The Decoy Doughboy

Souvenir Edition -- Printed in Czechoslovakia

May 23, 1945. -- Publishes by and for the men of the 18th Combat Team. -- First Infantry Division, U. S. Army.

Action at Mellerhofe - Tank-Infantry gets Results

Mellerhofe is a name that the members of the second platoon, Villain Baker tanks, will never forget. It's just a small group of buildings between Wissersheim and Gymnich, Germany, but for some tactical reason Herman considered it of great importance and defended it with everything at his disposal, tanks, planes, infantry.

Company ‘F’ jumped off at 2230 for Mellerhofe and at 2400 the call came for the tanks, machine gun fire having the doggies pinned down. The tank platoon, commanded by 1st Lt. Wilbur F. Worthing, Los Angeles, California, went to the aid of the embattled Americans and soon contacted the doughboys. They started forward together, the tanks silencing the enemy machine guns and the doughs taking care of the Panzerfausters.

Artillery fire had ringed the town with burning haystacks and buildings and as the task force moved forward into the glare all hell broke 'loose. Heinie tanks sitting back in the darkness opened fire and knocked out the platoon leader's tank, setting it afire.

The platoon leader jumped on the second tank, commanded by Sgt. William R. Roberts, resuming the assault. As they moved forward again, shots from the enemy tanks penetrated the second tank, disabling it. The Heinies chose this moment to counter-attack but a machine gun gun dismounted from the disabled tank by Pvt. Roy Isler, discouraged them until the infantry could move up even with the tanks.

Meanwhille, overhead roared enemy planes bombing and strafing the tank's and doughboys. Sgt.. Alva E. Beck, in the last tank, managed, with his machine gun in the turret, to keep the enemy planes at a fair height and once more the tanks moved into the assault with the doggies walking at their sides.

This time they had nearly made it to the town when another tank, commanded by S/Sgt Edgar Ireland, was hit and burned, but the remaining tank and the infantry pushed on and the enemy defense crumbled.

The 24th of March and the town of Mellershofe will long be remembered by the survivors of this action. That was the last effective defense the Germans put up on the east side of the Rhine. It was also a typical example of the teamwork between tanks and infantry in Combat Team 18 that resulted in the overpowering of anything the Krauts had to offer.