NARRATION
THE MARCH TO MAYENNE
Task Force Weaver, led by 1st Battalion, 357th Infantry Regiment as the advance guard, moved to cross the IP
which was several miles south of ST. HILAIRE. The battalion order of march was: Company B, commanded by 1st
Lieutenant B. F. Stevens, one section of machine guns from Company D attached; the battalion anti-tank platoon; the
command group; Company C, commanded by 1st Lieutenant B. F. Adams, with one section of machine guns from Company
D attached; the mortar platoon from Company D; Company A, commended by Lieutenant George Spath; regimental anti-
tank platoon; Company D (minus), commanded by Captain Liford Gibson; and Battalion Headquarters Company,
commanded by Captain John Greene. The 343d Field Artillery Battalion and Battery A, 537th AAA Battalion (AW) were to
follow the 1st Battalion of the 357th Infantry and be in direct support. The 3d and 2d Battalions of the 357th Infantry
followed in that order and along with other elements constituted the Main Body. (See Appendix B)
At 0615 hours Major Hamilton, Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion took the Liaison Officer of the 343d Field
Artillery Battalion with him to the IP at ST. HILAIRE to confer with General Weaver. It was then discovered that something
had gone wrong with the move as the leading elements were not crossing the IP as scheduled. Major Hamilton immediately
returned to ST. HILAIRE to discover that the leading truck had taken the wrong route at the town square and that Company
B was on the wrong road, away out of town, proceeding southeast. It was after nine o'clock before the remainder of the
battalion could be turned around and headed in the right direction. Major Hamilton sent Captain Redman after Company B
and had him direct it to LANDIVY where they waited for the column to catch up. (10)
At the IP, a platoon of engineers from Company A, 315th Engineer Battalion was attached to the 1st Battalion. By
0930 hours all elements of the Task Force were rolling. The light tanks and reconnaissance cars of the Task Force were well
out in front and moving rapidly, meeting little if any resistance. Road blocks were encountered at TANNER, PAILLE, and
ERNEE, but were quickly reduced. Overhead and to the front a Squadron of P-47's from XIX Tactical Air Force was
providing air cover. The route of march was via LA TANAIRE to ERNEE where the direction would be to the east toward
MAYENNE.
By noon the armored screen was almost to the day's objective with the advance guard following close behind. This
was the beginning of a new experience for the men of the 90th Division. Whereas before it had been necessary to slug it out
for each inch of ground gained in the hedgerow country, they were now rolling along at twenty miles an hour in enemy
territory. It was the beginning of an operation that would make for Task Force Weaver a place in military history. If the
operation were successful, it appeared a route to the enemy rear area would be opened, that would expose a flank of an entire
enemy army. General Weaver and Colonel Barth sensed that this was a bold and brilliant stroke of planning by General
Patton. The men's spirits began to rise as this was something entirely new to them and many were the guesses as to what was
in the wind. Definitely this was something out of the "big picture". Morale was on the up. (11)
The French people were astonished to see Americans when the column passed through the small towns. They lined
the streets and in the traditional French custom, pelted the men with flowers in addition to passing out wine when the column
stopped. Colonel Barth stated that, "he attempted to stop the latter, but gave it up as a bad job, as most of the stuff was cider
and he thought his men would still be able to fight even after swilling down a lot of it". (12)
Sometime before 1400 the armored screen met resistance about one mile from MAYENNE, the objective. A
German road block had been set up near a small stream outside the town and succeeded in knocking out two reconnaissance
cars. At this time small arms fire was being received by the 1st Battalion. Colonel Barth came forward to report to General
Weaver. Major Hamilton de-trucked his battalion and placed them in an assembly area. He then requested the artillery
battalion to go into position immediately to support his attack. General Weaver attached Company C of the 712th Tank
Battalion to the 1st Battalion. The mortar platoon, with its customary rapidity and aggressiveness and led by Lieutenant J. L
McLean, went into position to support the attack. Lieutenant Stevens deployed Company B astride the road leading into
MAYENNE. One rifle platoon was on the left, one on the right, with a platoon of tanks accompanying each of the forward
platoons, and the support rifle platoon following on the right. At 1645 hours, Lieutenant Stevens was ready to attack, and his
company advanced to the German road block without meeting organized resistance. (13)
THE ATTACK ON MAYENNE
It was known that the MAYENNE RIVER ran through the town of MAYENNE and that one of the three bridges
was still intact. It was essential that the attack progress quickly; the town must be taken and the bridge secured intact, if at all
possible. Colonel Barth had selected Major Hamilton's battalion for the job. If leadership was to be a deciding factor in the
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