1942 - US Army Center Of Military History

[ 7 MARCH 1945 ]
town over to XVI Corps. 11th Cav Gp reverts to
corps control from attachment to 84th Div and is
given security mission.
12th Army Group: In U.S. First Army’s VII
Corps area, Cologne, third largest city in Germany,
falls to 3d Armd and 104th Inf Divs, which overcome
organized resistance during morning and
declare the city secure by 1600. 3d Bn of 413th Inf
is committed on 104th Div right for final drive
and advances through S outskirts of Cologne to the
Rhine. While 121st Inf, 8th Div, mops up Kendenich
and clears Fischenich, 28th drives to the
Rhine at Rodenkirchen and Godorf, clearing part
of Rodenkirchen and Al of Godorf. Resistance
within corps zone is now confined to an isolated
pocket in Rodenkirchen–Weiss–Surth region of 8th
Div sector. In III Corps area, 9th Armd Div, in
momentous drive, reaches junction of Rhine and Ahr
Rivers and establishes bridgeheads across both.
CCB advances in two columns, one heading toward
Remagen and the other toward Sinzig. N column
overcomes light resistance in Remagen and,
finding Ludendorff RR bridge standing though
damaged and prepared for demolition, starts across
the Rhine to high ground near Orsberg. Corps plans
are hastily changed in order to exploit this unexpected
advantage. Instead of clearing southward
from Remagen along W bank of the Rhine, CCB
moves N column across the bridge as rapidly as
possible and brings up S column, which has meanwhile
seized Sinzig and Ahr bridge there. Crossings
start in afternoon and continue throughout
night 7–8, 27th Armd Inf Bn leading, followed by
weapons and 52d Armd Inf Bn. 9th and 78th Divs
prepare for action in Remagen bridgehead. 7th
Armd Div is attached to corps and assembles in Zulpich
area before taking over 9th Div zone. 9th Div
releases RCT 47 to CCB, moving it to Remagen,
and prepares to commit RCT 60 in bridgehead.
RCT air of 78th Div prepares to cross the
Rhine. On 9th Armd Div S flank, CCA drives to
the Ahr at Bad Neuenahr and Heimersheim, taking
the two towns and bridges there intact; late in
day Tr A of 89th Cav Rcn Sq is moved to Sinzig
to release CCB’s S column for operations across
the Rhine. On corps N flank, 14th Cav Gp finishes
mopping up between VII and III Corps. 1st Div
reaches edge of Bonn and prepares to attack the
city: 26th Inf overruns Bruhl, Berzdorf, and Sechtem;
16th clears Bornheim, Botzdorf, Brenig, Roisdorf,
and Alfter. In 9th Div zone, 39th Inf thrusts
to positions just short of Bad Godesberg while 60th
gets elements within 2,000 yards of Duisdorf and
overruns Witterschlick, Volmershoven, and Rottgen.
On S flank of corps, 78th Div drives SE to
Ahr R: attacking through Pith Inf, 309th reaches
the river near Dernau and at Ahrweiler and secures
[ 429 ]
3 rail and 2 vehicular bridges intact. In V Corps
area, 102d Cav Gp, driving SE, reaches Ahr R in
Altenahr–Kreuzberg area, 2d Div thrusts SE
through Munstereiffel for maximum gains of 10
miles on left where 23d Inf reaches the Ahr in
Kreuzberg–Bruck region and takes bridge at
Kreuzberg intact; 9th Inf, on right, advances 5
miles SE against moderate resistance. 28th Div
also reaches the Ahr and clears Blankenheim. 69th
Div clears most of its zone, taking Hecken, Kreuzberg,
Schmidtheim and Dahlem; patrols between
Dahlem and Blankenheimerdorf. 106th Div’s 424th
Inf moves E on corps S flank toward Simmer R
until pinched out by 69th Div and U.S. Third
Army, then begins period of rehabilitation and
training. 7th Armd Div is detached from corps.
In U.S. Third Army’s VIII Corps area, 87th Div,
with 346th, 347th, and 345th Regts in line from
left to right, thrusts rapidly NE toward Ahr R:
346th clears Esch; 347th, jumping off night of 6–7,
seizes Feusdorf, Allendorf, and Ripsdorf; 345th and
TF Muir take Wiesbaum and Mirbach. Expanding
bridgehead secured by 11th Armd Div, 4th Div’s
22d Inf takes Hillesheim while 12th secures Bolsdorf,
Dohm, and Bewingen. CCB, 11th Armd Div,
having been relieved E of the Kyll by 4th Div,
moves S toward Lissingen; CCA crosses newly completed
bridge in 90th Div zone at Lissingen and
attacks through 90th Div bridgehead taking Dockweiler,
Dreis, Boxberg, and Kelberg. Enemy makes
firm stand at Kelberg, vital road center, but is
unable to halt CCA. 358th Inf, on 90th Div N
flank, improves bridgehead for passage of 11th Armd
Div and extends it NE toward Dreis, and Ober
Ehe; 359th captures Kirchweiler, Hinterweiler, and
Waldkenigen; 90th Rcn Tr clears Salm Wald. In
XII Corps area, CCB of 4th Armd Div, leapfrogging
tank-infantry teams with excellent effect, advances
to high ground overlooking the Rhine S
of Andernach along axis Ulmen–Kaisersesch–Dungenheim–Kehrig–Polch–Ochtendung
CCA follows
without opposition, halting near Ochten-dung.
CCR crosses the Kyll at Erdorf and follows in trace
of other combat commands. On 5th Div
left, motorized 11th Inf speeds NE behind armor,
occupying Darschied, Daun, Puetzborn, and Salm;
2d Inf takes Gransdorf, regains Schwartzenborn, and
clears Eisenschmitt; 10th, in limited attack before
dawn, seizes Spangdahlem, Spang, and Dahlem. In
76th Div zone to S, TF Onaway clears Binsfeld
and Niederkail; 304th Inf takes Beilingen and, night
7–8, Arrenrath; 42d Cav Sq overruns Schleidweiler
and Zemmer. In XX Corps area, one 10th Armd
Div column drives NE toward Wittlich while others
converge on Sweich: CCA, passing through Kyll
R bridgehead of 76th Div (XII Corps) in Hosten
area, reaches Orenhofen; CCB clears Ehrang and