The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 72, July 1968 - April, 1969 Page: 83
498 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Notes and Documents
clock to construct and maintain a tortuous 71/, mile mountain road .. .
to support the attack that was increased to 3 infantry regiments, a tank
Bn, and other support units.
[The General] described this action as the outstanding combat engi-
neering feat of the war.
The War Department stated that the success in the rescue of the "Lost
Bn" was due, in large part, to the military road constructed by the
Division Engineers.
A Presidential Citation was awarded for the achievement.
The 442nd RCT in 15 days of combat lost 117 killed, 657 wounded,
40 M[issing] I[n] A[ction].
They were one of the very finest fighting unit[s] I knew.o5
One of the casualties of this engagement was First Lieutenant Wells
Lewis,'0o son of the novelist, Sinclair Lewis. He was killed by gunfire
while serving as General Dahlquist's aide during the period when the
division commander directed the assault about a mile northeast of
Biffontaine. Stovall was directing the engineers nearby and heard gun-
fire. He took some of his men and proceeded toward it.
Stovall came upon the scene of General Dahlquist kneeling on the
ground holding the dead Lieutenant. His recollection is that, as he
approached, General Dahlquist looked up at him and said, "They
were shooting at me and killed this fine young man."
After the "Lost Battalion" fight, the 141st [Infantry] continued to
fight through the forest against heavy resistance.
Rain continued and the valley and flat land areas became soggy and
placed a heavier burden on the engineers. A heavy snow fell on the
6th & 7th [November] to make mine detection near impossible. Trees
from [one to three feet in diameter] . . . were felled on roads [by the
Germans]. Personnel & vehicular mines were planted.
The trees could not be moved until the mines were removed and
the mines could not be detected before the trees and snow were re-
moved. It was a problem.
We had met other problems, however, and soon found a way to beat
this one.
Our [engineering] shop made large hooks attached to cables; they
were attached to exposed tree limbs and the other end to bulldozer,
truck, or tank-dozer. As the trees [were] moved, the mines activated by
"push or pull" devices were exploded. Trees were then cut in small pieces
10SStovall Narrative, 118-119.
l0oWells Lewis, 01040853, was assigned as aide de camp to Major General John E.
Dahlquist from July 19, 1944, to October 29, 1944. He was awarded the Silver Star, the
Bronze Star with "V," the Purple Heart, and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm.
GSA, St. Louis, to R.L.W., July 25, 1967.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 72, July 1968 - April, 1969, periodical, 1969; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117146/m1/99/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.