Here's a combat experience from Howard East (Company C, 370th Medical Battalion, 70th Infantry Division)

In a sense, I have no wish to get into the "discussion - argument" as to which unit of the 70th Division was the first to cross the Saar River in force. Nevertheless I was, to the best of my knowledge and belief, one of the Early Birds, and I think that my recollections might at least add a little fuel to the fire.

I was a litter bearer (Pfc) with Company C, 370th Medical Battalion usually attached to the 276th Infantry Regiment. Frankly, I don't recall the unit I was with or even the exact date on which we crossed the Saar. However, I do remember that crossing vividly.

It was an early morning during March 1945. I believe that we were just north of Saarbrucken as there were no factories or mines in sight along the opposite bank of the river. Beyond the bank there was a rather steep, tree covered hill with additional gun emplacements scattered along with fields of fire also facing the river. The field had been checked for mines (previously during the night) and there were several cleared paths outlined by our minesweepers and marked in the usual manner with white cloth on little white sticks. Of course we stayed within these paths. We crossed the river on two small footbridges one or two feet in width, also put up that night. Despite being a medic, I was the second man across one of the flimsy bridges. We thought that the gun emplacements were manned and acted accordingly, i. e., scared. It turned out that the Germans had abandoned the fortifications before our advance.

Presumably this was due to Third Army's attack the previous day. We did not run into any German soldiers that day or the next as we advanced through a wooded area and into a village in which white sheets and towels were hanging from most of the windows (surrendering, not drying). There were no division vehicles or tanks across the river for at least 24 hours and we were told that there were no vehicle bridges across the Saar at this time. I remember this because we had no rations or meals for at least one day. My litter squad did have an egg, followed by the hen that laid the egg. That was all. The first vehicles we saw were some DUKWs (unit unknown) on the next day around noon. We were able to beg some C-rations from them to tide us over until our own trucks and ambulances could cross the Saar more than 36 hours later.

If anyone who reads this remembers this day and would like to correct or corroborate my description, I would be delighted to hear from them.