assigned in Operation Directive No 91, was to hold the West Bank of the Rhine until relieved by the 5th
Infantry Division and XX Corps, at which time it would assemble in Corps reserve. The 11th Armored
Division was to clear its area, hold the West Bank of the Rhine, and, upon relief by XX Corps, assemble
in Corps reserve. The 89th Infantry Division was directed to assemble, prepare either to relieve the 4th
Armored Division West of Gernsheim to cross the Rhine River, or to follow the 5th Infantry Division
across. The TDs, chemical units, and field artillery units were regrouped. …
"The Corps now controlled the West Bank of the Rhine River from Bingen to Worms. …"
Conditions along the roads of the Palantinate as the helter-skelter race for the Rhine went on are
suggested by two press releases preserved in Lt Henry Murray's PRO file, and one interview with an
artilleryman secured by the corps history team after the war. The first press release is the final word on
a condition of "fluid" warfare:
"WITH THE XII CORPS IN GERMANY – during the dash to the Rhine XII Corps Artillery
Wire Officer Capt Roland Jensen of Portland, Oregon, jeeped up to contact front-line units.
"After passing several spots still warm from enemy actions, Capt Jensen dismounted to proceed
on foot. Turning off the road, he saw a bare headed, barefooted soldier in a pond, fishing nonchalantly.
"'Hey!' Yelled the Captain, don't you know there's enemy around here?'
"'No, it's safe enough; we're way behind the Kraut lines.' …
The interview cited was with Sgt Nicholas Vergadamo, of the 731st Field Artillery Battalion:
On 20 March 45, Able Battery was with the forward elements of the combat command of the 4th
Armored Division. We had a couple of men from fire direction center working with the battery to
compute firing data. the remainder of the Battalion was waiting behind in Volxheim. We went into
Heimersheim, preceded by a company of armored infantry. The armored elements stayed in the main
road and went right through the town without stopping. We were the first American troops to stop in the
town, a community of 1500 or 2000 inhabitants. We didn't see many people walking in the streets few
white flags. The BC (Battery Commander),Capt Connor, went after the burgomeister, and told him he
would give him half an hour to get all the firearms turned in. Within about 15 minutes they were all in.
The Town Crier, some big guy, gave the call. The town bell was wrong to alert people. The people
were told not to congregate in the streets and they didn't. They were told to tear down the road blocks at
the entrances to town. … in this position we picked up a 15-year-old Wehrmacht member, of the 15th
Panzer Division. He was scared and crying, and stayed with us that night. This boy told us, as most
enemy soldiers, that they didn't fear our infantry, but they will they were terribly afraid of our artillery
and airplanes. We were told by the BC that we faced a long trip – we were going into Pffedersheim to
shoot into Worms as direct support of the fourth Armored. We took off for Pffedersheim about 11
o'clock at night, and arrived there at Don. The move was about 90 miles. Hundreds of prisoners were
clogging roads, waving white handkerchiefs, asking to be picked up. The 4th Armored, nobody, would
take them – and they were told to keep on the main road, and keep walking back until somebody did
take them. Later on we found out that someone came up behind the armored and established cages,
huge fields for the Heinies. …"
The "someone" Sgt Birgadamo referred to was, of course, XX Corps. How this worked, at least
on one occasion in the Palantinate, is revealed in the other press release cited above, which appeared in
the Stars & Stripes, 31 March 45:
"WITH THE XX CORPS IN GERMANY – Lt Col unique J. Scanlan, of Edwardsville, Illinois,
is the XX Corps Provost Marshall. On 20 March Lt Col Scanlan received an urgent call to come and get
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