Download - 70th Infantry Division Association

emaining houses in their sector and were in open ground. All units were ordered to post all around
security and to hold and defend. H hour on the following morning for all units except the 2d Battalion was
0900. Word came from the 274th Regiment on our right that they would continue the attack at 0630.
The 884th Field Artillery Battalion fired harassing fires throughout the night.
In the early morning hours of 4 March, the enemy began to infiltrate into the positions which had been
taken by the French and were held by units of the 12th Armored. The 12th Armored withdrew and
Company B was sent in to hold the ground.
The 2d Battalion, on the right flank of Company C, attacked to the north encountering mortar and heavy
small arms fire. Some of the small arms fire was coming from houses presumably already cleared by
Company C. Units from Company E and Company F had to stop long enough in their advance to finish
clearing this area.
At 0900 the forward units began their advance. Company B, after clearing their area of infiltrating
Germans, returned it to the control of Combat Command "A", 12th Armored Division. Companies K and A,
in the center of the Regimental Sector, found the going difficult because of enemy in well-fortified
basements used as pillboxes. The Artillery Forward Observer with Company A coordinated the fire of all
batteries of the 884th, and artillery fire was laid on the German positions, thus enabling Companies A and
K to advance.
Tanks were unable to move forward because of heavily mined areas. Mine clearing crews were exposed
to small arms fire and several men were wounded.
The 2d Battalion, with E Company on the left, F Company in the center, and G Company on the right,
drew light small arms fire and heavy artillery, mortar, and rocket fire from the vicinity of the Simon Mine in
the 274th Sector. Company F received the bulk of the fire but continued to advance. Elements of the 12th
Armored crossed over the railroad tracks and moved north to occupy and hold the area taken by
Company G on the Regimental right flank.
Units of the 12th Armored Division, co-ordinating with the 70th Division, moved from Oeting to Forbach
and were shelled while on the road. Some of the enemy artillery and mortar fire was reported as coming
from the vicinity of the University in Forbach. The Regimental Commander called the 2d Battalion to
request Company C, 99th Chemical Battalion to lay down a smoke screen in the University area. The 2d
Battalion was ordered to move into Forbach.
By 1200, the tanks were still unable to use the underpass but were supporting the foot troops from behind
the railroad embankment. Tank Destroyers had knocked out one enemy self-propelled gun, one anti-tank
gun, and one machine gun.
Company C on the right, pinned down by automatic weapons fire, was engaged in a heavy fire fight, after
having taken several buildings. Company A occupied buildings across the railroad and the French Forces
were aggressively advancing toward their objective. Company K was advancing slowly against heavy
small arms fire, and Company I was about 500 meters along the Marienau road and still moving, but their
support platoon was pinned down by fire from the vicinity of a factory building about 600 meters south of
Marienau.
S-2 reported that a sergeant from Company I was shot at and wounded by one of two persons dressed in
women's clothing. These persons, wearing helmets and carrying weapons, were not seen again.
The enemy was still shelling Forbach as the 2d Battalion moved into town. The heavy fire continued to
hold up the advance of our forward troops. Two platoons of Company C were still being held up behind
the railroad tracks. Tanks were called for and moved into position to support Companies C and K. One
tank hit a mine after going through the underpass. Another tank attached to Company C helped them to