1942 - US Army Center Of Military History

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Bn), which crosses at Birresborn and drives NE to
clear Gee and high ground near Gerolstein; 1st Bn,
359th, crosses the Kyll to right to clear rest of Muerlenbach
and occupy Densborn. Construction of
bridges over the Kyll is begun. In XII Corps area,
318th Inf eliminates last enemy pocket W of the
Kyll in 80th Div zone. Drive of 4th Armd Div toward
the Rhine gains momentum: CCB speeds
through Ober Stadtfeld, Puetzborn, Daun, Darscheid,
and Schoenbach and outposts Ulmen; CCA
abandons right flank attack because of poor roads
and follows CCB, reaching Salm–Wallenborn–
Uedersdorf area, 5th Div improves and strengthens
positions E of the Kyll. 2d Inf crosses into bridgehead
and drives E to Oberkail, where bridge is out;
foot elements enter Schwartzenborn but are driven
out during night. 11th Inf clears northward along
E bank of the Kyll to Kyllburg, taking Wilsecker
and Etteldorf. In 76th Div zone, TF Onaway drives
through 304th Inf’s bridgehead to Herforst; 42d Sq
of 2d Cav Gp crosses into bridgehead in preparation
for clearing right flank of div and corps. In XX
Corps area, CCB of 10th Armd Div crosses additional
elements into Kyll R bridgehead near Ehrang;
enemy fire prevents construction of bridge at crossing
site. Ruwer R bridgehead is expanded by RCT
417 ( — ) to include Mertzdorf, Ruwer, and Kenn.
94th Div partly restores its bridgehead positions,
but enemy infiltrators remain along Zerf–Pellingen
road. 26th Div, as relieved by 65th, moves to 94th
Div zone and begins relief of that div: 328th Inf
crosses the Saar and relieves 2d Bn of 301st Inf and
3d Bn of 376th on 94th Div right flank.
6th Army Group: In U.S. Seventh Army’s XXI
Corps area, 10th Div continues to clear Forbach
Forest and woods NW of Marienau; patrols reach
outposts of West Wall.
EASTERN EUROPE—Troops of Second White
Russian Front complete reduction of Grudziadz, key
point in enemy’s defense system on the lower
Vistula in Poland; continue along Polish corridor
toward Danzig; destroy encircled enemy forces SW
of Koeslin (German Pomerania). First White Russian
Front forces make substantial gains in N
Pomerania, where Belgard and other points are
cleared.
ITALY—15th Army Group: In U.S. Fifth Army’s
IV Corps area, 81st Cav Rcn Sq is detached from 1st
Armd Div (II Corps) and attached to IV Corps to
relieve elements of 1st Div of BEF and pinch out
the rest. 1st Div of BEF later moves to left of 10th
Mtn Div. In II Corps area, 34th Div relieves 88th
Div astride Highway 65.
LUZON—In U.S. Sixth Army area, XIV Corps
is ordered by Gen Krueger to relieve 1st Cav Div
with 43d Div, less one RCT. Enemy positions are
being softened with aerial and arty bombardment
in preparation for renewed ground attack. In 11th
A/B Div sector, elements of 158th Inf reach Lemery,
across Pansipit R from Taal. I Corps is ordered
by Gen Krueger to speed action toward Balete Pass-
Santa Fe-Imugan area. Elements of 80th Inf, 33d
Div, assemble at Damortis for drive on Aringay. On
Villa Verde Trail, 1st Bn of 127th Inf, 32d Div,
crosses Cabalisian R and drives E toward Salacsac
Pass No. 2. 25th Div drives N astride Highway 5
toward Putlan with 161st Inf on W and 27th on E.
35th Inf’s 1st Bn starts wide enveloping move NE
from Carranglan to secure high ground about 5,000
yards NE of Putlan. 3d Bn, upon relief at Digdig
by 27th Inf, starts rcn up Old Spanish Trail toward
Salazar.
S PHILIPPINES—In U.S. Eighth Army area, 21st
Inf patrols find 2 other islands of Lubang Group
free of enemy. On Palawan, Japanese on Hill 1445
repulse attacks of 2d Bn, 186th Inf. On Burias, 1st
Bn of 132d Inf gains first contact with enemy.
IWO JIMA—After the most intensive massed
arty preparation of this operation, supplemented by
naval gunfire, VAC renews efforts to break through
to O–3 line but is still so bitterly opposed that progress
is negligible. In center of corps, RCT 21 of 3d
Mar Div achieves maximum gain of corps—about
200 yards. Progress on flanks is limited to 100 yards
or less. 4th Mar Div, passing RCT 23 through left
flank of RCT 24, pushes SE toward coast with 2
regts abreast, while RCT 25, on right, supports
assault with fire and mops up in Minami area. 5th
Mar Div attacks an hour before rest of corps, with
RCT’s 27, 26, and 28, from right to left, and gains
50-100 yards except on left, where no progress is
made. Seventh Air force fighters land on Airfield 1
to support ground operations.
7 March
[ 7 MARCH 1945 ]
WESTERN EUROPE—21 Army Group: In Cdn
First Army’s Cdn 2 Corps area, further efforts of
Cdn 4th Armd Div to take Veen are fruitless.
Preparations for all-out assault on Xanten continue.
In Br 30 Corps area, 52d Div begins relief of 53d
near Alpen.
U.S. Ninth Army front, except for limited offensive
by XVI Corps to extend its N flank to
Wesel, is quiet, with activity confined to patrolling
W and E of the Rhine, making preparations for assault
crossing of the Rhine, policing, and regrouping.
In XVI Corps area, 35th Div attacks N, as corps
boundary is extended to Wesel, but makes little headway:
TF Murray is halted at outskirts of Ossenberg.
Div is reinf by attachment of RCT 291, 75th Div.
79th Div is attached to corps upon release by XIII
Corps. In XIII Corps area, CCR of 5th Armd Div
completes mop-up in Orsoy area and turns that