1942 - US Army Center Of Military History

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mand ashore. In Mindanao area, elements of Co. F,
162d Inf, 41st Div, move from Basilan I. to Malamaui
I. where search for enemy is uneventful.
IWO JIMA—3d Mar Div relieves RCT 24, 4th
Mar Div, with RCT 9, whereupon RCT 24 reembarks.
RCT’s 9 and 21, 3d Mar Div, patrol and
mop up from this date until relieved by garrison
forces. 5th Mar Div is methodically reducing final
pocket of resistance: RCT 28 conducts holding action
along S rim of the rocky gorge across its front
and provides fire support while RCT 26 works forward
slowly from N to E. Elements of 5th Mar Div
not engaged in combat begin re-embarking.
JAPAN—In preparation for Operation ICEBERG
(invasion of the Ryukyus), carrier planes of TF 58
attack Japanese homeland to neutralize enemy airfields
on Kyushu. The strikes are highly effective,
resulting in heavy damage to airfields and installations
and destruction of many aircraft on the ground
and in the air.
19 March
WESTERN EUROPE—12th Army Group: In U.S.
First Army’s VII Corps area, continuing N along the
Rhine, 78th Div’s 311th Inf takes Romlinghoven,
Obercassel, and positions dominating bridge site
while, 310th overruns Busch, Bennert, and Heisterbacherrott.
1st Div meets stubborn opposition as it
drives enemy 1,000–3,000 yards farther NE and E
from the Rhine: Eudenbach falls to 18th Inf; 26th
reaches Gratzfeld by daylight and presses E toward
airfield. First Class 40 bridge over the Rhine is completed.
Corps units W of the river regroup. 8th Div
relieves 413th Inf, 104th Div, and begins relief of
4th Cav Gp. 7th Armd Div is attached to corps and
defends W bank of the Rhine to S of 8th Div. In
III Corps area, 9th Div, continuing E throughout
day and night with 39th and 47th Regts, secures
initial bridgehead line by dawn of 20th. 99th Div,
directed to secure commanding ground along general
line Solscheid–Hammerstein, extends right
flank S past Rheinbrohl and Hammerstein in limited
attack. In V Corps area, elements of 9th Inf, 2d
Div, clear Rhine island near Namedy.
In U.S. Third Army area, VIII Corps zone W
of the Rhine is cleared as 87th Div gains its objectives.
345th Inf completes capture of Koblenz and
347th clears Oberspay. 28th Div relieves 6th Cav
Gp of holding positions along the Rhine. Corps
gradually becomes responsible for W bank of the
Rhine from Boppard to Bingen and for 76th Div,
which is to defend it, as 2d Cav Gp of XII Corps
is relieved there. 385th Inf, first of 76th Div units
to reach new zone, begins relieving 2d Cav Gp and
is attached to corps. In XII Corps area, 2d Cav Gp
displaces S along the Rhine to its junction with the
Nahe, relieving 358th Inf and TF Spiess of 90th
[ 19 MARCH 1945 ]
Div. 90th Div attacks across the Nahe toward the
Rhine at Mainz. 358th Inf, on left, after crossing
the Nahe at Bretzenheim, drives to Aspisheim and
Dromersheim and outposts Welgesheim. 359th
crosses the Nahe at Bad Kreuznach and drives to
Wolfsheim, Vendersheim, St Johann, Sprendlingen,
Hackenheim, and Volxheim. TF Spiess crosses into
bridgehead and assembles. 4th Armd Div makes
rapid progress against weakening resistance. CCB
overruns Wollstein, Gumbsheim, Siefersheim, Wonsheim,
Eckelsheim and Wendelsheim. CCA takes
Vendersheim, Sulzheim, Wallertheim, Rommersheim,
and Schimsheim. With close air support
softening resistance immediately ahead, 11th Armd
Div breaks through last enemy defense positions
on high ground S of the Nahe and pursues demoralized
enemy E toward the Rhine; objective is changed
to the Rhine just S of Worms, rather than Worms,
which 4th Armd Div is to take. From Fischbach,
41st Cav Rcn Sq drives to Medard and Odenbach
and makes contact with 12th Armd Div of XX
Corps, on right. CCB overruns enemy defenses S
of the Nahe; races to Meisenheim and takes Glan
R bridge; continues forward to Alsenz R at Rockenhausen,
where bridge is secured. Rear elements
of CCA battle enemy pocket at Rohrbach while
others ford the Nahe at Martinstein, overrun enemy’s
MLR at Merxheim, and continue to Meisenheim.
CCR follows CCB and assists in handling
horde of prisoners. To rear of armor, 5th and 89th
Divs clear southward to the Nahe from Bad Kreusnach
westward. Upon dissolution of TF Breckenridge
of 5th Div, RCT 10 is attached to 4th Armd
Div. 304th Inf, 76th Div, expands Moselle bridgehead
sufficiently to permit bridging at Muelheim
and makes contact with XX Corps; Graach, Bernkastel,
Andel, Monzelfeld, Longkamp, and Gornhausen
are easily cleared. XX Corps continues
rapidly E toward the Rhine. 16th Cav Gp displaces
eastward to screen N flank. 94th Div gains 22 miles
in zone of 302d Inf and 12 miles in zone of 376th.
12th Armd Div’s CCR bypasses resistance at Lauterecken,
which 94th Div eliminates. CCB, directed
toward autobahn bridge over the Rhine N of Mannheim,
passes through 94th Div at Baumholder and
with TF Norton on left and TF Field on right
reaches positions beyond Winnweiler. CCA joins in
eastward drive, following the other assault columns.
10th Armd Div drives E with 3 CC’s abreast to
positions near Kaiserslautern. 80th Div clears Kusel,
helps 10th Armd Div clear St Wendel, which it
outposts, and moves elements E from St Wendel
area. Elements of 26th Div reach Ottweiler. 65th
Div expands Saarlautern bridgehead: 261st Inf
takes Nalbach, Piesbach, Bilsdorf, and Saarwellingen;
260th is pinched out after clearing Saarlautern