appendix awards and decorations - The George C. Marshall ...

AWARDS AND DECORATIONS 187
than seventy men and those that remained were ordered to pull back
to Heuchlingen for the night. At 1800 hours Company F reached the
outskirts of Jagstfeld and succeeded in occupying the first row of houses.
They halted here for the night and prepared to continue on in the
morning. The following day all three companies moved into Jagstfeld
and began the slow task of clearing the town. The stubborn defenders
had converted every house into a miniature fortress and our advances
were measured in yards. No matter how desperate their plight, the foe
refused to surrender and had to be roured from their positions by assault
teams armed with bazookas, rifle and hand grenades. When all other
means of dislodging them failed, the homes in which they had taken
refuge were set on fire and machine guns emplaced to cover all exits.
This bitter type of street fighting lasted for four days, during which only
forty enemy were captured, but an estimated one hundred and fifty
were killed. Finally, on the afternoon of 10 April the leading scout
of Company F reached the edge of Jagstfeld and observed the Kocher
River flowing below. The enemy had apparently withdrawn to the
other side and so our forces prepared defensive positions overlooking
the river bank and prepared to spend the night. For the first time in a
week the riflemen were able to sleep without being hit by a counterattack
or combat patrol. The following day, 11 April, patrols were
sent to reconnoiter the river for a crossing site. Company F discovered a
small footbridge near the village of Waldau and it was decided to attempt
a crossing that night. At 2200 hours during a heavy rain storm,
a patrol started across, but they were forced back by intense small arms
and machine-gun fire. At 0200 hours the patrol started our again and
succeeded in reaching the far bank without being detected. The single
outpost guarding the bridge was quickly eliminated and the remaining
elements of the company rushed across. They moved into Waldau and
cleared the village, completely surprising twenty-five enemy there and
capturing them without a fight. Company E followed and moved on
toward the village of Neckarsulm. Company G came last and seized
the high ground in front of Waldau before the main force of enemy
was aware of what had happened. A Bailey bridge was constructed in
a matter of hours and elements of the 10th Armored Division rushed
across to exploit the breakthrough.
4. a. The terrain surrounding the Neckar River was flat farmland.
The Jagst River flowed through a small valley with approximately two
hundred yards of flat land on either side. Between the Jagst and
Kocher Rivers the land rose sharply and there were a few patches of
woods.