INTERVIEW

CAPTAIN DOUGLAS P. STOUT, Assistant S-3, CCB 8th Armored Division
TO: 1st Lt. Howard L. Oleck, (Historical Officer)
AT: Lintfort, Germany, 1300 hours, 9 March 1945

FORENOTE: This interview was an amplification of an interview given by Captain Stout on 8 March 1945 at Lintfort which pertained principally to the movements of the combat command prior to the attack on Lintfort and Rheinberg.

In the attack on Lintfort in the morning of 5 March 1945 at approximately 1100 the combat command moved up to Kamp, Germany with very little resistance and there deployed for the attack on Lintfort. The line of departure was an imaginery line running north and south just outside the eastern edge of Kamp, and the direction that, following the road leading east from Kamp to the northern edge of Lintfort.

The order of battle was as follows: first, Troop B of the 88th Cav. Rcn Sq. Mecz. moved out with the principal mission of reconnoitering a route for the main body which was to follow. Troop B entered the northern edge of Lintfort and followed the main road leading directly south through town along the frontage of the Friedrich Heinrich factory district. This street at its southern extremity on the southern edge of Lintfort turns northeast and runs back through the center of town to its northwestern edge. There it turns east and follows a generally meandering direction to the east until it reaches Rheinkamp where the road turns north and runs directly to Winterswick and continues north to Rheinberg. Some elements of the 88th Rcn, B Co. swung slighty south of Rheinkamp and passed through the village of Bornheim which adjoins Rheinkamp to the south. From Bornheim the troops attacked cross-country in a northeastern direction against scattered small arms fire and drove this light resistance before it off to the flank. When Troop B of the 88th Rcn. had moved well along into Lintfort, the first of the attacking forces proper followed them into the northern edge of Lintfort along the same route until reaching the northeastern edge of town. Task Force Roseborough was the first heavy element to follow Troop B. Task Force Roseborough was led by the 1st platoon of A Co. of the 49th AIB with A Co. of the 36th Tank Battalion. This unit was supposed to move through town quickly along the route reconnoitered for it into the north-central section of town and then to hold the northern portion of town to permit the major portion of the command to pass it and process to the attack to the east and thence in an arc around and north toward Rheinberg.

Task Force Roseborough did not perform the mission assigned to it in the manner desired. Task Force Roseborough encountered some AT and machine gun fire from the north of town, probably 2 anti-tank guns and 3 or 4 machine guns. The entire force swung around to the north and moved north against this fire. The force then stopped and remained in position just north of the northern edge of town.

The 3rd and major elements of the attack, Task Force Van Houten, followed the route reconnoitered by the 88th Rcn Troop B past the Friedrich Heinrich works down to the southern edge of town, then cutting northeast through town to emerge on the eastern edge of Lintfort. C Co. of the 36th Tank Battalion was the leading element in this group, followed by the 49th AIB, less the 1st platoon if A Co.

As soon as Task Force Van Houten emerged from the eastern side of town, they were met by heavy fire from the east, the north and the northeast, principally automatic weapons at first. Never the less, the group moved east along the road reconnoitered in advance. They reached a point approximately midway between Lintfort and Bornheim. At this point, fire from the north was very intense. The column was proceeding to the east and its flank were to enemy fire, therefore, in order to prevent too much damage from the north while the column moved east and also in order to have an attack on Rheinberg from 2 directions, Col. Van Houten ordered the column to split and one group turn north while the rest continued east to Rheinberg and thence north.

The smaller group that went north first met heavy resistance to the north about halfway to Rheinberg and made slow progress. The easterly group proceeded north from Rheinkamp, receiving heavy fire from the north consisting of anti-tank fire and some tank fire. Several Mark IV tanks were seen moving about to the north and small arms fire was received from the northeast and northwest. Scattered infantry resistance and small arms fire was encountered all the way throughout the move.

Task Force Roseborough was delayed and followed in the path of Task Force Van Houten after Task Force Van Houten had turned north. Task Force Rosebourgh moved south toward the northeastern and eastern side of Lintfort and then followed the route of the other elements, infiltrating into and reinforcing them. The assault against Lintfort was made from the southeast with C Co. of the 49th AIB and B Co. of the 36th Tank Battalion leading and reached the southeast edge of Lintfort at about 1900, then D Co. of the 36th Tank Battalion plus elements of the 137th Infantry Regiment, following the same route, attacked from the south and southeast in support. D Co. of the 36th Tank Battalion swung to the right to support the drive, aiming directly north at Rheinberg. D Co. lost almost all of their tanks.

Enemy armament encountered included 88 MM guns (probably 6 or 8, of which 2 were knocked out), at least 4 batteries of 20 centimeter guns at 212290 and at least 4 twelve centimeter mortars at 217278. In the sweep north to Rheinberg approximately 500 prisoners were taken, but in Rheinberg proper only about a dozen prisoners were taken.

Earlier during the day, prior to the time when CCB reached the line of departure for the attack in Lintfort, the 137th Infantry which was moving in the same direction on their left flank had run into fairly stiff resistance several kilometers back and had been delayed and moved somewhat north in the course of action. As a result, they were not within easy call when additional infantry was requested to assist the advance of the tanks in the assault on Rheinberg. In fact when the 137th Infantry Regiment did come to the assistance of CCB it was necessary for them to come up in trucks in order to bring them quickly over the distance required to be traversed.