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Upstarts
But we didn't linger long at Bad Kreuznach. There was The River, the Rhine, to
be crossed, and the 90th Division now had an aggressive Commanding General, Brig Gen
Herbert Earnest, a man experienced with armored troops and used to rapid, decisive
action. Furthermore, it was now assigned to the aggressive XII Corps. [I
used to feel that
if the XII Corps were assigned the 4th Armored Division plus the 90th and 5th Infantry
Divisions, as it now was, we could win the war without the rest of the army. Of course
that wasn't true, but it was a good feeling to have.]
But before crossing the Rhine, there was a major city, well defended, to be taken.
Mainz was located astride the Rhine at the place where the Main River flowed into it.
The other two RCTs of the 90th had been rampaging up the west bank of the Rhine and
had now arrived at the northern and western outskirts of Mainz as the 359th detached
from the 4th Armored and Bad Kreuznach to approach it from the south.
Mainz was defended, but the commandant there surrendered the part west of the
river after less than a day of fighting.
I had visions of our capturing a bridge intact, like the one at Remagen, but they
had all been destroyed. The story I heard was that the commander of the troops on the
east side of the river blew up the city's bridges too soon, so that the Germans we were
fighting could neither retreat or be reinforced. The same story said that he was executed
for this error in judgment. I don't know if any or all of this is true, but if it is, it would
help account for the quick surrender.
Sometime during this campaign, we heard that a few combat troops were to be
given three-day passes for a recreational visit to Paris! Paris, France, that is. Some of the
troops would have preferred Paris, Texas, but since that wasn't an option, the fabulous
European city was a mouth-watering treat for battle-weary men. And the 915th actually
got a quota!
I don't recall how many enlisted men we were allowed, but three officer slots
were included, and Major Doug Myers, the Battalion Executive, and Capt Louis Fauble,
commanding Battery C, were two of them. The third may have been Bob Wilson of
Battery C, but I'm not sure. The chosen three were eager, and the rest of us were jealous.
Captain John Klas, now recuperated from his operation, was to fill in for Doug Myers as
executive officer during his absence.
* * * * *
While the 90th Division was taking Mainz, the 5th Division, on our right, had
forced a crossing of the Rhine River a few miles to the south near the towns of Nierstein
and Oppenheim. The 357th Infantry was rushed across behind them to help hold and
extend the bridgehead, and the following day the rest of us followed across on a ponton
bridge. The land was level around the crossing, and the Rhine flowed smoothly.
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