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134th Infantry Regiment"All Hell Can't Stop Us" |
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134th Infantry Regiment"All Hell Can't Stop Us" |
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HEADQUARTERS 137TH INFANTRY
APO 35 U S ARMY
1 Dec 44
Subject: Report after Action against Enemy
To : The Adjutant General
Washington 25, D. C.
Through: Command Channels
1. In compliance with the provisions of Par 10 C3, AR 345-105, submitted below is report after action against the enemy for the 137th Infantry covering the period 1-30 November 1944.
1 NOVEMBER 1944
November 1 found the 137th Infantry in its sixth week in a defensive status, as XII Corps continued its mission of defending that portion of the Third Army front from Cheminot, ten miles south of Metz, to the Marne-Rhine Canal near Xunes, twenty miles east of Nancy.
The 35th Division, in position from Ajoncourt to a point near Chambrey, was bounded on the left by the 80th Division, and on the right by the 26th.
Colonel William S. Murray assumed command of the 137th Infantry at 0001 on November 1, just one hundred days after his predecessor, Colonel Robert Sears, had taken over the regiment in its first days of combat.
Within our sector, the 2nd Battalion came out of reserve on November 1 and relieved the 3rd Battalion on the line from Ajoncourt through Fossieux and southeast to the tip of the Jallaucourt Woods, following the ridge south of enemy-held Malaucourt and Jallaucourt. Relief was completed at 2130, with Companies E, F and G on the line from right to left.
To the east, the 1st Battalion remained in position, occupying the Jallaucourt Woods and the Gremecey Forest to a point south of Fresnes, where they tied in with the 134th Infantry.
Enemy activity to our front was slight on the 1st. Company A received nine rounds of mortar fire from the vicinity of the Juree Woods shortly after midnight, and Company C reported that white phosphorous shells landed in their area at 0255.
Patrols returned at 0400 and 0530 with reports of some enemy activity in Malaucourt and Fresnes. A 1st Battalion patrol hit an AP (anti personnel) minefield, and one man was wounded.
Heavy ground fog limited visibility during the early part of the day.
Artillery fire was again reported shortly before noon, and again at 1325, by Company D. These shells fell short of our lines.
At 2150, 88 fire began falling in the draw east of Fossieux, and at 2205 eight rounds fell on the south edge of the town. The 2nd Battalion, which had just moved into the area, lost five men, of which two were killed and three wounded.
The Germans were feeling the force of our own artillery also during the day. Upon request of our 1st Battalion, the 127th Field Artillery Battalion fired into Jallaucourt with 155 mm fuze delay shells. Buildings were wrecked, fires were started, and an ammunition dump was believed hit.
In direct support of the regiment, the guns of Company C, 737th Tank Battalion, fired seven missions during the day.
Late in the evening one of our men, returning from repairing an AP mine field, was wounded when he ran into a booby trap, bringing the total casualties for November 1 to two killed and five wounded. These were the first men killed in the regiment since October 20.
During the afternoon, the 319th Infantry (80th Division), across the Seille River on our left, attacked with a mission of clearing the enemy from west of the river in the Abaucourt-Letricourt area. Their attack began at 1300, supported by tanks and tank destroyers. By 1600 their 2nd Battalion had cleaned the Germans out of Letricourt, and the 3rd Battalion was mopping up at Abaucourt. In that three hours' fighting the 319th took 140 prisoners. With the Germans cleared from the loop of the Seille River, the regiment left small groups in observation of all known river crossings and its main force returned to its former defensive position.
2 NOVEMBER 1944
On the morning of November 2 patrols returned with reports of much activity near Fresnes, and across the creek from Fossieux. A 3rd Battalion patrol cut enemy communication lines east of Fossieux, and radioed Battalion Headquarters to direct mortar fire upon what was believed to be a mine-laying crew.
From 0330 to 0430 the Germans poured a heavy artillery barrage into Moncel, Chambrey and Pettoncourt, in the 134th Infantry area. Chambrey alone received two hundred rounds.
Our 1st Battalion reported mortar fire from the Juree Woods at about 1600. This was the only shellfire reported in our area on the 2nd.
At 2100 the Germans began sending up flares in increasing numbers, and this activity continued until after midnight.
There were no casualties during the day.
3 NOVEMBER 1944
On November 3, patrols returned from missions of inspecting bridge sites to our front, near Aulnois, Fossieux, Malaucourt and Jallaucourt. Five bridges were examined for possibility of use by tanks and trucks. Of these, one was reported as possibly strong enough to hold a 2½-ton truck, and it was believed that the bridge northeast of Fossieux, constructed of reinforced concrete with ten-inch I-beams, could be repaired sufficiently to hold tanks. All other bridges had been damaged beyond use.
Showers fell intermittently during the day, and all was quiet to our front until after dark, when enemy patrols became active. One Company A out-post fired on a German patrol shortly after 1900. At 2025 Company E reported a patrol to its front, but rifle fire forced the Germans to withdraw.
Our wires were cut in the Company A area at about 2200, and linemen sent out to repair the break contacted an enemy patrol of five or six men behind our lines. The wire crew fired on the Germans, and the patrol fired back, then made a getaway.
Again on the 3rd, there were no casualties in the 137th Infantry.
4 NOVEMBER 1944
Rain continued on November 4, and there was no activity until late afternoon, when the 1st Battalion reported tank fire landing south of Jallaucourt. At 1815 the 3rd Battalion received 88 fire at Aboncourt, and one man was killed and one wounded. These were the only casualties of the day.
5 NOVEMBER 1944
November 5 was another day of little activity for the 137th Infantry. Company C observed a seven-man enemy patrol to their front moving toward Jallaucourt at 0030. A patrol from the 2nd Battalion observed eight Germans northeast of Fossieux.
Mortar fire fell in the 1st Battalion area at 0810, and two men were wounded.
Patrols sent out on the night of the 5th were very successful. German troops in Jallaucourt were deprived of their nightly hot meal when Lieutenants Ira C. Austin and Victor W. Schultz led a strong patrol from Company C to the Malaucourt-Jallaucourt road and there ambushed a horse-drawn kitchen wagon coming from Fresnes. One prisoner was taken, and he reported that his company was receiving one hot meal each night, eating concentrated food during the day. The prisoner revealed that his company consisted of only eighty men, commanded by a twenty-year-old Lieutenant. He reported that the morale of the troops, including noncommissioned officers, was very poor.
One patrol from the 2d Battalion got as far as Malaucourt, where they received machine gun fire. Another 2d Battalion patrol crossed the creek northeast of Fossieux and moved up the hill to the east. They encountered two Germans on the hill and fired on them. The Germans fled to the north, and no further contact was made.
6 NOVEMBER 1944
On November 6 the 1st Battalion reported mortar fire in their area at 0155, and the Germans sent up flares throughout the early morning hours. After daybreak, however, activity slackened and very little was reported during the rest of the day.
One man of the regiment was wounded on November 6, and one enemy prisoner taken.
Rains swelled the Seille River to flood stage, and for the second time in two weeks the valley was inundated as far as Ajoncourt.
The 60th Engineers, working constantly on the roads in the sector, kept all routes open in spite of the mud and high water. They were being assisted by the 1135th Engineer Group in the Division zone.
Company C of the 737th Tank Battalion was relieved by Company B of the same organization in direct support of the 137th Infantry on the 6th. During their last day in support of the regiment, Company C fired 250 rounds of artillery in performing fifteen firing missions.
7 NOVEMBER 1944
Enemy activity was stepped up on November 7. Shortly after midnight Company C received machine gun fire from south of Jallaucourt. Our men responded with machine gun fire of their own. At 0215, Company A reported mortar fire from the west edge of the Juree Woods, and a half hour later their center positions were receiving burp gun fire.
The Germans opened up with 88 and 105 mm artillery fire during the early morning, mostly on our right. More than four hundred rounds fell in the area west of Gremecey, mostly in the 134th Infantry area.
In spite of the increased enemy activity, our regiment suffered no casualties during the day.
Elsewhere on the Western Front, the clearing of the Scheldt Estuary, which would make available to the Allies the great port of Antwerp, was almost completed. In Holland, nearly all of the German Fifteenth Army had been driven back across the Maas, and the Allies held all but one of the bridges across that river.
After its short period of comparative inactivity, the Third Army prepared to resume the offensive in the Metz-Nancy area, to encircle the German fortress city of Metz, and to continue the drive on the Siegfried Line.
At 1330 on November 7, Division Field Order No 26 was passed down to officers of the 137th Infantry, and the regiment, after more than six weeks in a defensive status, again prepared to attack.
In the new operation, XII Corps was to attack to the northeast to seize rail and road facilities in the vicinity of Falkenburg, prepared to continue the advance to the northeast and seize a bridgehead east of the Rhine River. Within the Corps, the 26th, 35th and 80th Infantry Divisions were to attack from their present positions, with the 26th operating on the right of the 35th, and the 80th on the left. The 6th Armored Division was to operate in the zone of the 80th, with the 4th Armored operating in the zone of the 35th, passing through the west and north portion of our Division zone after our troops had secured a bridgehead across the Rau d'Osson.
The plan called for continuous, close fighter-bomber support, and five additional artillery battalions were made available to the 35th Division for the operation.
Within the 35th Division, the 137th Infantry was to operate on the left, and the 320th on the right. The 134th remained in Division reserve at the beginning of the operation.
The initial mission of the 137th Infantry was to attack to the north and northeast, secure bridgehead across the Rau d'Osson, and seize the first objective, five miles to the northeast of our present position, cutting the main highway between Chateau-Salins and Metz in the vicinity of Laneuveville.
In direct support of the 137th Infantry was the 737th Tank Battalion less one company, Company B of the 60th Engineers, and Company A of the 654th Tank Destroyers.
8 NOVEMBER 1944
The regiment attacked at 0600 on the morning of November 8 after a heavy artillery preparation. The 2nd Battalion, on the left, encountered the first resistance, one enemy machine gun, at 0611. On the right, the 1st battalion attacked Jallaucourt, and by 0720 had one platoon of Company C in the town. Two platoons were pinned down west of the town by heavy enemy fire, and Company A was sent into the fight for the shell-wrecked village. The battalion was also receiving fire from German positions in the Juree Woods, which hampered operations to the east of Jallaucourt.
In the 2nd Battalion sector, two platoons of Company E reached the edge of Malaucourt by 0750, but to their left Company G was encountering difficulty in crossing the swollen Rau d'Ósson, where flood waters of the Seille River had backed up into that stream. By 1000 all of Company G were across and on the ridge northwest of Malaucourt. At the same time Company E was in the town, had cleaned out four buildings, and was working its way on through, house by house.
The Engineers completed their bridge south of Jallaucourt by 1040, after being held up part of the morning by enemy machine gun fire on the site. At 1130 our armored support began to cross, losing one tank just after it had cleared the bridge. Shortly after noon eight tanks were moving in on Jallaucourt, with Company B attacking from the southeast. By 1240 the 1st Battalion had two full companies in the town, and heavy fighting was in progress.
Steady rain set in shortly after noon, and our air support was called off during the afternoon.
By midafternoon the enemy had been cleared from all but the north edge of Jallaucourt, and at 1500 the 3rd Battalion was ordered to move companies to both Malaucourt and Jallaucourt to relieve troops there. At 1700 the 1st Battalion was in possession of Jallaucourt, but the Germans were still battling between the town and the Juree Woods, and still occupied the latter.
A second bridge was completed by the Engineers at 1610, south of Malaucourt, and at 1630 Company F crossed on tanks and moved into the town, where Company E was still engaged. Direct artillery fire was received, and the lead tank was knocked out. The remaining tanks fanned out, and Company F dismounted and proceeded on foot. At 1750 both Company F and Company E were on the north edge of the town, and at this time orders were received from the Division Commander to hold up the attack at 1800, consolidate positions and outpost security, and to prepare to attack the following morning at 0600.
Fighting continued in the Juree Woods, however, until midnight. Company A, supported by Company A of the 737th Tank Battalion, finally cleared the enemy from the woods, then prepared to resume the attack from that point the following morning.
On this first day of the new offensive, the 137th Infantry took 134 prisoners, most of them from the 1125th Regiment. Our casualties on the same day were 6 killed and 76 wounded. Lieutenant Victor W. Schultz of Company C was killed in the attack on Jallaucourt.
9 NOVEMBER 1944
The 3d Battalion, less Company I and Company K, was directed to move to Jallaucourt at 0500 on the 9th. Company I was sent to occupy Malaucourt, and Company K to occupy Jallaucourt at 1600 on the 8th when the 3d Battalion was ordered to move troops to those towns.
The regiment resumed the attack at 0600 on the 9th, with the 1st Battalion striking toward Oriocourt, two miles northeast of Jallaucourt. The 2d Battalion, leaving Company I to clean out the last resistance in Malaucourt, moved north, and at 0755 Company G called for lifting of our artillery fire on the Aulnois Woods and attacked German positions there. Company E and Company F followed closely. Moderate resistance was encountered 150 yards inside the woods, but the battalion advanced steadily during the morning, and at 1400 had cleared the woods. The battalion then reorganized and moved toward Lemoncourt.
The 1st Battalion, in the meantime, was making steady progress to the northeast, and by 1400 captured Oriocourt, taking 150 prisoners and a battery of enemy field artillery. Turning to the east toward Laneuveville, the battalion drove on toward the initial regimental objective.
At 1415 the 2d Battalion captured Lemoncourt, taking 50 prisoners, and by 1700 Company F and Company G were moving into Delme, two kilometers to the north. The German withdrawal was becoming more and more hurried, and as our forces overran one enemy position after another the prisoner total mounted rapidly. The Germans were surrendering in large groups, and during the afternoon it became evident that this would be the largest number of prisoners yet taken in a single day by the 137th Infantry.
The 2d Battalion attack on Delme resulted in the capture of that town at 1915. The Germans withdrew to the east, and began shelling the town heavily with mortar and artillery fire.
To the south, the 1st Battalion had crossed the Metz-Chateau Salins railroad and highway, and by dark had seized Laneuveville, then occupied the high ground to the east of the town. This placed the regiment on its initial objective, after two days of fighting.
In regimental reserve, the 3d Battalion assembled at Oriocourt, prepared to follow the 1st Battalion in their next move.
The 4th Armored Division moved up during the day, crossing the bridge at Malaucourt, and passing through Lemoncourt. Elements of the division then thrust beyond our lines into Viviers, but during the night the Germans retook that town, capturing two ambulances and four wounded Americans.
The 737th Tank Battalion, less Company C, continued to operate in direct support of the 137th Infantry.
Prisoners taken by the regiment during the day reached the record-breaking total of 445. Morale was very low among a large number of those taken. Many of them, wet and shivering from the cold rain which fell intermittently during the day, were generous in divulging information on their own forces.
Our casualties were 5 killed, 24 wounded and 4 missing in action.
10 NOVEMBER 1944
The regiment attacked at 0700 on the 10th, with the 1st Battalion jumping off from the high ground east of Laneuveville, toward Fonteny, two kilometers to the northeast.
The 2d Battalion set out to recapture Viviers, and to occupy the woods south of that town. From the Delme-Donjeaux area the battalion moved east to the woods, leaving Company G to clean out that spot. The remainder of the battalion, operating with the armor, attacked Viviers from the south shortly before 1100. Here they met stiff resistance from the Germans who had moved back into the town during the night. In addition to small arms fire from the town, the battalion began receiving long range artillery fire from the east. At 1245 they had not yet been able to enter the town, and our tanks were having difficulty in maneuvering off the roads due to the mud.
The 1st Battalion moved to the ridge overlooking Fonteny without opposition, then ran into heavy small arms fire from the tip of the Chateau-Salins Forest. The Germans also had tanks in the vicinity, with two reported moving from Fonteny into the woods at 0955, and four others just south of town. Tank destroyers of the 4th Armored moved up to meet this threat. At 1335 two enemy tanks were reported northwest of Fonteny, moving to the rear between the 1st and 2nd Battalions, and soon after this number had increased to six. One antitank gun and reinforced platoon was rushed to Delme by the 3d Battalion. No further reports of enemy armor were received until 1730, when the 1st Battalion received fire from five tanks north of Fonteny.
The 2d Battalion, after fighting most of the afternoon, had Company F and one platoon from Company E in Viviers by 1600. An hour later, two full companies were in the town, and fighting was still going on. At 1800 Viviers was aflame, and the 2d Battalion occupied most of the town. Fifty Germans had been taken prisoner and many more wounded or killed. The four wounded Americans captured by the Germans when they had retaken the town the day before were rescued, and one of the two ambulances recovered.
The 1st Battalion was unable to take Fonteny during the day, and the regiment was again ordered to hold up the attack at 1800. Extensive patrolling during the night was ordered, with an SOP distance of one and one-half miles if necessary.
Adjacent units were progressing on schedule. On our right, the 320th Infantry was advancing through the Chateau-Salins Forest and the 134th was attacking Gerbecourt. The 26th Division captured the city of Chateau-Salins during the afternoon. On our left, the 319th Infantry (80th Division) moved into Tincry.
There were 125 prisoners taken on the 10th, most of them being from the 43d Fortress Battalion and the 110th Panzer Regiment of the 11th Panzer Division. This unit had left the Metz vicinity on two hours' notice and had been committed in the Chateau-Salins Forest east of Laneuveville.
Casualties in the 137th during the day were 11 men killed, 34 wounded and 5 missing.
11 NOVEMBER 1944
The attack was resumed at 0800 on November 11, and the 2d Battalion quickly cleared Viviers of the Germans left there and at 0830 moved northeast toward the Serres Woods.
An early patrol from the 1st Battalion revealed that the Germans had not withdrawn from Fonteny during the night, but remained in considerable strength and were dug in on the high ground behind the town and in the woods to the southwest. The 1st Battalion again attacked the stronghold, but were held off until 1330, when Company A got into the town. By 1500 much of Fonteny had been cleared, and a column of CCB of the 4th Armored moved through the town, heading toward Oron.
The 2d Battalion in the meantime began to clear the way toward Oron through the Serres Woods. With tanks in support they moved from Viviers to the edge of the woods, and by noon two companies, E and G, were in the woods.
At 1530 Company F, with Company B of the 737th Tank Battalion supporting, moved as a task force to seize Faxe at the southeast corner of the woods. Running into an antitank ditch west of the village, the armor was unable to move up to attack, and heavy machine gun fire forced the task force to withdraw. Our artillery was then called on to shell German positions at that point. It was evident that a stronger force would be necessary to take the town, and plans were made for a renewed attack on the following morning, with Company K assisting Company F.
In the Serres Woods, Company E and Company G advanced steadily until 1600, when they were held up by two pillboxes and two tanks protecting the road junction half way through the woods. Tank destroyers were brought up, and at 1815 this resistance was knocked out and the two companies pushed on to the road junction.
By dark the 1st Battalion had taken three-fourths of Fonteny, but were receiving continuous mortar and artillery fire, and the casualties in the battalion were heavy. Plans were made for the 3d Battalion to relieve the 1st in Fonteny before daylight the following morning, and for the 1st Battalion to assemble in Laneueville in regimental reserve.
The regiment again held up the attack for the night, and made ready to continue the following morning.
On the 11th the regiment lost 7 killed, including Lieutenant Joseph A. McCrone of Company A, 66 wounded and 7 missing.
A total of 43 German prisoners were taken during the day.
12 NOVEMBER 1944
The 3d Battalion, less Company K, relieved the 1st Battalion in the Fonteny area at 0400 on the morning of November 12, and the 1st assembled at Laneuveville in regimental reserve.
The fresh troops of Companies I and L attacked at 0600 to clear Fonteny of the enemy, and by 0800 they were mopping up in the town. Three Mark V tanks, apparently in good shape, were captured.
Company K in the meantime was attacking Faxe, with Company F. They entered the town at 0730, and by 0810 Faxe was clear of Germans. However they left the town heavily mined and booby-trapped. At 0845 Company F moved on out of Faxe to the Serres Woods, to rejoin the 2d Battalion. Meanwhile, Company G had patrolled the woods almost to its north edge, and reported no enemy. The battalion moved on through the woods, then dashed to the east and seized Oron. Our troops advanced on the town with such speed that the Germans were unable to carry out planned demolition of the bridge across the Niad Francais Rau west of Oron, and that highly important crossing was captured undamaged.
In Oron, 150 prisoners were captured, members of a work battalion, mostly older men of decrepit appearance.
The 3d Battalion, moving cross-country toward Chateau Brehain, advanced rapidly, meeting light resistance consisting only of a covering force. By 1100 the leading elements of the battalion were half way to the Chateau-Salins Forest, and an hour later had begun to skirt the north edge of the woods. Advancing on Chateau Brehain swiftly, they captured the town at 1400, taking sixteen prisoners. The 3d Battalion then pushed forward and seized Brehain just prior to dark.
The 1st Battalion left Laneuveville and followed the 3d into Chateau Brehain. At this town a new situation had confronted the occupying forces. Up until this time in the present engagement, civilians had left the battle areas as the Germans withdrew. However, at Chateau Brehain civilians had remained in the town, and it was necessary to place these people, eighty in number, under the supervision of the Civil Affairs Officer for evacuation to the rear.
Our casualties on November 12 were 12 killed, 54 wounded and 6 missing. Including the members of the work battalion captured at Oron, a total of 179 prisoners were captured during the day.
13 NOVEMBER 1944
On November 13 enemy resistance stiffened, as the 137th Infantry hit a strong defense line from the woods north of Villers-sur-Neid to Achain. Jumping off at 0800, the 3d Battalion attacked northeastward, while to the north the 2d Battalion advanced on Villers-sur-Neid. Both received heavy artillery and mortar fire immediately after jumping off. After two hours' fighting, Company G pushed on into Villers, and at 1130 two companies were in the town. Street fighting was in progress until shortly after noon, when our forces cleared the town of Germans. The 2d Battalion then reorganized and continued the attack toward Marthille, a mile to the east, which they entered at 1530 and captured at 1700 after a fight. After taking Marthille, the battalion quickly moved on Destry, two miles northeast.
The 3d Battalion, just outside of Brehain, ran into small arms fire from the hill to the east. However, engaging the enemy with frontal fire, the battalion, slipped sufficient troops around the hill to get behind the German positions, capturing twenty-five of their number and forcing the remainder to pull out. Moving northeast, the forward elements of the battalion reached the crossroads midway between Marthille and Achain by noon, then advanced along the main road toward Baronville. Directly north of Achain the battalion ran into strong German positions to the left of the highway. These positions were immediately attacked and taken, but the battalion was then brought under fire from the high ground to the northeast. Again attacking, our forces dislodged the Germans from that point, putting the battalion within two kilometers of Baronville. Here they held up until the following morning.
The 2d Battalion, in their attempt to capture Destry, reached the ridge south of the town at 1700, where they were stopped by heavy mortar and artillery fire. With CCB of the 4th Armored Division moving into the area, an attack on Destry the following morning with that unit was decided upon.
The 1st Battalion, still in reserve, moved from Chateau Brehain to Marthille at 1600. This day was the coldest yet, and during the night snow fell over the entire sector.
Ninety-seven prisoners were taken during the day, bringing the total for the first six days of the campaign to 1023. Our own casualties dropped on this day, with 30 men reported wounded and none killed or missing.
14 NOVEMBER 1944
The 2d and 3d Battalions resumed the attack at 0900 on the 14th. The 3d, moving on Baronville from the southwest, encountered no opposition until 1020, when they were met by heavy machine gun fire on the ridge in front of the town. Mortar fire and direct artillery fire were received by the battalion as they maneuvered to attack the stronghold.
The Germans were defending the town stubbornly, with tanks and infantry, and held out from dug-in positions until late afternoon, despite repeated assaults by our troops. The battalion finally broke through at 1600, with house-to-house fighting again developing as the last resistance was cleared from the town. At 1710 the 3d Battalion reported Baronville clear.
Meanwhile the 2d Battalion had attacked Destry, with CCB of the 4th Armored. However the armor was help up one kilometer south of the town until almost noon by enemy artillery. Shortly after noon the tanks entered the town, and Companies E and G fought their way in at the same time. Here again house-to-house fighting resulted, and the town was not fully occupied by our troops until late afternoon. Securing the town, the 2d Battalion held up for the night but sent patrols to the front as far as the railroad two kilometers northeast, which was the Division objective.
Again, civilians were found to have remained in the besieged towns. The 3d Battalion alone found two hundred civilians in their occupation of Baronville.
Casualties in the regiment were 2 killed and 29 wounded on the 14th. There were 34 prisoners taken. Prisoners captured during the past two days gave the information that they were recently brought from the Polish front and placed in Marthille, Baronville and other points in this sector; that they had been given no orientation on the situation, only ordered to hold these towns at all cost.
15 NOVEMBER 1944
On November 15 the 137th Infantry, nearing the Division objective, continued the attack for the eighth consecutive day. Both 2d and 3d Battalions moved to seize the Metz-Benestroff railway in their zone.
Jumping off at 0900, the 2d Battalion was the first to reach the railroad, and moved onto the objective at 1035. The 3d Battalion, in their zone, had to clean out the Grand Bois, which they entered at 1000 and cleared by noon.
After moving onto the objective from the woods, the 3d Battalion was given an additional mission of advancing, seizing and holding Hill 264, north of Etang de Mutche, and over looking the railroad. The battalion jumped off for their new objective at 1400, and at 1635 occupied the hill in the face of heavy artillery fire. The Battalion Commander, instituting a rotation system for the night, left one platoon from each company to secure the hill, the remainder of the battalion withdrawing to the shelter of the railroad station at the foot of the hill to dry their clothing and clean their equipment.
The 2d Battalion, after cleaning out the woods to their left, tied in with elements of the 80th Division on their left flank, dug in and secured the area.
The north and south columns of the 4th Armored CCB, continuing to operate in our zone, converged at Baronville during the day, then moved east toward Morhange.
The 1st Battalion continued in regimental reserve, but were alerted to be prepared to relieve the 2nd Battalion upon receipt of the next attack order.
Twenty-eight prisoners were taken on the 15th, the smallest number yet captured in one day since the start of the present offensive. Our own casualties were 1 killed, 13 wounded and 13 missing in action.
16 NOVEMBER 1944
On November 16, after eight days of continuous fighting, the 137th Infantry gained a brief rest, remaining in their present position and awaiting further orders.
During the day the Division Commander visited the Regimental CP and presented the Silver Star award to Colonel Murray in recognition of outstanding performance in the present operation. Since November 8, the first day of the attack, the regiment had advanced twenty-five kilometers, capturing seventeen towns and taking well over a thousand prisoners.
The enemy had left the area heavily mined, and although these were being cleared as quickly as possible, some casualties resulted from this menace on the 16th. The regiment also continued to receive scattered artillery shelling. Casualties on the 16th were one killed, seven wounded and four missing. Twelve Germans were taken prisoner.
17 NOVEMBER 1944
The regiment continued to remain in their present position on November 17. There was no letup in the cold weather, and the skies were overcast. A light snow fell late in the day.
Two of our men were reported missing on this day, but none were reported killed or wounded. Only two enemy prisoners were taken.
The order to continue the attack was received, and at 1330 Regimental Field Order No 22 was issued, calling for the 1st and 3d Battalions to attack at 0800 the following morning. The advance was to continue to the northeast, following generally to the north of the Morhange-Sarreguemines highway. The 137th Infantry was to be on the left in the Division zone, and the 320th on the right, with CCB of the 6th Armored Division operating initially in the 320th sector. The ultimate objective was the Saar River at a point south of Sarreguemines.
The 2d Battalion, after having been on the line all the way from Malaucourt to la Houve, was placed in regimental reserve for the coming operation.
18 NOVEMBER 1944
The 1st Battalion made a night march from Marthille, starting at 0400 on the morning of the 18th, moved through Baronville and jumped off with the 3d Battalion at 0800. Swinging around the lake, Etang de Mutche, the 1st proceeded toward Harprich from the south. Very little resistance was encountered, and the battalion entered the town at 0900. They were immediately subjected to artillery and mortar shelling, and the Germans began laying down a terrific barrage along the road leading to Berig-Vintrange to harass any advance along that route. However, the battalion moved on out of Harprich and advanced on Berig-Vintrange, to meet the most stubborn resistance the Germans offered during the day. The enemy had considerable armor in the town, and they held strong positions on the high ground to the east.
Our artillery directed on Berig-Vintrange knocked out three of the German tanks, and shortly after noon tank destroyers were moved up with the 1st Battalion. With their support the enemy was driven from the town after several attacks by our troops. Those German tanks which were not knocked out withdrew to the high ground to the east, however, and the battalion was subjected to direct fire from their guns, making a continued advance impossible at the time.
The attack was held up at 1800, but Engineers worked on into the night removing mines and obstacles left by the retreating Germans. At Berig-Vintrange a massive road block at the south edge of town prevented the use of the main road into town until 1930, and then it was only sufficiently cleared to allow passage of ¼ ton vehicles.
Similar obstacles, though generally of less elaborate construction, were now being encountered blocking the way into every town, as the enemy resorted to every possible means to delay the Americans. The Germans were throwing everything available into these obstacles, ranging from sturdy log and stone structures to hayrakes and other farm implements.
The 3d Battalion had advanced rapidly during the day, capturing the town of Bening and by midafternoon had two companies in the village of Bistroff. The battalion had moved swiftly across muddy terrain and surprised the enemy by this daring maneuver of operating far in advance of supporting weapons, which were road bound because of the mud. The enemy surprise was so complete that a counterattacking force was not brought into use until carrying parties of the 3d Battalion had brought up ammunition and supplies. Antitank mines, hand carried more than three miles, were placed to cover tank approaches into the battalion's position.
The Germans had blown the bridge on the Bistroff-Berig Vintrange road, and shortly before midnight the Engineers moved up to repair the bridge, to establish a supply route to the 3d Battalion. Vehicles, however, did not reach the town of Bistroff until approximately 1400 the following day.
Three men of the 137th Infantry were killed on November 18 and seven were wounded. Fifteen prisoners were taken.
19 NOVEMBER 1944
On the morning of the 19th the 3d Battalion received a counterattack at 0730, with enemy infantry and two tanks trying to get into Bistroff. The attack was repulsed after one German tank had been knocked out by our mines. These mines, hand carried and laid by the Mine Platoon of the Regimental Antitank Company only a few hours before, figured prominently in breaking up the attack.
CCB of the 6th Armored Division moved into the regimental zone early in the morning, and upon resumption of the attack at 0800 their tanks passed through the 1st Battalion toward Bertring. They were met by heavy artillery and antitank fire, but advanced almost to Bertring, where they were held up by an antitank ditch along the forward slope of the ridge west of the town. Company A and Company B moved up at 1100, crossed the ditch and attacked the town. The Germans resisted stubbornly, and held off our forces until almost 1500, and then had to be cleared from the town from building to building. In the meantime our tanks were still held up west of the ditch, their assistance in the assault hindered by the protection of the ridge between them and the town. Tank dozers were brought up to fill in the ditch sufficiently to allow the armor across, but one tank destroyer had been knocked out and burned by artillery in the meantime.
With CCB then supporting the advance beyond Bertring, the 1st Battalion moved swiftly on Gros-Tenquin. They entered the town at 1530, quickly cleaned out all resistance and captured the high ground to the northeast.
The 3d Battalion, after beating off the early counterattack by the Germans at Bistroff, followed through at 0840 with an attack on Hill 315 to the northeast, taking a machine gun nest and thirty prisoners, several mortars and a 20 mm gun. The battalion then remained in the positions already held for the rest of the day.
The 2d Battalion moved up to Gros-Tenquin during the night to relieve the 1st Battalion.
The regiment again took a big haul of prisoners on the 19th, with a total of 208 captured during the day. Our casualties were 1 man killed, 27 wounded and 4 missing.
20 NOVEMBER 1944
At 0725 the following morning the 3d Battalion moved out from Bistroff toward Freybouse, situated four kilometers east beyond the north tip of the Freybouse Woods. The battalion moved east through the Meisenbruck Farm, which they passed at 0745, then swung wide to the left and reached the tip of the woods at 1100. At 1300, Company K led the attack on Freybouse. Resistance was stiff, and the company received tank fire from the town which held off our troops for almost an hour. At 1350 Company K got their first men into the town, and fighting continued all afternoon. By dark Company K had two platoons in Freybouse, after their company commander had been wounded. The Germans were still holding out stubbornly, and our attack was halted for the night, with the two platoons remaining in the town.
In the meantime, the 2d Battalion had jumped off at 0900, in conjunction with CCB of the 6th Armored, and moved to attack the Freybouse Woods to their front. Heavy artillery fire was received as the battalion jumped off and advanced steadily, and at 1015 punched into the woods north of the Gros Tenquin-Hellimer highway. By noon they had cleared the woods in their zone. Emerging from the east edge of the woods, however, the battalion was subjected to terrific fire from the high ground to the north and east. With perfect observation, the Germans brought deadly mortar, small arms and direct artillery fire on our troops with every attempt to advance over the open terrain to the front. By darkness the battalion had made no appreciable gain, and the attack was stopped for the night.
Six officers were wounded in the day's attack, the largest loss in a single day among officers since the Moselle River crossing. These included two company commanders, Captain Clyde R. Mills, who had led Company G through every engagement since the first day of combat, and Captain Hubert H. Stephens of Company K, previously wounded near St. Lo.
Casualties among enlisted men were 4 killed, 51 wounded and 6 missing. Forty-two Germans were captured on the 20th.
21 NOVEMBER 1944
The 2d Battalion resumed their attack toward Hellimer on the 21st. Again attempting to advance east along the Hellimer highway, they moved five hundred yards past the Francaltroff road junction, when enemy small arms fire opened up. From 0730 until almost 0900 they again were subjected to heavy fire from their front. Tanks of CCB moved up at 0900, and together they advanced toward Hellimer. Shortly after noon they were in a position to attack the town, but the first assault was thrown back by heavy machine gun and tank fire. The battalion attacked again at 1300, but the Germans had five tanks in the northwest corner of the town holding up the approach, and it was almost 1500 before any sizeable force could get into the town. Company F led the way in the final assault, and bitter street fighting again developed as the Germans were cleared from the town house by house. Two enemy tanks were knocked out in the fight, and another was abandoned in perfect condition as the Germans withdrew to Diffembach to the northeast.
The 3d Battalion, with two platoons already in Freybouse, resumed their attack on that town at dawn, and after fighting most of the morning cleared the enemy, then sent a force to the north in an attempt to capture Fremestroff. With elements of the 6th Armored, they moved north out of Freybouse, but in a short distance were held up by a blown bridge. The infantry moved on across the creek at 1630, while the armor awaited the arrival of Engineers to repair the bridge. An hour later our troops were in Fremestroff, and the tanks had moved up and surrounded the town. However, darkness found the enemy still in the town, and our forces waited until the following morning to attempt to clear the last resistance.
Three of our men were killed on the 21st, and fifty-five were wounded. Thirty-eight Germans were captured.
22 NOVEMBER 1944
Plans of November 22 were for the 6th Armored Division to send two task forces out from Hellimer, one north to Leyviller in conjunction with an attack on that town by our 1st Battalion, then east to St. Jean-Rohrbach, and the other northeast to Diffembach, and on to St. Jean-Rohrbach. A third task force, already in the vicinity of Fremestroff, was to assist in cleaning out that town, then move east into the zone of our 1st Battalion.
On the morning of the 22d, forces of the 3d Battalion cleared Fremestroff early, and the 2d Battalion moved on to Diffembach, where the Germans had withdrawn from Hellimer. Company E was first in the town, and pushed the enemy out shortly after noon. The rest of the battalion moved up, and at 1400 jumped off for Hilsprich, four kilometers east.
Meanwhile the 1st Battalion moved up from reserve and attacked Leyviller, four kilometers to the north of Hellimer. Coordinating with the tanks, Company A moved in on the town from the right, and Company C from the left. By 1100 Leyviller was partially surrounded by tanks and infantry, and at 1400 our men took the town after hard fighting, with the Germans withdrawing to the north. The battalion quickly turned the attack toward St. Jean, four kilometers to the east and formerly heavily-garrisoned by the Germans. Enemy tanks on the outskirts of St. Jean brought heavy fire on our forces, and SS troops were defending within the town. Fighting continued until after darkness, with the battalion pushing the enemy from the town shortly before 1800. Immediately the Germans began shelling the area, and this continued throughout the night.
The 2d Battalion moved half the distance to Hilsprich, then was counterattacked at 1540 by Germans from the Habst Woods north of the Hellimer-St. Jean highway. The enemy was stopped with severe losses from our combined machine gun and mortar fire, and the surviving Germans fled back into the woods.
The 3d Battalion reverted to regimental reserve and moved into Leyviller during the afternoon. After dark, the Germans moved a patrol back into Fremestroff, and plans were made for Company I to send a motorized patrol to clear them out the following morning.
Six men were killed, seventeen wounded and five missing in action in the regiment on November 22. There were fifty-eight prisoners captured, including members of the 36th SS Division.
23 NOVEMBER 1944
On the morning of November 23 all battalions were attacking. The 2d, jumping off at 0800 from the high ground midway between Diffembach and Hilsprich, moved through the Machweld Woods and swung right, to the southwest of Hilsprich. The 1st Battalion moved out from St. Jean to approach Hilsprich from the northwest. The 3d Battalion, at Leyviller, moved their motorized platoon from Company I around through Freybouse to clear Fremestroff. Other elements of the battalion moved on Altrippe, while another force attacked the Habst Woods to clean out those Germans which had escaped after their counterattack on the 2d Battalion had failed the day before.
Fremestroff was cleared by 0900, and before noon the 3d Battalion had gained all objectives, with Company K occupying Altrippe, Company I occupying Fremestroff, and Company L returning to Leyviller after clearing the Habst Woods.
The 2d Battalion entered the woods north of Zellen at 0930, and by noon was emerging from the southeast tip of the woods. Here they received direct fire from the high ground to the east, and were pinned down and unable to advance during the afternoon.
The 1st Battalion encountered stiff resistance in their advance on Hilsprich. The town was well defended with heavy tanks and infantry, and surrounding high ground was bristling with dug-in enemy positions. Six hundred yards west of town the 1st Battalion ran into terrific fire from the German positions, and at 1330, with heavy tanks discovered operating in the town, the Battalion Commander requested that all artillery possible be thrown into the objective. The Germans threw back the first attempt to enter the town, and only after hard fighting and receiving heavy casualties were our forces able to get into the stronghold. Company A suffered serious losses, including Captain Sidney K. Strong, their commanding officer, killed by 20 mm fire while leading his men in the attack.
The main enemy force withdrew to the east, but shortly before dusk came back into Hilsprich with tanks and inflicted further losses on troops of the battalion there. Breaking into the town at both ends of the main street, the enemy tanks worked toward the center of town, firing point blank on buildings and troops. Company C lost heavily, with twenty-nine missing, including 1st Lieutenant Alfred G. Davis, company commander, and three company officers, 1st Lieutenant James M. Lloyd, 2d Lieutenant Wilbur F. Hobbs and 2d Lieutenant Ira C. Austin. The remaining troops withdrew to St. Jean.
The Hilsprich engagement was a costly one to the 1st Battalion, as they lost four men killed, twenty-six wounded and thirty-nine missing during the attack and the enemy counterattack that followed. Total casualties in the regiment were ten killed, seventy-six wounded and forty missing.
Sixteen Germans were captured on the 23d.
24 NOVEMBER 1944
On November 24, with the 1st Battalion withdrawn to St. Jean and in the process of reorganization, the 737th Tank Battalion and the 1st Battalion of the 134th Infantry attacked Hilsprich at noon and recaptured that town. The 2d Battalion held their position southwest of Hilsprich, covering any possible enemy withdrawal to the south. The battalion then outposted the high ground to the southwest with one platoon of Company F, and the remainder of the battalion moved back to Diffembach.
The 3d Battalion continued to occupy the area to the north of Hellimer, with companies in Leyviller, Altrippe and Fremestroff. Late in the day the Germans began shelling these towns incessantly.
There were three killed, three wounded and two missing in the regiment on the 24th. Twenty-two Germans were captured. Some of these were from the 38th Regiment of the 17th SS Division, and reported that this regiment, and possibly the entire division, was withdrawing to Saarbrucken, and that they were in the force left to cover the withdrawal.
25-26-27 NOVEMBER 1944
On the morning of the 25th the Germans continued their relentless shelling in the 3d Battalion area. During the morning they subjected Leyviller to a terrific bombardment, with the shelling reaching its height shortly before 1100 when the Germans poured in 168 rounds of 120, 105 and 88 mm mortar and artillery fire in fourteen minutes.
On this date the 2d Battalion moved to the Hilsprich area to occupy the town and prevent reoccupation by the Germans.
On the 26th and 27th the 137th Infantry remained in place and continued patrolling and strengthening defenses in its area. The skies cleared on the 26th, for the first time in over a week.
Scattered shelling was received in the area, but few casualties resulted. On the 25th two men were wounded. On the 26th no casualties were reported. On the 27th, one man was killed when a lone round of 88 fire landed near the 1st Battalion Headquarters in St. Jean. On the same day two men were wounded by mortar fire at an antitank gun position.
28-29-30 NOVEMBER 1944
On November 28 the 137th Infantry, less the 3d Battalion, moved to an area approximately seven miles to the west, with the 1st Battalion locating at Harprich, the 2d at Bistroff, special units at Viller, and Regimental Headquarters at Bening. The 3d Battalion remained at Leyviller.
On the 29th and 30th the regiment remained in these areas, to gain a well earned rest. There were no casualties during the last three days of the month. Two Germans were taken prisoner on the 29th.
In the month of November had developed some of the hardest fighting yet engaged in by the 137th Infantry. Although comparatively inactive the first week, the regiment was in the attack more days during November than any previous month. Since November 8 our troops had advanced over thirty miles to the northeast against the most stubborn resistance. They had captured thirty-three towns, and had taken nearly 1500 prisoners.
Our own casualties in the drive had not been light. We had lost 76 killed, 573 wounded and 98 missing. However, of those missing, only 66 were unaccounted for at the end of the month.
In this drive, the 137th Infantry had played an important part in the great Third Army offensive which already had resulted in the capture of Metz and the crossing of the Saar River.
Forward elements of our own regiment now stood eleven miles from the German border at Sarreguemines, twenty-two miles southwest of the industrial city of Saarbrucken, and awaited the orders which would carry them into the Reich itself.
Awards for heroism and gallantry in action were announced for the 137th Infantry during the month of November as follows:
1 NOVEMBER 1944
1st Lieutenant Claude A. Hupp, Company M, having died of wounds, was awarded posthumously the Oak Leaf Cluster to the Silver Star. Staff Sergeant Harry E. Womble, Company M, killed in action, was posthumously awarded the Silver Star. Lieutenant William P. Johnson and Technical Sergeant John A. Bausch, Antitank Company, evacuated for wounds, were awarded the Silver Star. Private 1st Class Robert S. Pietrzak, Antitank Company, evacuated for wounds, was awarded the Bronze Star. Sergeant Frank Wycenski, Private Palmer Z. LaRoche and Private 1st Class Earle R. Burke, Company M, were awarded the Silver Star and the awards were presented at Manhoue, France on 4 November. First Sergeant Rollie R. Hudson, Company M, was awarded the Oak Leaf Cluster to the Bronze Star on 4 November at Manhoue, France.
Captain Roger N. Baker, Company D, and 1st Lieutenant Henry M. Murray, Company A, were awarded Silver Stars. The awards were presented at Rhin de Bois on 4 November. Technical Sergeant Thelbert R. Cheatum, Company D, was awarded the Oak Leaf Cluster to the Bronze Star. Presentation of the award was made at Rhin de Bois on 4 November.
Captain Clifford G. Decker, Company M, was awarded the Silver Star, and the award was presented at Aboncourt on 7 November. Technician Grade V John M. Beving and Private 1st Class Aulcye R. Boyd, Headquarters Company, were awarded the Oak Leaf Cluster to the Bronze Star. Presentation of the awards was made at Oron on 12 November. Corporal Martin E. Thorp, Antitank Company, and Technician Grade V Royce W. Linton, Medical Detachment, were awarded the Bronze Star, presentation of the awards being made at Oron on 12 November. Corporal Archie Sekavec, Company D, was awarded the Bronze Star, and presentation of the award was made at Marthille on 14 November. Technician Grade V Fred C. Blake, Headquarters Company, was awarded the Bronze Star, and presentation of this award was made at Marthille on 15 November.
4 NOVEMBER 1944
Technician Grade V Leslie B. Vennard, Headquarters Company, having died of wounds, was posthumously awarded the Oak Leaf Cluster to the Bronze Star. Private Edward S. DeGarmo, Company M, killed in action, was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star. Technician Grade V Steve L. Elkins, Headquarters Company, evacuated for wounds was awarded the Oak Leaf Cluster to the Bronze Star. Second Lieutenant Howard J. Kuhlman, Company B, evacuated for wounds, was awarded the Bronze Star.
Technical Sergeant John R. Welch, Company A, was awarded the Silver Star. Presentation was made at Jallaucourt on 9 November. First Lieutenant Wilbert A. Jansen, Headquarters Company 3d Battalion, was awarded the Silver Star. This was presented at Baronville on 16 November.
8 NOVEMBER 1944
First Lieutenant William T. Humphrey, Company I, killed in action, was posthumously awarded the Silver Star. Staff Sergeant Jack D. Myers, Company B, evacuated for wounds, was awarded the Silver Star. First Lieutenant Daniel M. Filburn, Company B, First Lieutenant Rex Hopper, Company L, Sergeant James T. Winslow Jr, Company L, and Private 1st Class Freeman L. Edwards, Company L, all evacuated for wounds, were awarded the Bronze Star. Second Lieutenant James A. Ball, Company B, missing in action, was awarded the Oak Leaf Cluster to the Silver Star. Staff Sergeant Homer T. Forman, Company H, Private 1st Class Nicholas Zalerorich, Company H, and Private 1st Class Eugene F. Atwell, Medical Detachment, were awarded the Bronze Star. Presentation of the awards was made at Oron on 12 November.
Corporal Jack Buffington, Company L, was awarded the Bronze Star, with presentation at Destry on 14 November. Staff Sergeant LaVerne O. Major, Company B, was awarded the Bronze Star, and presentation was made at Marthille on 14 November. Staff Sergeant Eugene C. Muller, Company L, was awarded the Silver Star, and presentation of this award was made at Baronville on 16 November. First Lieutenant Paul S. White, Company B, was awarded the Silver Star on 25 August and was presented the award at Marthille on 16 November. First Sergeant Alfred M. Screen, Company L, was awarded the Oak Leaf Cluster to the Bronze Star. The award was presented at Baronville on 16 November. First Lieutenant Edward B. Magister, Technical Sergeant Marion O. Prickett, Staff Sergeant Simon Schenkel, Staff Sergeant Othmar F. Meyer, Staff Sergeant John M. McTigue, Technician Grade V Willard A. Westblade and Private 1st Class George Guzowski, all of Company L, were awarded Bronze Stars, and were presented the awards at Baronville on 16 November.
Captain Harold W. Bodine, Cannon Company, was awarded the Oak Leaf Cluster to the Bronze Star, presentation being made at Marthille on 16 November. First Lieutenant Harvey L. Hardy, Regimental Headquarters, was awarded the Bronze Star, and presentation of this award was made at Marthille on 17 November.
12 NOVEMBER 1944
On 12 November the regimental total of Distinguished Service Crosses increased to four when 1st Lieutenant Vernon W. Pickett, Headquarters Company 3d Battalion, was posthumously awarded that medal for extraordinary heroism.
17 NOVEMBER 1944
Sergeant Stephenson J. Druin, Company K, killed in action, was posthumously awarded the Silver Star. Staff Sergeant Thomas E. Pizzuti, Company K, and Private 1st Class Hobert McLeod, Company L, killed in action, were posthumously awarded the Bronze Star. Sergeant George N. Gibson, Company I, missing in action, was awarded the Bronze Star. Second Lieutenant Thomas V. Mullen, Company K, evacuated for wounds, was awarded the Silver Star. Technical Sergeant Richard A. Naasz, Company L, Sergeant Edward J. Maloney, Company I, and Sergeant Lawnie B. Coffman, Company L, all evacuated for wounds, were awarded the Bronze Star. Private 1st Class George N. Mihas, Company L, evacuated for wounds, was also awarded the Bronze Star. Sergeant Ralph A. Brown, Company I, and Private 1st Class Ross H. Grady, Company L, were awarded the Bronze Star and the presentation was at Leyviller on 26 November. Staff Sergeant Lawrence B. O'Brien, Antitank Company, was awarded the Bronze Star, and was presented the award at Bertring on 24 November.
23 NOVEMBER 1944
Private Harold D. Snyder, Company G, evacuated for wounds, was awarded the fifth Distinguished Service Cross within the regiment, for extraordinary heroism in the vicinity of St. Lo, when the regiment was first committed to action. General Baade made a presentation of a Silver Star to the Commanding Officer of the 137th Infantry, Colonel William S. Murray, for his outstanding performance in directing the activities of the regiment in making the opening for the Third Army push from the northeast Nancy sector. Staff Sergeant Chester Mills, Company L, was awarded the Bronze Star.
24 NOVEMBER 1944
Staff Sergeant Sherwood C. Lines, Company E, killed in action, was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. He was the third member of his company and the sixth member of the regiment to receive this award. Technical Sergeant Raymond E. Hesterberg, Company I, Technical Sergeant Arthur F. Johnson, Cannon Company, Staff Sergeant Franklin E. Maize, Company I, Sergeant Gilbert F. Hasse, Cannon Company, Technician Grade V John J. Vanscyoc, Medical Detachment, Private 1st Class Robert R. Moore, Company L, Private 1st Class Walden M. Peterson, Cannon Company and Private 1st Class Raymond H. Sweatman, Medical Detachment were awarded the Bronze Star.
As November drew to a close the 137th Infantry Regiment had set an impressive record in total number of medals awarded to its members. This total, amassed in less than four months, was 537 awards, broken down into classifications as follows: 6 Distinguished Crosses, 122 Silver Stars and 409 Bronze Stars.
W. S. MURRAY
Colonel, Infantry
Commanding
1 Incl
Unit Journals w/supporting papers.
DECLASSIFIED PER EXECUTIVE ORDER 12356, SECTION 3.3. 735017
BY NND/BC/RB NARA, DATE 3 JULY 1989.
REPRODUCED AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES
- To Honor All Who Served - and Keith Bullock (1925 - 2009) 35th Division, 137th Infantry Regiment, HQ Company, S-2 Section
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