World War II in the Words of My Uncle: May 6, 1945 "Down for the Count?" (Post #108)

2nd INFANTRY DIVISION FLAG

ELEVEN MORE PICTURES AT THE END OF THIS POST

First U.S. Army

Sec. Inf. Div.

May 6, 1945

Dear Mother,

Everything is going well and I'm still in good health. I sure hope things are the same at home.

The news sounds better every day and we're still punching away trying to put in the knock out blow. Seems to me they're just about down for the count of ten.

For a couple of days we ran into some snow - snow in May. It didn't last long but one day the trees had quite a load. We are having a lot of rain.
Guess Dad better take it easy on the tractor as he seems to be overdoing.

As I have said before keep up your courage everything is okay now.

It was thoughtful of Helen (sister) to bring you that picture from Florida. She always writes nice about you and Dad and oh gee does she love that baby. (her first child, Joey Jr.)

Glad Waneta (sister and my mother) has a good rent and hope things go well.

So you received your handkerchief I sent and Dad his money order.

I told Lt. Jones you said hello and sent your best wishes.

Well, Mother. this letter is short but you'll know I am still looking to the day I'll be sailing home. Say hello to all and hope to see you before too long.

Love

Son Charles

US Army 2nd Infantry Division "Indianhead"
Domazlice, Western Bohemia, Czechoslovakia, Europe

Domažlice – Liberation – May 5th, 1945, 12:50 pm.

Domažlice region received air strikes by the American fighter bombers, also POW transports, and the "death marches" of labor camp prisoners. Once the railroads were destroyed, thousands of concentration camp prisoners were moved on foot by the SS guards. Many inhuman treatments happened to the desperately weakened prisoners.

By early April, the Western front approached the Czechoslovakian border and the retreating German units entered the county. The front was getting closer forcing German units forced to move by their own means as American air power caused a total breakdown of the railroad traffic.

The XII Corps Headquarters was aware that the Germans along the Czech border were well organized and ready to resist. However, until April 26th, the soldiers of the 90th Infantry Division encountered no major resistance during their advance. The turning point came in the Waldmuenchen-Furth area, where artillery and air support had to be employed.

It was in the Domažlice area, where the German 11th Armored Division caused the Americans to worry because of the high mobility of this fully armed experience division estimated at 3,500.

German resistance in the field was decreasing but their command respected Hitler's orders to defend every city as a fortress as long as possible.

The Allied assaults were focused on the assembly areas of German troops and points of resistance. The community of Klenci pod Cerchovem received a heavy bombardment. Once the Allied air reconnaissance reported the presence of a German military column, the local Mayor, Macek, and the German Police Commander were given a chance to surrender. When the deadline passed, eight fighter bombers dropped incendiary and high explosive bombs. Almost half of the 230 houses were destroyed.

The next day the Division tried three times to cross the border into Czechoslovak territory, in the Folmava-Maxov-Vseruby sector, but each time they encountered a strong defense. The Americans had to employ the M 7 Priest howitzers at least two times, against the tanks in Vseruby and the artillery positions near Svata Katerina.

By the end April, 1945, the front had gotten so close to Domažlice, that the inhabitants heard loud and clear the thundering sound of artillery fire from the direction of Cerchov and Haltrava, and the shells started to hit targets around the Chodsko capital. The American ground attack planes intensively strafed every moving German column. On the 30th of April three Thunderbolt destroyed a Wehrmacht column near the railroad station on the Klenci-Trhanov highway. However, one of the plane touched a treetop with the tip of its wing, crashed in the forest and the pilot, First Lieutenant Kirkham, lost his life.

Many retreating German units and German village inhabitants blocked the already barely passable roads with cut down trees. In the wide border region almost 8,000 cut down trees slowed down the U.S. Army advance.

Finally, many demoralized Wehrmacht units abandoned their combat positions and tried to approach the advancing Americans with the intention to surrender. By the end of April in the Domažlice border sector the SS Panzer division Therese Starlet moved in the Domažlice County territory, following the breakthrough of the front near Tachov. These SS units forced the retreating Wehrmacht to resume new defensive positions.

The 90th Infantry Division finally achieved a major success on the 30th of April, when two battalions of the 358th Regiment made a breakthrough in Capartice. During the fight in the deep forest around Black River the Americans lost two tanks, 6 soldiers were killed, and 28 wounded. By evening the U.S. infantrymen succeeded in clearing the enemy out of the forest, destroying one tank, and taking 110 POWs. In Mysliv near Vseruby, the U.S. reconnaissance men surprised a group of German soldiers by a quick mission where 7 Nazis were killed and another 12 surrendered.

On May 1st, the 90th Infantry entered without armed resistance Klenčci, Chodov, Pec, Novy Postrekov, and Parezov.

Since the end of April the villages around Domazlice witnessed a lot of traffic. The units of General Vlasov German refugees, also the foreign workers, who were forced to work for the Third Reich, were passing trough. The American Artillery shelled Domažlice for several days and, as a result, white flags went up in the town. However, orders by the German Command using a public address system announced that the owners of all white flagged house, would be executed.

The 90th Infantry Division achieved some success at the very end of it's mission after taking Vseruby. In the morning of May 4th, the soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Division brought in a German parliamentarian who was authorized by Lt Gen. Wend von Wietersheim to offer the surrender of all units comprising his 11th Armoured Division in Vseruby, to the Commander of the 90th Infantry Division, Major General H. L. Earnest. All the 9,050 perfectly dressed men of Wietersheirn's division came forward to lay down their weapons, The whole act took 24 hours and, during the night.

The headquarters of the 2nd Infantry Division gained access to important Nazi defense plans of the Vseruby Pass and Folmava area fortifications, due to the courage of Czechoslovakian Army Lieutenant Colonel Josef Herget.

The 2nd Infantry Division relocated to the Chodsko region to replace the 90th Infantry Division. The 2nd Infantry Division under Major General Robertson enjoyed the welcome and celebrations in the Czech interior cities and villages expecting liberation.

When the Czechoslovakian flag was hoisted on the morning May 4th, 1945, it generated ovations and excitement in the whole city of Domažlice.

On the same day, the American divisions of the V and XII Corps resumed major advance into the Czech interior with a powerful push. The 9th Regiment under Col. Philip D. Ginder, advanced from Vseruby via Brudek on Kdyne, while other units advanced on Hluboka, Loucim and Klatovy. Others advanced to Kout na Sumave joining units arriving there in the direction of Mrakov and Tlumacov.

From the direction of Folmava via Spalenec and Pasecnice the 38th Regiment of the 2nd Infantry Division under Col. Francis H. Boos cleared out the enemy.

On the 5th of May, citizens of Domazlice assembled in the city square as the "Indian heads" of the 2nd Infantry Division reached the city Square just before 1 pm, followed by other infantry units together with the 741st Independent Tank Battalion. The city was liberated by units commanded by Captain Fred Hirres and Lt. Robert Gillbert of the 2nd Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division.

One eyewitness recalls:

"The first American patrols moved in with rifles ready to fire up the street from the Chod’s Castle to the corner of the square, which was flooded with flags, ours as well as Allied. You can hardly describe all the cries of joy and excitement which sounded from all directions the very moment the first American soldiers appeared in the city square of Domažlice. The disciplined citizens stood on the sidewalks under the garlands because they were told that the central area of the big square must remain clear. The infantrymen, with their famous insignia of an Indian inside the white star on their left sleeve, split their column on the Square into two separate lines, some 50 steps apart. Perhaps each tenth soldier had his rifle equipped with a whip antenna and kept a telephone earphone (walkie-talkie) close to his ear. They never stopped but kept walking to the gate and concurrently their other lines moved in the same fashion through the streets parallel with the city square. In this way they moved forward in perfect order resembling a parade on the exercise grounds and with them the freedom moved in... "

On the afternoon May 5th, a minor shoot-out took place on the outskirts of Horsovsky Tyn.

Because the American soldiers were passing through territory full of booby traps, it was logical that the reconnaissance units checked all bridges, roadblocks, isolated buildings, and church towers very carefully.

By the 6th of May, the soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Division captured 8,000 Nazi POWs in the area between Domazlice, Horsovsky Tyn, and Holysov.

http://web.quick.cz/chodsko1/english/usa/page_01.htm#images

Text is passed from book “Americans in West Bohemia 1945”.

Author books: Zdenek Roucka