1942 - US Army Center Of Military History

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and reaching commanding ground overlooking Airfield
3; in 4th Mar Div zone, RCT 23 is still
vigorously opposed on Hill 382; RCT 25 gains additional
ground along E coast, but enemy pocket remains
near Minami. On left flank of corps, RCT 27
of 5th Mar Div gains forward slopes of Hill 362,
S of Nishi. RCT 28, which as corps reserve has been
mopping up in Suribachi area, prepares to join in
assault on northern front and releases BLT 3 to 5th
Mar Div.
1 March
WESTERN EUROPE—21 Army Group: In Cdn
First Army’s Br 30 Corps area, 3d Div clears Kervenheim.
2 Cdn Corps makes slow progress through
the Hochwald and Balberger forests and toward
Sonsbeck.
In Br Second Army area, 8 Corps releases U.S.
75th Div ( — RCT 289) to U.S. XVI Corps, Ninth
Army.
In U.S. Ninth Army area, on XVI Corps N flank,
35th Div’s TF Byrne (based on 320th Inf) speeds
more than 20 miles N from Wildenrath area of
Germany and captures Venlo in Holland; surprised
enemy yields 20 towns and villages; RCT’s 137 and
134 follow IT Byrne, mopping up bypassed pockets.
15th Cav Gp, which has been defending Roer R
line in Holland from Roermond to Vlodrop, crosses
the Roer at Orsbeck (Germany) and heads N toward
Venlo. CCA, 8th Armd Div, moves to Waldniel;
CCR closes at Wegberg; CCB remains at Arsbeck.
79th Div is transferred to XIII Corps.
XIII Corps begins co-ordinated attack before dawn
with 84th and 102d Divs: Speeding N from Birgen
area, motorized TF Church of 84th Div overruns
Boisheim and is then dissolved; 333d Inf captures
Duelken and passes through Suechteln to reach
Niers Canal at Oedt; 335th follows 333d Inf to
Suechteln; 11th Cav Gp, attached to 84th Div, extends
screen to Boisheim. Employing 405th and
406th Regts, 102d Div overruns Viersen and secures
bridgehead over Niers Canal. CCB of 5th Armd
Div relieves RCT 407 of 102d Div in line. CCA,
attacking from Hardt area, crosses Niers Canal and
enters Anrath, which it captures before dawn of
2 March. In XIX Corps area, Munchen–Gladbach
falls to 29th Div; final assault by 175th and 116th
Inf abreast, latter on right, meets moderate resistance.
2d Armd Div, employing CCA on left and
CCB on right, speeds N over Cologne Plain for
gains of up to 9 miles. CCA takes Kleinenbroich,
crosses Nord Canal over bridges captured intact, and
continues N to line Willich-Osterath, clearing both
those towns. CCB heads for Adolf Hitler bridge at
Uerdingen, moving via Grefrath and Buettgen to
Nord Canal, where treadway bridge is put in; dur-
[ 1 MARCH 1945 ]
ing night 1–2 continues on to Bovert. CCR follows
CCA, mopping up bypassed resistance. 83d Div
is committed to right of 2d Armd Div: 331st Inf
( — bn), operating under attachment to CCB until
noon when it reverts to parent unit, clears to the
Erft SW of Neuss, overrunning Holzheim and
Grevenbroich; 1st Bn of 329th Inf begins assault on
Neuss and is joined there, night 1–2, by 2d Bn of
330th, which protects left flank. 30th Div mops up
W of Erft Canal within zone; 113th Cav Gp is detached
and passes to corps reserve. 95th Div is released
from army reserve to corps; RCT 379 is attached
to 2d Armd Div and starts to Kleinenbroich
area while rest of div begins assembling near Juelich.
12th Army Group: In U.S. First Army area, VII
Corps continues attack toward Cologne and the
Rhine from the Erft. 3d Armd Div and attached
RCT 395 of 99th Div expand bridgeheads over the
Erft in Glesch–Paffendorf region, taking Bergheim
and Kenten and woods to E; 83d Armd Rcn Bn
crosses at Paffendorf after dark to clear line of departure
for CC Howze (CCR). 4th Cav Gp, after
elements secure high ground NE of Glesch in order
to protect left flank of bridgehead, is detached from
3d Armd Div and attached to 99th Div. Attacking
across Erft Canal before dawn, elements of 104th
Div’s 413th and 414th Regts overrun Quadrath,
Ichendorf, and Horrem. 8th Div effort is against
Moedrath and neighboring heights: while 121st Inf
(—) maintains pressure from W edge of town, 2
bns of 28th cross the Erft to left and push S toward
Moedrath. III Corps drives steadily E toward the
Rhine. On 1st Div left flank, 18th Inf takes Wissersheim,
Rath, Pingsheim, and Dorweiler while 16th,
to right, overruns Eggersheim and crosses Neffel R.
26th Inf passes through 16th during evening. Attacking
in 9th Div zone, CCB of 9th Armd Div
secures Mueddersheim, Disternich, and Sievernich
early in day; relieved of these towns by 39th Inf of
9th Div, CCB continues E from the Neffel toward
Roth R. 9th Div, directed toward the Rhine at Bad
Godesberg, attacks with 39th Inf on left and 60th
on right, clearing Froitzheim, Ginnick, Thuir, Muldenau,
and ridge W of Embken. To right, CCA of
9th Armd Div, after closing in Drove and moving to
Berg, drives SE to Wollersheim, where it is
halted by strong resistance. CCA is reinf by 3d Bn
of 310th Inf, 78th Div, and CCB by 1st Bn of 310th.
311th Inf of 78th Div, driving S along E bank of the
Roer to secure bridge sites, clears region between
Abenden and Blens, overcomes opposition at Hausen,
and reaches positions just N of Heimbach;
bridge is put in at Blens and 309th Inf starts across
it late in day. V Corps is principally engaged in consolidating
current positions. On N flank, 102d Cav
Gp prepares to cross the Roer S of Schmidt and
sends patrols of attached 2d Ranger Bn across to