THE LONG MARCH INTO GERMANY.
Several days before November 30 the 90th Division, because of its consistent
performance in the battle line and the previous high standard of perfection its soldiers had
maintained as garrison troops, was selected to be a part of the Army of Occupation. With the
89th Division the 90th was to garrison that part of Germany from the Luxembourg border nearly
to the Rhine, along the Valley of the Moselle river. A big undertaking but given unhesitatingly
to the only two national army divisions selected for the post of honor. The Moselle Valley and
adjacent country was again divided, the 90th taking the river valley and those towns close by the
stream, while the 89th garrisoned Trier, advance general headquarters for the American
Expeditionary Forces, and the Saar region, the coal fields of Germany, as well as the hilly
country back from the right bank of the river. Headquarters of the 7th Corps, to which both
divisions belonged, were to be established at Wittlich, touching the area of each division.
Berncastle was selected to house the headquarters of the 90th Division, and Colonel H. C.
Price was assigned Zeltigen as his post of command and, with the three battalions and the
auxiliary companies of his regiment distributed in the area about that city.
With this much information the hike was started from Marville, France, early in the
morning of November 30. Perhaps no better record of that epochal march from the wastes of the
battlefields in France through the beautiful country of Luxembourg to the high hills that
overhang the swift Moselle river can be written than to sketch the trip from the diary of a soldier.
The mere recollection of the villages and cities passed on the tedious march will enable the
reader, if he made the march, to conjure up a hundred memories of tired and aching feet, or
slender girls in the duchy of Luxembourg, who waved the passing platoon a welcome and
watched wistfully down the road until the ranks of tin helmeted soldiers had melted into the
snow covered hillsides. The itinerary follows:
Left Marville November 30; arrived Arrancy.
Left Arrancy December 1, arriving at Thil at 5 o’clock.
Left Thil December 2, crossed the Luxemburg border and arrived at Duedelange,
Luxembourg, in the late afternoon.
Left Duedelange December 3 and arrived at Aspelt shortly after 12 o’clock.
Left Aspelt December 4 and arrived at Wallenstein, where the Regiment spent all day of
the 5th.
Left Wollenstein December 6 and crossed the Moselle river at Remich, setting foot on
German territory at about 8:30 in the morning.
It is well to halt here for a moment and note two things of particular interest to the
Regiment. To the officers and men of Company C belong the honor for first crossing the
German border. Captain Carr’s company was the advance guard of the Regiment that day. Also
it had been just six months, to the day, before that, that the 360th regiment left Camp Travis,
Texas. This was a fact recalled by more than one man in the long line that marched into the
conquered territory. To continue the diary:
Reached Saarburg-Buerig on the night of December 6.
Left Saarburg-Buerig December 7 and arrived at Conz shortly after the noon hour.
Left Conz on Sunday, December 8, and arrived at Schweich shortly after, passing through
the large city of Trier.
 |
 |
 |