It was more towns, more tiresome hand-carrying, more mud, and more of
holding the high ground. It was a relief to see those days behind us as
when we finally made the Kyll River. One day a bunch of us looked down
from the hills around Glaadkyll. Every road and approach we used or could
have used was in perfect observation. We saw the emplacements the Jerries
had built with slave labor years back. And we stand there in bewildered
thought. Our Pfc.-G2 Sudy, gives us a commentary and we agree with his
observation that a battalion holding at this point should be able to frustrate
the attacks of a division. Yes, here we are but it was tough going getting
here. Behind us was the "impregnable" Siegfried Line and ahead of us the
"Super Racers" trying to out-race the 4th Armored Division.
More dramatic phases of the war come in now. There are motorized advances.
Soon we will be up on the Moselle and who knows how long until we are
at or across the Rhine. Each day as we read the Stars and Stripes we closely
follow the narrowing process of Germany as the Russians and our lines
close in. Our big gripe is that we are never mentioned in the papers.
"Poor doughfoot," we say. We clear the way and now the headlines dramatize
the mad 60 mile dash of the 4th Armored. "It will always be that way with
the infantry," we say. But later as we rode-yes, as we rode-through the
country and saw the results of the 4th Armored's work, our spirits soared
and we were in a mood of quick victory.
Two rivers, they won't be hard to recall in the days to come. The towns
come easier now but once in a while the Jerries fool us. They got Johnson
in Gondorf just when we least expected to meet a Jerry with any fight
left in him. And didn't they keep sniping at us from across the Moselle
when we were in Lehman. You can't play it too safe with these Jerries,
we found that our more than once, later on. The Rhine? I guess it should
have been a thrill to look forward to. Somehow, I never did like the idea
of having a big river in back of me. Suppose the Jerries had formed a
line of resistance to throw us back. Wasn't the Rhine glorified as a defensive
line as much as the Siegfried Line? But a smokescreen, a boat ride and
some hills on the other side to climb and it's all over. We are not getting
pushed back but pushing Jerries out of the woods and marching them back
for their boat ride. Not a bad war. Not bad at all.
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