Accounts - 274th - Crossing the Saar

Perhaps the first Trailblazer history to be printed was that of "Winter Campaign" that recounts the exploits of I/274. It was written by a team of Sergeants Dan Yarus and Robert Bailey, PFCs Raymond Cearly and Myron Murray and Private Kevin Corrigan. Lieutenant William Sullivan was the supervisor.

The book was printed by George Grandpierre at Idstein-in-Taunus and distributed to company members before the 70th Infantry Division was splintered by transfers to other units and by the influx of high-point men, mostly from the 3rd Infantry Division.

Foreboding sets in for Company I as it waits to cross the Saar - and await enemy secret tactics.

No combat can match the epic D-Day landing. The only things that can approach that horrible and inspiring day are combat landings such as Sicily, Salerno and Anzio and, in Korea, at Inchon.

Next to those operations are the combat crossing of wide rivers. Such was the last major operation of the 70th Infantry Division. "The Last River" was the Saar at Saarbrucken.

The river is longer in history than in miles and much of that history is bloody. It was here that World War II actually began when Hitler defied a ban that the victorious Allies had imposed at the end of the Greater war, First World War. He sent his troops into the demilitarized Saarland and the vacillating Europeans feared to respond. Encouraged by this easy victory, Der Fuehrer set his eyes on the rest of the Continent.

The hour was near. Item Company would be on the point as the 274th's 3rd Battalion crosses the Saar and attacks Germany's Queen City.

Many veterans of this country's bloodiest battles have said that waiting for H-hour is the worst part of a battle. Many say that when the action begins, the rush of adrenaline eases at least a bit the fear that every reasonable man feels in those situations.

Tank destroyer and Anti-Aircraft units had been brought up to support the Regiment. All day officers from higher and higher commands as well as from the attached elements had come to peer across the river, running quite high from the Spring meltdown of the worst winter snows of 50 years.

All they saw was a virtual wall of pillboxes. "This will be a tough one," muttered one officer who had come up through the Italian invasion. No one knew that better than the doggies who would do the actual work.

All day patrols and Division Recon Troop had been bravely trying to draw fire that would reveal how the enemy was deployed. But the Germans were smart; they held fire and protected their advantage of the unknown.

Company CP was a maelstrom of noise and activity as phone lines were overloaded with last minute coordination, and messengers scurried back an forth as officers peered over situation maps.

Divarty began throwing phosphorous bombs across the stream and the AAs laid a lead hail on the north bank. 'Blazer troops had ringside seats. They jumped and cheered when an incendiary bomb set a large warehouse into a roaring blaze that roared for hours. But the pillboxes, despite countless direct hits, showed only a few minor scars.

ORDERS

from Col. Karl Landstrom, 3rd Battalion Commander:

Co I to cross first, followed by K and then L at 15 minute intervals.

Co M heavy machine guns to cross with the leading companies - and mortars to support from the south bank.

H-hour to be at 0430, preceded by a 30 minute artillery preparation by the 882nd FA Bn and reinforcing artillery.

Direct fire on pillboxes embrasures by all available 57mm and 3 inch TD guns. Twelve M51 AAA guns to fire direct fire to cover the crossing."

An early lesson that every soldier learns: Catch sleep any time you get a chance. But this was ridiculous. Some of our guys actually dozed off as units stopped to regroup. But inevitably there would be an extra loud blast of artillery and they were on their feet again.

Though it was against regulations, men were shedding everything from clothes to shaving kits to shoe pacs. That weight could drown them if their rubber boat capsized or sunk. The 3rd Squad was ready to send a 1:30 a.m. patrol but it was called off. For H-hour now was firm: 4:30, with final preparations starting a half hour earlier.

It was a short march from company command posts to the river. The move started at 3 a.m. "Involuntarily we started talking in whispers and low voices. We were led by a couple of Engineers who guided us to a point about 200 yards from the stream."

The rubber boats were lying on the back slope of railroad tracks that ran along the river. The companies formed 9-man groups. Each would be guided by two Engineers who carried the oars as the Infantrymen toted their crafts. The Engineers promised that the boats could make it across the river in 60 seconds.

"We arrived at the river's edge a few minutes before the artillery was to begin. In these moments of dark silence we began to wonder again what it would be like." The Germans had been loosing machine gun fire at intervals all through the day before and the men knew that this was just a mild prelude to what they could expect when the real battle began.

"We wondered whether they would be able to sink us before we even landed. We prayed that wouldn't happen but deep down we could build up no conviction that this mission would be an easy task."

The clock ticked over to 4 a.m. and that synchronized with the opening barrage by the Artillery.

All the pyrotechnics of the previous day paled when it seemed like every gun in the ETO was going off. Noise was literally deafening although an overtone was that "whisper" of our own shells zooming past. It was a reassuring murmur. Red flashes, white flashes, the sparkle of tracers from machine guns. Phosphorous shells were punctuating the darkness all across the north bank. Like modern strobe flashes, they would illuminate the scene in stark black-and-white for just a moment. And then another instantaneous flash would bring momentary daylight.

The troops momentarily forgot their apprehensions and watched the fireworks display as if they were home at a Fourth of July celebration. One solider exclaimed, "This is wonderful!" That brought a quick reply from an Engineer who growled, "My God! What's wonderful about it?"

More than exhilarated, most of the men found reassurance in the massive barrage. The enemy just had to be punchy by this time. But falling shrapnel from friendly fire came down on them and they retreated to the little gully where the boats waited, brought there the previous day by the Engineers.

Corrigan reported: "It was time to start toward the river. We picked up the rubber boats which were surprisingly heavy. They were carried upside down and it took awkward maneuvering to bring them right side-up when we reached the river after crossing the railroad embankment."

Then came an eerie moment of silence as all artillery fire stopped. The men held their breath, whether in surprise or by the sudden change of air pressure. After that silent moment, the Anti-Aircraft gunners let loose. Their guns were being used in an unorthodox way. Instead of pointing into the sky at enemy planes, they lay horizontal, firing point-blank at earthbound pillboxes across the river.

Then the teams put their boats into the water, three oarsmen crouched on each side and three sat in the middle, holding all the rifles.

"We could hear our hearts beat; they were galloping frantically," wrote "Bob Bailey. "We climbed into our boats and quickly we pushed off into the stream. We were on our own!" "Then came the longest single minute that any of us had ever experienced. Each click of the watch was like an hour. Can't these damn boats go any faster?" "Please, God, don't let them fire on us."

Finally, that excruciatingly long minute ended and the boats scraped in the bottom. The men left the boats as quickly as possible to get to the higher bank. Crossing that bank made them ducks in a shooting gallery and the Germans had most certainly mined the lowlands.

We scrambled through thick barbed wire and tried to get organized in the deep darkness. "By now," said Ray Cearly, "K Company was landing right behind us. We moved quickly onto the pillboxes assigned to us. There still wasn't any enemy fire!"

There must be some horrendous trap we were walking into. Those 6th SS Mountain troopers had lots of battle experience; they were tough; they were smart; surely they had a bad one on tap for us!

Now, King Company had taken its position on the north bank, followed shortly by Love. Its 2nd Platoon had been caught in the river current that carried them about 75 yards downstream. There they landed in knee-deep mud that stuck like glue. The men had a hard time pulling each other out to solid ground. The heavy weapons Platoon of M Company had come along and set up their guns to repel a possible enemy counterattack.

Also with Company L came the 3rd Battalion aid station. There were three Medics and a litter squad. They carried heavy packs, loaded with medical supplies and essential equipment.

"We were jumpy," related T/3 Sid Yaroma. "One of the litter bearers lost his oar and almost fell overboard as he tried to retrieve it.^,,

Aid Station was set up in the west outskirts of a Saarbrucken factory that made jams and preserves. "As the first Medics across," related Yaroma, "we expected a lot of work in store for us. In that unexpected lack of combat activity we set up the station, ready for Hell to break loose."

"Sgt. Lucas promptly went to sleep. But he was soon wakened by the owner of the factory who tugged at his shoulder." For what reason? Probably to complain about the take-over of his factory. "Lucas just yelled, 'Get the God damn Hell out of here. The US Army has taken over!' And he went right back to sleep."

All three companies had landed in a small area and there was the customary confusion of battle as men sought to locate their units or to find buddies who may have been lost - even drowned - in the dense darkness. But officers and non-coms did admirable jobs in restoring order quickly.

No sooner had the whole battalion crossed by boat than the Engineers began building a foot bridge across the river and, shortly after that, a heavier span for vehicles. The massive masonry bridges that gave Saarbrucken it name, had been wrecked by the Germans themselves.

At the point, I Company approached the first of the pillboxes. "We moved up to it with great caution," reported a Sergeant. "As we neared, we saw that it had been hit heavily by our artillery but hadn't been crippled very much."

"This didn't seem right. Finally some of us went inside, expecting booby-traps or fire from hiding Krauts. But we saw that they had left - and left in a hurry, a big hurry. For we found food and a good bit of equipment lying around in a mess."

An answer might have come when the 1st Platoon captured two Germans who were hiding in one of the pillboxes, which, although it had been the target for hundreds - probably thousands - of rounds, was still intact. "They told us that they had been left behind when the rest of the Germans withdrew at 3:30. We had missed them by almost exactly an hour," recalled Myron Murray.

So this was the enemy's strategy? Let the Americans waste their ammo on the fortifications, pull back a little and defend the city? By the time the Yankees got there, dawn would be breaking. As they come across the flood-plain they'll make excellent targets for the Mountaineer's crack riflemen.

"As we moved up we saw the flashes of Kraut rockets. This was going to be hairy." But then, Dan Yarus said, "We found that it was our own 50s, still firing incendiaries. That supporting fire became menacing to our guys. Soon Pvt.. Henry E. Wesseldyke was hit in the chest by friendly fire. We dragged him behind a building but it was too late. He died in minutes." He was the 19th - and last - item man killed in action.

The Germans had withdrawn from their strategic city without a shot fired. But it was not a bloodless victory for the 70th. Actually it had won the Battle of Saarbrucken in the ridges of Lorraine. The raids of Oeting, the bitter fighting on Spicheren Heights an Kreuzberg Ridge, the capture of Forbach and the many small towns like Lixing and Behren and Alstings - all these had landed like body blows of heavyweight fighters. They accumulated to fell the foe without the need of a spectacular knockout punch.

It was a victory the Trailblazers are justly proud of more than a half-century later.