INTERVIEW

Lt. Col., Thomas V. Brooke, Executive Officer, Combat Command A
Headquarters CCA
Blankenburg

On 19 April we were in Seehausen in corps reserve. From there we moved to Danstedt. That afternoon we received orders to contact the 330th Infantry Regt and relieve them. At the same time, we reverted to division control.

When we got to our new area, we found that the 330th Inf Regt had established roadblocks and outposts. Our mission was to clean out the woods north of the army boundary line and make contact with the 1st Infantry Division of the First U.S. Army.

The 18th Tank Battalion was given the mission of taking over the roadblocks and outposting of the area. The 7th Armored Infantry Battalion and the reconnaissance troop were to attack through the woods to clean them out. The attack was to be supported by the artillery battalion which had moved to Silstedt.

This area was cleaned out in two day's time. There was very little resistance by the enemy. Difficulties encountered during the attack were maintaining radio communications in the mountainous terrain, trying to get the tanks through the sleep, narrow roads in the wooded Harz mountain area, and removing a great many abates and roadblocks. The infantry and the reconnaissance troops were each given a platoon of engineers to work on the removal of these roadblocks.

Originally, the plan for the taking of Blankenburg was to be a coordinated attack by CCA and CCB. Since CCA was held up by terrain difficulties and CCB was meeting comparatively little resistance, CCB went in and took the town.

THOMAS V. BROOKS,
Lt. Col.,
Executive Officer,
Combat Command A.