ForbachThis
excerpt is from the book "From Camp Adair to Germany: The 270th Engineers in
World War 2" by Steve Dixon. Published by Merriam Press in 2002.
Forbach
When
the attacks began on the 17th of February, the 274th
was given the assignment of capturing Kreutzberg Ridge. The 275th
would protect the right flank; the 276th would protect
the left. For the 276th, its primary objective would be
Forbach.
Forbach was a key
industrial city along the Metz Highway. It is located approximately
nine kilometers southwest of Saarbrucken, Germany. Prior to
attacking Forbach itself, certain key terrain features had to be
taken first. Companies A and C, in coordination with the 274th
, and L/276, attached to the 1st Bn of the 276th,
along with B/276, were to capture Oeting, then move on to take the
high ground north of the town. I and K Companies were to remain in
defensive positions, ready to assist in the capture of Oeting or the
Kleinwald (woods directly south of Forbach). For many engineers it
would be their first experience with combat.
John Amo (1st
Platoon, C/270) and two other engineers found themselves attached to
the 1st platoon of Company L/276.
Of course I do not
remember the date, but Cpl. Harp (died in a car accident after VE
Day), Baker, I don’t remember his first name, and I were sent to
join a unit of the 276th, about a platoon size group with
a Lt. in charge.
We were
to clear buildings along a block in Forbach. We were going along the
street and the large church, clearly visible, had a steeple still
fairly intact. The story was that there had been a sniper in the
steeple but someone got him. I believe the side of the street where
the church was located was in the 274th area. We started
down the block house (building). The infantry were doing most of the
work, but the Lt. had us clearing the upper floors, room by room. We
had a stock of stun grenades and if we were a little suspicious we
would throw one of them in the room before we went in. By the
afternoon, we were down to the next to the last building.
Now,
there was a German machine gun firing down the street. The Lt.
wanted to get into the last building without going out in the
street. I had a small, about 10 pounds, shaped charge made to blow
pillboxes. The Lt. wanted to blow a hole through the wall of the
building and get into the next one without going outside on the
street.
This
officer was a brave man and led his men by going first. I told him
that the charge would blow down the whole building. We looked for
some other way including a garden wall in the back of the building
but could not find anything that worked. So against my objections we
set the charge. I did persuade him to back everybody a couple of
doors and we set off the charge. I was right...it not only blew the
building but also the one on the corner we were trying to get into!
In fact, debris from the collapsed building blocked the street and
we would have to run to the other side and back to get into the next
one. But now a light tank came up, maybe the Lt. called for it. The
presence of the tank stopped the machine gun and the Lt., Plt. Sgt.,
and some of the infantry got across the block and into the next
building. There was a doorway opening onto the street and the Lt.
and Sgt. were trying to open this door when the Lt. and Sgt. were
hit. Apparently whatever hit them struck a grenade and it exploded.
Both were killed. This stopped the advance for the day with both
leaders gone.
It was
getting dark now. Cpl. Harp went back, but Baker and I stayed with
the infantry. Since Baker and I were the most rested we got first
guard shift. In the building we were in we found a good cellar, but
on the stairway leading to it were the men who were killed and we
had to step over them to get to the cellar.
We
posted ourselves in the store front; there was broken glass
everywhere. You couldn’t move without making a terrible racket. The
infantry men all fell asleep and instead of relieving us Baker and I
stayed on guard duty until about three AM. Baker finally got the
nerve to go down and get some relief. I would not go having been
told to many times what would happen if you left your post. There
was no counter-attack and we all survived the night. The next
morning, engineers and infantry were relieved and we went back to
where ever we came from.
Roger
Conarty, C.O. of L/276 had this to add: "On the night of 17
February, Co's K and I attacked to the north from a line between
Morsbach and the Remsingerhof farm. Co L (less its 3rd Platoon which
was assigned as Bn Reserve) followed and was committed on the right
to attack the large bare hills overlooking Oeting from the west.
After capturing the hills and entering the German made elaborate
trenches, in the late afternoon Co L was instructed by Bn to contact
Co B which reportedly was in possession of Oeting. While the 2nd
Platoon extended to maintain contact with I Co on the left the 1st
Platoon moved to enter the town, but was immediately met with heavy
fire from the town and the high ground to the right. The platoon was
instructed to hold up and dig in the trenches for the night.
The
following morning Company L attacked Oeting, and moved up the center
of town to the north edge. At that point Captain Andrews, CO of I
Co, and I met, and having no communications with anyone, decided to
keep attacking toward Forbach. After fighting across several ravines
and wooded ridge formations we reached the edge of Forbach that
evening. Several publications I've read state that L Co was attached
to the 1st Bn, or to B Co for the attack on Oeting, but they forgot
to tell me as the only instructions I received and took were from
3rd Bn. There were surely plenty of German mines around Oeting; but
fortunately many of them were old, rusted and inoperative. They also
left booby traps - Lt. Peebles the Co. I exec. was killed by one.
The
narrative cites John Amo and two others from C/270 attached to the
1st Platoon of Co L. I believe that was after we had entered Forbach
and were attacking toward the main railroad line. The lieutenant and
sergeant killed were Lt. Zich and Sgt. Dalley who were passing
through a single doorway into Place Aristide Briand. The machine gun
that detonated the grenade also hit other men from the 1st Platoon.
It was located across the square in the Original Forbach City Hall.
The advance did not stop there as L Company continued on to the
railroad tracks and by evening occupied the Old Convent building on
the left, an abandoned warehouse in the center (this is the location
of the City of Forbach's new City Hall), and the Salle des Fêtes on
the right. The railroad track did not constitute an obstacle for
Infantry attack but was a designated Phase Line for the 276th
Regiment to reconsolidate in preparation for continuing the attack.
On the other hand, the underpasses did present bottlenecks for
Armor. On rue Bauer, just to the right of Co L the Anti Tank
platoon, I believe, laid a large number of anti-tank mines on the
surface of the street.
The
morning the Regiment renewed its attack, there was much artillery by
both sides and a German round hit one of the mines which by
sympathetic detonation caught them all, destroying a floor or two of
one large building on the street. I heard later, but can't verify,
that one of our tanks moving toward the underpass ran over one mine
which had not detonated and threw a track. I do remember the bombs
that had been placed in the School buildings where our Bn. had set
up their headquarters. No one from we Rifle Companies visited the
headquarters the day the bombs were timed to go off, for fear not
all had been found. We surely didn't envy you Engineers the job of
removing the explosives."
