Civilians
reluctantly leave house which has been |
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The fight for Zeitz continued throughout the day and into the night for the 1st Battalion of the 304th until they were relieved by 417th troops who carried on the battle. By next day the city had been flushed conclusively, except for the southwestern section where many nazis were holding out in the OCS barracks. In a nearby orchard fifteen krauts in fox-holes were quickly cleaned out and then all available fire was delivered against the buildings. Tanks, TD's, mortars, artillery, sent shells crashing into the crumbling walls; the infantrymen moved in, taking several buildings and capturing some 300 enemy troops. The German commanding officer, however, managed to escape through a tunnel to another building where he continued to command resistance elements. On the 15th a temporary truce was declared to permit the evacuation of 200 wounded Germans. Once again the stubborn colonel was asked to surrender. He refused but gave his uninjured men a chance to give up. Out of the building, with hands over their heads, marched a small group of heinies who had had enough, but before the truce was over some of the krauts fired on the personnel evacuating the wounded. The nazis were asking for it and they got it. Every tank and TD lined up. Every weapon in the vicinity was trained on the remaining building. The order to fire was given. For a solid hour the building was shelled unmercifully, turning it into a heap of rubble until from the smoking debris emerged a white flag, the nazi colonel and the remnants of the garrison - ending the siege. In all, more than 1000 Germans, including the killed and wounded, were accounted for in the battle of Zeitz. In addition, approximately 1000 French slave laborers and 250 Russian soldiers were liberated from a nearby PW camp. |
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More than 1000 Germans were accounted for in the battle of Zeitz . . . . . |
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ONAWAY's continued attack with the 6th Armored forged a path eastward ahead of all elements of the Third Army. By 16 April the 304th and 417th had crossed the Zwickauer-Mulde River bridgehead established by the 6th Armored while the 385th pulled up at positions west of the two brother regiments. The powerful spearhead had fully achieved all Third Army expectations and had made a clean sweep of the enemy. When at this point XX Corps ordered a halt with the restraining line along the Mulde River, the 76th had made the deepest penetration into Germany of any Allied troops on the Western Front, and had covered more than 250 miles in this last sensational drive. Now, as ONAWAY took up defensive positions along the river facing Chemnitz, preparations were begun to attack the city held by a large force of miscellaneous outfits and SS troops. At the same time, with the Russian forces swooping in from the east, more and more frightened German civilians attempted to pass into the 76th zone. Many from the Chemnitz area reported that the Chemnitz civilian population wanted to surrender to the Americans but the division was powerless in the face of the Corps restraining line. Front line troops could see the city as Division Artillery sent repeated blastings against housed enemy troops. The enemy retaliated with small arms, nebelwerfer and artillery fire and his few remaining planes were heard from again in strafing and bombing attacks on the 76th's forward troops, who brushed them aside like so many pesty flies. It was an exasperating mission to have to sit tight, but the over-all picture was clear, -- ONAWAY was waiting on the Russians for the final pinch-off of the enemy in between. By comparison with previous combat days, the period was a breathing spell for the troops. Equipment was put into shape. Special Service had a chance to function again and movies and stage shows were presented to the troops. Red Cross clubmobiles circulated among the regiments with hot coffee and doughnuts. Regardless of the static position, ONAWAY troops continued on combat patrol missions. Prisoners were taken and there were many skirmishes with enemy troops attempting to cut back to the no-man's land hourly being narrowed by the approaching Soviet forces. |
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Silent
and useless . . . . . |
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Willi Winkle was a Bavarian school teacher before he joined Hitler's army. He was placed in the Anti-Aircraft School for the German Armored Infantry and before long rise to the position of commanding officer. He didn't realize he was marked by the event of war to be a celebrity of sorts. On the night of 17 April he became just that, much against his wishes. The 76th doughboys captured Capt Willi Winkle and rushed him back to the prisoner of war cage because Capt Willi Winkle was the 20,000th PW snared by the 76th since its battle debut. The captain wasn't impressed by being No. 20,000 and he took a gloomy view of Germany's future. When asked why, in the face of the overwhelming civilian desire to quit, the Wehrmacht continued the hopeless struggle, he gave the typical nazi automatic reply: "My sense of honor demands it and my sense of duty tells me to execute orders." Being a celebrity didn't last long for Willi Winkle because it was a busy night for the PW cage - the krauts were pouring in by the truckloads ..... |
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On 17-18 April the 76th's zone was enlarged to take in Wolkenburg, Limbach, Rabenstein, Crimmitschau, Glauchau, Oberlungwitz and Nutzung. At noon on 18 April ONAWAY passed to the control of the VIII Corps. Adolf Hitler was fifty-six years old on the 20th and ONAWAY remembered him with a present. The present was fifty-six rounds of artillery deposited on the SS barracks in Chemnitz by the 901st FA Battalion. |
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Every glance at the situation map graphically pictured the rapid disintegration of the German Reich. By the day, by the hour, the grease-penciled lines representing the British, American and Russian troops were drawing closer together. And as the inevitable meeting came nearer to reality it rekindled the emotional spirit of victory close at hand. Long before the Allies had first stormed the beaches of Normandy it was known that the day would come when the might of the three great Allies would link on the battle-field, with trampled Germany under foot. At long last that awaited day was near. It was on 21 April that an unexpected staff meeting was called at Division Headquarters. "Higher headquarters has reported the Russians twenty-five kilometers east of us," Col W. W. O'Connor, Chief of Staff said. The officers crowded around the large wall map. "We will hold present positions including the bridgehead of the Mulde River," The C of S continued. "The bridgehead will be abandoned only upon agreement between Corps and the Russian Commander. Notify Corps just as soon as contact is gained. Immediately alert all troops as to the approach of the Russians in order that there may be no fire fights." Col O'Connor turned to G-3. "Give all this to the troops immediately, get all the Air up we can within limits of safety and keep me informed of anything picked up so that the ground troops can be informed." The news spread like wildfire throughout Division Headquarters, down to the regiments, battalions, companies, front line troops. No one knew where the Soviets would break through first but ONAWAY was closer to a link-up than any other division. Recognition signals were established by higher headquarters. "AEF elements will identify themselves by a series of more than two green Very lights or green star rockets. Soviet forces will employ series of red rockets." Rumors came to ONAWAY of adjacent armored and infantry divisions forming task forces to go out for contact with the Russians. The 76th strained at the leash but orders from higher headquarters had to be obeyed - there was no crossing the restraining line for ONAWAY or any other division. It became a waiting game. |
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