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Chapter XII On April 21st, 1945, the Rangers started out on their last mission. Companies “C”, “E” and “B” under Colonel Sullivan, were attached to the Third Cavalry Squadron of Third Cavalry Group, for operations, and joined the Cavalry at Hersbruck. Companies “A”, “D” and “F” under command of Major Heffelfinger, the Ranger Executive Officer, were attached to the 43rd Cavalry Squadron of Third Cavalry Group and joined them at Lienberg. The mission of the Rangers was to operate with the Cavalry, to ride all of the back roads and fields to capture bridges across the Danube River and allow the 71st Infantry Division to cross. The column progressed rapidly, meeting only minor resistance and receiving a small amount of enemy artillery and small arms fire. The Rangers were perched precariously on the tanks, and in a rush of speed on the final stretch to the objective, one good bridge was captured in tact. However, all of the other bridges had long since been blown. Minor casualties were suffered by the Ranger battalion, -- but this mission was quite different from the usual Ranger missions. With the mission completed, the Rangers were relieved from duty with the Third Cavalry Group and assembled in Wenzenbach. On 6 May 1945, the Battalion moved to Pocking, Germany, and on the next day, the long awaited news was announced, -- “GERMANY HAS SURRENDERED, UNCONDITIONALLY”. |
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