1942 - US Army Center Of Military History

[ 440 ]
XIV Corps has penetrated outer positions of enemy
in Montalban-Antipolo area. 6th Div, reinf by
112th Cav RCT, is to hold on left in Montalban
area while advancing its right flank eastward in
conjunction with 43d Div to S. In 43d Div zone,
Japanese on Bench Mark 7 are almost encircled by
103d Inf. Co B TF gains ground commanding
Teresa from S to E. 172d Inf is checked by opposition
from Sugar Loaf. In W sector of corps, 38th
Div continues to clear toward Mt Pinatubo. XIV
Corps, with 1st Cav Div and 11th A/B Div under
command, can now give its full attention to clearing
S Luzon. In 11th A/B Div zone, Co C of 158th
Inf reaches and clears Mabini, on Calumpan
Peninsula. Continuing S toward Mabini, 3d Bn is
stopped by resistance about a mile short.
S PHILIPPINES—In U.S. Eighth Army area,
Panay invasion force sails from Luzon for target,
convoy protected by Fifth and Thirteenth Air
Forces. On Mindanao, 1st Bn of 163d Inf, 41st Div,
clears heights N and E of Pasananca Reservoir with
little difficulty while 2d Bn pushes 1,000 yards N of
the Santa Maria and establishes line running N to
Pasananca road junction. San Roque airfield becomes
operational. On Romblon, Co C of 19th Inf reaches
far side of island in overland and shore-to-shore movements.
About 70 Japanese are estimated to remain
in SW part of Romblon.
IWO JIMA—4th and 3d Mar Divs, VAC, further
reduce pockets of enemy within their sectors. 5th
Mar Div gains 400 yards on right and 200 in center;
RCT 28, on div left, remains in place supporting
assault forces with fire. Naval support, except for
illumination, ceases.
16 March
WESTERN EUROPE—12th Army Group: In U.S.
First Army area, VII Corps takes over N flank of
Remagen bridgehead. 78th Div is attached in place
and continues to expand bridgehead northeastward:
311th Inf, reinf by elements of 310th, clears most of
Konigswinter while 309th takes Hovel and
Aegidienberg and cuts Cologne–Frankfurt Autobahn.
39th Inf and 60th Armd Inf Bn revert respectively
to 9th Inf and 9th Armd Divs from
attachment to 78th Div. RCT 310, less 1st and 2d
Bns, reverts to 78th Div. RCT 18, 1st Div, assembles
E of the Rhine. 4th Cav Gp and 104th Div relieve
3d Armd Div along the Rhine, night 16–17. In III
Corp’s 9th Div zone, now N flank of corps, 39th Inf
takes Kalenborn, 47th gains a little ground near
Vettelschoss, and 60th takes Strodt. 99th Div gains
up to 4,000 yards as it continues E and S through
Honningen Wald: driving E, 395th and 393d Regts,
395th on left, reach objective heights W of Wied R,
[ 16 MARCH 1945 ]
overrunning a number of villages; advancing S,
394th Inf enters Honningen, where indecisive fighting
ensues. Enemy offers a little less ground
resistance and ceases air attacks on bridges.
In U.S. Third Army’s VIII Corps area, 87th Div
begins assault across the Moselle early in day, crossing
347th and 345th Regts in Winningen–Kolberg
region against light resistance. Clearing SW along
E bank of the Moselle, 347th takes Dieblich, Dieblicherberg,
Nieder Fell, and positions near Waldesch.
345th thrusts NE through Lay to outskirts of
Koblenz. Corps releases 11th Armd Div to XII
Corps and takes control of 28th Div from V Corps.
In XII Corps area, 2d Cav Gp, to which 2d Sq
reverts from attachment to 76th Div, is directed to
protect N flank of corps. 42d Sq completes relief
of N flank elements of 90th Div and 2d moves to
Kollig. 90th Div’s 357th Inf continues to meet
lively opposition in Pfaffenheck area; after taking
Ehr, 3d Bn of 358th swings NE toward 357th; TF
Spiess (90th Rcn Tr, reinf), organized to clear Boppard–St
Goar sector of the Rhine, crosses the Moselle
at Hatzenport and drives rapidly to the Rhine, taking
Weiler, Hirzenach, Rheinbay, Karbach,
Holzfeld, Werlau, and Hungeroth; RCT 359
is attached to 4th Armd Div. 4th Armd Div speeds
SE to Nahe R near Bad Kreuznach and secures
bridgehead: on right CCB crosses at Oberhausen
and Bad Muenster and continues S to Dreineiherof
and Hochstatten; CCA reaches the Nahe at Gensingen
and halts, since bridge is out. 5th Div sweeps
SE against negligible resistance: TF Breckenridge
(motorized 10th Inf (less 2d Bn) reinf) crosses into
bridgehead and moves S along right flank to Reidenhausen;
2d Inf thrusts to Hundheim area; 11th
reaches positions near Simmern; 2d Bn of 10th Inf
clears Moselle bend E of Cochem. 89th Div, with
353d Inf on left and 354th on right, starts across the
Moselle in assault boats in Bullay area at 0330 and
presses toward Grenderich on left and Hill 409, E
of Enkirch, on right, gaining shallow bridgehead;
elements W of the Moselle take Alf and Ernst.
Engineers put in Class 40 bridge at Bullay. 11th
Armd Div is attached to corps and starts to Lutzerath–Buchel
assembly area. XX Corps commits
armor in breakout assault. 10th Armd Div, with
CCB on left and CCA on right, drives through 94th
and 80th Divs and is reinf by RCT’s 301, 94th Div,
and 318, 80th Div. In closely co-ordinated thrusts
toward the Prims, CCB and 94th Div clear to line
Hermeskeil–Nonnweiler while CCA and 80th Div
advance to line Ober Morscholz–Noswendel–Nieder
Losheim–Wahlen. Pressing S toward Merzig, 26th
Div clears Saarholzbach and Mettlach; TF D (a
rifle co, tanks, TD’s, and engineers) crosses Seffers
R to clear Rimlingen.