Siege of Brest
During August 1944, the battalion participated in the siege of Brest helping to breach the old city walls. The unit was credited with destroying multiple pill boxes, dugouts, machine gun emplacements, an ammunition dump, anti-aircraft guns, large caliber artillery pieces, houses and a large hotel. In destroying these enemy installations and material, the Company inflicted more than four hundred casualties upon the enemy.
The battalion then participated in the attack on St. Marc, and although subjected to exceptionally heavy 88mm fire, found it necessary to move to positions fully visible to the Germans so they could place direct fire on German installations. Two platoons entered the city of Brest on 11 September, following closely on the heels of advancing infantry. During the engagement, they received intense sniper fire. Gun crews abandoned all cautionary measures as they knocked out a pill box and several enemy observation posts during the day.
Despite heavy counterbattery and sniper fire on all gun positions during the final five days of the siege, the second platoon of Company B fired approximately 200 rounds per day and eliminated a number of pill boxes and other reinforced positions, enabling units of the 29th Infantry Division to steadily move forward. To be effective, Tank Destroyer guns operated within the front line rifle platoons.
Read more about this topic: 612th Tank Destroyer Battalion
Famous quotes containing the words siege of and/or siege:
“One likes people much better when they’re battered down by a prodigious siege of misfortune than when they triumph.”
—Virginia Woolf (1882–1941)
“One likes people much better when they’re battered down by a prodigious siege of misfortune than when they triumph.”
—Virginia Woolf (1882–1941)