Picture - Xanten20001
Title: Some men of 3 Platoon (Mortars), at Xanten, Germany - March 1945.
(This picture titled, "Capt. Cec E Law i/c 3 Platoon (Mortars), etc", also appears in the Photo Gallery in the pictures provided by Peter Maulé.)
Pictured: Back Row (L - R): L/Cpl. Eric E. Emperingham, W.M. (Bill) Sutherland (crouching), Wes S. May, E.J. Funk, Cpl. Hank Hilderbrand, Howard G. Schmidt, Ernie Tillotson, W. Mackie, Top Hat is unknown (He may have been the War Photographer’s helper.), George Ottenbreit, H.F. (Hank) Stavley.
Front Row (L - R): C.O. McHugh, H.G. Whistle, Joe Dagenais, L/Cpl. E.J. Potts, (one of six 3-inch mortars in the Platoon), V.J. Gow, Capt. Cec E. Law - Platoon Officer.
About Xanten
Xanten was our last objective before the Rhine River. It was the last defence of the Siegfried Line, before the natural defence, provided by the Rhine River, itself. The basements of all the houses, on the perimeter of the town, overlooking the open fields, were made as concrete pillboxes. The floor of the first level of the house was made of reinforced concrete and it was the roof of the pillbox. There were weapon slits set in the pillboxes for soldiers to fire from. The weapon slits overlooked the open fields, an attacking army had to cross to get to Xanten. Concrete tunnels connected the pillboxes. The tunnels had heavy metal doors, reminiscent of doors between bulkheads on ships, to effectively separate one pillbox from another, in case of need. Those innocent looking houses had been made into a fort.
The battle for Xanten started on March 8, 1945. Those houses on the perimeter were blown to bits by our artillery, but not their basements. The "basements" were virtually unscathed. In one instance, second floor plumbing fixtures could be seen hanging in the air by their pipes, with no house around them.
Eventually, the pillboxes were captured and we were able to set up our mortars near the pillboxes. We used the pillboxes for quarters for the Platoon. In the pillboxes, it was safe from enemy shelling.
Periodically, the Germans shelled us from across the Rhine River. They were using heavy guns. Some said they were big guns mounted on railway cars. Shells, from the famous German 88-mm gun, travelled faster than the speed of sound and you did not hear them coming. Shells, from those big guns from across the Rhine River, travelled slower and you could hear them coming. If you were sufficiently fleet of foot, you had time to take cover, when you heard them. The sound of those big incoming shells sounded like an approaching freight train. In fact, we referred to those big incoming shells as, "Freight Trains."
The shell hole, in the foreground of the picture was made by an exploding, "Freight Train."
W.M. (Bill) Sutherland.