INTERVIEW

Capt. Paul J. Malarkey, CO, Company C, 58th Armored Infantry Bn. and T/Sgt. Darrell J. Putnam, Platoon Sergeant, 2d Platoon, Company C, to Lt. Kitts, 1030 hours 10 March 1945, Grefrath, Germany.

On 23 February 1945, Company C 58th AIB was assigned the mission of clearing a small group of houses to the northeast of Linne (744859), in order to secure ground more favorable for jumping off in the attack on the village of Merum and the Heide Woods by the 58th AIB. These houses were cleared by one tank from the 3d platoon of A Company, 80th Tank Battalion and a squad of infantry from C Company, 58th AIB, on the morning of the 23d. The 58th AIB was then in position to launch the attack on the 26th.

At 0100 hours 26 February, S/Sgt. Fred Hamel, Squad Leader, 3d platoon, C Company, 58th AIB, accompanied by four men, went on a dismounted patrol to the northeast of Linne in the area 753863. After advancing 200 yards, the patrol encountered barbed wire entanglements and several concertinas. One member of the patrol tripped a trip wire and set off flares that had been placed there by the enemy. Immediately, machine gun fire opened up from their direct front and both their left and right flanks. The patrol took cover in a gulley and were pinned down there. 200 yards to the rear, Capt. Paul J. Malarkey, CO, counted ten machine guns firing on the patrol. Capt. Malarkey had an SCR 509 with him and by relaying his commands through the field artillery observer in Linne, adjusted fire on the machine guns and brought it within 75 yards of Sgt. Hamel's patrol. Capt. Malarkey estimated that at least one machine gun was definitely knocked out by the artillery fire. He stated that the difficulty of adjusting on the machine guns was heightened by the fact that the enemy's defenses included an excellent network of trenches and the machine guns, as well as the men manning them, constantly shifted positions by means of these trenches.

Sgt. Hamel's patrol returned just before 0500 hours 26 February.

At 0600 hours 26 February, the 58th AIB jumped off in its attack on the town of Merum, the Heide Woods and the Hoverenbol Woods. C Company was on the left in the attack. Attached to C Company was the heavy machine gun platoon from Hq Company, 58th AIB and Capt. Malarkey attached this platoon to the 3d platoon of C Company.

C Company attacked with three platoons abreast, the 1st on the left, the 2d in the middle and the 3d on the right. The company had approximately one hour of darkness during which to penetrate the enemy's outer defenses. Lt. Ralph J. Elias, Platoon Leader, 2d platoon, C Company, 58th AIB, took advantage of this one hour period of darkness and by advancing rapidly over the uncovered ground to the east of Linne had passed the enemy's barbed wire, concertinas and two anti-tank ditches before daylight. Catching the enemy off guard, Lt. Elias's platoon took the factory in the town of Merum and captured a company CP of the enemy set up there. The advance of Lt. Elias's platoon was covered by the heavy machine guns with the 3d platoon firing from his right flank at the enemy machine guns which had been spotted by Sgt. Hamel's patrol.

No opposition was encountered by C Company north of Merum and by late afternoon they were within two kilometers of Roermond (780897 when they were brought back to set up a line running southeast from Merum through the northern edge of the Heide Woods and Hoverenbol Woods.