It was February 23, 1945, my Company, E. Company, 276 Regiment was attacking Forbach, France. A picturesque mining city in the Saar Valley - complete with medieval castle.

Two days before we had entered Forbach. After a short artillery preparation - we invaded the city.

Scouts Pat Montgomery and Marion TerLouw were greeted by a hail of machine gun bullets as they raced from the woods to the side of the first house where they flattened themselves against the wall of the house and made themselves as small as possible. Bazooka man Henry Fuller put a round in a window about 150 yards away and - the gun was silenced.

Down the street we went - house to house - our first squad on the right and our second squad on the left side of the street searching every house. We took eight Germans prisoners out of the third house and sent them back. As we continued down the street we were subjected to rifle and machine gun fire. We lost William Ken Chaney and Sgt. Kenneth McCready in a walled garden - next to a big house that faced the town square. We did some damage ourselves and took more prisoners. We had moved to the first phase line, the Rue Nationale also known as the Metz Highway.

My squad was ordered up to the left to protect the left flank. We wound up on the Metz Highway where most of the houses were bombed out and we kept receiving sniper fire everytime we crossed the street. At this point we were able to talk to some civilians who were coming out of their basements.

The next day we were ordered up to the second phase line, the railroad tracks that cut through the city. The only problem was that it was getting dark and moving two blocks at night in a strange city would be very difficult. Fortunately for us a civilian volunteered to lead us up to the underpass. We went the back way - across the Rue Nationale, through bombed out houses, through the gardens, down the alley, by the electric Tower, which we had to search out, and arrived at the underpass.

We took up positions in a house at the underpass. We did not know if we had bypassed German troops, but we did know that there were plenty of Bosche on the other side of the tracks.

This picture was sent to me from Pierre Stutin, a former resident of Forbach. He did research for a book on the Alscase-Lorraine Campaign and found this photo. It is dated Feb. 23rd, 1945 and the caption read that "the woman took shrapnel in the chest". It is the rue Sainte Croix highway connecting Oeting to the center of Forbach at the point where the word "objective" is written on the map. On the left of the picture is the Hopital Marie Madeleine.

We were looking at a 25 foot embankment with the tracks on top with a road running under it. The road was mined. A formidable obstacle. We know that the Germans were on the other side and that we would have to go over it or through it. The next day, February 23, 1945, we saw two French civilian men carrying a woman near the underpass. We waived them in. The woman appeared to be about seven months pregnant and had been shot in the chest. They were looking for medical help. James Plaugic volunteered to take them back to the aid station at the E. Company C.P. about two long city blocks back. We often wondered whether she survived.

The next day we, E. Company pulled out of Forbach - and went to the 274 area to reinforce L. Company, 274, atop Kreutzberg Ridge overlooking the Metz Highway and the town of Stiring- Wendel. E. & L. Companies were expecting an attack and we didn't want to lose the high ground - above Stiring-Wendel - And the war went on...
 

From left to right: Matthew Warminski, Bill Yates, Andy McMahon, Frank Lowry, John Haller, Dale Bowlin and Paul Thirion. Seated, left to right: Mrs. Klein's son, Mrs. Klein, and Mrs. Klein's brother, a Catholic priest.

In 1989, my wife, Ema Dell, and I joined the 70th Division Return to Europe Tour and with the help of Associate 70th Division member Joe Zeller and his daughter, Corrine, (residents of Forbach), we found the street we came down - the Electric Tower and the underpass and the house we spent the night in 1945. Mr. and Mrs. Rinck and their son still lived in this house and we talked about the war.

I told them about the woman who had been shot. As I told the story, Mdme Rinck exclaimed "Oh! that's Mrs. Klein, she lives over there on the other side of the railroad tracks" - Mrs. Klein lost the baby after she was wounded. She was now 89 years old and had been ill so we did not go and see her.

In September 1993, we returned to our battleground. Associate member Joe Zeller had set up an appointment with Mrs Klein. At 4:00pm September 21, we pulled up in front of Mrs. Klein's house and all ten of us descended on her dining room. She was bright and lively and moved around without any trouble. After some coaxing she admitted to being 93 years old.

The guests at Mrs. Klein's party were: Andy McMahon, E. Co. 276, Dale Bowlin, C. 883rd FA, Frank Lowry, A. Co. 276, John Haller, A. Co. 276, Matthew Warminski, E. Co. 276, Paul Thirion, L. Co. 274, Bill Yates, Hqtrs. 1st Bn. 274, Joe Zeller, Associate Member, Forbach, France, Adolphe Keiffer, Associate Member, Bousbach, France, Oliver (Interpreter), Forbach, France.

The Klein family had been living in their basement during the siege of Forbach. The morning of February 23, she went out to gather vegetables from her garden. Her husband, now deceased, and a neighbor carried her through the underpass to the American side. She thanked us for the help we gave her and thanked the American Army.

Above: Mrs Klein and Andy McMahon

She made sure we all had coffee and cake and kuchen she served us. Mrs. Klein had 8 children, one of her sons helped host the event. He was 15 years old at that time and was wounded the same day by mortar shrapnel. Also - her brother, a Catholic priest, retired, was there. He had served with the French Army as a Chaplain on the Maginot line. He was wounded and taken prisoner when German armies invaded France.

We had a great time talking about 1945 again. Eight of the ten combatants had been wounded during the war. It was nostalgic.

The people of Forbach lived in caves and basements for 105 days during the siege of the city. They suffered considerable pain and hardship and put their lives on the line to help the American soldiers.

You the brave people of Forbach, we salute you.

Andy McMahon
S/Sgt. E. Co. 276 Infantry
70th Division

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