1942 - US Army Center Of Military History

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RCT 334 meets and overcomes first determined
resistance at Rath and continues toward Homberg;
335th Inf finishes clearing NE Krefeld early in day
and pushes toward the Rhine at Moers; 333d Inf
continues blocking mission on left flank. 102d Div
completes capture of SE Krefeld during morning.
5th Armd Div is given mission of mopping up on
corps N flank in Orsoy area and sends CCR NE
for this purpose. In XIX Corps area, 29th Div
passes to army reserve but remains in Munchen-
Gladbach. 2d Armd Div, reinf by 379th Inf of 95th
Div, continues N over Cologne Plain: From Niederbruch–Krefeld
Oppum area, CCA pushes through
Viertelsheide; CCR is attached to CCA and, moving
through E outskirts of Krefeld, heads for Kaldenhausen,
halting SW of town upon order; CCB
fights bitterly for W approach to Uerdingen bridge,
which is weakened by explosion but still intact.
3d Bn of 330th Inf, 83d Div, reaches bridge at
Oberkassel, which enemy destroys; 331st mops up
until relieved by 329th. 95th Div gets into position
for attack.
12th Army Group: In U.S. First Army’s VII
Corps area, on 99th Div left, 24th Sq of 4th Cav
Gp takes Grevenbroich and Wevelinghoven; in center,
3934 Inf drives NE from Neurath to village of
Muchhausen, W of Ramrath; 394th, committed on
right, advances from Wiedenfeld area to Rommerskirchen.
395th Inf reverts to 99th Div from attachment
to 3d Armd Div at 0001 and 3d Bn, after
moving to Neurath, attacks E and captures Sinsteden.
4th Cav Gp is detached from 99th Div at
1800 and attached to 3d Armd Div. 3d Armd Div
jumps off early in day, with CC Howze on left and
CC Hickey on right, each employing 2 task forces,
and drives to Stommeln and Pulheim. CC Boudinot
(CCB) attacks later in day between CC’s Howze
and Hickey, TF Lovelady assisting CC Howze in
reducing lively opposition in Stommeln and TF
Welborn easily clearing Sinnersdorf. Air support at
Stommeln is highly effective. 83d Armd Rcn Bn
starts toward Roggendorf and the Rhine. Pushing
E toward Cologne with elements of 415th and 414th
Regts, 104th Div takes Glessen and Dansweiler,
clears high ground E of Horrem, and begins attacks
against Koenigsdorf. E of Moedrath, 8th Div’s 28th
Inf captures Grefrath and Bottenbroich before dawn
and at 1930 opens attack for Frechen. In III Corps
area, 1st Div reaches the Erft and gets elements
across: 18th Inf takes Dirmerzheim while 26th
seizes Blessem and Liblar. 14th Cav Gp begins relief
of 18th Inf along Erft Canal. CCB, 9th Armd
Div, completes drive to the Erft, reaching Weilerswist
and Lommersum, and is attached to 9th Div;
small Weilerswist bridgehead is taken over, night
3–4, by 1st Div, whose boundary is moved S. From
Niederberg, elements of 39th Inf, 9th Div, advance
[ 3 MARCH 1945 ]
with armor to Lommersum and, night 3–4, establish
bridgehead there; 47th Inf takes Ober Elvenich
and Ober Wichterich; 60th captures Zulpich and
begins attack toward Nemmenich. CCA, 9th Armd
Div, takes Merzenich and continues E to Sinzenich.
9th Armd Div is given zone between 9th and 78th
Divs and directed to drive on Euskirchen and secure
crossings of the Erft in that region. For this purpose,
CCA is reinf, night 3–4, by 2d Bn of 310th Inf, 78th
Div, and RCT 60 of 9th Div. CCR closes in forward
assembly area near Zulpich. On corps S flank,
78th Div’s 311th Inf defends Heimbach bridgehead
while 309th continues attack, clearing rest of Buervenich,
assisting 9th Armd Div in reduction of Sinzenich,
and taking Linzenich and Loevenich. In V
Corps area, 102d Cav Gp advances to high ground S
of Heimbach. TF S of 2d Div crosses the Roer at
Heimbach and drives S toward Gemund; 23d Inf
improves positions W of Gemund, occupying Malsbenden.
28th Div patrols aggressively about
Schleiden. Employing bn of 271st Inf, 69th Div
finishes clearing high ground E of Prether R.
In U.S. Third Army’s VIII Corps area, 87th Div,
with tank and TD support, makes slow progress
generally N of Ormont and in vicinity of Reuth.
Enemy continues stubborn resistance to 8th Inf of
4th Div in and about Gondelsheim; good progress
is made to right, where 22d Inf clears Weinsheim
and positions W of Fleringen and 12th overcomes
negligible resistance in Nieder Pruem and
takes Rommersheim. CCB, 11th Armd Div, crosses
Pruem R and attacks toward the Kyll through 4th
Div bridgehead, clearing Fleringen; numerous
mines are found, but opposition is generally light.
6th Armd Div completes drive from the Pruem to
the Nims. One CCB column clears Giesdorf and
continues northward through woods to make contact
with 4th Div on left; another drives to the Nims
and crosses just N of Schoenecken. One CCA
column clears Wetteldorf and Schoenecken; another,
following 44th Armd Inf Bn across the Nims,
clears E bank to right of 44th. 90th Div ( — 358th
Inf) assembles E of Pruem R, relieves CCB of 6th
Armd Div after nightfall, and prepares to drive E
through CCA. 6th Cav Gp crosses Nims R in Reuland–Lasel
area and clears Reuland and that part
of Lasel W of the river. In XII Corps area, 5th
Div, with 2 regts abreast, secures small bridgehead
E of the Kyll: 11th Inf, on left, clears Metterich
and presses toward Erdorf and Badem while 10th
takes Gondorf and Huettingen. 76th Div mops up
along Kyll and Moselle Rivers and at 2400 begins
crossing 304th Inf over the Kyll near Trimport; TF
Onaway (17th Armd Gp Hq and Hq CO, 702d
Tank Bn, 2 motorized bns of 385th Inf, and supporting
units) is formed to exploit bridgehead. On
corps N flank, 318th Inf rejoins 80th Div and re-