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Ssgt. John E. Taylor 
Auteur Bericht
John S.
Bericht Ssgt. John E. Taylor
Ik zoek informatie over John E. Taylor 401PIR. Ik heb zijn graf geadiopteerd op HC.

Zijn servicenummer is: 36176450

Hij was lid van de 401st PIR van de 101st Airborne Division.
KIA op 3 maart 1945, begraven in plot C, row 12 grave 39.



Afbeelding


zo jan 25, 2009 6:08 pm
John S.
Bericht 
Hij was KIA op 3 januari 1945, in de buurt van Hierlot in de Ardennen.
Op dat moment maaktte hij onderdeel uit van de 325 GIR van de 82st Airborne.

Meer info:

The 325th Glider Infantry was to be on the right during the
advance. D-day was to be 3 January 1945 and H-hour was 0830. All day January 2 was spent in preparation.
Ammunition and supplies were issued. Men cleaned their weapons and attempted to rest. Final plans were made and
others issued. A quite night was spent in the assembly area and no shells landed in the regimental area. A light snow
was falling as the regiment started moving into the forward assembly area. The second Battalion was leading and each
battalion had a special job to do. It was cold and there was no shelling plodded quietly toward the jumpoff line.
Regiment's great dayThe attack progressed rapidly under the cover of a light artillery preparation and the second
Battalion was pushing into the woods 2000 yards south of the line of departure at 0900. Enemy outposts had been
quickly overrun and the men were working ahead methodically, rooting Jerries out of dugouts and well camouflaged gun
emplacements. A little later the third Battalion pushed south toward Amcomont. They encountered very heavy artillery
and mortar fire in the zone of advance used by supporting tanks with infantrymen riding "piggy-back" In spite of strong
resistance, both battalions advanced stendily and by 1445 the second Battalion had completed its job of mopping up
Heid de Hierlot and was in position overlooking the town of Hierlot ready to continue the attack as soon as the unit on the
right caught up. The third Battalion likewise had cleared out its zone of advance to the south edge of the woods and was
in a position overlooking the town of Amcomont at 1515. The château area had been "sticky" but the direct firing tanks
aided in reducing this strongpoint. They placed fire on Amcomont and were prepared to resume the attack on order. In
order to make the position secure for the night, the first Battalion which had been moving forward in reserve was ordered
to fill the gap between the second and third Battalions. Artillery and mortar fire continued heavy throughout the night, but
thanks to captured Jerry dugouts few casualties were suffered. The regiment had done a grand job in reachng its first
objective. An estimated 250 enemy had been killed in the advance and more than 200 prisoniers captured. This success
could be attributed mainly to the aggressiveness of the advancing battalions. Three more towns fallAt 0200 January 4 the
second Battalion moved out after an artillery and mortar preparation to take the town of Hierlot. It was another smooth
workmanlike job for these veterans. They surrounded the town and then closed in on it. Jerry didn't have a chance and
knew it. By daylight the town was mopped up and free of Germans. The men of the second had collected 78 more
prisoners. They then pushed south of the town and established a defensive position. That same afternoon the first and
third Battalions kept pace with the hard pushing second by seizing Amcomont, Odrimont and the hill nose running west
of the latter. The attack started at 1530 and was supported by tanks of the 740th. Twenty-six more prisoners were taken
and mopping up completed by dark. The following day the first Battalion moved forward again to seize the next ridge line.
Heavy mortar fire caused some casualties, but the objective was seized in less than two hours of fighting and 31 more
prisoners added to the regimental bag. Ready for the final pushThe regiment had to content itself with patrol activity on
January 6 while waiting for the unit on the right to advance. Plans were being made for the final attack on the following
day which would bring both the regiment and division to their final objectives. For the regiment it was the hill Thier del
Preux. Approaches to this important hill feature were very open and it was agreed that the advance would have to be
made under cover of darkness. Jumpoff time was O630 on the 7th. 2nd and 3rd Battalions do it againThe team which
had done so well on January 3 was given the mission for this last attack. No artillery preparation was used at H-hour in
an attempt to keep from alerting the enemy. Heavy barrages had been laid down earlier in the night. Leading elements
crossed the LP and continued to advance in the early morning darkness. As they reached the first outpost, the first
Battalion and supporting tanks speeded their drive with overhead fire. Once more the enemy had been taken by surprise
and both battalions rolled over all positions on the forward slope of the objective with machine like precision, killing and
capturing many Jerries still in their holes. At 0800 all but two companies were on the objective. "E" and "G" Company of
the third Battalion were starting to move through the saddle toward Grand Sart. Enemy shelling had been light. Then all
hell broke loose. SPs, artillery and mortars started shelling the position from the front and flanks. A small infantery
counterattack was mounted by the Germans, but was soon driven off. Several SPs led by a Mark V Panther threatened to
annihilate the companies of the third Battalion not yet on the position. The Panther drove within 150 yards of the battalion
left flank and started raking the column at point blank range with direct machine gun and shell fire. The supporting tanks
and tank destroyers were slow in coming up. Supporting artillery fire was quite ineffective against the tanks.It was a bad
30 minutes and the situation was saved only by the courage of men and offiers who moved the unit into the cover of the
woods. The belated appearance of the supporting tanks caused the Panther and other SPs to withdraw. The two
companies reorganized and moved onto the objective. Although the objective had been gained quickly there was a reat
deal of mopping up to be done, as can readily be seen from the fact that more than 300 prisoners were taken by the two
battalions. Heavy enemy mortar and artillery fire continued to fall on the position throughout the day and it was not until
1400 that reorganization was completed and all enemy infantry resistance had ceased. The remainder of the afternoon
was spent in organizing and preparing a defensive position. With the taking of Thier del Preux the regiment had regained
the line from which the withdrawal had been made Christmas eve. In three weeks of fighting the 325th Infantry had taken
more than 700 prisoners and killed almost 700 Germans. The nember wounded is not known but if it runs at the normal
ratio of four to one, it would approximate 2500. This would mean that more than one-half a division had been eliminated
by the regiment. 10 January 1945The regiment withdrew to rest area in Pepinster, Belgium, on the morning of January
10.

Bron:criba


ma jan 26, 2009 7:43 pm
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