In March of
1945 the division found itself on the west side
of the River Rhine, waiting to cross the river
in "Operation Varsity", using the bridgehead
captured by the Allied airborne divisions on
March, 24, 1945 and thrust deep into Germany.
The 134th
Regimental History writes the following about
the actions in the latter part of March:
"With the hope
of achieving a break-out on the plains of
northern Germany, General Eisenhower had decided
that the main effort in crossing the Rhine
should be made north of the Ruhr, that is, in
the area of Field Marshall Sir Bernard L.
Montgomery’s Northern (21st) Group of Armies. In
a great windfall of the war, however, troops of
General Courtney Hodges’ First Army (the 9th
Armored Division) had seized intact the
Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen, and before the
main effort could be mounted in the north, First
Army already had developed a bridgehead 25 miles
long and 10 miles deep, and its three corps were
ready to strike out. This major threat to the
Germans in that region south of the Ruhr lent a
considerable assurance of success to the big
attack of the British, Canadian, and U.S. Ninth
Armies in the north (in Operation PLUNDER) when
the great air fleets of the First Allied
Airborne Army and the waves of boats - operated
mostly by naval personnel - began crossing the
great barrier early on 24 March, 1945.
At a meeting at
the Regimental C.P. that morning Colonel
Boatsman reported the progress of the operation
and announced plans for the Regiment’s
participation in it. Two British corps had
attacked at midnight, and Commandos were now
taking Wesel. At 0200 the 30th (U.S.) Division
had begun crossing at three sites in the area
south of Wesel, and by 0400 six battalions were
across, and now they had penetrated to a depth
of 2,000 yards. An hour later troops of the 79th
Division had begun crossing some distance to the
right (south) of the 30th, and by 0400 it had
three battalions across and likewise had
achieved a penetration of 2,000 yards.
Opposition had been surprisingly light.
A quartering
party left with Captain Lysle Abbott in
mid-morning to reconnoiter an assembly area near
Rheinberg, and the Regiment was alerted to be
prepared to move on 30 minutes notice after
1700. (Earlier plans had contemplated use of the
35th Division to exploit a breakthrough no
earlier than D plus 4.) Later orders indicated
that there would be no movement toward the
bridgehead until the next day.
Task Force
Miltonberger was attached to the 79th Division
for the operation. The task force included, in
addition to the 134th Infantry, the 161st and
127th Field Artillery Battalions; Company A,
784th Tank Battalion; Company A, 654th Tank
Destroyer Battalion, Company A, 60th Engineer
Battalion, and Company A, 110th Medical
Battalion.
Soon after
arrival of the Regiment in the Rheinberg area,
where the line companies detrucked, orders came
for an immediate crossing of the river. Night
was falling as the 3rd, 1st, 2nd Battalions
marched across the great pontoon "Love" bridge
at "Blue" beach, and even the night sky assumed
a look similar to that of the first night in
Normandy when airplanes of the Luftwaffe
exchanged colorful streams of tracers with
anti-aircraft guns near the bridge.
Completion of
plans, coordination with units of 153rd Infantry
(79th Division), issuance of orders in all
echelons, movement into position - all these
consumed most of the night, but the battalions,
the 3rd on the right and the 2nd on the left,
jumped off on time at 0800. Line of departure
was the front of the 315th Infantry, and after
that area had been cleared, the 79th Division
turned generally southeast to protect the right
flank of the XVI Corps. Although the Regiment
was going into the industrial Ruhr region, this
first day’s attack was mainly through patches of
woods. Opposition - primarily from direct fire
of 20mm and larger caliber SP guns - was
somewhat more pronounced in front of the 3rd
Battalion, and these same centers of resistance
held up to a similar pace the 2nd Battalion’s
right - G Company. Company E, however, advanced
rapidly from the first. Further delay came to
the 3rd Battalion when its attached tanks bogged
down in the mud of an autobahn roadbed which was
under construction. (Tanks attached to the 1st
Battalion, in reserve, were sent forward to the
3rd.) By 1430, both battalions were on the task
force objective, and the 3rd Battalion had
seized a bridge intact over the Schwartzer
creek."
The After
Action Report of the 134th Regiment for March
26, 1945 says:
"The movement
from the detrucking area west of Rheinberg to
the vicinity of Dinslaken, east of the Rhine,
was completed by 0500. After an early morning
reconnaissance, the Task Force launched an
attack at 0800 with the Third Battalion on the
right and the Second Battalion on the left
(North). The line of departure was the existing
forward positions of the 315 Infantry, 79th
Division. After being relieved, that
organization turned generally southeast to
protect the southern flank of the Corps. The
Third Battalion encountered moderate resistance,
including considerable 20mm and direct fire
artillery, but by 1530 had advanced three and
one-half kilometers to the Task Force objective,
seizing the bridge across the Schwarzer River
(376318) intact. The Second Battalion advanced
rapidly, especially E Company on the left flank,
against light opposition. Company G on the right
flank of the Battalion encountered much of the
same type of opposition as the Third Battalion,
and its advance was much in accord with that of
the Third, but by 1242 both units were on the
Task Force objective after having advanced about
four kilometers. The First Battalion remained in
Task Force reserve throughout the period,
advancing to positions generally behind the
Third Battalion. Task Force Miltonberger was
dissolved at 1800, with control of Combat Team
134 reverting to the 35th Division. The only
Change in Attachments was that of the Engineer
unit, changed from attachment to direct support.
One tank was destroyed during the operation by
an enemy direct-fire weapon. The regimental
command post was three kilometers northeast of
Dinslaken, while the train bivouac remained in
Dinslaken."
Pfc Bjornstad
was killed on March 26, 1945 in the fight from
the River Rhine to Dinslaken.
He
is buried at Margraten American Military
Cemetery, Plot D Row 3 Grave 16.
