tanks and infantry in half-tracks. It was … a last desperate attempt to break Out … A portion of this
column did break through the murderous hail of fire leveled on it by tanks.
And each line Co. had materially assisted. D Co. did great work in mopping up the flanks as the
column moved on LE BOURG, particularly in the FORET DE COUVES. A Co. was in the thick of
things at LE BOURG, jockeying and feinting with Panzers around the corners of buildings and pouring
30 cal. into the Boche infantrymen at close ranges. At 0400 one morning a desperate stab by some Mark
V’s was whipped when an A Co. tank, waiting until the last minute, blocked the road by knocking out
the lead tank some 15 yards away. B Co., in on the initial assault at LE BOURG, later moved up to
CHAMBOIS and fought the infuriated Boche to a standstill. Later they, with C Co., which had blasted
its way up on the left, found large forces in the valley and plastered them with an avalanche of 75 mm.
and 30 cal. The Co. Comdr. of B Co. personally accepted the surrender of 1100 troops and one platoon
of A Co. joined with advance elements of the Polish forces to round up many thousands more. The Gap
was firmly shut and the German 7th Army beaten and pulverized. The destruction wrought by
American arms had been staggering. The 712th and 90th alone accounted for some 8200 Boche
vehicles and artillery pieces, 8000 German dead and 13000 prisoners.
The Battalion bivouacked near NONANT-LE-PIN for a brief respite. The tankers assembled
on sloping ground in an orchard and heard their beloved Battalion Comdr. speak in measured tones:
“The War has not yet been won. We've got the Nazis on the run but the time has not yet come
when we can settle back and relax. We will still suffer. But we will still fight as nobly and as
splendidly as we have to date. The tank-infantry team is beginning to function with real efficiency. We
must make it better.” And he closed with deeply impressive and proud words: “There is no one I admire
more than a man with courage. And that is why I so highly admire each one of you men.”
The Battalion at this time received its first big group of replacements and after reorganization of
platoons and crews was once again at full operating strength. The 3rd Army was racing across France,
reaching points east of PARIS, while the 1st Army, on the northern flank, was making a similar drive,
ending in the liberation of that great city. The 712th tanks, loaded down with doughs, moved up to mop
up in the wake of the 7th Armd. Now the pace was even faster as they sped across the broad flatlands of
north Central France. The brief after action reports tell the story: 26 Aug. :, “Battalion moved to …
MONT MIRAIL. Distance 63.1 miles.”; 27 Aug.: “Battalion moved to … MAISON ROUGE. Distance
127.1 miles.”; 28 Aug.: “Battalion moved to … LA CHAPELL. Distance 36.1 miles.”; 29 Aug.:
“Battalion moved to … HERMONVILLE. Distance 46 miles.” The prime concern now was
maintenance and supply. All crew members were ever-alert to find and mend any mechanical
deficiency; to watch the bogie wheels, track blocks and connectors. The Serv. Co. truck drivers were
taxed to the limits of their endurance hauling gas and oil. The hot sun and the tar on the road combined
to plague eyes and make sleep, whenever available, almost an impossibility; They crossed the SEINE
near FONTAINBLEAU and by 1 Sept. reached a bivouac just outside REIMS, relieving the 5th Inf.,
which in turn relieved the 7th Armd., at historic VERDUN, allowing the latter unit to utilize its entire
strength in an effort to expand its bridge heads across the MEUSE.
The RHEIMS bivouac area was the most pleasant and restful the Battalion had during its entire
combat life. Warm, unhurried days with perhaps a little too much rain but with nights made,
comfortable by the soft pine needles. Good movies – “Two Girls And A Sailor”. Good food – cooked
at last by the Co. mess staffs. Good champagne – even without the long stemmed glasses. And
everyone, was optimistic. The 1st Army and the British were surging through the Lowlands and all
resistance seemed to have cracked, particularly since the 7th Army had stormed in at MARSEILLES.
 |
 |
 |