With the U. S. Third Army west of Metz, Sept. 13 - (NANA) - They had to swim the Moselle River to get back and some of them swam it in their underwear despite a terrific current and freezing water. But by that time, their mission was accomplished and every one in the 3d Army conceded that they had done a "grand job."

One Detroit soldier [SEE the 14 Sep Detroit article.] towed a shell-shocked lad from Cleveland across the river. Another Yank grabbed a jeep, after a medic driver had been killed, to evacuate the wounded at the river bank. Still another towed a wounded soldier halfway across the river and cried when the wounded soldier died in his arms in the river.

This was a great action by a unit [actually multiple units under a single command] of the 3d Army that fought against overwhelming odds for three days and nights across the Moselle, upsetting the Germans and forcing them to concentrate most of their troops against this force, and creating a ruckus so that other Americans in greater force could cross the Moselle in many places [minor error - one place: Arnaville] and establish a bridgehead.

The unit forded [Major Error - the Moselle was far too deep to ford it] the river on the morning of Sept. 8 and fought its way 2000 yeards when it collided headon with Germans in overwhelming force entrenched in a French fort built in 1850.

The Germans pounded the outfit with mortars and heavy artillery and attacked it from the north and south flanks east [error - the GIS never reached a point east of the fort] of the fort with Tiger tanks. They counter-attacked every two hours, trying to wipe out the Americans. Their artillery shelled the river, preventing reinforcements from coming up. Five hours after it had been in the line the unit notified its commanding officer that its situation was desparate. The unit was ordered to dig in and hold its lines as a holding-diversion measure.

So the unit dug in, forming a perimeter defense in a woods and puting its mortars in the centre. It held its positions for three days and two nights - not until 9:15 on the night of September 10 did it get an order to withdraw. By that time, the Yanks had completely fooled the Nazis by these tactics. Other troops wee over the Moselle in force in many place by that time, and a big bridgehead across the Moselle was secure.

Sgt. John Wegrrzyn of Detroit, one of the members of the unit, told me "We pounded them from all sides with our Garands. There were only eight of us in our part of the patrol, but when their attack had failed and daylight came we counted up the score. They 28 dead and eight wounded and we took two prisoners. We didn't lose a man."

WITH THE 3RD ARMY, West of Metz, Sept. 14 - (Delayed) - The order had come to the lost unit that had accomplished its mission and now was to get back across the Moselle as best it could under the protective cover of our men on this side of the river. The order for retreat was given in hushed words in the gathering darkness.

As Pvt. Morris L. Halvary, 13320 Woodrow Wilson avenue, Detroit, crawled out of his foxhole, a Nazi 88-mm. shell fragment hit his helmet, knocked it off and knocked him back into his foxhole atop his companion, a 23-year-old GI from Cleveland, O.

Halvary was stunned for a moment. When he came to, his companion forced him to leave the foxhole, and they crept down to the river's edge. There they took off their clothes down to their underwear and dove in. After swimming 25 yards the boy from Cleveland was tuckered out, so Halvary turned back and towed him in.

"Put the name of Lieut. James E. Wright, of North Carolina in your notebook," Halvary told me as Lieut.-Col. Enos G. Walker, 1400 Field avenue, Detroit, and I talked to him after his escape.

"I don't care if Lieut. Wright isn't from Detroit," Halvary said. "Write his name down. He's a great fighting man. He swam across the river, brought a boat and paddled it under fire so some of the wounded could get back. What a guy!"

Staff Sergt. Edwin E. Elliott, 35861 Grayfield avenue, Detroit, fired a last shot at the river bank took off his clothes and dove into the icy waters under shellfire during the retreat.

TRIES TO SAVE BUDDY

Spotting a wounded GI in the river, Elliott dove for him and brought him up, but the GI died in his arms. Elliott went under twice trying to bring the body across, then had to let go. He reached the opposite shore exhausted and hiked in his bare feet to camp.

Sergt. Michael L. Ladanowski, 2633 Frederick street, Detroit, also swam across.

"I wish I had some of those strikers with me in that action," he said. "Maybe there wouldn't be so many strikes in Detroit if those striking lads had been with us on the other side of the Moselle."

First Sergt. Thomas E. Hogas, 8864 Schaefer highway, Detroit, swam over in his clothes, one of the few Yansk to make it without undressing.

"I shot a Kraut at 10 years and took his revolver away from him," he said holding up his booty.

Corp. Frank R. Wilkins, 8640 Rathbose avenue, De[troit] ... been taking assault ... swim back.

Segt. Hugh J. ... Highland avenue, P... Mich, could not ... grabbed an inner ... and paddled across ...

"They hitched a ...

Mention...

Pvt. Morris L. H[alvary] ... old, worked for the ... Bauer Flooring Co. ... the Army in Febr... ...

... [next to photo of Halvary]

[Ho]gan, 28 is the son of ... M. Hogan 3844 Sc... He is a grduate ... School, Dearborn, ...