History - 49th A.I.B. - Company 'A'
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(Pages 25-26)

FIRST PLATOON ACCOUNT

As the column slowly moved up the road toward Rheinberg, a few enemy were sighted and fired upon. The first vehicles passed, some peeps from the 88th Reconnaissance squadron which were drawing sniper fire. Suddenly the entire striking force was virtually pinned down. The road was too narrow to permit turning the vehicles and a terrific barrage of 88's and mortars began dropping over the whole column. As the men dismounted they were subjected to murderous automatic fire from machine guns and 'burp guns'. It seemed as if fire were coming from all directions.

The first platoon with 'A' Company of 36th Tank Battalion far in advance of the rest of the attacking force, was stopped in perfect 'shooting gallery' position. The men dismounted and took cover in a long low field to the right of the road. For a while they just dug in, attempting, to get away from the mortar and artillery fire coming in on the vehicles.

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After about an hour, during which there were heavy vehicular casualties, Captain Tucker, of the 36th Tank Battalion, gave the order to mount up on the tanks to rush the town. At about one hundred yards from Rheinberg, the attack failed due to the loss of a high percentage of the tanks. At this time, the platoon was broken into three sections, none of which from then on, had any knowledge of, or communications with the others, and until all three groups had returned, the company itself was out of contact with them.

One group, under Lieutenant Amos and T/Sgt. Merrill, with fourteen enlisted men and a few tankers withdrew to a group of farm buildings. There they set up a defense, and the medics operated an aid station. They stayed until dark, at which time they moved back about two hundred yards with one track and six tanks. Outposts were placed around the vehicles add they waited in the hopes that some of the missing men would return. Twice during the night, patrols went out to search for wounded and missing men. Neither patrol was successful, so at dawn the whole group pulled out and moved back to friendly territory. The men from 'A' Company, stopped at the Battalion Aid Station, and then moved into the center of Lintfort where they stayed at 137th Regimental Headquarters of 35th Infantry Division.

S/Sgt. Schaub and eight men composed one of the other groups. All nine of them were following the lead tank to towards the town. When it was destroyed by an 88 shell they left it, and took cover in a nearby ditch. Here they stayed, subject to point blank automatic fire, for the remaining five hours until darkness. When it appeared safe, they crawled for about six hundred yards, and then after a nerve raking two mile walk, contacted an outpost of the 35th Infantry Division. After spending the night with the 35th, they rejoined Lieutenant Amos's group in Lintfort.

The third group, under P.F.C. Zuccarella was following the third and fourth tanks in the attack. When the firing became too heavy, and the attack halted, they took cover in ditches, shell holes, and behind mounds made by the tank-dozer. From this position they directed medics until darkness when, in the midst of a heavy artillery barrage, they bagna their withdrawal. When one of the men discovered a half track they climbed in and rode in it to our own lines. After separating the wounded and sending them to the Aid Station, they moved to Company Headquarters to await the rest of the platoon.

The two groups under Lieutenant Amos and S/Sgt. Schaub spent one day with the 35th Division. Then they moved to Service Company, where, under the protective wing of Captain Carder, they received hot chow, some new equipment, and a nights sleep.

On the 8th of March this group moved up to Company trains where it was reunited with P.F.C. Zucceralla's group. The next day they moved, with trains, into Ossenberg on March 10th, to rejoin the second, third, and anti-tank platoons.


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