1942 - US Army Center Of Military History

[ 6 MARCH 1945 ]
ing Highway 5 from San Jose to Digdig and concluding
first phase of drive on Cagayan Valley.
S PHILIPPINES—U.S. Eighth Army assigns 19th Inf,
24th Div, mission of clearing Romblon Is. On
Palawan, 2d Bn of 186th Inf reaches Hill 1445 (near
Iratag), which enemy is prepared to defend.
IWO JIMA—VAC remains in place, improving
current positions and reorganizing for concerted attack
on 6th. 2d Mar Div is released as area reserve.
RCT 3, 3d Mar Div, held in Expeditionary Troops
Reserve, afloat, is released and leaves for base camp.
6 March
WESTERN EUROPE—21 Army Group: In Cdn
First Army’s Cdn 2 Corps area, Br 43d and Cdn 2d
Divs slightly improve positions before Xanten under
heavy fire and prepare for concerted assault on
the town. Cdn 3d Div concludes its mission as it
drives into Sonsbeck and makes contact with 3d
Div, Br 30 Corps. Cdn 4th Armd Div attacks from
Sonsbeck toward Veen. In Br 30 Corps area, 53d
Div continues slowly toward Alpen, on road to
Wesel.
In U.S. Ninth Army area, Operation GRENADE—
drive from the Roer to the Rhine—is successfully
concluded. In XVI Corps area, 35th Div completes
drive to the Rhine and mops up Rheinberg. 30th
Div is transferred from XIX to XVI Corps. In XIII
Corps area, CCR of 5th Armd Div mops up most of
zone assigned to it around Orsoy. XIX Corps defends
W bank of Rhine within zone.
12th Army Group: In U.S. First Army’s VII
Corps area, 395th Inf of 99th Div overcomes weak
resistance W of the Rhine on corps N flank, taking
the 4 remaining towns, among them Udesheim, and
a zinc works. 3d Armd Div zone is cleared except
for small pocket in NE Cologne: along the Rhine
just N and NW of Cologne, CC Boudinot, assisted
by TF Hogan of CC Howze, secures Feldkassel
(SE of Fuehlingen), Merkenich, Niehl, and Merheim;
CC Hickey, with TF’s Kane and Doan in
assault, drives steadily through Cologne to the
Rhine, clearing N part of city except for small
pocket. 104th Div, continuing assault on Cologne
with 415th and 414th Inf, clears most of S part
of city, and gets patrols to the Rhine; Efferden falls
early in morning to 414th Inf. 8th Div again conducts
day and night attacks toward the Rhine S
of Cologne: by daylight of 7th, 121st Inf holds
Huerth, Hermulheim, and Kendenich and 28th Inf
has Kalscheuren and Meschenich. In III Corps area,
corps attack is directed SE instead of due E as a
result of boundary changes. 14th Cav Gp continues
to make good progress clearing pocket between VII
and III Corps. Closing in tin Bonn from the N, 1st
Div’s 26th Inf seizes Dorf Pingsdorf, Badorf, Eck-
[ 427 ]
dorf, Schwadorf, and Walberberg; 16th clears Trippelsdorf,
Merten, Roesberg, Hemmerich, Waldorf,
Dersdorf, and Ullekoven. 9th Div, employing elements
of 3 regts, expands Erft bridgehead, taking
Heimerzheim, Dunstekoven, Ollheim, and Buschoven.
9th Armd Div attack is directed toward
junction of Rhine and Ahr Rivers: CCB overruns
Miel, Morenhoven, Flerzheim, and Stadt Meckenheim;
CCA drives almost to Bad Neuenahr,
clearing Palmersheim, Ober Drees, Rheinbach,
Wormersdorf, Altendorf, Gelsdorf, Bettelhoven,
Bollingen, and Lantershofen. 311th Inf
of 78th Div clears Nieder Kastenholz, Flamersheim,
Schweinheim, Queckenberg, Loch, Schlebach, and
Merzbach; 309th concentrates in Flamersheim area.
V Corps pursues enemy toward Rhine and Ahr
Rivers. 102d Cav Gp seizes Antweiler, Wachendorf,
Kalkar, Kirspenich, and Arloff. Mounting infantry
on tanks and TD’s, 2d Div, with 23d Inf on left and
9th on right, gains up to 7 miles SE toward the
Ahr and clears some 25 towns to reach general line
Iversheim–Noethen–Pesch. From Gemund–Schleiden
region, 28th Div presses SE toward the Ahr
with RCT 110 on left and RCT 112 on right: RCT
110 gets some forward elements to Zingsheim and
others to Kall and Soetenich; RCT 112 takes Golbach,
Rinnen, and road junction near Eichen. 69th
Div, with 3 regts abreast, drives eastward to gain
contact with fleeing enemy, advancing past Oberhausen,
Blumenthal, Reifferscheid, Zingsheid, Wildenburg,
and Ober Wolfert. On corps S flank, 424th
Inf of 106th Div consolidates, patrols, and maintains
contact with friendly forces on flanks.
In U.S. Third Army’s VIII Corps area, 6th Cav
Gp, to which 6th Sq reverts, completes assembly on
N flank of corps and takes over new mission of
protecting N flank and maintaining contact with
First Army; 6th Sq completes relief of 347th Inf
and 1st Bn of 346th, 87th Div. Continuing attack
with 346th and 345th Regts and TF Muir of latter,
87th Div clears along Kyll R line and gets elements
across: Stadtkyll, Niederkyll, Glaadt, Juenkerath,
Schueller, Krimm, Goennersdorf, Lissendorf, Birgel,
and Staffeln are overrun. 4th Div, after completing
capture of high ground N of Oos and taking
Roth early in morning, follows CCB of 11th Armd
Div to the Kyll, with 22d Inf on left and 12th on
right; during night 6–7, crosses to relieve CCD and
expand bridgehead. CCB, meanwhile, drives to the
Kyll at Ober and Nieder Bettingen and against
strong opposition secures small bridgehead by fording
river. On 90th Div left flank, 358th Inf, reinf
by TF Kedrovsky (90th Rcn Tr and TD’s), motors
to Lissingen, crosses the Kyll dismounted, and overruns
Gerolstein; 357th, after securing heights E of
crossing site and towns of Michelbach, Niederbach,
and Buescheich, is passed through by 359th ( — 1st