K Company was detached from Task Force Sundt on the 20th
From the April “After Action Report”
April 19, 1945
Hello Folks, This will be another one of those little letters but it will let you hear from me just one day later. After a two day vacation I’m feeling pretty good. I’ve got more real rest these days than I usually get in three times as much time. I expect and feel that it has been too good to last much longer. One of the big reasons for this letter was to make a request. I thought of it just a little while after I had given last night’s letter to the mail clerk. I know that it will take a month to get here but if you send it first class mail it will help some on the time. What I want is a remedy for athlete’s foot. Now that the weather is warming up it’s beginning to give me some trouble again. I found the answer to my problem but I left it in my duffle bag. An army doctor recommended it to me and I got it in Columbia, S.C. The name of it is Whitefield’s Ointment. I got it in a Rexall drug store so you should be able to find it. It really does the work too. I had a happy experience a little while ago. For several days now I had thought that I had lost my new pen. I wasn’t going to say anything about it for a while though. Well we got in a bunch of clean clothes and I was taking everything out of my pockets. I just about jumped out of my shoes when I found the pen in the bottom of my left hand short pocket. It had fallen down underneath my new Testament. I had felt and felt in that pocket but I guess I had missed it. I expect that Dad and Jim will be out of school by the time you get this. How does the Principal feel about his job by this time? Well happy vacation to you. Hope things are OK back there. I’ll be seeing you one of these times. Your son & brother, Donald
Describes traveling with Task Force Sundt. This video shows what is almost certainly K Company.
Unlike most the the other 1945 letters, this one is written on both sides. He was probably short of paper.
Germany April 17, 1945
Dear Family and all, I guess it’s been at least a week now since I have written but I can say with truth that there just was no chance to write. You might be a little surprised when I tell you that as I am writing this I am keeping one eye on a bunch of prisoners that we rounded up this morning. They are in a yard where there is little chance of their trying to escape so I’ve got little to worry about. They are lying around on the ground and I’m sitting on top of a half track so that I need to just look down to see them. The biggest job is keeping the civilians out. A lot of the soldiers desert the army when it retreats from their home town so we get them when we get to town. And of course all the Mothers, sisters, wives, cousins, etc. want to see them. This war sure has some crazy sides to it now that it is moving so rapidly. The Germans are still fighting but there are many of them who are quite willing to surrender. Our company spent the last week and a week the last of March riding on the tanks etc. of an armored outfit. We roll into a town, give it a good going over, roll on and let the infantry come up behind us. They very seldom put up much of a fight against tanks. Our company just furnishes the little bit of ground work that must go along with this type of warfare. I sure hope we can finish the war fighting this way. By some turn of fate or luck our company turned out to be one of the very few that are going along with the armor. I intended to say when I was telling you about this home town stuff that there have actually been times when we have come into a town that the soldiers were lined up waiting to surrender to us. In fact we had a case of that just yesterday. We are not moving today and I don’t know if we are finished now with our job or not. Something like a week ago now I got a couple of letters but they were older than some I had received before. So as per usual I am getting anxious for news. About that time also I got a package dated Oct. 16. I think it was supposed to be my Christmas from you. It must have been lost in the shuffle. The divinity was sort of run together but it still had its flavor. Thanks a lot for the bill-fold. The other one you had sent me was still usable but I’ll use the nicer one. Today I am eligible to wear an overseas stripe. This makes exactly six months overseas. That counts the time on the boat but we get credit for that. It doesn’t sound too bad to think of six months but when I realize that it was five months before that when I was home, it makes it sort of hard to take. If this is over first I just hope that I don’t have to see the other half of the world. I’d rather spend a little extra time here than that. The Lord willing though the whole thing will be over before too much longer. Then at least we’ll know how much longer we’ll have to spend at this. Here’s the situation now: there’s no telling when I’ll be able to mail this and anyway I’ve only got one sheet of paper left so I’ll probably add to this later. Love, Donald April 18, 1945 I am very happy to tell you that I got mail today. I was sort of disappointed not to get a news letter from you but when I opened the letter I did get, it contained your birthday card and the little scripture book. I also got a pocket sized devotional book from Uncle Everett's this evening. I’ve had sort of a fidgety feeling all afternoon and reading some Bible verses seem to be just what I needed. For April 18 in Aunt Mildred’s book I found: “... for I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therein to be content.” Phil. 4-11. That’s sure something to think about. I mixed up some paste and have put those little spiritual stickers, that I especially liked and saved, in the blank spaces in my birthday book. I’m going to try to keep it right along with my Testament. I also put the picture of Daddy milking the old cow on the fly-leaf. Well I still have a lot to thank God for. There has been at least a couple of times since I last wrote that without help I would not have come through safely. God bless you all. Love, Donald
The Regiment spent Easter Sunday in the vicinity of Kraftsolms, Germany, mopping up trapped German remnants. Many prisoners were taken but no valuable information was gained from them. Only resistance encountered was put up by SS men although PW figures showed that even they gave up when the odds were against them.
The next five days were spent in mopping up operations and a move to a new assembly area at Heringen, Germany. No enemy resistance was encountered on patrols.
April 1, 1945 Germany
Dear Folks, Happy Easter! If for no other reason this has turned out to be a pretty happy Easter for me because I got four letters from you this evening. They were from March 12 to 19 so you know what was happening along about that time. When I was reading them I thought of a whole “encyclopedia full” of things I wanted to say to you. So before I go any further I am going to go over them again and underline anything that brought an idea to my mind this afternoon. Maybe that way I’ll get you told at least part of what I wanted to. I guess the best way to start would be to say that I wish as much as you do that I could have had the angel food cake for Easter that you wanted to send. The Lord willing next Easter you can bake an angel food cake and we’ll eat it together. What say we make it a date. No doubt I had about the same feelings that you did concerning Richard’s turn of affairs. I had hardly even thought of it turning out this way so it did sort of surprise me. I expect that I am gladder than any of you that he was rejected but I know or can guess how he feels. I had told one of my buddies about Richard’s time coming up and as I was reading the letters I told him how it turned out. He said that I should say “Hi 4F” and if I were, I no doubt would do so. I expect that a little kidding would do as much to relieve the tension as anything else. I trust your judgement but since things have turned out this way think it over carefully before you break your neck trying to get into any thing military. I believe the Supreme Being has something planned. Whether it be right or not, but in thinking about what to do in the future, don’t forget that continuing your schooling is one possibility. Now that it has been brought to my mind I do remember a little something about Richard’s ribs. But I would have had even less reason to be thinking about that than you would. No one told me how Eulan came out on his examination. I wonder if March went out like a lamb for you. I guess the nice weather is the reason things are going so good over here. It made me proud to know that some of our news was getting back home. I can't claim to have personally been in the taking of Coblenz but I was at that time just a little ways up the Moselle from there. You did guess wrong though about my being in the Saar again. I have never been back there. I’ve really had some experiences this last week that I don’t suppose I ought to tell you about yet. I’ve got a couple of souvenirs that I’ll send home but I’ll tell you about them later. Do whatever you think best about putting in the Tribune about my Silver Star. Don’t misunderstand me but you have my permission. (I wouldn’t want anything big though). I think I have explained in another letter about the money you didn’t know how to dispose of. It’s just what’s not taken out of my pay in allotments that I can’t use here. I am sending thirty dollars out of the money I drew today. It’s not a hard and fast rule but I expect most of it should go for bonds. I do want you to feel free, though, at any time to use what money I send home for anything else you deem wise. It’ll be alright if you want to accumulate it and buy bonds of larger denominations. But of course don’t hold it for six months or anything on that order because it can be accumulating just a little interest. Sometime if you want to I would be interested in knowing just how I stand financially. Now that you have asked about the popcorn in my Christmas box I’ll have to tell you. As you know I got it just after we got on the boat coming over and of course there was no way to make use of it then. Well things will happen and as I remember the sack got broken or someway it got spilled before I ever got it popped. A little popcorn might be an idea though for something to send me now. Those packages really are a blessing. I’m glad mother mentioned about the cigarette situation. We do get them but that’s still no reason why I must smoke them. You needn’t worry about that end of the story. If my cigarettes get used someone else uses them. You are right though about using them for money. We do use them to trade sometimes to the civilians for something they might have to eat. Not that we’re hungry but it’s a lot of fun just to fry an egg or cook something for yourself. I think the greatest use for them, though, is when someone is lucky enough to get a pass to Paris. They go like hot cakes back there. Incidentally I think I’ll be getting one of those passes one of these times. While I’m on the subject: I really do thank the Lord for strength to resist temptations, or perhaps rather, to resist occasional scoffings. As you perhaps know the Germans are great for alcoholic drinks and it’s not occasionally that we come onto them. The drinks (just as the smokes) don’t tempt me in the least but you can guess the rest of the story. With it so easy to get, people are apt to say lots of things without thinking. God has been very good to me. If you (the mothers’ club) are having to send Wendell cigarettes I sure wish he could have mine. Our company has had the pleasure recently of freeing a great number of French, Polish and Russian prisoners of war. Boy that is really a happy experience. Those boys are just so excited they can’t contain themselves. One outfit had an experience the other day that I’d like to be in on one of these times. That is the liberating of some of our own boys from the Germans. I guess the height of my ambition would in capturing the prison camp that Wendell is in. Wouldn’t that be something to remember. I am thankful that your prayers are still with me. There is no doubt in my mind about their value. As mother wrote recently “May the Lord watch between me and thee while we are absent one from another.” Love, Donald
Dear Folks, I hope you’ll forgive a V-mail this time. If you’ve been reading the papers or otherwise getting the news you’ll understand why I feel lucky to even get this kind of a letter written. Things are moving faster now than I would have ever believed possible an couple of months ago. Even the infantry has to be motorized for an affair like this. We just couldn’t keep up on foot. You wouldn’t have to use much imagination to guess about how well our mail is keeping up with us. We’ve received mail about once in almost a week now. I was lucky that one time though and received a package from you. (Feb 23, I think). I needn’t tell you that it was really welcome. You sent me one thing that I’ve been intending to ask for but don’t think I ever did. That is handkerchiefs. You know how easy it is to ruin them. Send very cheap ones. I don’t care if they’re even made of old feed sacks. But I could use one every week or so. They can be sent in air mail letters. Loads of love, Donald
CROSSING THE RHINE: Training schedules were set up with special attention given to practice in river crossing. On March 23 the Regiment moved to a new assembly area near Oppenhausen, Germany. Company K joined Task Force Sundt, commanded by Lt. Col. Sundt for the purpose of clearing the area East of the Rhine River and spearheading an attack with the armor.
At 0200 hours the morning of March 26th, the Regiment crossed the Rhine at Boppard and moved to an assembly area. The attack continued with light resistance, and the towns of Kehlbach, Singhofen, Frucht, Kondorff, Biebrich, Schonborn, Attenhausen and Birlenbach were captured. The First Army was contacted at Diez near Limburg. The attack was now rolling forward like the Johnstown Flood. Progress was temporarily stopped by the roads being blocked by elements of the Ninth Armored Division and resulted in the entire Division assembled near Kraftsolms to wait until the transportation problem was cleared up.
Following the crossing of the Rhine River, German resistance crumbled to such an extent that it was essential to form a hard-hitting, fast moving armored unit to reach into the German rear areas, disrupt communications, cut up German administrative units and installations. Such a force was organized and placed under the command of Lt. Colonel Harold S. Sundt and was to be known as Task Force Sundt.[…] Units comprising the Task Force were the 607th TD Battalion, less A and C Companies, plus Company A of the 735th Tank Battalion, the 87th Reconnaissance Troupe, K Company of the 346th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Platoon Company C of the 312th Engineer Battalion and supported by fires from the 155 mm howitzers of the 335th FA Battalion. The Task Force was divided into three hard hitting companies plus a CP group. Each company consisted of a platoon of tanks, platoon of TD’s, platoon of infantry, riding on the armored vehicles, and a platoon of the 87th Reconnaissance Troupe. The CP group contained the remaining forces. It crossed the Rhine at Boppard on a pontoon bridge and assembled six miles to the northeast at Dachsenhausen which was the limit of the Division advance.
The Task Force’s first objective was Nastatten, 12 miles southeast of Boppard. At 0545 March 27th the Task Force took off for Nastatten, the plan of attack being to advance along the high ground to Ruppertshaffen. and thence to Nastatten. By 0830 the Task Force had reached Ruppertshaffen, three miles west of Nastatten, where it assembled and regrouped.
The third Task Force Company, under the command of 1st Lt. Glen J. Doman, 346th Infantry Regiment [K Company], made the attack on the town at 0915. […] The infantry under 2nd Lt. Robert L. Picher, 346th Infantry Regiment, [K Company] swept through the town and cleared all enemy resistance […]
[…]
Captured enemy documents and statements of prisoners indicated that the area in the vicinity of Butzbach was an assembly area for stragglers of the Rhine defenses. Accordingly, on March 30 the Task Force received a mission of securing Hoch-Weisel, three miles southwest of Butzbach, and sweeping the woods to the north and west. At 0800 the 3rd Company moved there and the 3rd Reconnaissance Platoon and the Pioneer Platoon occupied positions between Butzbach and the woods to the west. The day was spent sending patrols through these woods. During the day the Task Force destroyed nine 20mm AA guns, eight 37mm AA guns on 21/2 ton trucks, one 40mm AA gun, three 105mm guns, seventeen 75mm AA-AT guns, four 88 AA-AT guns, and twenty-three vehicles. 519 prisoners were taken.
[…]
April 1st found all missions assigned accomplished, the Task Force dissolved and the Battalion assembled near Kleeberg. During the Task Force’s operation, it had taken 1485 prisoners and had advanced 76 miles.
From April 10th to the 20th, Task Force Sundt was reconstituted, again with K Company attached
The dash made by this 2nd Task Force Sundt netted 109 miles and 1344 prisoners in nine days. Once the break was made through the Jerry’s lines, the scene became a mad rush, fighting through or bypassing defenses – speed was the watchword. To stop was to be pinned down; to continue was to crush Jerry’s frugal attempts to delay and leave a string of dead Jerries and burning German vehicles behind. The Germans had pitted the 11th Panzer Division, the so called “Ghost Division” in the 87th Division zone to “stem the tide”, but to no avail. The speed with which the Task Force operated was too great to permit a defensive position to be properly set up. 2 tanks, 11 trucks, 4 half-tracks, 3 armored cars, 6 wagons, 3 tractors, 3 motorcycles, 3-75mm guns, and 1-105mm gun were destroyed in comparison with our losses of 1 tank, 2-M8’s, 1-M20, and 1 half-track.
