1942 - US Army Center Of Military History

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of 129th Inf into it. On right flank of corps, 40th
Div’s 185th Inf continues attack toward Snake Hill
North; 160th gains most of McSevney Pt and holds
positions against series of counterattacks; 108th attacks
W from Top of the World toward series of
hills about 1,500–2,000 yards distant, numbered 5, 3,
4, and 6, from N to S, and takes Hill 5. I Corps,
with capture of Lupao by 35th Inf of 25th Div,
finishes clearing central plain. On Villa Verde Trail,
2d Bn of 127th Inf, 32 Div, pauses to consolidate and
patrol. In XI Corps area, 38th Div continues 2pronged
attack against Zigzag Pass but is still stubbornly
opposed. 149th Inf is running into strong
opposition.
In U.S. Eighth Army area, 511th and 188th Regts
of 11th A/B Div make slow progress against
Nichols Field and gain contact near SW corner.
9 February
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES—ARGONAUT ends
after conferees have agreed to plan for an invasion
of Japan after defeat of Germany. Defeat of Germany,
it is now believed, will come about 1 July
1945 After Japanese will to resist has been weakened
by air and naval blockade and intensive aerial
bombardment, Japan itself will be invaded. The
pace of the Pacific war, however, will be slowed until
the capitulation of Germany. USSR (as a reward
for intervention in war against Japan) is to acquire
holdings in Manchuria.
WESTERN EUROPE—21st Army Group: In Cdn
First Army’s Br 30 Corps area, rapid amphibious
advance continues. Cdn 3d Div clears Mehr, Niel,
Keeken, and Milligen and patrols to the Rhine. 15th
Div overruns West Wall defenses at Nuetterden and
reaches heights near Materborn; patrols to outskirts
of Cleve. From Nijmegen, 43d Div begins drive
through 15th Div toward Goch, reaching Nuetterden.
Moving E through N part of the Reichswald,
53d Div clears Stuppelburg feature and high ground
SW of Materborn. 51st Div drives through S part
of the Reichswald toward Hekkens road center and
cuts Mook–Gennep road.
12th Army Group: In U.S. First Army’s V Corps
area, 9th Div, passing through 78th Div and assisted
by it, makes final drive on Schwammenauel Dam.
To protect N flank of 9th Div, 78th Div’s 310th Inf,
reinf by bn of 311th, clears region N of Schmidt–
Hasenfelde road and blocks Harscheid–Nideggen
road. 9th Div’s 90th Inf clears to the Roer within
its zone and secures most of Hasenfelde; 311th Inf
( — ), after driving SE and clearing N bank of Urft
Lake to within a few hundred yards of Schwammenauel
Dam, is passed through by 309th, elements
of which reach N end of the dam and capture the
control house. Relieved by 508th Para Inf near Berg-
[ 9 FEBRUARY 1945 ]
stein, 517th Para Inf assembles near Huertgen;
505th Para Inf moves E toward the Roer in region
W of Abenden. 106th Div assumes responsibility for
sector held by RCT 424 on corps S flank; RCT 424
reverts to it.
In U.S. Third Army’s VIII Corps area, 3d Bn of
345th Inf, 87th Div, captures Neuendorf, but efforts
of div Rcn Tr to make contact with 4th Div
Rcn Tr at Willwerath are frustrated by enemy in
that town. On 4th Div N flank, 8th Inf completes
capture of Gondenbrett, clears Hermespand, and
crosses elements over the Pruem; 22d seizes Nieder
Mehlen; 12th partly clears Steinmehlen. 90th
Div makes substantial progress through West Wall
fortifications: on N, where enemy is falling back,
358th Inf takes Hill 519 and advances 2,000 yards;
enemy’s stubborn defense of region between 90th
Inf and 11th Armd Divs is unabated, but contact is
established between the two divs. 11th Armd Div defends
current positions and patrols. In III Corps
area, CCR of 6th Armd Div expands and consolidates
bridgehead E of the Our. Junction is
made between div’s N and S bridgeheads, and
contact is made with 17th A/B Div to S. Armor
crosses the river over newly completed Bailey bridge.
17th A/B Div prepares for relief by 6th Armd Div.
In XII Corps area bridgeheads across the Our and
the Sauer are further strengthened and expanded by
80th and 5th Divs. In 80th Div zone, 3d Bn of 319th
Inf is unable to cross into Wallendorf bridgehead,
but rest of 318th Inf crosses near Dillingen. By end
of day 5th Div has 2d Bn of 10th Inf, 1st and 2d
Bns of 11th, and 3 bns of 417th across the Sauer in
Weiterbach-Echternach region. In XX Corps area,
enemy repels efforts of 301st Inf, 94th Div, to clear
Bannholz woods, E of Sinz. 5th Ranger Bn is transferred
from 26th to 94th Div control and relieves
elements of 302d Inf on 94th Div right flank. In
Saarlautern bridgehead, 104th Inf of 26th Div takes
a number of buildings.
6th Army Group: In U.S. Seventh Army’s XV
Corps area, 101st Cav Gp begins relief of 106th Cav
Gp. CCB, 10th Armd Div, reverts to parent unit
from corps control. 254th Inf, 63d Div, is attached
to 100th Div and relieves 274th Inf, 70th Div; 274th
reverts to 10th Div control. VI Corps has little
contact with enemy except in Oberhoffen, where 1st
Bn of RCT 142, 36th Div, engages in house-to-house
fighting.
Fr 1st Army completes reduction of Colmar
Pocket, leaving German 19th Army virtually destroyed
as an effective fighting force. Unremitting
efforts of planes of U.S. XII TAC and Fr 1st Air
Corps contribute greatly to the success of this operation.
In U.S. XXI Corps area, 254th Inf reverts to
63d Div from attachment to 3d Div. Fr 1st Corps
eliminates the small bridgehead in Chalampé area