1942 - US Army Center Of Military History

[ 16 SEPTEMBER 1944 ]
drives into Brest via tunnel beneath stone wall, and
115th advances toward submarine pens. 2d Div
continues to press in from N.
In U.S. First Army’s XIX Corps area, TF Stokes
(Lt Col William M. Stokes, Jr.), consisting of 99th
Inf Bn, tank bn of 2d Armd Div, and supporting
units, starts N across 9-mile gap that has developed
between British and American forces because of
diverging drives, crossing Willems Vaart Canal N
of Maastricht. Meerssen bridgehead of CCB, 2d
Armd Div, is under heavy fire; CCA crosses into
30th Div’s bridgehead at Valkenburg, also under
fire. 30th Div renews attack toward West Wall N of
Aachen from De Geul bridgeheads with 119th Inf
on left and 120th on right, elements of 120th reaching
positions within 3 miles of German border. In
VII Corps area, stubborn defense of Stolberg corridor
nullifies corps’ attacks. CCB, 3d Armd Div,
tries in vain to clear Weissenberg Hill; CCA is
unable to advance on N suburbs of Stolberg. To
bridge 4-mile gap between the two combat commands,
TF Hogan (Lt Col Samuel Hogan commanding
small tank force and attached 1st Bn, 26th
Inf) is formed and overruns Buesbach. 47th Inf,
9th Div, takes Vicht and Schevenhuette, the latter
10 miles inside Germany and the deepest penetration
so far; 39th Inf continues to batter at West
Wall near Lammersdorf and reduces strongpoint
that has been delaying it for 3 days; 60th Inf, assisted
by tanks, clears Hoefen on Hoefen–Alzen
ridge. In V Corps area, 12th Inf of 4th Div makes
fruitless and costly efforts to push NE for the next
few days; 8th Inf enters center of line and drives
down E slopes of the Schnee Eifel hampered more
by terrain than enemy; 22d Inf is still unable to
take Brandscheid but gains hill on outskirts, and
elements of regt take important hill on Bleialf–
Pruem highway about midway between Meisert and
Sellerich. In 28th Div sector, 1st Bn of 110th Inf
makes narrow penetration into West Wall, seizing
lofty Losenseifen Hill as well as Spielmannsholz
Hill, within a few thousand yards of objective, Uttfeld.
5th Armd Div ( — ), awaiting arrival of
arty, remains in place on S flank of corps; 1st Bn
of 112 Inf, moving through Stockem, secures small
bridgehead across the Pruem at Wettlingen and
holds it against strong counterattack; CCB crosses
into Wallendorf bridgehead to expand it but can
make little headway. At 2040, Gen Gerow, CG V
Corps, halts offensive, since operations are too costly
to pursue at this time.
In U.S. Third Army’s XX Corps area, limited
objective attacks of 90th Div W of Metz are costly
and almost fruitless. CCR, 7th Armd Div, begins
attack to break out of Arnaville bridgehead along
Lorry–Sillegny road but is soon stopped; CCB
crosses into the bridgehead early in morning and
[ 275 ]
joins in attack at 1400, pushing toward Marieulles.
5th Div regroups within the bridgehead: 2d Inf
relieves CCB on right flank and CCB moves to Vittonville;
11th Inf crosses another bn into bridgehead
and defends N flank; 10th Inf, in center,
patrols toward Fey. Hitler, revoking a previous order,
calls for reinforcement of Metz salient in order
to prevent encirclement of Metz. In XII Corps area,
80th Div, assisted by air and arty, decisively defeats
another major counterattack against Dieulouard
bridgehead; 1st Bn, 318th Inf, returning to bridgehead
from E, surprises enemy and captures Ste
Geneviève; 319th Inf moves into bridgehead, and
its 1st Bn recovers Atton and reaches isolated troops
on Mousson Hill. Retreating Germans are pursued
as far as Lesménils. After this action, 80th Div mops
up and reorganizes for drive to E. In Nancy sector,
35th Div’s 134th Inf pushes NE of Nancy to heights
N of Essey-lès-Nancy; 137th forces Meurthe R
and Rhine–Marne Canal and drives to within 2
miles of Nancy; 320th, to which 2d Bn reverts from
attachment to CCB of 4th Armd Div, takes Buissoncourt.
Germans withdraw from Lunéville as CCR,
4th Armd Div, moves into NW part of the city and
42d Sq of 2d Cav Gp enters from SE. In XV Corps
area, additional elements of 106th Cav Gp cross the
Moselle and begin to reconnoiter eastward toward
Mortagne R. Fr 2d Armd Div’s CCV Moselle
bridgehead at Châtel undergoes determined counterattack
by strong armored force; enemy is checked
after reinforcements are moved up to the French.
In order to avoid a major engagement, French withdraw
the bridgehead.
6th Army Group: In U.S. Seventh Army’s VI
Corps area, 36th Div takes Luxeuil and 3d Div takes
Lure against light opposition.
ESTONIA-LATVIA—Soviet forces of Leningrad
and Baltic Fronts open offensive about this time
toward Baltic Sea, pressing toward Tallinn, Valga,
and Riga.
BULGARIA—Soviet forces of Third Ukrainian
Front, pushing W to block enemy withdrawal from
Yugoslavia, enter Sofia, capital of Bulgaria.
GREECE—Br 9th Commandos lands without
opposition on Kithira I., off S coast of Peloponnesus,
to reconnoiter in preparation for landing of Force
140. Advance Coastal Forces Base is established on
Kithira.
ITALY—AAI: In U.S. Fifth Army’s IV Corps
area, while TF 45 regroups, RCT 6 of BEF seizes
Massarosa, N of Lake Massaciuccioli, and takes over
that portion of 1st Armd Div front previously held
by 2d Bn, 370th Inf. 1st Armd Div is ordered to
begin rcn in force to block enemy withdrawal.
Enemy continues to put up strong apposition on
right flank of corps, but S African 6th Armd Div