The following account comes from the Fall 2000 issue of
the Association "Rhin & Danube" Newsletter, page 8 and 9.
THE BATTLE FOR THE SIMON
MINE
[Lee Miller, 274th Infantry Regiment,
70th Division sent in an account of a very tough battle his unit had
in the Stiring-Wendel area near the French-German border. I have
added some additional details from Wallace R, Cheves book, "Snow
Ridges and Pill Boxes" Editor: Newsletter]
The Simon Mine on the outskirts of
Stiring-Wendel was the huge obstacle upon which the 70th Division's
274th regimental attack was centered. For several days it had been
shelled and bombed but still the Germans trapped inside it showed no
signs of surrender. Time and again attempts had been made to take it
by storm but each assault was driven back. A huge steel wall
surrounded the place, topped by a net of barbed wire. Tanks
attempted to blow holes in the walls but were driven off by enemy
anti-tank fire. It was estimated that approximately three to four
hundred civilians were being held prisoner deep down in the shafts.
A large Red Cross flag hung from one of the entrances but any
attempt to enter there was met with a hail of machine gun fire.
On the morning of 6 March 1945, Lt.
Doane's Love Company was ordered to attack the Simon Mine. King
Company was to furnish fire support from Neue-Glashutte and Item
Company would be in reserve.
"We pushed through the woods up to the
outside of the factory," remembers Pfc. Robinson, "and captured 12
prisoners and two machine guns there, but were then driven back by
heavy machine gun fire from pillboxes hidden in the trees and from
fire from the Mine itself. Every time we withdrew to let the
artillery pound the factory, the Krauts would go down into the
underground passages of the place and wait until the shelling was
over. Then they would come up in time to catch us as we started to
assault."
"It was impossible to attack the
building from the side," continued Sgt. Gray. "We had to hit it head
on because there was a deep sludge area around the sides. Tanks
tried to come up but were knocked back by Kraut anti-tank guns. By
taking it in rushes we got to within 50 yards of the outside wall.
Then the Krauts turned everything they had on us. The whole company
was pinned down."
Sgt. Cathey spotted one of the machine gun
positions and tried to bring fire on it. He called Pfc. Bissenger to
come up with a bazooka, but before Bissenger could get into position
to fire, a sniper shot him through the chest and he died about
fifteen minutes later. We continued to press the attack but stubborn
resistance made it impossible to get beyond the iron fence. Pfc.
Wagner was shot through the head and killed and Pfc. Zoebelein lost
a foot when he stepped on a mine.
"When he saw it was impossible to go any
farther, Sgt. Cathey went back to bring up a tank," said Sgt.
William Smith, "Cathey rode on top of it up toward the wall, right
out in plain sight. When the tank got up to the wall, Cathey jumped
over and started going after a German machine gun nest. The tank
fired four rounds with its 75nim cannon and then the Germans hit it
with a panzerfaust round. Not much damage was done but fragments
from the shell flew off and hit Cathey. The tank then took off in
reverse as fast as it could go and left Cathey lying there wounded
inside the factory wall. When the Krauts saw him alone, they started
firing at him with machine guns and hit him again in the arms and
legs."
It was almost certain suicide to attempt to
rescue him. German guns fired at anything that moved inside the
wall. Outside, the whole company was pinned down by fire.
Nevertheless, Pfc. Lawrence and two others risked certain death and
went up through the curtain of fire and dragged Cathey back to a
ditch inside the wall out of the line of fire.
About two hours later, Sgt. Kohn sent a litter
squad to bring out the wounded man. Three times the squad attempted
to get to him but three times it was driven back by hostile mortar,
rocket and tank fire. The next time Kohn started out alone.
"I climbed over the wall only to drop in a
tangle of barbed wire on the other side," said Kohn afterward. "I
tore my clothes to pieces but finally pulled myself free and got
over to where Cathey was lying. I told him to lock his arms around
my neck and I would drag him away." "I can't," he replied. "Both of
them are broken."
"Then I ripped his shirt up the back and tied
it around my neck and started dragging him toward the wall. Mortar
shells were dropping all around and a German tank had come to within
fifty yards of us. Cathey was suffering pretty bad from the pain and
I had to tell him to quiet down or he would attract the Krauts'
attention to us. When I got him to the wall, both of us got caught
in the barbed wire. I pulled and jerked on his clothes until they
were nearly tom off him but finally tore free. Then I lifted him to
the top of the wall and dropped him to litter bearers on the other
side. The wire tore my Red Cross brassard off my arm and I picked it
up and held it between my teeth. Going over the wall, though, I
started to cuss and lost it."
The litter bearers from the 370th Medical Bn
took care of the rest of the evacuation. Pfc. Srp crept forward and
waved a red cross flag to see if it would be fired upon. When
nothing happened, he led the litter team across the field and
brought Cathey back to the aid station.
