The Mosel and Nahe River Crossings

On the 28th, the entry read, "Battalion Command Post, Reconnaissance Command Post, and Headquarters Company, crossed the Rhine and moved to Dorscheid. B and C companies with Task Force Johnson advanced to Bad Schwalbach some 25 kilometers east of the river. Company C got oneself-propelled tank. Company B got 5 flack guns and tool 107 enlisted men and 8 officer prisoners, including two Colonels. At 2000 hours, the two task forces, having completed their missions. Were disbanded . A Company was attached to the 355th Infantry Regiment and Company C to the 353rd Regiment of the 89th Division for the next day's operation. Some of the towns remembered by B and C company men not mentioned above are Lippon, Langscheid and Dickschied. The Rhine had been crossed and we were in the hinterland of the 3rd Reich On the 28th, C Company Francis J. Winters was lost to the field hospital slightly wounded in action. Also James C. Winney and George F. Stevens of Recon. Company were slightly wounded vicinity of Pres berg, and on 31 March, Peter J. Arnone, Ir. Recon. Company was slightly wounded in action between Dorscheid and Kernel.

On March 29, 'The 1st Platoon without further opposition went through Rudesheim and down the river road to Eltville. Lt. Menard and Albert Bergmann picked up two prisoners. The 3rd while bivouacked for the night was a committee for 8 Krauts mounted horses and wagons. They had mistaken our TDs for a Panzer outfit." After Geisenheim had been observed taken by the infantry, the route was through Johannesberg, 0estrich -Winkel, Mittelheim, Hottenheim, Erbach, and Eltville with no opposition of importance until then. "The infantry was held up by 20mm guns, so Larry Otis and Ray Barclay put their destroyers in front. Otis knocked out a vehicle and drove some Krauts out of the house. About 16 surrendered to the infantry, Ray Barclay fired about 100 rounds of 50 cal. at a machine gun nest, and that was quieted. He then put 9 rounds of 76mm at another machine gun and 20mm gun and knocked them both out. Barclay covered the infantry advance while more Krauts surrendered, and also fired at a booby trapped house that contained a lot of 20mm ammunition and took 50 prisoners in all, many of whom were boys of 13 and 15 years of age. Headquarters platoon moved to Geisenheim on the Rhine and took over a building that was discovered to have a large underground factory. The 3rd platoon after reconnoitering beyond Eltville and meeting no opposition returned to Geisenheim as did the 1st and 2nd. The Company was placed in Corp reserve. Here in the middle of the Rhine River grape vineyards champagne flowed freely that night.

On 27 March the Battalion Journal indicated that Task Force Johnson had moved to Kernel against only scattered resistance. Captain W. D. Hart was wounded and evacuated, and Lt. Barthold took over command of Company B.

On the 28th, the entry read, "Battalion Command Post, Reconnaissance Command Post, and Headquarters Company crossed the Rhine and moved to Dorscheid. B and C Companies with Task Force Johnson advanced to Bad Schwalbach some 25 kilometers east of the river. Company C got one self-propelled tank. Company B got 5 flack guns, 11 trucks, and took 107 enlisted men and 8 officer prisoners, including two Colonels. At 2000 hours, the two task forces, having completed their missions, were disbanded. A Company was attached to the 355th Infantry Regiment, and Company C to the 353rd Regiment of the 89th Division for the next day's operation". Some of the towns remembered by B and C Company men not mentioned above are Lippon, Langscheid and Dickschied. The Rhine had been crossed and we were in the hinterland of the 3rd Reich.

On the 29th, each company worked with its respective Regiment in cleaning up the remaining pockets of enemy in the zone. Company C got six flak guns. Small groups of enemy continued to surrender without a fight and were taken prisoners. On March 30 Captain Hart, B Company Commander, returned to duty. The Battalion Command Post, Headquarters and Recon. Companies moved to Kernel. Mopping up operations continued satisfactorily, and on the 31st, Company B, manned roadblocks in the 354 Infantry Regiment sector, but the area was quiet.