Battle Yet Unsung: The Fighting Men of the 14th Armored Division in World War II by Timothy J. O'Keeffe

Author:Timothy J. O'Keeffe [O'Keeffe, Timothy J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-01-11T16:00:00+00:00

On 17 January, the 47th Tank Battalion, minus A and Service Companies, advanced to attack toward the southeast of Hatten in order to “relieve pressure on the troops fighting in the town.” The medium Shermans led the attack with the light tanks behind to provide additional firepower. When they reached the cemetery which had been a strongpoint for German infantry, all guns opened fire. But the concealed anti-tank guns were going to take a toll on the friendly tanks. As the unit history pictures it, there was “… a quick glimpse of figures leaving a tank; men running with blood streaming from their faces…. Suddenly more men of the platoon are seen on the ground. Sgt. Tom Manley crawling slowly forward, Cpl. [Wallace K] Reinert limping but moving toward a shell hole to escape the little fleks [sic] of dust which spurted and followed his movement.” The debacle continued, with more tanks, both light and heavy damaged or destroyed, and men wounded and killed. “From the flank another anti-tank gun opened up, and more tanks were knocked out. ‘Move back, Move back’, and the remaining tanks began gyroscopic maneuvers in an attempt to dodge the shells coming in.”⁷³

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