39th Infantry Regiment (9th Inf. Div.)
13 Sept - 26 Oct 1944
15 September 1944
The regimental commander ordered that the entire line of the 3rd Battalion probe for weak points in the enemy defenses. It was planned that if one company made a break, the other two would quickly withdraw and follow in its path.
K Company in the center of the battalion front met the strongest resistance. Under heavy fire, which dominated the open ground at the gap through the Dragons Teeth, the company went through the gap and captured the entrenchment just east of the concrete obstacles (vicinity of 975267). It fought from house to house to get to the Dragons Teeth, but the resistance at the gap itself from infantry was not especially heavy.
While K Company was moving slowly throughout the morning across the Dragons Teeth, I Company attacked on the left flank. It came under heavy mortar and small arms fire, and likewise could not move fast. Throughout the day it got no more than 200 yards, and did not cross the Dragons Teeth. It did succeed in surrounding some pillboxes on the near side of the obstacles, but even though it had TDs with it, the pillboxes would not fall. However, the area (vicinity of 973273) was neutralized.
Panorama Hill 554 - Paustenbacher Höhe
L Company, like the rest of the battalion, jumped off early in the morning. It sent a flank patrol down the trail from its position (969265) southwards towards the village of Paustenbach (972256), while the bulk of the company attacked down the road just east of the railroad towards the same objective. The town itself was reached with surprisingly little opposition, and the main body of the company moved south down the main street of the village and cleaned the houses of scattered opposition. While this was going on (it was not mid-morning), the patrol which had followed the trail on the left flank of the company, turned sharply east at 970258 and worked up a defiladed trail towards the Dragons Teeth. A line of trees gave additional cover until it was within 200 yards of the obstacles. At this point the patrol met heavy fire and was unable to advance any farther, and. they held this position as the left flank of the company front.
Having cleaned out most of the town and the orchards behind the houses, L Company continued the attack to the next objective, Hill 554 (975254). This ground dominated the entire area, including the town of Lammersdorf, and it was considered vital to a successful penetration of the Siegfried Line at this point that the hill with its excellent observation and commanding position be in American hands. L Company therefore held with the platoon on the right (southwest) of the road through Paustenbach. With two platoons on the left, facing east to Hill 554, it began its attack. The enemy with fire from pillboxes and emplacements on the hill responded with such intensity to the efforts of L Company, that it could not advance much behind the line of houses along the eastern edge of the village.
As the battalion tied in for the night in these positions, it had secured a good observation post in the area taken by K Company. Thereafter, the artillery which the battalion was able to call in helped considerably in the attacks. Three AT guns {75mm) were fired upon. One was on the near hill (980262), another to the northeast (exact location unknown), and the third to the southeast on the hill at 975257. Fire was likewise called for on a 20mm gun emplacement, and when the area was inspected later it was found that two in the same vicinity had been knocked out.
16 September 1944
L Company, which had halted its progress the day before on the outskirts of Paustenbach, renewed the attack against Hill 554, The two platoons on the left of the road and at the northwestern slope of the hill forced their way up to the Dragons Teeth, engaging in hand to hand fighting with the enemy. One platoon got in the entrenchments and managed to cross the concrete obstacles (vicinity of 973257) and the enemy pulled out. However, a pre-zeroed in mortar barrage then came down on the position, while enfilade fire hit the platoon from the left flank. This advanced position could not be held, since the platoon was cut off from the rest of the company by enemy fire. It therefore withdrew to the entrenchments just west of the Dragons Teeth. For the night, therefore, L had one platoon just west of the obstacles, another on the south to the right of the road protecting that flank while the third (acting as reserve) was on the left. It faced Hill 554 from the northwest and covered the left flank.
I company was attacked by the enemy at dawn, but it lost little or no ground under the efforts of the enemy to stop its plan to move up the two trails towards the Dragons Teeth. It took the pillbox to the left of its position (973273) during the day, and in the afternoon it attacked to secure a foothold beyond the Dragons Teeth, (vicinity of 975275). The tanks and TDs were brought up to fire at the pillboxes to make them button up, while the infantry enveloped them. The one to the left front fell, when the 1st and 2nd platoon encircled the position and brought enough fire on the enemy to persuade him to surrender. Total advance of the company was not over three hundred yards, and the enemy small arms and mortar fire continued to be heavy.
K. Company likewise continued the attack. It pushed approximately 500 yards from its position at the Dragons Teeth and reached a pillbox on the right of the road. The leading patrol got beyond the box before fire upon, and. it had to turn back. The pillbox (975265) was then reduced, but the company did not advance beyond this position during the day.
