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

192 THE 398TH INFANTRY REGIMENT
of darkness withdrew back to the river and into Heuchlingen. A few
minutes after Company E moved out, Company G, under Capt. Matthew
B. Einsmann, began moving across the flat farm land north of
Jagstfeld towards the village of Waldau on the Kocher River. However,
the company had only traveled a short distance when they ran
into the enemy's main defense line and became pinned down by fire
from three sides. The company engaged in a bitter fire fight, but finally
at 1800 hours, the effective combat strength reduced to less than sixty
men, Captain Einsmann was ordered to pull back to Heuchlingen for
the night.
Early the following morning the 1st Battalion commanded by Lt.
Col. Ralph C. McCrum crossed over on the bridge at Offenau and prepared
to continue the attack on the 2d Battalion's left. At dawn Companies
E and G moved into Jagstfeld and along with Company F began
the slow and costly process of clearing the town house by house.
At the same time Company B, commanded by Lt. William C. Henson
and Company C, commanded by Capt. Joseph 1. Rimlinger, began an
attack against the foe a short distance upstream. Both units moved out
without the usual artillery preparation and immediately met fierce
resistance. By the end of the day they had seized Hill 233 and dug in
there. During this action Pfc. Mike Colallilo of Company C was
credited with single-handedly killing twenty-five Germans and silencing
three machine gun positions. At dusk Company A under Lt. William
C. Henson moved forward with the other companies and the entire
battalion dug in on the high ground they had seized for the night. At
midnight the enemy staged determined counterattacks against all three
battalions, but they were successfully repulsed. The next morning
April 8 the 2d Battalion continued on farther into J agstfeld and the
1st Battalion moved on towards Hagenbach. Both continued to meet
fierce resistance and only gained a few yards during the entire action.
The 3d Battalion, still clinging tenaciously to its precarious positions,
repulsed three more attacks. On the 9th and 10th the 1st and 2d Battalions
remained on the offensive, but again their gains were limited
to short distances. On the evening of the tenth it was discovered that
the enemy was planning to withdraw across the Kocher River and
occupy prepared positions on the other side. Both battalions immediately
began an all-out offensive, which took the foe completely by surprise
and proved very costly for him. Both organizations reached the
Kocher River on the morning of the 11 th and the 1st Battalion was
then relieved by the 2d. Later in the afternoon Major Robert F. Curran,
Regimental S-3, came forward to look over the area and it was decided