The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-08-28

ordered a German soldier to wheel him across the bridge in a wheel barrow
 MeKenney sat facing the Kraut with his carbine in his lap, shout ing: Watch those snipers, watch those snipers."
 Lentz, meanwhile, sent two run ners out to try and contact the rest of B company, and discovered that the whole situation was badly confused. A and c companies were withdrawing to the west side of the Rhine, taking lot of prisoners with them.
 It. Sharp and Sgt. Mykalo, watch ing the proceedings from the hill- side, were unaware that the other two companies were retreating.
 sir, look at all them prisoners running back across the bridge" Mykalo said.
 "Yeah," the lieutenant answered, they're sure bringing 'em in."
 Heavy Smelling Continues
 Ientz, however, realized the two companies were taking off for the West bank and figured the order to withdraw must have been given. Believing his platoon was the only one left on the East side of the river, he ordered his men back over the bridge.
 Halfway across, they ran into It. Jack Liedackie, Denver, Colo, who ordered them back to the East side to set up a connecting defense with the third platoon.
 The first platoon then set up a defense to the right and formed a road block out of some abandoned German flax guns. Riflemen were scattered out, but they were forced to dig in almost immediately when the Germans opened up with mor- tar fire.
 The shelling continued intermit- tently throughout the night, but the platoon held its ground and set up 8 machine gun position by the railroad underpass in coordina- tion with the third platoon mortars.
 Rain began falling soon after ward, chilling the tired men to the bone. Wet and dirty, cold and hun- gry, they realized now that fewer than 90 men of B Company were holding the Remagen bridge alone.
 To these men whose role in that battle has never before been re- corded, must go the long delayed credit for the achievement of that night.
 Companies A and c returned to the East bank later.
 Sometime before midnight, every one was alerted by a rumbling sound from the direction of the bridge. Then they spotted a large vessel moving slowly downstream. The ship was fully lighted and a bell somewhere aboard kept ringing as it passed the tense, silent men on the East bank.
 The boys "sweated it out" until it vanished, many of them prepared to swim the Rhine if the vessel blew up the bridge.
 Germans Approach
 Around midnight, 8 few half- tracks were brought across the bridge after some emergency re- pairs by engineers who worked un- der constant sniper fire. T/5 Thom- as L. Irwin, Axtel, Kans., brought over the first half-track for B Con- pany.
 Shortly before daylight, the first platoon's machine gunners heard the switch wires on the side of the railroad tracks rattling. The noise proved to be krauts, com- ing straight at the American posi- tions.
 Pfc. Jos. Rutman, Detroit, Mich, who had dug in about 15 feet to the left front of the machine gun, shouted in German for the krauts to halt. They kept coming, appar- ently confuse din the darkness.
 Pfc. Clyde Edmonds, Clifton, Kan, and Pfc. Henry Funk, Van Nuys, Calf, stepped into the midst of the bewildered Germans and began snatching away their guns.
 Pfc John Clark, Springfield, O., at the third platoon machine gun, swung his weapon around to cover the Krauts, but some of them had slipped down the nearby bank and started into the underpass.
 There they ran into Pfc. Richard Earring, hinglestown, Pa., and Pfc. Everett Cove. Perry, Me, who were guarding machine gun facing the road toward Linz. They hurriedly disarmed the Germans, IT in all, taking away four potato masher Grenades from each man, plus rifles, machine guns and pistols.
 The captives were marched back to be taken across the river. Day. light was just breaking, and the first pair of supporting American tanks had just arrived. One Persh- ing 90-millimeter tank was rung up on the bridge floor after breaking partly through the planking.
 A battalion of the 3l0th Infantry regiment, 17th Infantry division, reached the bridge and started across just as the prisoners were being taken back. A captain of the 31Oth asked B company's prisoner guards to hold up the German captives because the bridge was