Northern France
28 July 1944
5 January 1945
First there were great numbers of craters, burned out tanks, mines and demolished cu1verts and
during 27- 28 July the battalion suffered seven casualties - mostly from mustard pot mines. But as the
way was cleared through Periers,
St Sauveur Lendelin and Countances the going became easier until
the Selune River was reached at St Hilaire du Harcouet. Here on the night of 3-4 August Company C
built the battalion’s first major bridge of the war.
The road was fine, a paved highway along which the division was to roll, but over the Selune
River there was a 110 ft masonry arch bridge which had been demolished. Two-way traffic was
required. With Company B assisting in the repair of the approaches, Company C began the simultaneous
construction and launching of two double single bailey bridges. The structures were unusual in that
cutaway abutment seats were made so that the decking was level with the roadway. Work was
continuous throughout the night except for a period of 45 minutes when the area was attacked by the
Luftwaffe. At 0130 the first parachute flares were dropped and as they floated downward their burning
magnesium charges lit up the entire area like daylight. Anti-aircraft guns fired wildly first at the flares
and then at the sound of the planes. But around and around the planes droned and then at 0215 made the
bomb run and dropped their pay loads. With the long swoosh and the unmistakable earth shaking blast
the bombs hit. Had they been on their mark the results would have been devastating but the anti-aircraft
fire and perhaps other factors caused the bombers to miss their target. The sticks fell harmlessly in the
nearby fields and the only casualty was one man hit by an ack-ack shell fragment. Work was quickly
resumed and the bridges were completed well before the deadline.
The 90th rolled on! The citizens of St Hilaire stood in the streets and cheered and waved and
yelled. Troop laden trucks and jeeps were pelted with bouquets of flowers and the men were presented,
ceremoniously, with wine and cider and Calvados. On and on the 90th rolled. On through Landivy,
Louvigne du Desert and Ernee – it was the same in every town and village. Here was Monsieur le Mayor
in his cutaway stripped pants – waving frantically for quiet so he could make his speech. At times the
welcoming committees seemed unhappy because the troops wouldn't stop long enough to receive the
keys to the city formally.
To Task Force Weaver, Company A was attached on 5 August. This now famous team made a
37 mile dash to Mayenne where engineers of the 1st squad of the 2nd platoon of Company A removed
the German explosives from a key bridge over the Mayenne River. Under direct fire these soldiers
dashed over on the bridge, clipped the firing wires and defused the huge aerial bomb charges with which
the krauts were trying to destroy the massive stone bridge. Later in a flanking movement Company A
ferried the 2nd and 3rd battalions of the 357th across the river and the entire city fell.
Again the division was rolling along – out of the hedgerows, out of the stench of the war torn
bocage country and across the plains of Northern France. Rolling so fast that the water points leap-
frogged each other – sometimes twice a day three or four small scale map sheets were crossed without
stopping.
Each company moved with its CT regiment clearing vehicles and mines, repairing a few craters
but mostly rolling along at top speed across France – chasing the kraut.
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