Item: ONSV3791
Original German WWII National Flag Signed by Company F, 353rd Infantry Regiment, 89th Division
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Original Item: One-of-a-kind. This National Flag of Germany from WW2 is signed by members of F Company of the 353rd Infantry Regiment, 89th Infantry Division. The flag is cotton multi-piece construction double sided flag and measures 22" x 16" and bears a German WWII ink inspection stamp. Top of the flag is Co. “F” 353rd INF. 89th DIV. It is signed on one side by by over 40 members of the company as follows:
Jim Burgess 2292 Ogontz Lakewood, O
Steve Manyik Ramah, Colo
LeRoy T. Gould 3529 N. Aoams Peoria, Ill
Vidal R. Garcia 915 Washington Ave. Houston, Texas
John F. Riley 236 Oak st. Carpentersville, I’ll
Arthur C. Roubideaux Mission, S.Dakota
Sam J. Latino 207 1/2 Iowa Ave. Iowa City, Iowa
Bill Lucht 124 West 13 St. Davenport, Iowa
Reginald H. Butler Calhoun, La.
Paul W. Robinson Fredericktown, Mo.
Lt. R.L. Cody 312 W. 8th Ave. Spokane, Wash.
Eugene Horton Quanah, Texas
J.J. Ciavarella Brooklyn, N.Y.
W.C. Kenny Box 1241 Monahaus, Texas
Tony S Brogna 397 Shrewsbury st. Worcester, Mass
Philip Kelly St. Louis, Mo
John Calandriello 42 Center St. Jersey City, N.J
Jessie Bunch Statesbourgh, Ga
Walter P. Sokolowski 4039 Lovett St. Detroi, Mich.
Anthony J. Samulis 3143 N. Windle St. Phila, PA
R.S. Paramenter 2835 Coolidge St. Los. Angles, Calif.
Elmer M. Roman 5652 S. Kolin Ave
Martin H Potter Preston, Kan
Harold L. Buckner Rt. 3 Box 847 Shannon Rd. Los Gatos, Calif.
Martin D Janssen Pennindton Rd. Sterling, Ill
Willard A. Scott Clear Lake, Iowa
LeRoy M. Andrews 827 S. Larflin Chicago, Ill
Curtis H. Miller Hollandale, Minn.
Arnold Eason Box 259 Clark’s, La
William H. Tyndall Autryville N.C.
Mike Palazzola 1318 Blair Ave. St. Louis, Mo
Charles L. Abbot Oral, S. Dakota
Arthur P. Smyth 1119 Bryson St. Youngstown, Ohio
Ezra V. Thompson Colcord, W. Va
William W. Rogers 531 E. Jackson St. McAlester, Oklo
Arthur D. Rulo Richwoods, Mo
Herbert Rubinstein 1373 East 12 St. Brooklyn, N.Y
On March 10th the 353rd as part of the 89th Division crossed onto German soil for the very first time. Their orders were to relieve elements of the 5th and 76th Divisions who had been in the fight for some time and were in dire need of support.
Taking up positions along the Sauer River, east of Echternach, all units were in position and poised to strike the initial blow on March 12th. Its first combat mission; to advance to the north and west bank of the Moselle River, seize and defend the sector between Kochem and Burg and begin the push aim at the heartland of Germany. As a result of the initial battle and overwhelmed by superior force, the enemy began withdrawing, fighting rear-guard actions to cover their withdrawal as they fell back across the Rhine river. The Eifel battleground was forested highland, cut by deep river canyons; roads were poor and the Germans had blown key bridges. Machine gun nests, road blocks and hastily-planted mine fields studded the fields and hillsides.
In their two days' baptism under fire, the rifle companies swept through eight villages. Combat Team 3, under Col. Frank R. Maerdian stormed into Wispelt and Krinkhof. Gevenich and Dohr fell and the first prisoners of the war were taken. Filled with confidence born in battle, the unit pressed ahead at top speed. By dusk on March 14th, they reached the Moselle Gorge and attacked the river towns of Alf, Eller and Aldegund.
The unit raced 50 miles during those first three days. For the next two nights, patrols paddled across the river and probed German positions, while plans for the crossing were rushed, units of the 89th swung up to the right flank to pass through the bridgehead and drive southeast toward the Nahe River. Meanwhile, division artillery softened up targets near the crossing points at Burg, Bullay and Neer.
Two hours before dawn on March 16th, four battalions jumped off into a hail of small arms fire from snipers hidden in the trellised vineyards on the east bank. On the right, the 354th carved out a one and a half kilometer deep bridgehead and cleared Burg and Punderich while on the left, the 353rd punched inland three kilometers against scattered resistance.
At daybreak, the 314th and 133rd Engineer Battalion launched vehicle-carrying ferries. Enemy artillery lobbed shells onto the site until noon, but the 87th Heavy Ponton Co. worked steadily on a Class 40 bridge to link Alf and Bullay. Several hours after the initial waves crossed over, infantry pounded on the heels of the fleeing enemy. With only moderate casualties, units of the 89th had made their first major river assault crossing. Gen. Finley's battle charge -- "Kill the enemy and go forward!" -- had become fact, wrought in blood and courage.
The 353rd was locked into vicious fight at the "Tear Drop," a steep, narrow ridge north of Punderich where the Moselle doubles back in a gooseneck. Fanatic remnants of the 14th SS Nebelwerfer Regt. were holed up in a ruined tower, held off the members of I company for two days with machine guns and grenades. German snipers exacted a price for every yard advanced. Time after time, the NSDAPs waved white flags, then opened fire on the GI’s. This was frontier style in-fighting, a test of marksmanship, nerves and endurance. Step by step, the 353rd fought across open land, up exposed slopes and clearing the crest in a final charge. Five hundred pounds of TNT reduced the tower to a pile of rubble and after two days of battle and heavy causalities the fight finally came to an end. The Moselle crossing was now secure and the road to the Rhine lay open.
The weight of attack swerved southeast to catch the enemy off balance and disrupt his line of retreat. Along with two armored and three infantry divisions the 89th plunged in the new direction and fanned out in fast-moving columns. The 89th surged from the Moselle Gorge into Enkirch and Briedel on March 17th and moved through rolling farm country and pine forest, driving ahead to take the towns of Walhausen, Loffelscheid, and Schwarzen. Troopers of the 89th commanded by Capt. Andrew Engel seized more than 100 prisoners while taking the town of Rhaunen. Deserters, stragglers and small units isolated by the fighting surrendered in increasing numbers. Town after town fell. The towns of Dickenscheid, Dillendorf, Kirchburg, Dill and Laufersweiler fell as the Germans reeled back under the one-two punch of armor-infantry teams.
P-47 and P-51 fighter-bombers battered enemy convoys without ceasing and twenty miles in advance of the division, infantry units of the 89th crossed the Nahe River on March 19. For directing fire in eliminating one machine gun nest and single-handedly wiping out another near Kirn, S/Sgt. Joseph G. Gruz, Alliance, Ohio, was awarded the Silver Star. Gruz crawled forward under murderous fire, hurled a grenade into the position and killed two gunners, then jumped in the hole and bayoneted a third.
Two days later, the remainder of the division swarmed across the river against moderate opposition and sprinted for the next water barrier, the Glan. The towns of Merxheim, Kuppchen, Otzweiler and Hundsbach fell in rapid succession. On the heights of Limbacher Hohe, a stubborn pocket held up the 353rd for nearly an entire day with a storm of small and medium size arms fire while holding the Hohe and ridge lines. It took a synchronized frontal attack from two emerging sides, across open fields, and up sloping terrain to dislodge the enemy, capturing 47 and routing the remaining force.
- This product is available for international shipping. Shipping not available to: Australia, France, or Germany
- Not eligible for payment with Paypal or Amazon
- Due to legal restrictions this item cannot be shipped to Australia, France or Germany. This is not a comprehensive list and other countries may be added in the future.
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