CHAPTER ELEVEN
Attempts to push east to cut the road passing through Kretzhaus and Notscheid continued on 12 March 1945 in the face of fierce resistance. Major Henry H Hardenbergh had taken over command of the 2/310th Infantry Regiment after Lieutenant-Colonel Culbreth had been evacuated with battle fatigue. Hardenbergh’s men had spent a weary night being shelled and mortared on the crest of Meerberg and at 06:45 they advanced a second time towards Kretzhaus. The intention was to establish a roadblock north of the village but, once again, they came under heavy fire from infantry and tank fire as they moved through the woods. For several hours Companies F and G crept forward across the rough terrain, until they were close to the Bruchhausen road junction, northwest of Kretzhaus. Just as Major Hardenbergh thought he had managed to take his objective, a company of infantry and four panzer Mk IV tanks counterattacked and broke into Company F’s position.
Fighting at close range, Hardenburg’s men managed to drive off the counterattack before withdrawing a short distance from the vulnerable position. His force now spent, Major Hardenburg handed over his positions to the 52nd Armored Infantry Battalion overnight. The battalion had been expecting to take over Kretzhaus crossroads, instead, Lieutenant-Colonel Prince found that he would have to launch an attack to capture it at first light.
German infantry move up behind a Panzer Mk IV.
The attack on Kretzhaus.
As 310th Infantry Regiment fought its way towards Kretzhaus, 47th Infantry Regiment tried once more to advance across the Losbach valley. At midday Colonel Smythe was pleased to hear that his 1st Battalion had reached the summit of Rennenberg I, and despite heavy fire from several directions, it had managed to establish a defensive perimeter. The capture of the hill meant that troops could pass safely along the Kretzhaus road for the first time. The 2nd Battalion managed to advance some distance along the road, but it soon came under heavy artillery and mortar fire directed from Rennenberg II. Colonel Smythe’s men would have to take the hill before he could hope to cut the road between Kretzhaus and Notscheid.
The following morning 310th Infantry Regiment launched another attack on the village. The 52nd Armored Infantry Battalion was expected to advance along the Ohlenberg road, driving the Germans back towards Kalenborn. A platoon of Sherman tanks and a platoon of tank destroyers would support the battalion, however, Lieutenant-Colonel Prince was expecting to meet fierce opposition. At least two Tiger tanks and four Panzer IVs had been spotted prowling around Kretzhaus; the following note sums up the respect shown by Prince towards his adversary:
Not that the enemy was present in any particular strength, but he had the high ground, and he made the best use of it, his tanks and machine guns being very carefully and effectively placed.
The Germans were determined to push the Americans back into the Rhine.
Accurate artillery and mortar fire greeted Companies A and B as they drew close to Kretzhaus and a number of machine gun nests made it impossible to reach the crossroads. Both company commanding officers, lieutenants Eugene Biondi and Maurice Deal, were wounded and although the infantry looked to the armour for support, the tank destroyers were experiencing their own difficulties:
One of the Tigers was sitting astride the crossroads in the village, firing down the approach routes. A stiff fight developed. Every time a house was cleared the enemy launched a counterattack. The companies finally succeeded in capturing about a third of the town; then they dug in to hold what they had.
In an effort to reinforce his position, Lieutenant-Colonel Prince ordered Company C forward. When Captain Wortham reached the front line he realised that it was impossible to make a frontal attack. The only option open was to try and outflank the German positions. Second Lieutenant William McCurdy was ordered to take his platoon to the north, cutting through the woods to avoid detection. His men spotted a number of machine gun nests as they approached the Bruchhausen road and a Panzer IV was sat squarely on the junction covering the approach roads. Lieutenant-Colonel Prince’s report vividly describes how Lieutenant McCurdy’s men assaulted the position:
This officer led his platoon of 28 men in an attack up the road through woods towards the tank. Upon closer approach he definitely spotted the tank, and by means of radio adjusted Tank Destroyer fire on the tank and surrounding positions. This tank returned fire with both 75mm and calibre 31 machine gun, but only succeeded in wounding two men in Lt McCurdy’s platoon. The enemy was knocked out without further casualties to our men. Lt McCurdy then continued his advance and with assault fire cleared out the woods and reached his objective. Two additional enemy tanks were located 440 yards to the northwest and northeast but were knocked out as TD fire was again directed on them. Four additional men were seriously wounded on the objective by enemy 88mm fire from the tanks. By the time the force reached the crossroads there were only 12 men left of the 28. This place was nicknamed ‘Hell’s Corner’ by the men of the 52nd.
Lieutenant McCurdy’s bold advance had succeeded in cutting the road north of the Kretzhaus. Throughout the evening the rest of Captain Wortham’s men worked alongside 3/310th Infantry Regiment to clear infantry from the woods while tank destroyers moved up to form roadblocks in front of the village.
To the southeast, the two battalions of the 47th Infantry Regiment continued to push forward towards Notscheid in the face of fierce resistance. Tanks and infantry checked 2nd Battalion’s advance up the Losbach valley and the 1st Battalion attempts to penetrate the village failed. However, by nightfall the Regiment had managed to establish a firing line over looking the road between Kretzhaus and Notscheid. The two battalions brought up their reserve companies and continued to advance slowly under cover of darkness, reaching the road by dawn. For the first time the Germans were unable to move their reinforcements freely between the two villages.
14 March was a day of reorganisation as the 310th Infantry Regiment prepared for its final assault on Kretzhaus and by first light it had established a continuous line facing the village. Meanwhile, 47th Regiment’s 1st Battalion came under heavy fire as it tried once more to reach Notscheid. Panzers, self propelled guns and machine guns made sure that nothing could get within 400 metres of the village. Although the 60th Armored Infantry Battalion had managed to advance from the south to get within striking distance of Notscheid, the Germans were determined to hold the village for as long as possible.
At dawn on 15 March five battalions launched an attack across the road that had served as the main axis for German reserves for the past week. Two companies of the 3/310th Infantry Regiment advanced into Kretzhaus under heavy fire and after Company I crossed the road south of the crossroads Lieutenant Herman J Carlson led his platoon into woods south of the village. The regimental history describes what he found:
In the woods they discovered four enemy tanks supported by infantry. Dropping in the woods were mortar and artillery shells. But the infantry got close to the tanks, so close the tanks couldn’t fire on them. Close enough so that two men were injured by muzzle blasts from the tanks’ guns. They stuck there until the enemy infantry were driven back. Then the rifle support backed up so the bazookamen could fire at the tanks, which, although only slightly damaged, withdrew.
GIs share a soft drink during a lull in the fighting. National Archives 111-SC-421486
Having driven off the tanks, Company I was able to clear the houses around the crossroads, allowing tanks to come forward and clear the railway station and the woods beyond. Lieutenant-Colonel Lutz had been in the thick of the fighting throughout the day but as he reconnoitred the battalion’s next objective the Regimental Command Post received the codeword ‘Punt, Pass, Pray’; it mean that Lutz had been wounded. Despite the setback, Captain Olson led Company I east towards Kalenborn and with the help of a company from the 52nd Armored Infantry Battalion his men captured the road network overlooking Kalenborn.
After five days of bitter fighting, ‘Hell’s Corner’ was finally secure and as the GIs began to dig in they couldn’t fail to notice the burnt out German halftracks and tanks littering the woods. The 52nd Armored Infantry Battalion alone suffered over two hundred casualties in the battle for Kretzhaus. There is no record of how many German soldiers lost their lives in the battle.
To the southeast, 47th Infantry Regiment eventually entered Notscheid and with the help of the 60th Armored Infantry Battalion secured the village by nightfall. It meant that General Millikin held a continuous front between Kalenborn and Notscheid; the Remagen bridgehead was finally secure. Now that he had control of the road network through the Westerwald, he would be able to build up his own reserves ready to advance across the autobahn connecting Cologne and Frankfurt.