hard-pressed troops of XX Corps was called the "Twilight of the Gods" Division, indicative of the "last-
ditch" resistance put up by the German defenders west of the Saar. Now, the 95th Division became
involved in some of the heaviest fighting of its entire combat history. Many battalions were reduced to
50% of battle strength.
The 95th Division carried the Corps hopes for a bridgehead across the Saar and continued to
push on aggressively. It often attacked in darkness and in fog to overrun the German trenches and built-
up positions quickly before the startled defenders realized their danger. Hargarten, Merton,
Oberfelsberg, Alt-Forweiler, Falck, and St Barbara fell before the assault and bitter, costly fighting. At
times, the lines swayed back and forth along the high ridge before the Saar, as the Germans threw in
precious reserves of tank-infantry teams in a desperate attempt to halt the troops of the XX Corps west
of the river on the approaches to the Siegfried line.
The reason for this became apparent when the high ground was finally secured on December 1st.
Only a few miles of flat country dipped down to the river banks, and the Germans were forced to fall
back to the city of Saarlautern or east of the river to the high ground beyond. All hope of stopping the
advance of XX Corps to the line of the Saar was now gone.
These positions on the crest of the plateau were held as a safety limit on December 1st and 2nd
when 10 groups of aircraft, numbering over 400 bombers of the XIX Tactical Air Command, rocked the
enemy on both sides of the river.
The final obstacle west of the river was the town of Rehlingen where a thick belt of mines of
every type had been sown completely around the town. Engineer efforts to clear a path were repulsed
by accurate flat trajectory fire from east of the river and the engineers were methodically picked off.
Under cover of darkness and the supporting fires of Corps artillery, a gap was cleared through the mines
and Rehlingen was occupied.
The 90th Division, on the left flank of the 95th, pushed its way against tenacious resistance to the
west bank of the river and prepared to support a crossing with the fire of all weapons. Several groups of
Corps artillery moved into position, ready to lay down a curtain of steel in close support of the
operation.
At this time the 95th Division's right flank was exposed by the continued advance of XII Corps
to its river line further east. The Division was unable to advance further without bridging the Saar and
was attempting to do just that. Incapable of expanding its own troops to cover this area which was
heavily wooded and occupied by a large force of Germans, it requested aid from XX Corps
Headquarters.
The 5th Division, still investing the holdout forts at Metz, detached one of its regimental combat
teams. Attached to the 95th Division on the 1st of December this Task Force (Bell) had the immediate
objective of clearing Foret de la Houve. Also attached to the 95th Division at this time were the 6th
Cavalry Group and the 5th Ranger Battalion. On the 2nd of December when the woods were cleared,
another unit of battalion size from Metz arrived at St Avold.
The Corps was ready by the 2nd of December for its next mission: to seize Saarlautern and its
vital bridge across the Saar.
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