Nearby a platoon of Company C was removing mines and booby-traps. A passing soldier set of
an “S" mine seriously wounding three of the engineers.
The division was fighting desperately at Beau Coudray and on the slopes of Hill 122. The
German army was making a furious counterattack trying to break through and hurl the invaders back
into the sea. Again the engineers went into the line. First Company B was attached to the 358th Infantry
at 1200 on 7 July and moved into a defensive position on Hill 122. Then at 2400 the entire battalion was
attached to the 358th Regiment and moved to Hill 122 and the Foret de Mont Castre. Here, amid the
ruins of the fortress, Camp de Cesar, (built by the roman emperor over 2,000 years ago) the battalion
fought alongside the 358th Infantry as the provisional battalion mortar platoon [Figure 5-6] was moved
into position to repulse attack after attack. Composed of a squad from each of the lettered companies and
equipped with six captured 80mm mortars the "engineer artillery" laid down barrage after barrage from a
well stocked, captured, Kraut ASP.
On July 11th the attacks were beaten and the infantry launched a successful drive moving
forward through the dense underbrush of the forward slopes of the Foret. Engineer casualties had been 5
killed and 18 wounded when, at 0930, the battalion was released from attachment.
Over a month of fighting had passed since the beach landings. Now, atop Cesar's fortress on Hill
122, it seemed that the division had fought at least half across France. But on that morning of 11 July the
sun broke out and as the swirling mist lifted, even without binoculars, one could see the white sands of
the Utah Beach beyond the weird lovely lowlands of stately moated chateaus and rich flowering
pastures.
Craters, mines, knocked out vehicles and dead cattle blocked the roads. As the division pushed
forward the engineers worked day and night to clear the way. By the 15th of July the river Seves was
reached and the division halted briefly for reorganization.
Now the river Seves is not a large river. In fact, in America it would probably not even have a
name and surely would not be called a river. Yet, this brook with its wide grassy marshes, had been
carefully developed as a formidable obstacle by the Boche. Machine guns to graze the meadow, 88's and
panzerfausts to cover the destroyed bridges -- all had been well dug in and camouflaged. Time and time
again the troops assaulted the positions and time and time again a sheet of impenetrable fire was placed
along the Seves. All night long the artillery roared overhead. Both the ''incoming" and "outgoing mail"
rumbled over the orchards like fast freight trains speeding through the night. Never before had the units
been subjected to, or delivered to the enemy, such sustained masses of fire.
It was only after 10 days of fire and counter fire that the German position was softened but then a
strong counterattack appeared to be developing and Company B was rushed into a position astride the
main north-south road to Periers. Here at St Patrice de Claids the company dug in, sighted its weapons
and ran its telephone lines to the outposts. But the attack didn't develop and on 27 July the division
broke through the kraut defenses. Companies B and C spanned the Seves with steel treadway sections
near St Patrice de Claids and at St Germain sur Seves.
The race was on!
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