Aachen: The U.S. Army's Battle for Charlemagne's City in World War II (57 page)

CHAPTER 7

1
.  McDonald, 266.

2
.  XIX Corps, 68.

3
.  Millican Interview, 2.

4
.  
The Battle for Aachen, Development of the Enemy Position in Front of [LXXXI] Corps Line during the End of September to the Beginning of October 1944
, German translation to English provided to author by Mark J. Reardon, March 2006, 5.

5
.  Lt. W. D. Hart,
Breaching the Siegfried Line, Operations of the 1stt Battalion 41st Armored Infantry Regiment Combat Team, Task Force 2, CCB 2nd Armored Division, 3–6 October 1944
, NA, 2.

6
.  Company C 119 INF, 2.

7
.  McBride, 22.

8
.  Ibid., 23–24.

9
.  Hechler, Comments of Captain Smithers, Assistant S-3, regarding the operations of Task Force Quinn,
Breaching the Siegfried Line, 119th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division
, 14 November 1944, NA, 1.

10
. 119 INF CP, 3 October 1944, 1.

11
. Company C 119 INF, 3.

12
. McBride, 24–25.

13
. 119 INF History Book, 60–61, OH, 4.

14
. McBride, 25.

15
. 119 INF CP, 3 October, 1.

16
. Knox Journal, 15–16.

17
. Ibid., 16.

18
. Ferriss, Comments of Major Laney, Executive Officer and Captain Hardaway, Battalion S-1,
Breaching the Siegfried Line, 2nd Battalion 119th Infantry 30th Infantry Division
, 17 October 1944, NA, 1.

19
. McBride, 43.

20
. Wayne Interview, 1.

21
. Company C 119 INF, 3.

22
. McBride, 27–28.

23
. Company E 119 INF, 4.

24
. Edward C. Arn and Jerome Mushkat,
Arn's War: Memoirs of a World War II Infantryman 1940–1946
(Akron, OH: University of Akron Press, 2006), 103–5.

25
. 119 INF CP, 3 October, 2–3.

26
. Knox Journal, 15.

27
. Ferriss,
Account of Lieutenant Colonel Robert Herlong, CO of 1st Battalion 119th Infantry Regiment, and Captain Clayborn Wayne, Battalion S-3
, 15 October 1944, NA, 1.

28
. Summary of telephone conversation between General Hobbs and Colonel Sutherland, 031802A October 1944,
Siegfried Line Reports 3 October
, OH, 4.

29
. Summary of telephone conversation between General Corlett and General Hobbs, 031538A October 1944,
Siegfried Line Reports 3 October
, OH, 4.

30
. McDowell and Lieutenant Robert Peters Interview, 17 October 1944, NA, 1–2.

31
. 117 INF CP, 3 October, 8.

32
. McDowell and Lieutenant Robert Peters Interview, 17 October 1944, 2.

33
. 117 INF CP, 3 October, 8.

34
. McDonald, 169–70.

35
. 41st Armored INF, 2–3.

36
. 117th INF CP, 3 October, 9.

37
. Royalty, 21.

38
. 41st Armored INF, 3–4.

39
. McDowell Interview, 17 October 1944, 2.

40
. Company L 117 INF Interviews, 1.

41
. Company I 117 INF Interviews, 3.

42
. Company A 117 INF Interviews, 10.

43
. Operations of the 2nd Battalion 117th Infantry Regiment, 2–6 October 1944, NA, 1–2.

44
. Company L 117 INF Interviews, 2.

45
. Company K 117 INF Interviews, 2.

46
. Company L 117 INF Interviews, 2–3.

47
. Millican Interview, 5 October 1944, 3.

48
. McDowell Interview, 2–3.

49
. 119 INF History Book, 61.

50
. Ibid.

51
. Knox Journal, 16.

52
. 119 INF History Book, 61.

53
. McBride, 28–29.

54
. Company C 119 INF Interviews, 3.

55
. 1st Battalion 119th Infantry Regiment Journal, Wednesday 4 October 1944, NA.

56
. Lange, 6–7.

57
. McDonald, 271.

58
. Operations 1st Battalion 41st Armored INF, 6–7.

59
. Simmons Interview, 3.

60
. Ibid.

61
. Company E 119 INF, 4–5.

62
.
Generalleutnant
a.D. Siegfried Macholz, the 49th Infantry Division, MS # B-792, Historical Division, Headquarters United States Army Europe, 1953, USAMHI, 25.

CHAPTER 8

1
.  Frankland Interview, 3–8 October 1944, 22 October 1944, 1.

2
.  Company I 117 INF, 3.

3
.  Company L, 117 INF, 3.

4
.  
Breaching the Siegfried Line, 30th Infantry Division 743rd Tank Battalion
, Interview with Lt. Col. William C. Duncan, CO, on the activities of Company A 5–10 October 1944, 1.

5
.  
Breaching the Siegfried Line, 30th Infantry Division 803rd Tank Destroyer Battalion
, Interview with Capt. Robert Sinclair, Company Commander Company C, 21 October 1944, NA, 3.

6
.  Company I 117 INF, 3.

7
.  Company E 119 INF, 5.

8
.  Ibid., 6.

9
.  Ibid.

10
. Ibid., 7.

11
. Ibid.

12
. Company F 119 INF, 3–4.

13
. Cox, 17.

14
. McBride, 31.

15
. Ibid.

16
. Ibid., 34.

17
. 1st Battalion 119th Infantry Regiment Journal, 6 October 1944.

18
. LXXXI Corps, Reardon Translation, 6.

19
. 41st Armored INF, 13.

20
. 1st Battalion 67th Armored Regiment Journal 05/2230, 2.

21
.
Report on Conversations between Different Pillboxes of the Siegfried Line on 4 and 5 October 1944
, Annex to G-2 Periodic Report, Headquarters 30th Infantry Division, 4 October 1944, Siegfried Line Reports 4 October, OH, 4 (accessed March 2014).

22
. Report of Operations 1–31 October 1944, Headquarters 66th Armored Regiment, 2 November 1944, NA, 3.

23
. LXXXI Corps, Reardon Translation, 6.

24
. McDonald, 277.

25
. 1st Battalion 119 INF, Herlong Interview, 3.

26
. Journal 1st Battalion 119th INF, 6 October 1944.

27
. McBride, 39.

28
. Company E 119th INF, 8–9.

29
. Company F 119 INF, 4.

30
. Ibid., 6.

31
. Ibid.

32
. Ibid., 5.

33
. Ibid., 9–10.

34
. Knox Journal, 16.

35
. Report of Operations for October 1944, Headquarters 66th Armored Regiment, 2 November 1944, NA, 4.

36
. Company L 117 INF, 3.

37
. McDowell Interview, 6.

38
. G-2 Estimate of enemy Situation Annex, Headquarters 30th Infantry Division, Office of AC of S, G-2, Siegfried Line Reports 5–6 October 1944, OH, 4.

39
.
The 67th Armored Regiment 1944
, WWII Operations Reports 2nd Armored Division, 407-427-15030, NA, 58.

40
. 41st Armored INF, 14.

41
. 67th Armored Regiment, 58–59.

42
. Macholz, 26.

43
. LXXXI Corps, Reardon Translation, 7.

44
. Ibid., 8.

45
. Herlong Interview, 3.

46
. Brown Interview, 2.

47
. Knox Journal, 16.

48
. Ibid., 16–17.

49
. Cox, 19.

50
. Company I 117 INF, 4.

51
. Curlew History, 53.

52
. Company I 117 INF, 4.

53
. Ibid., 4.

54
. Company A 117 INF, 11.

55
. Royalty, 26.

56
. LXXXI Corps, Reardon Translation, 7.

57
. Report of Operations, 66th Armored Regiment, 7 October 1944, 7.

58
. McDonald, 279.

59
. Frankland Interview, 22 October 1944, 3.

60
. Company I 117 INF, 5.

61
.
Cracking the Siegfried Line
, 3rd Battalion 117th Infantry Journal 3–8 October 1944, 1.

62
. Narrative of OP defense based on
Recommendation for the Silver Star
to Lt. Col. Samuel T. McDowell (and all personnel named herein), Capt. William F. Butler, Adjutant, NA.

63
. Duncan Interview, 3.

64
. Robert L. Hewitt, “Workhorse of the Western Front: The Story of the 30th Infantry Division,”
Washington Journal Press
(August 1946): 127.

65
. Company I 117 INF, 6.

66
. Ibid.

67
. Ibid.

68
. Knox Journal, 17.

69
. Cox, 20.

70
. Malcholz, 27.

CHAPTER 9

1
.  Annex No. 2 to G-2 Periodic Report No. 141, Headquarters 1st U.S. Infantry Division APO 1 US Army, 7 November 1944, MRC.

2
.  Maj. Edward W. McGregor,
The Operations of the 1st Battalion 18th Infantry in the Vicinity of Crucifix Hill Northeast of Aachen Germany, 8–10 October 1944 (Rhineland Campaign)
, Personal Experiences of a Battalion Operations Officer, Advanced Officers Infantry Course, TISFBG, 8.

3
.  McGregor, 8–9.

4
.  The Rifle Company in Attack,
The Attack on Crucifix Hill, 7–9 October 1944
, Company C, 18th Infantry, MRC, 3.

5
.  Lt. Gen. Robert H. York, “Bobbie Brown, Winner of Medal of Honor, Is Dead,”
The New York Times
, 11 November 1971.

6
.  
16th Infantry Regiment 1861–1946
, 165.

7
.  The Infantry Battalion in Offensive Action, Aachen 8–20 October 1944, 2nd Battalion 26th Infantry Regiment, MRC, 2–3.

8
.  Capt. Alfred E. Koenig,
Aggressive, Hard-Hitting Leadership Is the One Major Factor in Overcoming the Loss of the Element of Surprise in Battle
, Advanced Infantry Officers Course 1949-1950, TISFBG, 5–6.

9
.  T/4 Ridgely C. Dorsey,
745th Tank Battalion Company B, 8–19 October 1944
, 2nd Information and Historical Service 1st US Army, MRC, 2.

10
. Malcolm Marshall, comp. and ed.,
Proud Americans: Men of the 32nd Field Artillery Battalion in Action, World War II, as Part of the 18th Regimental Combat Team, 1st U.S. Infantry Division
(M. Marshall, 1994), 218.

11
. RCA, Company C, 5.

12
. Capt. Bobbie E., Brown,
The Operations of Company C 18th Infantry in the Attack on Crucifix Hill
, 8 October 1944, Personal experiences of a Company Commander, TISFBG, 8.

13
. Ibid., 5.

14
. Ibid., 9–10.

15
. RCA Company C, 3.

16
. RCA, 6.

17
. Clement Van Wagoner, Oral History. During the writing of
American Iliad
by author, conflicting accounts about the Attack on Crucifix Hill were sorted out with Van Wagoner. “Good luck, Bobbie” was retold by him to author at 2002 Combat Officers Dinner Reunion of the Society of the First Infantry Division in Washington, DC.

18
. Brown, 17.

19
. Phil Kruger,
Sgt. Bobbie Brown, ’62 Notch’ Sharpshooter Who Captured Crucifix Hill
, Article reprint from MRC.

20
. Brown, 11.

21
. Ibid., 12. Lt. Joseph W. Cambron was later awarded the DSC (posthumous) for his courage and bravery that day.

22
. Ibid.

23
. The exact time the cross fell was uncertain, but one eyewitness, Sgt. Richard Lobin of the 1st Platoon 634th TDB whose TD had observation on Crucifix Hill stated that “the cross was still up at 1500, but went down before 1700.” Group Interview,
634th Tank Destroyer Battalion Company B 1st Platoon
, NA, 1.

24
. Proud Americans, 220.

25
. Phil Kruger article.

26
. McGregor, 35–36.

27
. 2nd Battalion 26th Infantry Regiment After Action Report, October 1944, 4.

28
. Interviews with Officers,
1106th Engineer Group South of Aachen
, NA, 6.

29
. Entry for 8 October 1944, Headquarters 26th Infantry APO 1 US Army, Report of Regimental Activities for the Month of October 1944, 1 November 1944, NA.

30
. McGregor, 38.

31
. Ibid.

32
. Brown, 14.

33
. Company C RCA, 10.

34
. The Battle for Aachen, Annex No. 2 to G-2 Periodic Report, Headquarters 1st Infantry division, 7 November 1944, NA, 4.

35
. Brown, 16.

36
. McGregor, 32.

37
.
This Soldier Equals 1 Infantry Regiment
, from copy of unnamed periodical, MRC, 54.

38
. T/4 Ridgely C. Dorsey, Interview with Lt. Emmett R. Duffy, Leader 3rd Platoon, 634rd Tank Destroyer Battalion, Company B, 3rd Platoon (Attached to the 2nd Battalion 18th Infantry Regiment), 8–16 October 1944, 2nd Information and Historical Service, NA, 2.

39
.
Battalion in Attack
, Verlautenheide, Germany, 8 October 1944, 2nd Battalion 18th Infantry Regiment, MRC, 6.

40
. Annex No. 2 to G-2, 7 November 1944, 4.

41
. McGregor, 49.

42
. The [18th] Regimental Combat Team in Offensive Action, 8–9.

43
. McGregor, 51.

44
. Ibid., 52.

CHAPTER 10

1
.  Don Whitehead, “First Surrender at Aachen—Ultimatum to Aachen Is Grim One,”
San Jose Evening News
, 10 October 1944.

2
.  Reprint of Ultimatum of Surrender titled People of Aachen!, CMH.

3
.  Selected Intelligence Reports, Volume 1, June 1944–November 1944, Office of the AC of S, First United States Infantry Division, Germany, 6 December 1944, 77–79.