WWI9015 - page 2 of 8

The 315th Engineers preceded the remainder of the Division by one or two days for the purpose

of making the necessary reconnaissance of roads and billets and plotting this information on road maps.

This plan worked successfully, although some difficulties were encountered in the sudden discovery at

the eleventh hour that the best towns had been taken by the army or corps or by troops of other

divisions. The marches did not impose great hardships on the men, as they seldom exceeded eighteen

The German roads were in excellent condition. However, in the last stages of the advance, as the

Division passed through the mountains of the Eifel, the steep grades became a serious matter. The most

important of these was just east of Strotzbusch, where it was necessary to double teams and use infantry

in order to get the regimental transport over the hill. A change in the orders of December 12, due to the

fact that the French took over the southern half of the Coblenz bridgehead, made it necessary for the

Division to countermarch a short distance, and the 179th Brigade was forced to recross the formidable

The supplying of the troops was greatly facilitated by the existence of excellent railroad

communications, as railheads could be readily shifted to keep up with the troops. However, this

constant changing of railheads naturally involved much labor on the part of all officers and men

connected with the system of supply. The drivers of the supply train slept in their trucks throughout the

move – whenever there was a chance to sleep!

The line of march into Germany is shown by the following table of dates on which Division and

Brigade headquarters were established at successive towns:

Division Headquarters