1942 - US Army Center Of Military History

[ 1 FEBRUARY 1945 ]
In U.S. Eighth Army area, 188th Gli Inf of 11th
A/B Div lands on W coast of Luzon in Nasugbu
area after naval gunfire bombardment; takes Nasugbu,
Wawa, and Lian and drives inland toward
Tagaytay Ridge without opposition. So successful
is this operation that 187th Gli Inf is landed at once
and Gen Eichelberger asks Fifth Air Force to drop
511th Para Inf on 2 February instead of on 3d.
CAMOTES—7th Div TF finishes clearing Poro I.
and prepares to return to Leyte.
MINDORO—21st Inf ( — ) moves from NE Mindoro,
where about 135 Japanese have been killed in
Pinamalayan Calapan region, to San Jose area. Leaving
platoon on Marinduque, Co D, 21st Inf, returns
to Mindoro.
1 February
W ESTERN EUROPE—21 Army Group: U.S.
Ninth Army prepares for Operation GRENADE,
large-scale offensive across the Roer. In XIII Corps
area, 5th Armd Div is attached to corps. In XIX
Corps area, 78th Div continues to mop up in
Imgenbroich–Kesternich sector; CCA, 5th Armd
Div, is detached and joins parent unit, to which it
reverts.
12th Army Group: In U.S. First Army’s V Corps
area, 102d Cav Gp, protecting N flank and maintaining
contact with Ninth Army, relieves elements
of 9th Div in Rohren and Widdau. 9th, 99th, and
2d Divs (from N to S) continue offensive for dams
on Roer and Urft Rivers. 9th Div drives eastward,
taking road junction on Hofen–Harperscheid road
about half way through Monschau Forest. 99th Div,
after gaining objectives in Monschau Forest and
being pinched out by 9th and 2d Divs, is withdrawn
to reserve. 2d Div moves NE from Rocherath (Belgium)
across German border to join 9th Div. In
XVIII Corps (A/B) area, 1st Div, continuing attack
through N part of Buchholz Forest with 26th Inf
on left and 18th on right, drives E about 1,500 yards
against scattered resistance. 82d A/B Div consolidates;
517th Para Inf is attached to it. Patrols of
both assault divs probe West Wall defenses.
In U.S. Third Army area, VIII Corps continues
attack to breach West Wall along the Schnee Eifel.
On N, 347th Inf of 87th Div takes Manderfeld
(Belgium) and Auw (Germany). 4th Div, in center,
advances almost 4 miles into Germany to positions
overlooking Bleialf: Urb and Muetzenich fall to
8th Inf and Ihlren, Schweiler, and Winterscheid to
12th. 90th Div gets into blocking position on S flank
of corps: bn of 359th Inf captures Gros Langenfeld
and 358th Inf takes Heckuscheid. III Corps maintains
and improves defensive positions in Luxembourg
along ridge between Our and Clerf Rivers;
patrols to and across the Our. RCT 134, detached
from 6th Armd Div, leaves to rejoin 35th Div. In
[ 389 ]
XX Corps area, except for limited-objective attack
by 94th Div, corps front is static. Elements of 1st
Bn of 302d Inf, 94th Div, clear half of Campholz
woods, SE of Tettingen.
6th Army Group: In U.S. Seventh Army area, XV
Corps maintains and improves defensive positions.
TF Harris (63d Div) is dissolved and 63d Div
( —253d, 254th, and 255th Regts) is attached to
corps. In VI Corps area, 36th Div continues toward
the Rhine: 2d Bn of RCT 142 crosses the Moder and
enters Oberhoffen, where indecisive fighting ensues.
CCB, 14th Armd Div, is attached to 36th Div and
makes diversionary attack E of Oberhoffen, withdrawing
at dusk. 117th Cav Rcn Sq, attached to
36th Div, clears Stainwald woods, N of Gambsheim.
Rest of corps front is static throughout February: activity
is confined to aggressive defense of current
positions, occasional raids across the Moder, and
training.
Fr 1st Army continues operations against Colmar
Pocket. 2d Corps, against disorganized resistance,
completes task of clearing Rhine Plain from
Erstein on N to Artzenheim on S; overruns Artzenheim.
In U.S. XXI Corps area, 3d Div’s 15th and
30th Regts, with Fr armor in support, drive S along
Rhine–Rhône Canal toward Neuf-Brisach, reaching
positions just N of that town. 75th Div, with 2 regts
abreast, drives S toward Andolsheim from sector
formerly held by 3d Div. 28th Div, on corps W flank,
starts S toward Colmar at 2100. 1st Corps continues
to clear region S of Thur R between Cernay and
Ensisheim. Both Cernay and Ensisheim remain in
enemy hands.
EASTERN EUROPE—Red Army continues reduction
of enemy within East Prussia; in Poland, takes
Torun communications center on the Vistula by
storm and maintains pressure on encircled Posen;
in Germany, invests Schneidemuehl, thrusts to
Ratzebuhr, continues toward the middle Oder and
Berlin; in Hungary, continues elimination of Budapest
garrison.
BURMA—In NCAC area, main body of Br 36th
Div starts crossing Shweli R in Myitson region under
enemy fire.
LUZON—In U.S. Sixth Army’s XIV Corps area,
1st Cav and 37th Inf Divs drive quickly southward
toward Manila. Prov Rcn Sq of 1st Cav reaches
Gapan. Elements of 5th and 8th Cav Regts cross the
Pampanga N and S of Cabanatuan and clear most of
that town. Motorized elements of 8th Cav reach
Santa Rosa. 37th Div’s 148th Inf drives down Route
3 to Labangan R; some elements then advance E toward
Plaridel until stopped at Plaridel airfield while
others continue down Route 3. To W, 145th Inf
column takes Hagonoy without opposition. In I
Corps area, 6th and 25th Divs attack E to cut Highway
5 at San Jose. 6th Div commits 1st and 3d Bns,