Download - 70th Infantry Division Association
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The tactical situation did not change the last two days of the month. Enemy patrols were active. Heavy<br />
artillery and rocket bombs fell in Forbach in large numbers. One enemy barrage lasted almost two hours<br />
with an estimated nine to twelve shells landing every minute.<br />
As the month ended, the 1st and 3d Battalions occu ied positions in Forbach. Companies F and E (less<br />
one squad were attached to the 274th Regiment, Company G plus one squad from E Company occupied<br />
defensive positions as <strong>Division</strong> Reserve, and the balance of the 2d Battalion was in Regimental Reserve.<br />
Training of reinforcements continued. We continued active patrolling across the railroad. Combat<br />
efficiency was rated as: Very Satisfactory.<br />
During the month, the "Bloody Axe" Regiment captured 483 prisoners. From February 18 to February 21<br />
our position remained the same. Action was light, but we took one prisoner and another surrendered at<br />
his own will. My platoon tech. sgt. received a battlefield commission to second lieutenant. I was very<br />
proud of old Heinz getting that commission. We also got a new company commander, Captain Robert<br />
Wiley, and a new man from the reinforcement depot, Joseph Strauss, 2nd Lt. That meant we were<br />
operating without a platoon sgt. I did have a new 2nd Lt. Joseph Strauss and he was going to be my<br />
platoon leader, but we lost our old platoon sgt. The new officer in charge works with the company<br />
commander, so I am left with a platoon.<br />
On February 22, we had a sgt. going to the hospital; two men on the 23rd that were missing in action; two<br />
guys killed in action; and others lightly wounded or sick who were sent to the hospital. Harry Shuman, 1st<br />
Lt., was released from company command to an executive officer and Robert Wiley took over as commander.<br />
We received 18 enlisted men assigned to company duty from the 71st headquarters<br />
reinforcement, APO 776. As I look over the roster I can remember some of the names; one of them,<br />
Layman Heckle, a staff sgt., was in the Air Corps and then transferred to us as a gunner in the machine<br />
gun section. He was in the cook outfit in the Air Force and now he is in the <strong>Infantry</strong> in the machine gun<br />
section. His morale was shot. I got to like Heckle pretty well. I felt sorry for him. He had no idea what the<br />
<strong>Infantry</strong> was all about and he had a rank of staff sgt., which meant he could be put in charge of<br />
something. He pleaded with me not to be put in charge of anything until he found out what was going on,<br />
because he didn't want to get his head blown off.<br />
On February 23, a little over two months overseas, I was promoted to a staff sgt.--my first promotion. A<br />
couple of my buddies were promoted, too. Donald Jacobson was promoted to a staff sgt.; he was my first<br />
gunner. Robert Weeks was promoted from a corporal to a sgt. in the machine gun section. Now Heinz<br />
Mush, my old platoon sgt., a Mormon and a real nice fellow, was transferred to the replacement depot in<br />
the headquarters task force.<br />
On February 25, our company commander was assigned to regimental headquarters company and we<br />
got a new commander, a First Lt. Now, new officers are scarce. Things were running kind of high and<br />
February 25 is the day I want to talk about. The company commander who got retired and went back to<br />
regimental headquarters had the cooks make us up some hot meals at the position we were on, which<br />
happened to be in the basement of a house on the reverse slope of the hill. We were holding high ground<br />
and had the town shut off. We had the tanks with us from the 14th Armor. We took the hill with tanks, our<br />
men following the tanks up the hill. The tanks killed the Germans in fox holes and the German casualties<br />
were high. We took the hill with a minimum of casualties. We lost less than ten men. The problem was the<br />
tanks left us on top of the hill to take the counterattack. The Germans always counterattacked immediately<br />
after being pushed off something, but we held the hill.<br />
On that particular day Sgt. Heckle came to me and told me he had to go out. He was brand new and<br />
didn't know apples from peaches. He hadn't heightened his senses to war yet. You learn to hear quickly in<br />
combat. You know when a shell is going to fall short by listening. Of course, it's the one that falls on you<br />
that you never do hear. You learn to smell a German, alive or dead, and you start to smell him a mile<br />
away. Your eyesight grows keen. These are the things that you learn. You are geared up for survival and<br />
you become like a wild animal. Now, Sgt. Heckle was very timid and scared. He was probably about 40-<br />
45 years old. He is not a young man. I am only 19 years old and he wanted me to stand on guard duty