1942 - US Army Center Of Military History

[ 5 OCTOBER 1944 ]
is halted short of Loiano by stiff opposition. 339th
Inf, 85th Div, takes Quinzano and reaches slopes
of M. Bibele; 338th moves forward to relieve 339th,
night 4–5; 337th gains Hill 566, far in advance of
flanking forces. 88th Div gets into position to attack
Hill 587, N of Sassoleone. Br 13 Corps is reinf
by fresh 78th Div, whose 38th Brig starts forward
to relieve 88th Div (II Corps). 3d Brig, 1st Div,
continues futile efforts to take M. Ceco.
In Br Eighth Army area, 5 Corps orders attack
across the Fiumicino to begin night 6–7. Meanwhile,
Ind 10th Div struggles to advance left flank of
corps to the river, crossing elements over the Uso
early in day and beginning assault on heights (Sogliano
al Rubicone–S. Martino ridge) intervening
between there and the Fiumicino.
BURMA—11 Army Group: In Br Fourteenth
Army’s 33 Corps area, E African 11th Div overruns
Yazagyo, in Kabaw Valley. Ind 5th Div is closing in
on Tiddim.
MOROTAI—Gen Krueger declares Morotai operation
at an end, although mopping up continues.
Japanese dead on Morotai total 102; prisoners, 13.
At least 200 are estimated killed on barges between
Morotai and Halmahera. Allied casualties number
about 30 killed, 85 wounded, and 1 missing. Wama
field is put into use by aircraft. Permanent fighter
garrison arrives and CVE’s are able to leave.
PALAUS—On Peleliu, 7th Marines continues attacks
on Umurbrogol Pocket but by end of day is so
depleted in strength that it is no longer an effective
fighting force.
5 October
WESTERN EUROPE—21 Army Group: In Cdn
First Army area, Br 1 Corps gets forward elements
on left to Alphen, SW of Tilburg.
12th Army Group: In U.S. First Army’s XIX
Corps area, CCB of 2d Armd Div on left flank overruns
villages of Zweibruggen and Frelenberg and
continues toward Geilenkirchen; on right, cuts Geilenkirchen–Aachen
highway but is unable to reach
Beggendorf, its objective. CCA, reinf by 3d Bn of
116th Inf, 29th Div, moves into bridgehead at Uebach
to assist 30th Div. 117th Inf, 30th Div, attacks
SE from Uebach toward Alsdorf but is soon halted;
working S from Uebach area, TF Cox of 119th Inf
reaches positions E of Merkstein–Herbach and clears
ridge behind objective ridge except for a pillbox at
its S tip. Strong opposition continues to keep 7th
Armd Div from Overloon, though the
town is almost encircled. Germans are assisted by
heavy arty fire, which corps counters with 99 missions,
despite dwindling supply of arty ammunition.
German Air Force strikes at Palenberg in some
strength but causes little damage. In VII Corps area,
adverse weather conditions prevent 9th Div from
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launching attack toward Schmidt, an important objective
commanding Roer R and Schwammenauel
Dam, one of a series of Roer dams. V Corps closes
in new zone in Monschau–Losheim area.
In U.S. Third Army’s XX Corps area, 5th Div
maintains foothold at Fort Driant against heavy fire
from surrounding forts. ADC Brig Gen A. D. Warnock
takes command of a TF that is being assembled
to continue operations against the fort; 1st Bn (—
Co A) of 10th Inf relieves Cos B and G of 11th at
the fort, night 5–6. On N flank of corps, elements
of 329th Inf, 83d Div, assisted by arty and fighter
bombers, finally clear Grevenmacher after nightfall.
XII Corps orders 3-div attack to begin on 8th. Regrouping
follows, with 26th Div moving into line.
Several days of aerial and ground bombardment
serve to weaken enemy positions in zone of projected
attack.
6th Army Group: In U.S. Seventh Army’s XV
Corps area, 315th Inf of 79th Div makes unsuccessful
attempt to outflank enemy at main road junction
in Forêt de Parroy and elements become temporarily
isolated; 314th is held up near junction and
at clearing in S part of the forest. With about half
of the forest cleared, 79th Div goes on the defensive
while preparing for new effort to break through. In
VI Corps area, 7th Inf of 3d Div continues assault
on Vagney; 15th Inf reduces quarry strongpoint near
Cleurie after almost a week of hard fighting.
In Fr 1st Army area, 2d Corps concentrates
against the heights N of the Moselle in Longegoutte
and Gehan forest, Fr 3d Algerian Div making main
effort. Enemy is slowly forced up slopes of the high
ground in Fort de Longegoutte.
EASTERN EUROPE—From Siauliai area of
Lithuania, troops of First Baltic Front push in force
toward the Baltic and East Prussia in effort to cut
off German Army Group North, leaving Second
and Third Baltic Fronts to continue drive toward
Riga. Far to the S, Second Ukrainian forces launch
offensive from Arad area of Rumania into SE
Hungary, pressing NW toward Szeged and Budapest,
on route to Vienna.
ITALY—AAI: U.S. Fifth Army issues alternative
instructions for continuing attack after reaching
Highway 9 (Bologna–Faenza) based on assumptions
that enemy may or may not have withdrawn
from Valle di Commachio–Apennines pocket by that
time. IV Corps orders regrouping and continuation
of attack toward La Spezia. S African 6th
Armd Div, reinf by CCB of 1st Armd Div presses to
direct command of army in order to achieve closer
co-ordination with II Corps to right. This leaves IV
Corps so weakened that it is incapable of making a
major effort. TF 92, now consisting of 370th Inf and
2d Armd Gp (434th and 435th AAA Bns with
supporting tanks and TD’s) under command of