ASFFelix & World War 245

Rhineland
Rhineland
September 15, 1944 - March 21, 1945

3110th Signal Service Battalion to 3d Replacement Battalion to the 45th Signal Company

In late January, 1945, the 45th Infantry Division was taken off the front line. 1,000 replacements were assigned to the 45th.

On January 29th Felix was transferred from the 3d Replacement Battalion to the 45th Signal Company in bivouac at  Petersbach, France.

The 45th Signal Company was responsible for connecting with Corp level as well as between Division Command Post and all of the support units that were part of the division HQ (Medical, Engineers, Quartermaster).

February 16: Part of the company moved to Baccarat, France.

 

February 17: Wire and message center installations are made at the division’s advance command post in Lunneville, France. The Signal Company command post is set up in Castle Stanislaus.


March 1: The 45th Signal Company was still in the rest area at Luneville, France. That evening a dance was held for the enlisted men. The division band performed and local French girls were guests.

March 3: The company fired its weapons on the Divisional Special Troops Range.

March 5: Capt. Wilson of the 7th Army Special Services gave a talk on the problem of post-war Germany as it applied to the company.

March 6: The company viewed the I & E film, "The Nazis Strike."

March 8: Another film was shown and the company was given a lecture on the peace plan.

March 12: The advance group went to Sarreguemines, France and made Command Post installations in preparation for the division's re-entry into combat.. Personnel from the 4th Signal Company came and made preparations to take over the 45th's installations.

March 13: The Repair Section moved to Sarreguemines.

March 14: The company moved to Sarreguemines  and set up near the command post in a former home for the insane.

March 17: The division company post and advance operations teams moved to Brietfurt inside of Germany. This is the first time the command post has been set up in side of Germany.

March 19: Felix and 11 other enlisted men and officers left for Paris on two day passes. Felix would have been familiar with Paris as he was stationed there from September 15, 1944 to about January 16, 1945 while he served in the 3110th Signal Service Battalion.

March 21: The villages inside of Germany were almost completely destroyed by bombing and artillery fire. The Siegfried Line was breached. The company moved to Homburg. There were many prisoners walking around trying to get someone to take them to the Prisoner of War cages. A large crowd of freed slave labor enjoyed their freedom although seemed somewhat bewildered by the sudden change.

March 22: Long move to Grunstadt. Civilians were required to move from their homes and the soldiers moved in. Most of the route was on the autostrada, the German superhighway. A construction peep was parked by the side of the road and was run over by a tank. The long haul back to the signal dumps for signal supplies caused the trucks to break down from over use. The debris from wrecked German equipment caused a large number of flat tires.

Continued, Central Europe Campaign >>

Sources and Acknowledgments

Day by day account of the 45th Signal  Company from Company history for March, 1945 by Signal Corps Captain William A. Moore, April 10, 1945


INDEX: Cizewski, Lovetere, Musbach, & Robinson  Family History

© 2007 Leonard H. Cizewski

Last Modified on December 19, 2009
INDEX: Felix A. Cizewski & World War Two

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