The Wyandotte news-herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1943-1963, 1945-04-30
Engineers Face Hail

tween them and soft sixrfoot spot
of 'Lebensraum."
JUMP-OFF DELAYED
The jump-off was postponed
twice. The infantry sweat it out
The engineers just sweat. Then the
word came down.
The assault infantry waves would
go across at 0330 hours, Feb. %
preceded by q 45-minute artillery
barrage from scores of guns on the
First Army Front. The Blue bat
TALON Of the 18th Infantry would
paddle themselves across in assault
boats at 0250 on the southern Sec
tor to reach the town of Stockholm
and secure the flank.
AS soon as the artillery prepare
ton finished, units of the 18th
Combat Engineer Bn. would imme-
diately begin ferrying troops across
in both assault boats and storm
boats, while other units would begin
work on one of the foot-bridges.
BRIDGEHEAD THE KEY
The supporting corps of engineer
battalion was charged with getting
in the infantry support bridges foI
the 21k-ton and light artillery
pieces, the treadway bridges for the
tanks and heavy motorized equip
ment and finally the fixed Bailey
bridge which was to be put across
after the bridgehead had been es.
tablished.
There was the key to the battle
There was the battle. And that was
the job Of 1t. Col. Fry's 18th Com
bat Engineer Bn. to establish that
bridge-head, using assault boats
foot-bridgeS, ferries or their bare
knuckles as long as they got the
infantry across.
Able Company, commanded by
Capt. Edward Comerford, of Brook
lyn, N. Y, was committed to get
ting one of the foot-bridges across
the river. Baker Company. COM
manded by Capt. John r. Terry, Jr.
Of Fountain, s. c., holder of the
DISC, Bronze Star and the Purple
Heart with three clusters, drew the
foot-bridge on the north sector, and
Charley Company, commanded by
LIST. 1t. Paul o. Carlson, of Chicago
Illinois, was charged with manning
the assault boats-three engineers
and six infantrymen to each boat
For nineteen of the most despair
ing hours yet produced in this war
these three combat engineer COM
panies gave their CUTS to the vora-
cious Roer River in vain attempts
to get the foot-bridges across.
FERRIES AT LAST
They got the foot-bridge cables
across and part of the bridge itself
The rampant river swept 1t away
They got cables across. The Jerry
MIG and mortar fire slashed IL
away. There wasn't a square yard
that wasn't under fire. Four times
the foot-bridge was almost across
Four time it was washed away Oh
shot away.
BY 100 hours on Feb. %, Able
Company had been able to get two
ferries in operation. They were get.
ting the infantry across, it was slow
but the infantry was getting
across.
Baker Company had run into thu
same difficulty on It's sector. The
river-the river-the river. The enc.
my fire was bad and it was con.
centrated. The men could take tina
and they Cd, but that river swamp.
ed their foot-bridges and swampec
the assault boats, storm boats wer,
lost-too many, too few 'doggies
were getting acros the river by thi
method, so it was decided to put
Company with A Company to keeI
the ferries running and keep tryins
to get a foot-bridge across.
THERE WAS NO RELIEF
BY 1900 hours all attempts to get
the foot-bridge across the rapaciou.
Roer had been given up and al
existing engineer members of the
18th Bn. were ordered to stay al
their posts and operate the ferries
Three were in operation, two In the
northern sector and one in the
south.
Able, Baker and Charley Compa-
MES had been on the bridgehead
since the jump-off at $3.50 hours
They had had no relief. There was
nobody to relieve them. One 18th
Engineer platoon, commanded by
1t. Needing. was held in reserve fol
the mine-clearing job on the roads
on the other side of the river wher
and if the armor should get across
This platoon had to be held. AL
members of the headquarters anc
Service company who could possibly
be spared from more pressing du.
ties were rushed to the bridge sites
FERRIES KEPT OPERATING
At $500, Feb. "a, every "doggie'
Of the two assault regiments wa.
| across the river and on the wav tr