From Strasbourg to Munich and Salzburg With 42nd Division

From Strasbourg to Munich and Salzburg With 42nd Division

Foe Given No Surcease In Relentless 450-Mile Sweep Through Reich

Disintegrating German Forces Gave Up By Thousands as End Approached After Persistent, Hard-Driving Yank Pursuit

Editors Note: The story of the 42nd (Rainbow) Infantry division and the glorious part it played in the conquest of Germany is printed below exactly as it appeared tn the special edition of the Rainbow Reveille, the division's weekly newspaper, which was published four days after V-E day. It is a most colorful and accurate narrative account of the Rainbow's achievements from its baptism of fire starting on Christmas eve in 1944, a month after the first elements of the division left Camp Gruber, carrying it through the Siegfried line, across the heart of Germany into Munich, the birthplace of nazism, through the liberation of 32,000 prisoners from the hell of the Dauchau prison camp, and on into Austria, to the western Tyrolean portion of which it now has been assigned as part of the army of occupation.

The story of the Rainbow division in Europe in World War II is a glorious tale of a 450-mile smash into the very heart of nazi Germany against opposition that was always determined and often fanatical.

It is a story highlighted by the heroic defense of the Strasbourg-Hagenau line, the drive through the west wall and the capture of the German strongholds of Wurzburg, Schweinfurt, Nuernberg and Munich. It is a narrative with a background of tired, persistent infantrymen moving forward day after day and hour after hour marching and fighting and marching on again— never giving the enemy a moment of rest.

It is a saga which can be written because of the teamwork of approximately 15,000 men whose every effort was directed toward the defeat of the enemy. Every member of the division, and the men of the 431st anti-aircraft battalion and the 692nd tank destroyer battalion who fought with them, has won the praise of Maj. Gen. Harry J. Collins.

“I cannot say enough about the valiant doughboys who have borne the brunt of the fighting,” declared General Collins. “Nor can I adequately describe the efficiency of the men of the 132nd signal company, the 142nd combat engineers, the division artillery, the 122nd medical battalion personnel and the 42nd quartermaster company, the 742nd ordnance men and the men of our attached units, lived up to the finest traditions of the Rainbow division and many times exceeded the standard which I demanded. How they have done what they have done is beyond me.”

For the men of the infantry regiments the story of the Rainbow in Europe actually began on Christmas eve . when as Task Force Linden— named after Brig. Gen. Henning Linden—the three regiments moved into defensive positions along the ׳ Rhine river north and south of Strasbourg on a 19-mile front. Eight days later ׳this front was further extended until on January 5 it stretched for a total of 31 miles.

Against this thinly-held line the Germans on the morning of January 5 launched the first of a series of attacks with their crack troops, among them the 21st panzer division and the 25th panzer grenadier division, made up of tough, seasoned, SS nazi soldiers, the best the enemy had to offer.

What followed were the battles at Gambsheim, Hatten, Rittershoffen and Sesenheim. These are names to live in Rainbow history, for it was at these tiny; obscure communities that the infantrymen of the division proved they had the determination and the courage to fight and win.

At Gambsheim, infantrymen jumped off trucks and, lying in the snow, fought tanks with M-1 rifles. Even when surrounded they continued to fight, firing coolly and accurately at the tanks and hoping that a well-placed shot would penetrate a slit or damage a wheel. The Germans were amazed at their courage. One German tank commander whose guns were firing at individual soldiers in the snow stuck his head out of the turret and shouted:

“Surrender! Surrender! Don’t you fools know you're surrounded?"

A doughboy answered him with a blast from his BAR which tore off the arm he was waving.

At Hatten it was the same story. There the Germans attacked on January 9 with two divisions of tanks and infantry hurling themselves against the 242nd infantry regiment. Although overrun, companies A and B remained in position and continued to fight. Company C counter attacked, and the second battalion joined with them. By mignight the enemy, which had passed through Hatten to Rittershoffen, had been driven from the latter town and two-thirds of Hatten was back in our hands. Both the 42nd and the Germans launched attacks, at dawn the next day to seize the town and two days of bitter fighting followed before the Rainbow infantry was relieved and the defense of the town turned over to a fresh unit. Never were two German crack divisions able to push the men of the 242nd infantry out of Hatten.

Sesenheim was a repetition of the same story, only there it was the men of the 232nd infantry regiment Who fought on—even though surrounded—and finally forced their way back through the enemy lines only when their ammunition supply was exhausted.

With the regiments spread over a front which was extended to 35 miles and with enemy exerting continuous pressure, on January 19 the order was given by corps to withdraw to the Moder river line in the vicinity of Hagenau and to organize defensive positions with the 232nd infantry regiment in reserve, the men of the other two regiments worked feverlshly to prepare defenses for the attack they knew would come. On January 24 the enemy made his last great effort of the winter offensive to seize Alsace. In the light of history it was the last German offensive action on the western front, and the Rainbow infantrymen stopped it. In 24 hours of the most bitter fighting the 22nd infantry killed 800 Germans and captured 112 against Its own losses of two officers and 32 enlisted men killed, and six officers and 114 men wounded. The 242nd infantry wiped out two battalions of enemy infantry which crossed the Moder river in boats and the 232nd infantry, moved up into the battle, drove the Germans out of the town of Schweighausen.

"Looking back on it now,” said General Linden, "it can be seen that this battle of the Moder river was the turning point in the entire German campaign in Alsace. The Rainbow halted an attack which, if successful, would have required a withdrawal all along the entire army front. It was an example of courage and determination which has seldom been equaled by fighting men.”

Following their success on the Moder river the infantry regiments were moved out of the line to an assembly area in the vicinity of Chateau Saline, there to lick their battle wounds and to receive replacements for the riflemen who were casualties in the month of bitter fighting. While there, the battle-tested infantry was joined by the remainder of the division.

Two days later the Rainbow moved into the line near the town of Wimmenau, northwest of Hagenau, in the Hardt mountains, relieving the 45th division, which had been operating in that sector. At the direction of General Collins, the division immediately began a program of aggressive patrolling which kept the enemy completely groggy and on the defensive.

From the time it entered the line until March 15 the division gave the nazis no rest. Small reconnaissance patrols were sent into the enemy lines both day and night and then big combat patrols armed with everything a man could carry smashed into the defenses.

On March 18 the Rainbow carried its famous standard across the border into Germany for the second time in 26 years, captured the town of Ludwigswinkel and reached the Siegfried defenses. Although It advanced through the most difficult terrain, against defenses which the Germans had been building for two months and through an area studded with minefields, the Rainbow division was nevertheless the first unit of the VI corps into Germany.

The following two days the division moved into position for attack against the "Invulnerable” west wall with its dragon teeth, pill-boxes, mountain barriers and deadly cross fire. On the afternoon of the 21st following an air bombardment and an artillery preparation, the 222nd infantry poured across ,the Saarbach river and smashed into the Siegfried defenses. The 242nd infantry, attacking through a known weak spot, jumped off at 4 a. m. the next day and both regiments swept not only through the first, but also the secondary German defenses, moving over hills and mountains bristling with mines, craters and road blocks. The 232nd infantry followed close behind the other two and three infantry columns raced over the mountains toward Dahn.

Meanwhile, tanks attached to the division and ridden by Rainbow infantrymen were ordered to dash northward over a previously reconnoitered route through the enemy line. The tanks smashed into the town of Dahn and then turned south to Bousenberg, blocking the escape route of not only the Germans in the Rainbow’s zone but also cutting off the road over which thousands of other enemy soldiers were attempting to reach the Rhine. The infantry, moving northeast in three columns, quickly reached the route of the tanks and the trap was closed. More than 3500 prisoners were captured in the operation, and seven artillery regiments had been trapped on the roads by the division's artillery and completely wiped out.

Halting their advance briefly, the Rainbowers then turned and retraced their steps through the Siegfried line, digging out the enemy who had hidden in the forests and mountains and destroying the pill-boxes. The job completed, on Easter Sunday the 42nd moved across the Rhine into position in the line near Wertheim on the Main river. Advancing steadily through determined German resistance the Rainbow pushed ahead, crossing and recrossing the Pain river as it zigzagged back and forth through the division’s zone until it reached the city of Wurzburg. There the nazis staged a fanatical defense of what was once one of the most beautiful cities Germany, but is now only a heap rubble.

First to reach Wurzburg was the 222nd infantry, which immediately made a crossing of the Main in six assault boats, rafts, civilian rowboats and anything else that would float. The crossing was made on the third of April and by that evening two battalions were in the city and had cleared 35 blocks of the town. All that night , the engineers worked to build a bridge across a blown span and by shortly before dawn it was complete enough for infantry' to use It. The 232nd regiment then raced across into the city.

The battle for the city then began in earnest and continued for two days with the Germans fighting for every block and using underground tunnels to infiltrate back through the area that had been cleared. The 242nd infantry was moving into the city to mop up the fanatical defenders and the 232nd replused a last, desperate enemy counterattack.

With the city of Wurzburg cleared, the Rainbow then rushed northward to the vital nazi ball-bearing manufacturing center of Schweinfurt. In three ’ days of its advance toward this key German stronghold, guarded by rings of 88mm guns emplaced in concrete for either ground or anti-aircraft fire, the Rainbow fought and mopped up and cleared 100 square miles, attacking and fighting through 50 towns and capturing 6880 prisoners.

To capture Schweinfurt, General Collins ordered a wide envelopment of the city so that there would be no opportunity for its defenders to escape. To accomplish this the 232nd infantry was moved around the city to the north ayd seized four hills, which were the dominating terrain. The 222nd moved directly toward the city from the south and the 242nd infantry smashed in from the west, attacking across a plain. Attacking through a maze of 88mm guns following a terrific air bombardment the 242nd was the first unit into the city and swiftly dashed to the Main river, thus dividing the city into two parts and giving the Germans no opportunity to stage a well-organized fight. While the 242nd was engaged in clearing the city the 222nd regiment smashed through a group of nazi fanatics who defended an air field to the south and the 232nd cut the only escape route to the north, crushing a force which fought desperately to keep the road open. Completely cut off from escape, more than 5000 prisoners were taken in the city.

From its capture of Schweinfurt the Rainbow then swung southeast, again crossing the Main river, and headed for Furth and Nuernberg, 55 miles away. Furth, which is the western third of the city of Nuernberg, was the objective and the route led straight into the heart of the nazi party. This was the territory for every inch of which a fanatical 88 trooper, a determined wehrmacht veteran or an obedient member of the volksturm was pledged to surrender his life.

Advancing on a 25-mile front, the division captured approximately 1375 square miles of this nazi holy land and the city of Furth with a population of 100,000 in eight days of marching and fighting.

In those eight days the Rainbow seized 7025 prisoners and liberated more than 15,000 slave laborers. It captured 500 towns and advanced into the western edge of the historic nazi shrine city of Nuernberg.

The spearhead of the attack into the city of Furth itself was the 222nd infantry regiment which conducted a two-pronged drive on the northwest corner of the city and against fanatical resistance entered the city on April 18 when doughboys walked across the ruins of two blown bridges while under fire and fought their way into the town. The entry into the city was made 24 hours before the German garrison believed it possible for the American soldiers to reach Furth and as a result the enemy was trapped before he his defenses prepared and 3000 rendered to the Rainbow.

Although the German defended in towns, not once was he able to put into effect the plan he had conceived for the defense of the precious Furth- Nuernberg area. By their continuous advance the Rainbow kept him off balance and he was finally forced to surrender in Furth before he could withdraw for a planned last-ditch stand in the old walled city of Nuernberg.

No sooner was Furth taken than the 42nd headed out of it for Munich, the birthplace of the nazi party. In front of the division was the Danube river, the Lech river and several densely wooded areas. Certainly the road to Munich was not an easy one. Nevertheless the Rainbow rushed ahead, pushing forward against an enemy attempting in every way to delay the advance. For the first time since leaving the Siegfried line the division encountered extensive minefields. Every bridge was blown, at every possible place the roads were blocked and mined and defensive positions were organized. Yet nothing could stop the forward surge of the doughboys.

Racing to seize a bridge across the Danube, the leading elements of the division arrived at the famous river only five minutes after the bridges were blown and were the first units of the corps to reach the river. By blowing the bridges, however, the nazis trapped their own men north of the river and at Donauworth the Germans staged a last-ditch stand.

Supported by tanks of the 27th tank battalion of the 20th armored division, the men of the Second bat- talion of the 222nd regiment by a flanking move forced their way into the town, led by Lieut. Col. Donald E. Downard, and for six hours fought the most bitter house-to- house fight. The enemy resisted in every building and every street and when the battle was ovpr only 16 prisoners were taken from the city.

Even while this fight was in proggress the 232nd and the 242nd regiments crossed the Danube in assault boats and moved their jeeps and other equipment over in ferries. They then raced for the Lech river only to find that there, too, the bridges were destroyed. But again they were not long delayed, working under fire, engineers of company B of the 142nd engineer battalion constructed a makeshift foot bridge over the twisted girders of a blown span and for the second time in 24 hours the division made a river crossing and raced on to Munich.

Although delayed while the 20th armored division passed through the lines the Rainbow continued to advance and on April 29 it reached the nazi horror camp of Dachau, the oldest and most infamous of all German concentration camps. There it liberated 32,000 starved wrecks of humanity, many of whom had been imprisoned for as long as 12 years.

That same night the leading elements of the second battalion of the 222nd infantry, under Colonel Downard entered Munich, thus becoming the first troops to enter the city. The following morning the division passed through the 20th armored and by 1300 had reached the Isar river in the center of Munich and continued its advance through the city and to the east.

Operating with the Rainbow in the capture of Munich were the third infantry division on the right and the 45th infantry division on the left, each of whom seized a portion of the city with the 42nd moving through the heart of the town.

Never pausing for a moment in Munich, the Rainbow continued its drive eastward, advancing through the disintegrating German army with entire companies, battalions and regiments surrendering as the 42nd approached. German troops streamed out of the woods and down the roads as the Rainbowmen advanced. Entire nazi convoys, white flags flying from their trucks or horst-drawn wagons, surrendered to the first doughboys they met and were directed back to PW cages. Infantrymen captured scores of prisoners in beer halls and taverns celebrating what for them was the end of the war.

Moving through this wreck of a once mighty army the Rainbow on May 5 reached the Australian border just north of Salzburg and sent small bridgehead patrols across. There word was received that the forces opposing the Seventh army had surrendered and there the division halted.

The Rainbow's fight across France and Germany was ended. The Rainbow division had made itself a record of which every man may be proud. It had captured the most important cities of souther Germany, it had conquered approximately 6000 swuare miles of nazi territory and it had taken more than 45,000 prisioners.

In a period of five months it had given new laurels to a famous fighting unit. Gambasheim, Hatten, Rittershoffen, Sessenheim, the Moder river, Wurzburg, Schweinfurt, Furth and Nuerenberg and Munich are now famous milestones in Rainbow history.