ee oe i Gr iat aly tas |g = Ts etteny sae sie lg OB ent Bieta | Bo estonia le moveaton fe. tet ‘nramaat (PP ay Vor division entered upon these operations backed i Mo the SEE ly feadiees aad maby Seems “Second 1, None in our Arms Your aivision has fully faved TntantsyDigiton, amgblat, ad tate Tatyish ene"tapaied Ye Ws CORSA LS al ai tp to these troditigasoand has added mew victories to aa 3 at ke ond oly jective ‘outstanding loyally an devotion to duty fattened by iivumer- thle acs Sof gallanity and sacrifice throughout ‘ur entire dampaten. ‘Yokrcenerit avd morale ander averse condition Wane eta anieinfealing tsploation tome. 1 deem sta. high privilege to Wage terved as your commander. Witk deep humility | dedicate this brief sory as a tribute to een gation i action iy is malig. {Wie mus juste their sacrince Boar unsieroing determination lor ‘hong fo nem sictoried, fo ne radttong, complete we 4s Name Date Enlisted yhepsgccceh ‘az, 1918: the and Diy. fought at Chateau ‘Thierry ay, 1944 the and Div. fetted for action at a mar- Stalling sien ta southern England. July, 19i8—Sols tons, uly, x944-—-St. Jean des Baisants. September, Tpit oe Mintel Gepecabers ges atestagete of the Croix de at Blanc Mont in 1918 remains the sarne, Fighting in France is not aew to the and Div. It fought in every major engagement. of the first World War where American troops participated. “Ie left ito mark at Belleau Wood. It left its dead, too. The 2nd Div. captured one-fourth of the eatire number of prisoners \S taken by American Expeditionary Forces, one-fourth, the tral guns Ie aufered one-tenth of ll cvualdin Arpeiqn armies, IE won more decortions tha léay other American division. It fought s6 conepytive da ithout rest—the longest period for any Ame a an unit, For 23 years between the two wars, the znd Div. was sgatrisoned at Fe. Sam Houston, Tex’ Many of its oft ers and men are Texans. Durihg the yeats of peace, it was transformed into the frit “streamlined” division, Gone now are the sth and sft" Marines, the victors of Belleas" Wood, In thei the Rocko he Mars remain, as do the rath and 25th F.A., aow seconsticuted asthe tath, rth, Jyth and s8th FA. Bas. For the invasion of France, the znd Div. brough with ita great Uadition. Lateq\ BE record was to speak for itself that such heritage Wi? upheld, us x, June 7, 1944: in the teeth of vicious, accurat Enemy shelife which blanketed the shoreline, th Indian Head boys hit the beach at St. Laureatsur-Me reassigned asscmbly areas, when eventually located 0 the confusion of battle, were packed with snipers. Befere moving in, one cogiment was foreed to blast ox a come pany of Germans Vehicles, infantry supporting weapons and compsuni- ations equipment temined aboard craft off the heach, ‘hvce days were to pas befoe these vial splice Began rolling inland. Communtestions were establsbd with Salvaged wire found on the beach and abandoned enemy equipment. The only vehicle inthe division was a jeep 3loaned by another unit to Division Commander Maj Gen, Walter M. Robeztson, By midnight, the CP had been established and assem- bly ‘areas largely cleared .of enemy. The silence of darkness was shattered by” heavy anti-aircraft fire when German planes zoomed overhead. ‘The division staff already had planned the attack on the first objective, ‘Trevicres, a communications center 16 kilometers inland, Field orders were scrawled in longhand on German sta- tionery. Snipers remaining in the area were killed the next day and, at one time, a fusillade of sniper bullets spattered into the division CP. One sniper was shot down from a tree some so yards away from division headquarters. Neat midnight, June 8, the last infantry. regiment Pig sre Ggity Mme eo quacters that the unit was teady to move to an area pre- viously selected. He was told that the area, far in ads vanes, had not been cleared according to plan™that i now was occupied. XS “By whom?” he asked. ee “By the 3530d Inf. Div.,” was the reply, "> “Never heard of them, sir. Who are they ”” “Germaes. ve Aiba Cng veppcslice Sos acto cp tei Pa Ser ae ae eae Fn he gd wy 4 a aa 10. h liad wate ess ive from tHe west. wy riment was to attack on the east... Trevieres . oe eonleed to Riad theilase fuatle “m ‘After the jump-off, one platoon got inside the city. ‘Heavy sniper and automatic weapons fire held up the other attackers, The third battalion waded the waist- deep river, stormed the defenses to the south, then smacked the enemy from the west flank of the town. So eee oe entirely outflanked and secured until the next day. Only a limited number of hand grenades was available. Not until the closing stages of the battle were machine guns brought up from the beach area, To zeplenish the meager supply of ammunition, a French two-wheel cart ‘yas commandeered. But the ammunition still bad to be hand-carried across the river. Wounded were han ‘astied on the return teip across the stream. by an infantry baralion which had, bee.One officer and six men were pinned inside a house four hhouts during the first day of the ferce,assault. They were armed only with pistols and carbines while Gesmaas ‘were within grenade-throwing sange on three sides. Liveation of Teeviees marked the fll of te, Set major obstacle as the expansion of the ridge head stroggled forward.” le division ploughed through Le Molay an Gerisy until it struck the first definite enet running west from Brigny through St In two days, the division sipped ov had advanced 10 miles as the crow A well-defined German defogie-line was struck June in the Berigny-St. Georges @'Plle-Tvon sector. Here, the “Second to ie first encounter with the 3rd Parachute Div. of the Wehrmacht, took its first 6 isoners. It was the beginning of a grudge-ight Which was t0 be renewed ‘many ‘times—such to. the Sorrow of the paratrooper en then and June 16 sven bale was ordered to.fhepare for the attack on Higa, the Wivsion’s nadie wound around neathy villages and consolidated gaias. St. Georges dle, the town teas change and evel ins a catered by battalions of he ssrd and 38th Regis, ‘The ased alto, captured Berge), while Se: Gemma dBlle fal’ to the sth Fight eg Rroughout this sector was fierce. The battle of the hedgerows was on—and with all stops out Mounds of earth, sometimes as wide as three fect and aE 25 high as'« man’s head, divided the fields. Be- id and between these the Getmans dug in and waited 0 spray machine gun and automatic Weapon fire on the first American to step into the field. Most felds were no latger than a house lot back home. Sunken roads wove in and out of the fields, providing excellent enemy cover. In the battle for St. Germain d’Elle, fighting grew extremely severe. Casualty lists mounted steadily. “One ‘company lost 17 men one day, 15 the next. A company ‘commander told of knocking out seven machine guns in ‘one field and five in another only to have them replaced from a seemingly endless ehain. Dating the entire struggle which preceded the smashing of the forces defending Hill 192, artillery played an im- portant role in holding the Nazis inside holes they had 7ce os lined along hedgerows. ‘The design was to being down surprise mass fire on every possible position, ‘That this “time-on-target” firing, 's in which shells from miple guns (SP? Jk. Zzvere timed to rock objectives sitnul- 5° a" ‘ancously, had the desired effect was attested to by patrols. At any minute, a barrage would batter a position. ‘The Germans quickly learned to crouch in thele holes. Once, when an infantry regiment was staving off a counteratack, ‘an arity Tiison officer hetsedy called back for fire. he replied : “Call it machine, guns, call it tanks, call ie anything. Just give me fire.” He got it—from fou hattalions—and in. time, o In the fight for St. Georges d’Elle, Pfe Raliton A Shepherd, 3rd Int. saved three companies from mass slaughter. ards, with Cornered in an aces 30 by Hedgerows sisting, both. sides, the companies ny in etic ee gene “Supied placed his ‘Rover a gate post and fired niore than 1000 rounds, dispersing the Nazis gun crewstefdre t-had the oppor. tuilty {go lato action. -“Thssinpanics took advantage of the prions time, teorgivd and fought thie way ut of the trap. Fos fon, Shepherd was awarded the Silver Sta. 8 Asked the nate, of the target, ‘There were many such heroes. Pvt, Joe Mares, an aid rman with the oth Regt, disregarded a hail of machine gun and rifle fite during an attack when he ran forward to attend two wounded riflemen. Ashe applied a tourniquet to the first man’s leg, @ truck his head. ‘ut Marez didn't quit. He started for the second man, then suddenly collapsed. He,was evacuated just in time to save his life. For his hevoism, Mare. got the division's, first Distinguished, Service Cross. There was due vowporal of the 48th Inf, Regt. who ‘was wounded’and couldn't be evacuated, man forces advanced near his position, the corporal, unsble 0 jed a gas protective covering over Reig il gna ee cat igh without food, he kept this up for two and a half LC daye until relief finally came. The bodies of twa Germans @ he had killed aad the bloodstains of one he had wounded during this time were found. It was during this fighting, in which green troops came to grips with seasoned German soldiers for the first. time, that “38 Corner” became the best-known crossroad Inthearea, German artillery had zeroed in on the much- p) used intersection of the St, Lo-G s,) never withourshelstand- ing nearby. Div- ision MPs _con- stantly braved the fire to direct fraffic. La Foret roads,es nm beede for Hll-x9s, vial sizongpoiae oa the wa A liars rages beeing eee in reaching the erest June 16 only to be deiven back in the face of « withering counterattack. ‘The division's Sues Comte Par Gaiety wes eid oe fight as fnfanteymen. From then until July 14, wheg the Iniag Head boys roared to success on the heels of a tremendous and aerial bombardment, the dvisipn got realy or moe “Thick covered with heavy foliage, the hill cd a sizmile area. When “Second to’ None” rested the precious territory from the Nazi, the bra ough at t. Lo, vital communications center j i woul de weckcen oe 0 NS 1g Hill 192 for months. pees oo ere Pie "ib Hea Ee ‘The enemy had been fortify 1 was tude wih foxh expertly camouflaged 0! sprouted along its mans huddled ia du aff Every crossing and road in the vicinity had been zeroed in by enemy atlery emplaced on the faz slope Ger man camouflage suits. b fly with the Folia $0 well thar one Nasi suipeh remained ina tree only yo! yards fom, Armen ‘an entire day before he vas located and killed. / , Here, T)Set. RNY Kviatek gained fame-for his skill te hee 8 eee eee Het Petal «bolt action Springhill ih te: Ser Spe account for st Germans: mosty stipes HePCagRih ay foreach of evo brothers hile in fay. E wounded, he returned to combat to boost his TADS 36 2S opposing forces were so close together at this stage of the stra ‘with slings! Je that infintrymen propelled hand grenades its made ftom abandoned intertubes. In one raid preparatory to the drive over the hill tet Le Ralph Winstead, 38th Taf, led a Satpal hat Bawted is way cough ff enemy hedgerow pos- itions and. killed ot seriously wounded at least ax Nazis. | With dlocklike precision the patrol poures Throw thee eles ut out ofthe hedge « row by engineers be- fone eoonig tothelines. . Every member of the 16-man, raiding party received! either the Silver or Bronze Star, Only one man was eeriouely wounded. ‘The taking of Hill 192 finally was achieved through coordinated efforts of infintey, artillery, tanks 3 and engineers. ‘The Air’ Force also helped. by. softening’ up the heights with dive-bombings. Simultaneously with the main assault, the regiment on the left flank executed a diversionary attack fo mask the action that was to take place on a division front. Shortly before daybreak, July rx, cight battalions of division and corps arillery lid down a heavy concenta- tion which shifted to a rolling barrage as the attack’ knifed forward. Artillery shells screamed and shook? toe xed ual the objective was eccucd chat altenban. Many Germans who surrendered had been dazed by # intensity of the shell fice. They admired fe was worse than fighting on the Russian front. oo” Meanwhile, engineers blasted holes inthe hedgerows through which tanke rumbled to spray te next hedgerow wrth cannon and machine gun fre. This hept the News down until infantry, followings behind the tankes could pick off or capture them. ae ddozers,theie mammoth Scoops poised in front, sled ia sunken roads or ploughed ver machine gun nes ne dozet operstor, Pvt. John R. Brewer, 7415¢ Tank Bos sar tet Gennaio 4 hedgetod bling away a the advancings troops with thelr burp goes, He fmmashed the hedge over he ub, burying them alive. ‘Teowas the engineers’ job, once they had blown o in the hedgerows, oleie the aks to oaitone. Tel were attached. to Exch tank but chy often failed £0 operate es fing ear of Prt. Alton N: Joo tal Hage Bay wee coe oF creer hs Hiatt to sei the siaston. Bxposiee trea! techy ape fenes ccavled atop ove tank al gave dice spping on the hull, of inestimable (Although tanks and Holey: were of ti iue, it was the doughboys.who captured Hill tg2— i ee sein ho red ae Ha py elo he ne Sze Second Lt, Mac L, Basham, 38th Inf., reported fe routed one Nazi from his hhole and then made the ~~ Kraut’ accompany him to other shelters to order out his comrades. After taking seven pris- nets this way, @y! the Licutemnt 303 turned them ia, secured the aid of two enlistedcr esac mane fad evstred’ ary nistios of sratng he mina foes Ne pge 0 galo Say Afngecous satchel charges‘on thee Bucks. New Sevkes,lngeace by sugenious Gly overnight, ipped open ere ene chet oe wie inst Gass coclnign ond de ceny © male se men and together they drove five more from dugouts. By late afternoon, “The Hill” belonged to the men of the ind. “The division, its immediate mission accom- plished, faced south to await the great breakthrough. easier the task of foot. Bunoned-up mbdidm tanks charged into the attack wader tn fen of actly "0 ero openings and Toutes of appach. Thelr guns spat steel into encim atthe geht nests, When*the mere fed, tks ‘whided afound to their own lines behind a smokescreen to bésjoined by infantry, which came up with close sup- gfe be elles ine ng ground Inga its, rua. 192, then St. Lo were the first symptoms. Like} IGE eine eidsngespee: fe tic alive—from Caen to Granville, from, one coast Cherbourg peninsula to the other. ‘The feverish low of astillery. tanks and supply trucks, rumbling @om the beach and from Cherbourg, had filed t9 ‘bursting the ting space occupied by men end Soon it erupted. “The Germans were making a last desperate stand and eve ow was bloodly defended between the St Po-Berigny toad and Se. Jean des Baisnts. Capt. George R. Michell, commanding Co. K, asrd, went ahead of his two assault platoons, diced fre shots into. one niiching gun gest to kill utevkoew, and, then ieee m0 Se ee Tere ae a Sree te ‘os it Lo-Berigay high- 6 ia, American hands fttacked again on [ul he objective as Se jean 192, the Germans frantically had dug defenses three hedgerows deep. The and now stood astride the) ‘was, and, with the key city afew days later, the di 26 with regiments abr‘The Go men left in his company after coming 1 the bartage, stormed fortifeations manned by 500 Get. mans. They took 4o prisoners, killing or routing the remainder, “Capt, Michell was ‘awarded the DSC for is action, "Tis; 220, was om Doughfeet batered stabboraly through German rearguard actions—so relentlessly that at times they fell exhausted against hedgerows, only aise and slog wenily forward again. Dut what they aid in sweat, they saved in blood. The enemy had fo time in which to dig in deeply and catch his breath for another stand. i, ty as were oer nee 9 orci Brees pe oa ey cine ie ee occasional lobed in death and destruction) But the disintegration of the enemy. P more apparent. By Aug 2 tie division had crossed the Vite River—still spearheading the attack of = south Be ores Se aes ee (dug) sy tate bier) sum DO Tee leon savanie fo the onan of tr de gone agua posible counteratack. Nekt day, the division “drew Sut of action and for the frst time in the battle of the Bedgezow the and nglenge had the enemy 9 front 16It had come 4o kilometers in 20 days: The breathing 1 spell came none too soon. N World War I, dhe diyibion Iud set a record of 36 consecutive’ daye oY fighting, That mark was now eclipsed, World War If saw the Indian Head © combat soldiers in.the-front lines 7o straight days from D pls rto'D plop 71 f Contributigg: valuable support to the division in ecusing sap Wehrmacht during the Nociandy campaign arse esgaad SAA (AN) Hh ath aa apy 1D Bngsqiist Tank Bas sgeod “Cavalry ‘Recon’ Sqn, B acKo\st Chemical Bas = ‘ Of the part the division played in the Battle of Norman- dy, Maj. ‘Gen. L. T. Getuvt, Commanding General, V Comps, said : “The record of the and Inf. Div. from its arrival on the bac of Norman mil th apt of Ticiry thas been one of bard, relentes fighting against a stubborn ery. It was largely through the persistent determing. Hen ad ling curae of th afr and men of 2nd Inf. Div. that the battle of the bedgerows was won. “For more than two months of continuous fighting, they ere to a great measure responsion for the sucess of V Corps Almost immediately after the fall of Tinchebray, the and embarked on a soo-mile journey and the Battie of Brest. 7remembers it best because, while it was a deadly, bloody business, he could at least sleep in a bed for the first time since D plus 1, enjoy fine wit liquors and investi- i erie ee jazi loot. wo But he had to coméi'long, hard way before enjoyin, Rise iris eegih le lectowaas Cage sad) conde stunk as deep as those in Normandy, past heavily defended cnncrete emplacements, and against vicious weapon, the fiak gun firedat point blank range. Ors eietepged hs Dats of Doe te Se Of Sevastopol. Both once were prosperous eon mercial ports ee converted by the Neb ito, ke), + aval sutiont, Both were left a ples of rubble, tora walls and twisted steel when war’s fury ceased. “proper lies on. the northern side of the harbor, alf by the Penfield River, flowing south into the bor Actos the harbor to the southeast of the port ¢ Daoulas Peninsula juts out and to the southwest, cut Beets housed the summing bens fom whieh Utoaty threaded thest_way into the Avante to ataek. Allied shipping, As a port it was needed by the Alles, who were hacd-pressed for harbors through ‘which t0 feed, the growing armies in France, ae Rep allie Canalis Cote Bent he Bae pore Re ee cei and em accents of stecl reinforced concrete, fo See eee nan ea oe Bit the Ceasar td Goctaunet ghteake apa another Stalingrad, BSS Hitler demanded three monsis. Brest fell in 39 days. For generals and commanders, Brest was notable be- cause it involved sues fighting technique. The GIthe Crozon Peninsula, Both the city proper and the ) ‘two peninsulas were heavily defended. Pt ‘Thiee divisions, with a large amount of support, corps artillery, were assigned to reduce the. parting |The plan for the snd Div. was to drive south through the easternmost part of the city to the harbor, ‘On the ght (weer dani), the 8th Taf, Di wa pied 9 ship south through the center of Brest. Farther to the est moved the sth Inf. Divy heading soutt ters ut the western Up of the Britany Peninsula, “A tae force, composed of the sath Regimental Combat Team gpd other nis, was scheduled fo reduce the Daouas Commanding: Task Force R was Maj, Gen. (ein Brig, Gen) Tazo A Vin ec, BEE G6 of eso mo | commanding the 90 : : © ted of the 38th Int ie ‘Combat Team; | | | k force consis. > | One PW taken from a concrete emplacement said: t rd Bn, 530th © nf. Regt. ; 38th FA Bn, ond Div; Go. G,” and: Medical Bn. Co, Gooand Eng: Ba,, ansdtos. B. and C, Joych TD Ba ow ‘moved against Daoulas on Aug sansomsreray estoy; 7 re Gah cca tocasicue ‘urine be tee oe eae aoc tal ae 1 knew you were coming but I coulda’ do. anything, Teould sce no one to shoot. ‘The fist American roldier Teaw was the one who captured me BI 06 tate the Germans attempted to care the com Bete pillboses, barbed wire eatanglements und ticrshes Wrencitcing the hills peak. One infantey company. held Polk ciaforcements while another bagged the, posit Be ely the douphhoye' chow without bencti¢ of artilleryot ait support, the mancuver was highly successful, Hil 154 commandag the entre harbor aces snd was a valuable observation post. Although much hard Sighting lay ahead, capture of Hill 134 Ws che beginning of the énd for the Daoulas Peninstl "Seven cys later the tsk force swept thet to lean out pocket of rexstance around Plow fuel and reap a hadyest of oves sooo peuonetnd Th Stth inf returbed to the division. which now cloted fa Gn the natn detenss of Brest Fine of the Daowlas Renngula produced an_ imme: diate advantage. TD artillery and heavy machine 3 now could be set up along the shore, pouring direct, mttiag Sc across the harhoe Wet the ely. Observers fon Hill +34 and liaison planey made it increasingly dif- ficult for the enemy to use. artillery without revealing his position. While Ke Battle for Daoulas raged, the division crashed Brest’s outer defenses. A key objec- tive was Hill 1os,/which was to the outer defenses what Hill 154 was tovDaoulas, ‘There the similarity ended, for roy wasctaken only after slow, painful ighting Hill 105 was larger, more heavily manned, more bitterly defense hh in "the approaches and on the slopes Butttessed by concrete dugouts and positions, the Kraut defended it oot by foot ‘Attacking the hill's approaches, one company inched its way toward a group of six’ bunkers. A platoon crossed the Guipayas-Brest road, and one squad reached the first bunker when a loud explosion, followed by three successive blasts, rocked the terrain, Huge boulders, sharp chunks of conerete and debris burst in all directions, "One man aaid Intex he “juse kept climb- jing” even though he was buried to the waist. Others were not so lucky. Force of the explosion left craters 100 feet wide and | 30 feet deep. One man-sized piece of concrete smashed A tencksize hole ina thick hedgerow 100 yards away. “The squad which reached the frst bunker was comple- tely wiped out. Only two members. of the platoon’s 35remaining squads were: battle ft. Although few vere killed, many were stunned and hurt. ‘The com- pany commander gathesed 22 men together and pressed fn for 400 yards more before being stopped. Ivo daygiser anckoes company rack ty dap of ta With saree and. Sourge,' Binley” parnioopee ee Fourneuf held s sige thtsded wih ence hina foxholes and camoufaged gun cmplaccrenty,* Boone lee protection ‘was fred ‘by thi tern, a Sake erent ws throws ip te covel a duaaeity weer Oe creo are Cae ee ae gach in rare ce danger of the mito. "Re Wee found ity, yiog in Gd lene @ etea cea Still in. perfece platoon formation. "Al but three were dead, but bloodied bayonce, and 28 Getaa Relies One field gily told to fll sory of the tans ‘That night the enemy withdrew s00 yards. The fortunes of war were kinder to Co. E, aged Inf) asitatacked a simlntsuoaghold on Align” Baan ie wee secompeaying ature, Ee fick and sus blasted a flak gun with mortar fire and charged:into’a pit- ted toad with xed bayonets, kayoing machi se guns on Both flanks, and foreing the Nazis to sue Artillery and air bombardment softetted up Hill 193, but it eas the Hardiacking hedge to hedge. ifuaey slugging which finally took it, Pill toy commanded ther outer defences of Brest ait the Gop inal Path 90 and 00 still had to be tea, but after the highest — ferhad ile, he eer Soon 4 troopers the division from the beachhead, through ‘Trevieres, through at Se Lo and’ Vie, were apain on Sea Fach Gatsle fg ce forecced city dz yelopete 134, Forneuf, Hills 10s, 100. and 90—the truth Biel f-repeate statement hocame more apparent “We've fought them again and again and beat them. fell do it again.”‘As soon as rifle. bows blbpar Seige sof the Will, tank destroyers again went into actidn, stabbing into the hills om the sate ridge and into the city's ove fying saburbs. Division ana Comps acilery aso hecied into position, constantly lobbing tceurte Righ explosive, interspersed bith smoke shells, fo matic tagets for sweep, ing Aghter bombers, Brest Alsfcld was the scene of another biter struggle. South of the field the ‘nfantey ‘was pinned. dows by. \ concrete emplacements which had resisted tatce days. of> heavy shelling. To start the attack rolling ot company sector, flame-throwers were. brought, to fire into embrasizes of an enemy machine go ment. “theary loge ip ‘he Sompany. dented that no man experienced ia using the weabon Was aval- strapped the equipment to his \back, crossed. the ‘open field under heavy fire and destroyed the emplace- ‘ment. His action enabled the company to. breach the main line of resistance andhoutflank positions menac- i ide, Capt. Clough was vice Cross. able. Company commander ot Cameron A. Clough in Brest itself, pillars of smoke billowed constantly “from fices. set. by artillery and aerial bombardment. Traces of gunpowder and burat wood lingered in the air. Only Skeletons of buildings femained—some [lack- ened by fire, others. hollowed"by concussion blasts, Flere and thece blocks of apattments or stores’ stood Tuntouched. Piles of debris Spilled, slopped into deserted streets . x | ‘The silence wap oddly accentuated bythe random chatter ff zmachine guns and the sharp crack of rifles. Shells ‘whispering Oyerhead to crash in the distance added to the ghostlisess. When a French civilian ventured among the sérerkage, his footsteps echoed blocks away. At Digit the silence mounted until an occasional. shell descended and burst. Pale lights from flares quickly appeared in die surrounding">. This was the scene as the and Div. entered Brest for ‘The original tactical plan had been a th, dirion sector now included all of cast of the Penfield, while the agth Div advanced tase the area weat of the tice, The sen ee ved around to the south to assault the Crozon The stage was set for the final blow. tie, final battle, alteted so. that the cl hhad mb Peninsula, Tit swath cat by the Gls veered porch into St, Mage) 1. moving so swifly that lighted cigars and hot dinwer Jefe by the Reauts were found in hasty sbundonsd en man CPs. Fleal victory, howeven lay benno Of strcets and buildings “agnting. Ay PePOnR hedgerow warfare. Trattional methods ghetect Gove ing wer thle, Thee reas were deat tps swept by machine and fak gums senupsat ineetecteey Positions were gained by the “ladda? ute’ tek back doors, gardens, up and dowA ladders, and eee walls and hasty improticed ze eS alse eed tc et tos vik Peace tostincs eicreg oof t acie fn rom fi upper story window, or engaging in grenade and fire EEA Re oye ae ee ee ae cares eeoret erence fire, protected by ornate ie on peers ae field, but had to withdraw Tee aneees Sige ae oa Buildings on both sides eee ae cece ee proses‘The division eventually reached the old wall of the innee city. Patrols probed the ancient moat, searching for an opening. ‘The wall measured 60 fect actoss in some places—too wide for demolitions. Two plans were considered a crossing ofthe Fenbeld west of te wall throu agth Div. sector, or a penetration of he wall tele a To Lt. Col, William F. Kernan’s and Bn, went the credit for finding a way through. Co. I, which had distin- Buished itself at Potneuf, discovered the unguarded ‘weak spot. While the company trickled through this hhole, other elements of the battalion found another perince near the rivera overwhelmed the guards and permit surrender ofthe grion.» By that tne, the fasth Div. had swept past the submarine pens. the Pentel to ead ail resitance in the wertemn sector Now it was neatly r500. Brom holes, caves and un- derground dugouts Germans straggled into the Place da President’ Wilson, Some wore well-ailored, fancy ‘uniforms, in sharp comttast to the more practical battle dress of the Americans. Dirty, ragged clothes hung on others. Collected “in ‘little groups in the enormous Square were the grey-haired labor troops, the congiom- tration of eal personnel who had been aghting as tnfan- tryin scaaway youths and the stil, well-dressed officers Peete ee es eae tee ae a Eee eee fan American fing danced lazily in the breeze ‘At 100 the German commander formally surrendered the garrison in the presence of Gen, Robertson, Fortress Brest had fallen. Jo weeks of fighting, the and Div. had capsured 13,000. prisoners, including 3000 taken by. Task Force B on the Dadulas Peninsula, But all of this would not have been possible without the invaluable assistance rendered by Units attached to the division during the Battle of Brest. Units which Blended their efforts to make the and Div, so effectivewere the 61th TD Bn.; Co. B, 7osth TD Bn.; Co. D, josth Tank Bn.; Co. C, 86th Chemical Bn.; 687th FA Bars ConA, GB, sth Ranger Ba. Nov, ‘he and Div. is poised for the atime showdown, Hundreds of miles to the east of Brest, where the thuader ‘of war reverberates, men of the 2nd, inside the blood- sained, snow-swept Siegfried Line stills their way pag tte Jt cme. to selec, memories revert to e other weary hours of the past and especially to those mea who helped put the znd in Germany those who now remain behind in Normandy and Brittany. Recent deeds only have enriched the heritage crcated by the foreathess of the znd Div. who cut the pattern courage ia World War I. In achieving its successes during the curent campaign, the "going nt been torus, Heebreskng, But story is only a lagyet replica ofthe saga of 25 years ‘Whenever obstacles loom on the road to ultimate Gen, Robertson’s reminder answers the challeng eX feaghe them again and again and beat theke WEEE DO IT AGAIN s