1942 - US Army Center Of Military History

[ 18 JANUARY 1945 ]
stands enemy pressure in Hatten. Germans continue
to be aggressive in 232d Inf’s sector of 79th Div
front, occupying Roeschwoog, Dengolsheim, Stattmatten,
and part of Sessenheim; counterattack
clears Sessenheim. 12th Armd Div makes little headway
against Gambsheim bridgehead: CCB is again
held up at river SE of Rohrweiler; CCA gains precarious
foothold in Herrlisheim with 17th Armd Inf
Bn, but 43d Tank Bn is cut off outside the town
and wiped out.
EASTERN EUROPE—First White Russian Front
overruns Warsaw, capital of Poland. Second White
Russian Front now holds Ciechanow, to N. Speeding
rapidly W from Kielce, First Ukrainian Front
forces Warta R and occupies Czestochowa.
ITALY—15th Army Group: In U.S. Fifth Army’s
II Corps area, 85th Div takes command of sector
previously held by Br 1st Div (13 Corps), having
completed relief of that div. Boundary between II
and Br 13 Corps is altered accordingly. Br 1st Div
is placed under AFHQ control and is later sent to
Middle East.
BURMA—In NCAC area, U.S. 5332d Brig clears
Japanese outpost from Namhkam village, within 3
miles of Burma Road, and begins to clear ridge, which
this village surmounts. Ch 38th Div, less 114th Regt,
is ordered to advance toward Wanting to secure trace
of Ledo Road.
LUZON—In U.S. Sixth Army area, Gen Mac-
Arthur directs Gen Krueger to speed drive on Manila
and Clark Field. XIV Corps continues preparations
for offensive. In I Corps area, 6th Div begins
push on Cabaruan Hills with 20th Inf and on
Urdaneta with 1st Inf. 25th Div attacks in center
of corps with 27th Inf on right and 161st on left:
27th reaches Binalonan–Urdaneta road; 161st
pushes to Binalonan, where enemy is offering lively
opposition. 103d Inf, 43d Div, takes Pozorrubio,
from which most Japanese have withdrawn. 63d Inf
is attached to 158th Inf to help clear heights commanding
Damortis–Rosario road in Amlang-
Cataguintingan region. 158th takes ridge about
1,000 yards NE of Damortis.
18 January
WESTERN EUROPE—21 Army Group: In Br Second
Army’s 12 Corps area, 7th Armd Div, on left
flank of corps, seizes Schilberg (opening highway
from there to Sittard) and Heide, NE of Susteren. In
center, 52d Div goes on the offensive along German-
Dutch frontier and clears several German towns.
12th Army Group: In U.S. First Army area, VII
Corps improves positions near Cherain and Courtil.
In XVIII Corps (A/B) area, 75th Div clears part
of Burtonville. 30th takes Poteau and surrounds
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roadblock at junction of Recht–Born and Malmédy–
St Vith roads. In V Corps area, 1st Div repels counterattack
in densely wooded Rohrbusch; eliminates
pocket S of Amblève R in the Wolfsbusch; makes
slow progress in woods S of Butgenbach. In U.S.
Third Army’s VIII Corps area, 11th Armd Div assumes
responsibility for line from Hardigny to
Bourcy. 17th A/B Div takes over line from Hardigny
to Houffalize. In III Corps area, though German
attack on Oberwampach is repulsed by 90th Div,
enemy shelling of the town increases. XII Corps
opens offensive at 0300 when 4th and 5th Divs attack
abreast N across the Sauer between Reisdorf
and Ettelbruck, surprising enemy. 4th Div, attacking
with RCT 8, reaches heights commanding Our
R between Longsdorf and Hosdorf. To W, 5th Div
attacks with RCT’s 10 and 2, capturing hills along
N bank of the Sauer and towns of Ingeldorf and
Erpeldange; elements start clearing Bettendorf and
Diekirch, securing a third of the latter. 319th Inf,
80th Div, takes Nocher but fails to gain high ground
W of Masseler. Supporting attack, 87th Div demonstrates
river crossing. 2d Cav Gp supports 94th
Div (XX Corps) with fire and river crossing demonstration.
In XX Corps area, 94th Div loses Butzdorf
during determined enemy counterattack but holds
at Tettingen.
6th Army Group: Directs Fr 1st Army to begin
double envelopment of Colmar Pocket on 20
January.
In U.S. Seventh Army’s VI Corps area, enemy
infiltration in Bitche salient NE of Reipertsweiler
isolates 3d Bn of 157th Inf, 45th Div; attempts to
relieve the bn are ineffective. Indecisive and costly
fighting continues in Rittershoffen–Hatten area.
Germans are increasingly active S of Hatten and
overrun TF Linden’s positions in Sessenheim and
Bois de Sessenheim. 12th Armd Div continues losing
battle against bridgehead, which enemy has reinforced:
CCA relinquishes its hold on Herrlisheim;
attack to relieve CCA elements trapped in
the town fails.
In Fr 1st Army’s 2d Corps area, U.S. 28th Div
begins relief of U.S. 3d Div, night 18–19.
EASTERN EUROPE—In Hungary, Second Ukrainian
Front clears that part of Budapest E of the Danube.
Soviet armies in Poland are rapidly approaching German
Silesia.
ITALY—15th Army Group: U.S. Fifth Army releases
Br 13 Corps, consisting now of 6th Armd and
78th Divs, to control of Br Eighth Army in place.
U.S. Fifth Army thus gets a new right boundary.
BURMA—In NCAC area, U.S. 5332d Brig gains
hold on Loi-kang ridge, commanding Burma Road,
and gets arty into position to fire on the road. Japanese
move reinforcements to Namhpakka area.