Memorial

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On 5 March 1945 a task force was formed under the command of (then) Captain John E Muir. This task force was formed to spearhead a fast-moving attack. Consisting of Company A 345th; the 87th Division's Reconnaissance Troop; Company C, 735th Tank Battalion; two tank destroyers and a pioneer platoon from the 607th Tank Destroyer Battalion; and an ambulance, they formed during the night and set out at 6.30 AM from Neureuth on the morning of March 6th 1945. The small force was named after its commanding officer, John E Muir ...
Together with the rest of Company A's men, Arthur rode one of the tanks, tank-destroyers or a reconnaissance car. Following the excellent road net, they rolled over the hills and valleys between twenty-five and thirty miles an hour. After breaking a roadblock in Steffeln, Task Force Muir continued its way. By 10.15 AM the leading echelon was moving through Lissendorf, headed for Kyll River bridge at the easternmost end of town. As the leading vehicle moved up to the ramp the bridge was blown to pieces. The retreating Germans had successfully thrown a water barrier in the path of the 345th Infantry Regiment.
It was during this day's assaults that PFC Cohen was KIA.