In early February, the 41st Battalion resumed its drive eastward. The objective was the Nazi "Westwall," a supposedly impregnable belt of pillboxes, tank traps, minefields, barbed wire and bunkers, all well-covered by infantry, artillery and armor. At Binsfield, Belgium, the 41st Battalion stayed in Corps reserve until the infantry could breach the Nazi fortifications, American and British dubbed the "Siegfried Line."


On February 28, the Battalion was ordered to Sellerich, Germany, where it would assemble for a March 3 attack toward the Prum River in coordination with the 4th Infantry Division. The Thunderbolts took the city of Prum and roared on to Fleringer, Lissingen, Gerolstein, Budesheim, Oos, Scheurem and Ober-Bettingen. The Thunderbolts were well inside Germany, but the drive was picking up speed.


It was mid-March and some Thunderbolts began to wonder how much longer the Germans could hold out. Thousands of enemy soldiers were surrendering: the enemy countryside was littered with destroyed or abandoned tanks, trucks, halftracks and guns. "You can rightfully say that this period saw the breaking of the proverbial camel's back," a Thunderbolt veteran said. "The enemy never did recover from the blow dealt to it by the Allied troops on the Western Front."


On March 17, the Thunderbolts were at another key objective: the Moselle River, which the 41st Battalion crossed at Bullay. On March 21, the tankers swept toward historic Rhine River city of Worms, which the American and British air forces had blasted into dusty rubble. The Thunderbolts were especially fond of Worms, where they "liberated" a winery of several thousand gallons of fine Rhine Wine.


On March 24, the battalion moved to Framersheim, joined the XX Corps and went into reserve. Escape routes for the enemy were cut off. What few troops the Germans had west of the Rhine were surrendering by the thousands to infantry troops who were closely following the hard-charging armored units. At Framersheim, too, the men enjoyed a bounty of white Rhine wine.


Early on March 29, the battalion, back with XX corps, crossed the Rhine at Oppenheim and the next day sped through Budinger, Rinderburger, Woferbom, Kafenrod and Ndr. Seeman. Enemy resistance was light until the battalion reached Fulda, where the Germans were holed up and apparently ready to make a stand. But the battalion was ordered to bypass Fulda and make for Grossemuder; the 26th Infantry cleared Fulda a few days later.


On the 41st Tank rolled in April, past Amstadt, Schlitz, Kaltensundheim, Wallbach, Metzel, Spangstille. Steinbach, Hallenberg, Ober-Schonau, and Oberhof. The Germans fought back at Oberhof, an old resort high in the mountains the Nazis had turned into a medical center with several hospitals. "Of all the countries that we had gone through we saw nothing to emulate the scenic beauty of this land," a Thunderbolt wrote. "And the people, they didn't seem to be gullible—couldn't they foresee the uselessness of all this bloodshed? That will always be an enigma to us."


Coburg was quite a site, too, with its ancient castle perched on a hill. The Germans seemed ready to fight for Coburg, but the town surrendered after an aerial bombing and a heavy tank artillery barrage. The spring weather was warm and sunny.


On April 17, the battalion reached Bayreuth, home of Richard Wagner, the famous German composer. Hundreds of Germans surrendered at Grafenwohr, southeast of Bayreuth. The Thunderbolts also found several enemy vehicles simply abandoned; in their haste to flee, the Germans did not even bother to destroy them.


On May 1, the battalion rolled across the border into Austria. On May 5, the Thunderbolts were in Gallneukirchen after cutting the main road running north and south from Linz. There was no more fighting; but the Americans stayed busy rounding up German prisoners, turning over about 18,000 to Soviet forces. They also dispatched several displaced persons to Mauthausen and Gusen, former Nazi concentration camps that had been converted to receive DPs. In addition, soldiers from the battalion rode as escorts on trains that took thousands of displaced persons back to Poland, Romania and other countries.

On May 8, the battalion got the word that the Germans had surrendered. The battalion, which was organized with 700 men, had lost 49 officers and men killed, 204 wounded in action and 148 injured in action.

HERBERT HOOVER BURR

Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company C, 41st Tank Battalion, 11th Armored Division. Place and date: Near Dorrmoschel, Germany, 19 March 1945. Entered service at: Kansas City, Mo. Birth: St. Joseph, Mo. G.O. No.: 73, 30 August 1945.

Citation:
He displayed conspicuous gallantry during action when the tank in which he was bow gunner was hit by an enemy rocket, which severely wounded the platoon sergeant and forced the remainder of the crew to abandon the vehicle. Deafened, but otherwise unhurt, S/Sgt. Burr immediately climbed into the driver's seat and continued on the mission of entering the town to reconnoiter road conditions. As he rounded a turn he encountered an 88-mm. antitank gun at pointblank range. Realizing that he had no crew, no one to man the tank's guns, he heroically chose to disregard his personal safety in a direct charge on the German weapon. At considerable speed he headed straight for the loaded gun, which was fully manned by enemy troops who had only to pull the lanyard to send a shell into his vehicle. So unexpected and daring was his assault that he was able to drive his tank completely over the gun, demolishing it and causing its crew to flee in confusion. He then skillfully sideswiped a large truck, overturned it, and wheeling his lumbering vehicle, returned to his company. When medical personnel who had been summoned to treat the wounded sergeant could not locate him, the valiant soldier ran through a hail of sniper fire to direct them to his stricken comrade. The bold, fearless determination of S/Sgt. Burr, his skill and courageous devotion to duty, resulted in the completion of his mission in the face of seemingly impossible odds.