The canal banks were some thirty feet higher than the rest of the terrain, and at the top, the enemy had prepared spider-type foxholes all along the bank. At the bottom, they had prepared reinforced dugouts to protect them against air bombardment. The battalion moved north from Castel Franco in a column of companies, Fox leading. For the first 2000 yards, no enemies were encountered, but at this point, the leading company came under fire from two automatic weapons, a lucky burst from one of them killing a squad leader and one of his men. In the darkness, the enemy position could not be located. The lead platoon of Fox Co was deployed along the top of the canal and opened up in the general direction of the enemy with all weapons. This had the desired effect and the enemy gunners withdrew. The lead company again moved out, but the rate of the march was reduced so that all of the holes could be searched. No further enemies were encountered and the battalion reached their objective, where they stopped for the night.
As Fox Co moved into their assembly area, a message was received from the platoon that had moved due north from Highway 9 stating that they had encountered a stronger enemy than expected and had suffered a few casualties, and were no longer able to advance. Another platoon of Fox Co, reinforced by a section of light machine guns was sent to assist in taking care of this problem and did so in good shape. The battalion had been in this assembly area for three hours when the order was received to continue the attack immediately. At 0300, the battalion again moved out, Easy Co leading, followed by George Co and then How Co. Fox Co still was short two platoons and the company was left behind and instructed to regain contact with the battalion as soon as possible. On the morning of April 22, the battalion was joined by 5 tanks and 3 tank destroyers. Lt Col John W. Lyon, the battalion commander, ordered the lead platoon of Easy Co to get aboard the tanks. Climbing aboard the lead tank, Lt Col Lyon started the force north toward the town of Decima, which was just to the left of the battalion sector. As they neared the town they were fired upon by enemy tanks, which were in the shelter of the buildings. The small task force attempted to withdraw so they could continue on their principal mission, that of reaching the Po River with all possible speed. The determined enemy would not permit this maneuver and open up with all weapons, which was later found to be a company reinforced with tanks and self-propelled guns.
Since the battalion was once again consolidated, it was decided to launch an attack even though the enemy was out of the sector. Easy Co, supported by How Co, launched an all-out attack against the town. The Germans fought fanatically and it became necessary to employ George Co around the left flank. The fight was short but very very bitter, and one platoon of Easy Co had to engage the enemy in hand-to-hand combat to destroy them. Squad leaders in this action showed a great deal of initiative in maneuvering their squads against enemy strong points, and as always it was a compilation of small unit action that crushed this determined enemy in a very short time. There were over forty enemies killed in this action, more than twice that number wounded, and one enemy tank destroyed. The battalion had pressed the attack to the north edge of the town and was reorganizing when the order was received extending their sector several hundred yards to the west. During the reorganization, enemy artillery began falling with uncanny accuracy on the battalion positions causing several casualties. It soon became apparent that someone close at hand was directing the artillery fire. Several small patrols were dispatched to search all of the nearby houses. However, it befell the lot of an alert company clerk to discover the enemy in the upper story of a house in the center of the company positions. Without hesitation, the clerk moved in on the observer and took him prisoner and almost immediately the fire ceased to fall on the position.
After the reorganization was completed, the battalion again moved off, with the Panaro River as their intermediate objective. During the rest of the daylight hours, only very light resistance was met, and as darkness fell they changed from a deployed formation to a column of companies, which greatly facilitated control and speeded the movement. The battalion made an excellent time and had only one more brush with the enemy. This was a short encounter in which Easy Co took 6 officers and 72 enlisted men prisoner and at 2400, the battalion pulled up on the banks of the Panaro River.
The Final Drive to the Po River
It was during the next thirty hours that the 349th Infantry unleashed the full might of its power, striking to the north, first in one direction and then another. The whirlwind pace was maintained in a smashing attack that carried the regiment a distance of more than twenty miles to the Po River, netting 8785 German prisoners and bringing to death many hundreds of others. In this action, the 2nd Battalion was accredited with 5000 prisoners and approximately 1000 of the enemy dead. Although large numbers of the enemy gave up without a fight, it was far from being a mass surrender. A majority of the enemy fought with the fanaticism of old only to be overwhelmed by the combined weight of infantry, tanks, and planes. Working in perfect coordination they swept through town after town, leaving a wake of burning tanks and vehicles, shattered buildings, and the enemy dead. An endless stream of prisoners flowed to the rear, and when the regiment pulled up on the banks of the Po River in the early morning hours of April 24, it was to look back upon the scene of death and destruction that spelled the end of organized German resistance in Italy.
It was almost as if you could feel the war drawing to a close. It seemed humanly impossible for an army that had lost the men and equipment and was in such a state of disorder and rout as this enemy was, to ever again offer organized resistance. I would like at this time to give credit to the 57th Fighter Squadron and any other aircraft that might have participated in this action. Time after time the fighter bombers pulled the ground troops out of tight situations. With the fluid situation existing that this action had turned into, it was only to be expected that all units had exposed flanks and could not properly protect them, and on a number of occasions were caught by surprise; but each time they would give ‘Rover Joe’ (the name given to the Air Corps Liaison Officer) a call and here would come the P-47s, sometimes bombing and strafing within 200 yards of the leading troops. The accuracy of the aircraft was uncanny. There were literally hundreds of houses and barns that had been bombed or strafed and were left burning, but not one time was one observed that there was not an enemy installation in or near the building. Such excellent cooperation and coordination cannot fail to subdue an enemy, even though superior in numbers.
By 0800, April 24, the 2nd Battalion had crossed the Panoro River, a stream that is narrow but very deep and swift. The advance of the battalion had been so rapid that hardly any engineer equipment was available, but an alert engineer procured rubber boats and the battalion crossed in these. Civilians on each bank assisting pulled the boats across the river by the use of ropes. As the day dawned there was nothing to indicate that it was to become the most hectic and exciting day in the history of the battalion. Leadership proved that it is the greatest requirement of all commanders. We also were to find that with the proper coordination and cooperation of the fighting arms, we were invincible.
After crossing the Panaro River, the battalion advanced to the town of Massa Finalese, where they were joined by a platoon of tanks, four tank destroyers, a platoon of the division reconnaissance troop, and ‘Rover Joe’. The battalion commander, seizing the opportunity that the armor offered, ordered George Co to board the tanks and the tank destroyers. On the lead tank, Lt Col Lyon headed the task force due north, driving for the Po River. The task force moved very rapidly, bypassing many small groups of the enemy, the co-axial guns of the tanks, and the riflemen on the decks firing while the tanks were moving. They literally blasted their way along the roads, until they reached the vicinity of the Via Delle Duchessis road junction. Here, it was to prove that the decision of the battalion commander to send the armor ahead was a master stroke.
The task force was brought under fire by some German self-propelled 88s. One of our tanks was hit and put out of action. The infantry deployed from the tanks and moved forward with them. The enemy self-propelled guns proved to be an outpost for an enemy regiment in bivouac. The outpost was overrun, and the force crashed through into the bivouac proper. The Germans were completely surprised by the appearance of the Americans in this area and were thrown into a wild state of confusion. Their leaders lost control, and by the hundreds, they fled into the nearby fields to take cover in the irrigation ditches. Many of them returned the fire poured upon them but were wild and sporadic in their shooting. A battalion of enemy field artillery in the area did manage to get a few guns into action, but their shooting was so wild that it was no hindrance to the advancing troops. The Air Corps Liaison jeep was contacted and they in turn contacted a flight of P-47s that were nearby. Suddenly, above the noise of battle, there was a snarling whine overhead. Five planes broke out of the sun and swept the battlefield. At the sight of the familiar white star, the men of George Co waved their helmets. In answer, the leading plane dipped its wings, banked, turned, and with machine guns blazing streaked down on the enemy position. In quick succession, five Thunderbolts made passes over the Germans. Vehicles exploded and burned; men and horses were thrown into the air like dolls as the planes bombed and strafed, sometimes only a few hundred yards ahead of the advancing troops.
George Co quickly overran the remaining enemy resistance. One company of Germans, taking shelter in a group of houses, was engaged by a platoon from the company. Fifty of them were killed and over one hundred were captured in a short bitter fight. As could be expected, there were hundreds of the enemy escaped; however, some two hundred were killed and over four hundred taken prisoner. The majority of those that escaped were later rounded up by the rest of the battalion. While this action was taking place, the rest of the battalion was moving forward on foot with Easy Co leading. Just north of Massa Finalese Easy Co was brought under fire by a group of Krauts that had been bypassed. One platoon was sent after them and, after killing a number of them, returned with several prisoners.
While Easy Co was taking care of the above enemy, Fox Co had pushed into the lead. Near Le Maguanine, sounds of firing were heard. As the company neared the town, it was discovered that elements of the division reconnaissance forces were pinned down by an enemy of superior numbers. Fox Co deployed on a wide front and worked toward the enemy’s strong points. The enemy resisted bitterly but was soon overcome by the advancing troops. It was a short bitter fight, characterized by individual and decisive action on the part of the squad leaders. After the first positions were wiped out, the enemy came forward by the score with hands raised. A few refused to quit and were quickly dispatched by the advancing troops. The type of action as described in the above paragraphs was typical all during the day as the battalion drove to the Po River. Individual unit action could be mentioned almost without end. The enemy in front of the battalion simply could not stand against the onrushing might of infantry, armor, and air.
The situation was very fluid, and any and all methods were used to advance. In the afternoon the armored task force of the battalion moved into the town of San Martino and reorganized. There, more armor joined the battalion. Again the battalion moved toward the Po River. Just north of the town of Magazzino, the column was forced to a halt on the edge of a canal by a blown bridge. As no crossing could be found in the vicinity, the troops dismounted and moved forward on foot, while the tanks went in search of a crossing. At MondineCarbona swept the column, blasting everything from their path, and at 2000, pulled into the town of Borga Franco on the banks of the Po River. The foot elements of the battalion were being led forward by the battalion executive officer, Maj James P. Lyons, and by 2100, they had reached the road paralleling the river.
This element of the battalion turned and moved west toward the town of Revere, with the mission of sweeping the river bank for a distance of 6000 yards. When the first elements of the battalion reached the river, many enemies were trying to cross using rafts innertubes, horses, or anything that would swim or float. Machine guns were turned on them and only a very few lived to reach the other bank. At Borga Franco more than one thousand enemies were trapped among which were fifty officers. The force moving west along the debris-ridden bank added over five hundred more prisoners to the bag. When this action was completed the battalion was organized in a defensive position over the wide front that they occupied. Most of the defense was pointed toward the south so as to apprehend any enemy still trying to escape across the Po River.
Thus ended one of the most hectic days in the history of the battalion. Between two rivers, the Panoro and the Po the battalion exacted a terrific toll on the enemy, and the results of a single day’s fighting made it doubtful that the enemy would be able to reorganize his forces for another stand. Troops, guns, and equipment were seized on a large scale, a complete hospital was taken intact, and hundreds of vehicles were captured or destroyed. Among the prisoners was the commanding general of the 65.Infantry-Division together with many of his staff. In the fighting, both his assistant division commander and the division artillery were killed. The cost was slight. Casualties were few. It was the overwhelming power, the terrific momentum which was developed and maintained, that cut the enemy to ribbons, and when at last the Po River was reached the men of the 2nd Battalion had experienced a day seldom seen by troops in combat.
End
