Home

Breaching the Siegfried Line

Report of patrol from Co. B, 117th on Sept. 22nd, 1944. The first patrol to cross the Wurm River. Adobe PDF file....5 pages. Tremendous history!!!

Aerial photo of route of above report....may even be a copy of the map they used to plan their route. The markings on this map show the routes of the actual assault on Oct. 2nd.

Pvt. Brent Youenes, right, author of above report. 1st Platoon, Co. B, 117th

Haystack, right, mentioned in report. Draw mentioned in report.

CLICK for more information on the Oct. 2nd assault

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Click on thumbnail for nice map of area

Aerial photo of Rimburg Castle area

Rimburg Castle just after battle 1944. Rimburg Castle, July, 1995.

Hidden pillbox near Rimburg Castle Another photo of same pillbox. I found a signal corps photo with the soldier in photo identified: Pfc. Clarence McDonald, Paramont, W. Va. 119th IR, Co. I...dated 10/6/44.

John Nolan, 119th, Co. G and the rest of 3rd Squad, 1st Platoon, spent the night of Oct. 2-3 in this pillbox..read his notes.

I am 99% sure that PFC Vernon Bauer of the 30th on his way back to an aide station on Oct. 6th is sitting on the window sill of the above pillbox.

Location of the above pillbox today....April, 2007 from Mark Muller.

Please note the location of above pillbox (yellow arrow) with John Nolan's notes. Also read Mr. Nolan's notes on the red arrow: "In the photo map with contour lines Company G's location on the night of 1/2 October 1944 is about where the m and b are in the printed word "Rimburg." Company G was in Battalion reserve in a forested area with E & F Companies as the assault units. That night we received Jerry artillery fire that exploded as "tree bursts." It is hell to be in a forest and be subject to tree bursts. We were not dug in, and we just "hugged the ground." Cletus got a shell fragment hit on his helmet that made a dent. He wore that helmet the rest of the war with his dent acquired that night."

View looking northeast of the above position of Company G on night of Oct. 1/2.

Aerial photo north of Palenberg

Aerial photo of Palenberg

This I believe is a photo of the pillbox 'garage' mentioned in above photo

Pillbox located in red circle!!

Most of the old houses of Marienberg in the Wurm valley had been built by the coal mine company in the early 30's. Most were damaged in Oct. 1944 but are still in use. The walls of some of them still bear the 'wounds' of the fighting. Below present photo and map of a heavily damaged one (marked with a red arrow).

Bahnubergang Palenberg Frankenstrasse....Railroad crossing photo of unknown American tank and photo of present day location. See map below for exact location. Thanks again Marc Muller.

Arrow points direction of above photos of railroad crossing above. Photo

The blown up bunker on top of page 14 I have located. In the left background of the picture you see Hotel Ernst (picture with Adolf below) and in the center you can see the railroad crossing with the railway control center. I can not tell you what is the correct number of the bunker it can be 255 or 256 because they were very close together to protect the railway crossing. 255 was a bunker for a anti tank gun and 256 a machine gun bunker. I think it is the anti tank gun bunker that is on the right side of 256. I attached your old Siegfried line card to visualize it. The arrow is in view direction. It is difficult to take a today's picture because there are houses and a small ALDI market at this site.

Ralph E. Stickel of Laura, OH, I believe of the 2nd AD, near the railroad crossing above.

Aerial photos of Palenberg and surroundings

Tremendous map of the assault area...with legend.

2007 photo of Siegfried pillbox with map and arrow pointing to location.

Photo of American tanks, most probably 2nd Armor, on Oct. 6 or 8th in the fields between Holthausen and Beggendorf. Marc Muller, Marienberg, Germany
Map of area of action of above tanks.
Aerial Photo of area...Yellow arrow, Holthausen Red arrow, Beggendorf.

105th Engineer day by day report from their history....Sept. 18th through Oct. 20th, 1944. (Adobe PDF file) Be Patient with download.