WW2 314 IR, 2nd Btn Capture of Rohrwiller and Drusenheim, France 6 Jan 1945

World War Two: The 314th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion, 79th Infantry Division - Capture of Rohrwiller and Drusenheim, France 6 Jan 1945

[@TS-ev1bl]

The CO of the 314 IR (Col. Warren Robinson, aka "Colonel Robbie") was a friend of my family in the '80s. He knew that I and one of my friends were history buffs, especially WW2, so he invited us to his home. We spent all afternoon talking to him and his wife and looking at their mementos. Their house was like a WW2 museum. He still had a set of his West Point cadet grays (Class of '22, I think?) and other uniforms hanging in the closet, framed snippets of news articles about his regiment, brigade, and division, a photo of him with Bing Crosby in France in '44, etc. Too much to list. They also had a bust of Hitler they were using as a doorstop. He said his troops presented it to him at chow one evening with a bullet hole in it and a big red bow tied to it. They had "liberated" it that day from a government building shortly after they crossed into Germany. I now regret that I didn't know enough about the 79th ID's battle history to ask so many questions that I now would love to ask him. He and his wife were very gracious and said they couldn't believe that young people (my friend and I were early 20's at the time) were interested in hearing their stories. Both were in their '80s at the time but were mentally very sharp, and he especially seemed to be in good health. They both lived into the (and their) '90s. Every once in a while I do more reading and research about the 314th and that's how I stumbled on this wonderful clip. It's a little surreal to see Col. Robbie's boys in action 75+ years ago.

[@jakzatchin4269]

Where did you get these rushes ? Is it possible to buy the rights and a HD version ?

[@jakzatchin4269]

I used to live in drusenheim, some places a still unchanged

[@erinraymond7168]

I've been researching this footage, any chance you know which direction they are heading over the bridge in Drusenheim?

[@jakzatchin4269]

@@erinraymond7168 they obviously came from rohrwiller heading toward the train station and church area in drusenheim to avoid mortar from the other side of the moder and from this area headed Eastward to the broken bridge , passed it towards the main crossroad opening to the road of Strasbourg, that crosses herrlisheim.

[@jakzatchin4269]

@@erinraymond7168 I could draw a map for you if you want. They obviously avoided the most direct path to the bridge for the Germans were on the immediate opposite side of the moder occupying the breymuhl ruins that are at artillery range of the east side of left bank of the moder in drusenheim.

[@jakzatchin4269]

@@erinraymond7168 the large building on the left just close to the bridge was taken down after the war and replaced by a garden. Drusenheim was 85% destroyed after March 1945, not much of what you see in this footage was still standing 2 months after.

[@erinraymond7168]

@@jakzatchin4269 Thanks, you are most definitely right. I only ask because there is an Army Bulletin video of this footage that describes the tanks as elements of the 714th Tank Battalion. My Grandpa was in the 714th. On January 19th according to the after action reports B/714 was attached to the 79th Infantry division for an attack on Drusenheim coming from Herrlisheim. I can find very little about this action but I remember my Grandpa talking about how they were surrounded and had to fight there way out and were losing until the fog cleared and air support came in.