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The 36th Division Archive
Staff Sergeant Myrl Yaeger
Automotive Mechanic; Squad Leader
3407th Ordnance Company (Motor Maintenance); 3rd Platoon, K Company,
3rd Battalion, 141st Infantry Regiment
Myrl Yaeger was born in November 1920 the middle of five children in a rural Missouri farming family. Raised in a house with his siblings, parents, and grandparents, he spent most of his childhood on the family farm just north of Glasgow, a town of around 1,500 surrounded by prominent agricultural industry. He left high school after his sophomore year to return home and work on the farm, but was only a few years in as he watched the United States descend into war. Needed to maintain the farm, however, Yaeger did not join the U.S. Army until he received a draft notice, officially enlisting in October 1942.
A round indention remains on his left sleeve where a patch of the 106th Infantry Division once sat.
Once inducted, Yaeger was sent to D Company, 2nd Quartermaster Regiment at Fort Warren, Wyoming, where he underwent basic training until early January 1943. Afterward, he was designated for special training as a mechanic and sent to the Stockton Ordnance Automotive School in California, where he spent a further two months learning the ins and outs of working on military vehicles. By the end of March, Yaeger transferred to the 12th Training Battalion at the Shenango Personnel Replacement Depot in Pennsylvania where he was prepped for overseas service. He finally shipped overseas on May 9, 1943, out of Camp Patrick Henry, and arrived in North Africa two weeks later.
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After a few weeks in the 7th Replacement Depot, Yaeger received his official assignment to the 3407th Ordnance Company (Motor Maintenance) as an automotive mechanic. Yaeger was a cadre member of the company, having only formed three days prior to his transfer, which was tasked with the repair, upkeep, and operation of DUKWs, amphibious transport trucks. On July 6, 1943, the company left Algiers for its first combat mission: the invasion of Sicily. On July 10, the men participated in the landings at Gela, helping bring ashore essential troops and supplies for the invasion force while ensuring the amphibious vehicles remained fully operational. Yaeger and the company remained in this duty for the duration of the Sicilian campaign, only leaving the island in October for the beaches of Paestum once Allied forces had swept onto the Italian mainland.
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Although no amphibious assaults were imminent, the DUKWs still played an important role in transportation of military equipment and personnel, keeping Yaeger and his men busy throughout the winter months. On January 25, 1944, however, the 3407th was once again tasked to support the new amphibious landing at Anzio. Arriving three days after American forces began the attack, they once again were essential in keeping up the logistics of the assaulting troops. “We were sitting near the beach repairing Duks,” Yaeger mentioned in a letter home, “but even then it wasn’t fun.” Enemy artillery and air attacks were a constant on the beachhead. Despite their mostly logistical work, Yaeger recalled that he “sweat out plenty of Jerry’s artillery and bombings and I figured that was enough.” The action at Anzio took a toll on Yaeger, however, and on February 18 he was transferred to the 93rd Evacuation Hospital for nerves, suffering a mental breakdown from the intensity of the Anzio combat zone. He was in and out of the hospital until May 8, working with his unit and suffering occasional mental strain or illness while American forces desperately fought to break through the German defenses. Eventually, the invasion proved a success, breaking through the lines and allowing the Allies to march on Rome in early June.
A DUKW in the invasion of Sicily
Another DUKW in Sicily
A local news article describing his time in the 3407th and his first battle with the 36th
A DUKW in the invasion of Sicily
The next major action for the 3407th came in August of 1944 when they were assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division for the landings of Operation Dragoon. The company went ashore with the division’s DUKW units at Cavalaire-sur-Mer, in Provence, France. This invasion was a little smoother than his prior operations, with most fighting done inland rather than the beachheads. Even so, he wrote that as far as invasions go, “I’ll take them with the ordnance.” “The infantry,” he explained, “just sitting on an ordinary frontline position is much tougher than any invasion I ever participated in.” As the U.S. 7th Army drove the Germans northward towards central France and Germany, the DUKWs remained with the American troops to provide much needed motor transport for the advance. The 3407th kept up its work, but, as the Vosges campaign dredged on through the fall and winter of 1944, there was more need for bodies on the lines than the mechanic workshops. In December of 1944, while the 7th Army was fighting desperately to secure southern Alsace, Yaeger left the 3407th and was sent to a replacement depot to prepare for frontline duty.
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After some basic infantry refresher training, Yaeger was assigned to 3rd Platoon, K Company, 3rd Battalion, 141st Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division on January 21, 1945, while they were in the midst of supporting the 100th Infantry Division’s battling towards Bitche. A veteran infantry unit of Italy, Southern France, and central France, K Company was desperate for replacements after many months of tough fighting. Yaeger joined after they had been relieved from a pitched battle at Lemberg, on the southern flank of the 100th Division. Even in the reserve position they were moved to, on the day Yaeger joined K Company was still sending out combat patrols to keep away German forces as they prepared for imminent relief. By the next evening the company began its move back to Eckartswiller, where Yaeger took part in a company training program to integrate replacements like him into the life of a combat infantryman.
An article describing Yaeger's transfer to the infantry.
An article describing Yaeger's transfer to the infantry.
Yaeger’s first combat on the line took place on February 3, 1945. Plans were made for a division wide attack with the 141st Infantry slated to capture the town of Herrlisheim, near Haguenau. The terrain was flat and open with numerous streams and canals intersecting the area. Warm weather melted the snow and flooded many of the roads and foxholes, creating overall miserable combat conditions. K Company planned to cross a footbridge at the Zorn Canal about 800 yards southeast of the Langenau Woods, towards the southern edge of Herrlisheim, where they would meet up with I Company to initiate the attack. The movement began at 0300 with overcast clouds and flooded water sometimes up to the hips of the soldiers. The slippery and muddy ground made it all the more difficult as men fell and soiled their weapons, causing malfunctions. Thankfully, I and K Company were able to run into each other and proceeded towards the outskirts of the town, albeit in a more ramshackle formation.
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Around 100 yards from the tip of the city, three German automatic weapons opened up on the formation. Believing this was the main line of German resistance, the T-Patchers quickly silenced them only to watch as even heavier fire opened up across the entire front. Some from the bank of the canal to their flank, others from the southern edge of Herrlisheim itself. In the pitch black of the night, the troops had no idea they were so close to the security of the town’s buildings and many men began fighting desperately from the mud and trees. K Company especially had a difficult face off against several German machine guns across the Zorn Canal. As dawn approached, some troops noticed a fire on a house. Recognizing how close they were to their objective, company commanders ordered the men to take shelter in the buildings and a disorganized advance saw nearly two-hundred men rush to safety. Unfortunately, the Germans had built strong points in eight of the houses on the edge of the town, requiring the T-Patchers to go room to room clearing each building. The virtual lake of mud they had been fighting in, however, caused many automatic weapons to clog, making the situation only more miserable as platoon leaders tried to lead some effort to reorganize the companies. Heavy German fire was still hitting the formation, and one K Company platoon leader was killed in the process.
A photo from one of the 3rd Battalion attacks against Herrlisheim
A photo from one of the 3rd Battalion attacks against Herrlisheim
By 1030, the two companies had made solid positions inside the buildings as they waited for promised tank support. Unbeknownst to them, flooding had caused the tank bridges to become uncrossable, and no help was coming. Around this time, two German tanks came from the north into Herrlisheim, opening fire from the nearby railroad tracks on the two entrenched companies, killing another platoon leader from I Company. After thirty minutes of barrage from the tanks, German infantry launched a counterattack form the northeast, which was beat off, but only to the realization that the American soldiers were running desperately low on ammo. With Germans slowly surrounding them on nearby roads, the company commanders realized they had no option to expand their position, no hope of resupply, and seemingly no armor support. The decision was made to withdraw, and a hasty and disheveled retreat found the men running completely disorganized back to the American line at Weyersheim.
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In a letter home about this initial assault on Herrlisheim, Yaeger detailed the difficulty and treacherousness of infantry combat:
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We used to read a lot about the infantry. It sounded unbelievable at times. Now that I’m in it, I’ll believe anything. My first attack saw us pinned down for half an hour by enemy small arms fire. Then I learned the truth the hard way. It was an awkward feeling. I’ve been with the infantry a month and I think I could elaborate on those stories I used to read.
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For the next several weeks, Yaeger’s battalion took up various defensive positions all focused around Herrlisheim, trading fire back and forth with Germans across the canals, roads, and depressions with combat patrols leading the way. Scattered attacks were made by both sides, but a heavy enemy presence of machine guns, self-propelled guns, tanks, and infantry kept the stretched T-Patchers from making any meaningful advance. Artillery was so intense between the forces that at times roads were blocked by the hulks of destroyed vehicles. On February 21, the 141st was relieved by French forces and spent over a week in a bivouac area awaiting further orders.
141st troops being inspected in Alsace
141st troops being inspected in Alsace
Towards the end of February, the 36th Division took over positions of the 101st Airborne Division in and around Haguenau. Yaeger’s battalion went in on March 4 and took part of the line south of Haguenau, stretching from the city’s eastern edge southward to Kaltenhouse. For two weeks the combat was more of the same. Scattered firing, flares, and artillery back and forth across the Moder River, which separated the American and German lines, with numerous patrols and attempts to cross the river providing most of the action. During this period Yaeger was also promoted to Sergeant, becoming a squad leader in 3rd Platoon. Despite his brief time in the infantry, his years of overseas service likely dominated many replacements in the company and proved useful in a leadership capacity.
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On March 15, 1945, the entire 7th Army launched a mass attack across the Moder River with the intent of driving the German forces to the Siegfried Line and Rhine River. Although the 36th’s main thrust was headed by the 142nd and 143rd Regiments, Yaeger’s battalion moved behind the 2nd Battalion of the 141st as it attacked from the northern center of Haguenau, establishing a bridgehead across the Moder. On the following day, Yaeger and his battalion began a two-day slog up the Haguenau-Surbourg road. Although only lightly defended by enemy troops, this isolated road through heavy forest was peppered with roadblocks to delay the advancing Americans. It was not until 0130 on March 18 that they finally reached Surbourg, where they were given immediate orders to make haste towards Wissembourg, a small town just across the German border where it was suspected the German troops would make their stand along the Siegfried Line.
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Intelligence proved correct. The German forces had taken shelter on the line, fortifying numerous bunkers and emplacements which were protected by anti-tank traps, barbed wire, and heavy weapons. The 141st’s attack on the Siegfried Line began March 20, with K Company advancing in the center of the regimental line east of Oberotterbach. From the start of the advance the company was quickly pinned down by heavy machine gun and self-propelled gun fire. Supporting battalions tried to jockey around and test the German lines, but eventually Yaeger and his men were ordered to withdraw. While the 142nd Regiment battled heavily to the west in what seemed the most likely breakthrough point, Yaeger’s battalion remained in their positions, digging in. At 0750 on March 21, the battalion was sent towards the 142nd to exploit an opening in the woods northwest of Oberotterbach. Pushing forward with tank and artillery support, Yaeger and his comrades were able to knock out several German emplacements before heavy counterattacks stymied their progress. By the evening of March 23, however, they had reached the village of Dorrenbach after German forces had fallen into a full retreat.
Map of the 36th Division's Siegfried Line breakthrough
Some 36th troops on tank traps of the Siegfried Line
The Wissembourg gate, where the division crossed through into Germany
Map of the 36th Division's Siegfried Line breakthrough
The rest of March was spent driving northward, through Bergzabern and on to the Rhine River, where the division was ordered to hold for other units to catch up. On March 30, the 141st was relieved and tasked with overseeing military governance of the occupied territory, a division-wide mission for the whole month of April. Yaeger and his men spent most of that time going from town to town taking prisoners, securing enemy weapons, performing police duties, overseeing displaced persons, and generally trying to instill some order in this small slice of Germany that the 7th Army had now conquered. In late April, the regiment once again set out for combat, driving south to Ubrigshausen, Landsberg, and deeper towards Austria. Besides scattered delaying actions by the Germans, the hundreds of miles driven by the 141st were also marked by steady streams of former concentration camp prisoners, marching by the thousands from liberated camps and subcamps in the region. It was quite a wake up call for the T-Patchers, but often reminded them of the deeper reasons of why their work was necessary. By May 3, the regiment reached Austria, spending a few days putting up with scattered German remnants before the entirety of the German Army surrendered on May 8, 1945.
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Yaeger, a veteran of nearly two years of overseas service, had finally finished what he came here to do. He received a promotion to Staff Sergeant at the end of May and spent the summer with the 36th performing occupation duty near Munich. In August, he transferred to C Company, 422nd Infantry Regiment, 106th Infantry Division, with whom he would travel back to the United States. It is likely with the 106th that Yaeger sewed the green “combat leader” stripes to his uniform, as this was not a practice done by the 36th Division. Nevertheless, he arrived back home in October 1945 and received his official discharge on October 9.
A photo of 3rd Platoon in Ulm, Germany, kept by Yaeger
A local article about Yaeger's experiences in Alsace
Yaeger going home with the 106th Division
A photo of 3rd Platoon in Ulm, Germany, kept by Yaeger
A seasoned combat veteran, Yaeger made his way back to Glasgow and took up a life of farming like his father. Although only six months of his time in the Army was spent with the 36th Division, he was immensely proud of his time as a T-Patcher. In the 1970s he became a life member of the 36th Division Association and contributed regularly to its efforts, keeping in touch with other former members of K Company. While his health prevented him from ever attending a reunion, he still supported those who could and the mission of the association to keep the division’s memory alive. When he passed after a long battle with illness in 1991, Yaeger instilled one final reminder of his service by having a T-Patch engraved upon his tombstone, where it still sits today in rural Missouri.
