General Orders 1946 - Fort Benning

Gmm.41. Oaowa WAR DEPARTMIDST
No. 56 TDkanr~o~o~ 25, D. C., 17 June 1946
BATTLE HONORS.-As anthorized by Executive Order 9396 (see. I, WD Bul.
provisions of &tion IV, WD circular 333, 1043, in the name of the President
of the.&ted States as nublic evidence of deserred honor and distinction. The
& Battalion was ordered to attack throughthe 2d Battalion's positions on the
southern edge of Oberhoffen and seize the remainder of the stubhornly defended
town. Under cover of darkness, Company C executed a brilliant flanking
maneuver and advanced stealthily to a point about 300 yards north of a fork in
the southern part of town, where Company A had been halted by fierce resistance.
Striking swiftly and aggressively, elements of Company C surprised the hostile
foree, fought through to contact Company A at the fork, and, in scoring a
decisive victory over the German troops, broke the deadlock in this sector. On
the following day, as Company C pressed its advantage and drove toward the
northeast section of Oberhoffen, the enemg launched a violent counterattack with
live Royal Tiger tanks and an estimated 100 SS troops. The men of Company C
not oniy held their ground in the face of the hostile onslau~ht and sueeessfully
repelled the counterattack, but also began pressing forward with renewed
aggressiveness. When the company wa,s relieved on 3 February, it had killed and
captured more than 150 Germans and had completely cleared the northeast scction
of Oherhoffcn. Four days later, the 1st Battalion relieved another unit flghting
to clear the strongly fortified northwest prtion of the town. Ihdy in the
morning of 9 February, Company C passed through Company A and, afLer intense
house-to-house lighting, cleared all the houses in this sector. In the face of a
determined counterattack by approximately 100 enemy infantrymen, elements of
Company C were forced to withdraw a short distance, but, on the following day,
attacked again and retook the lost houses, securing this section of Oberhoffen.
During this Bday action, the men of Company 0, l&l Infantry Regiment, killed
and captured approximnteiy 176 Germans and helped smash the enemy's last hold
wn, thus ending the long, fierce battle for Oberhoffen. (General Orders
397,As an assault Unit of a large-scale attack, Company K was assigned the mission
of attacking - at night . across exwsed terrain to cauture the town of Bitschhoffen.
France. This town was known to he well-defended and surrounded by extensive
mine flelds. The men of Company K attacked twice, each time suffering heavy
lOESeS from mines and enemy defensive fires, and each time reorganizing for
another assault. On the third assault, elements of the company attacking up to
and through a mine field. succeeded in enterine the town. Overwhelmine German
. . - .-
undetermined number of enemy soldiers were killed, 66 prisoners of war were
captured, and the oniy supply route for two regiments was owned. (General
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