th Cavalry, being relieved of the mission in the vicinity of

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    Arendsee at first light, was directed to take position around thenorthwest, west and southwest sides of the Klotze forest.

    The plan for clearing the forest was for the 11th CavalryG ro u p to contain the enem y in the forest, hav ing the bulk of its

    strength a long the southern perim eter. Th e 17 5 th Infantry wasto sweep through the forest from northeast to southwest, drivingthe ene m y before it an d into the op en co untry to the south werethey could be picked up by the 11th Cavalry Croup upon theirdebouchm ent from the forest. Th e 17 5 th Infantry attack was to besupported by Cor ps A rtille ry. T he attack was to jum p off at 1 00 0.It was pointed out at the conference that the falacy in the plan

    was that if the en em y took th e initiative be fore daylight of the21s t an d attem pted to brea k out of the forest in force, it