1942 - US Army Center Of Military History

[ 21 MARCH 1945 ]
is attached to div to defend river line and relieves
elements of 311th and 310th Regts along the Sieg.
CC Howze, 3d Armd Div, is also attached to 78th
Div and drives N with TF Richardson to the Sieg
on div right flank, partly clearing Buisdorf; 309th
Inf follows armor and mops up. 1st Div progresses
NE toward the Sieg. 16th Inf clears Uthweiler,
Rott, Soven, Pleiserhohn, Westerhausen, and Buchholz;
18th takes Eisbach, Ruebhausen, and Kurtscheid;
in limited attack, 26th secures Germscheid.
RCT 413, 104th Div, upon crossing into bridgehead
E of the Rhine, is attached to 1st Div and
begins relief of 26th Inf. 8th Div relieves 414th and
415th Regts, 104th Div, in line. III Corps prepares
for breakout assault. RCT 38 of 2d Div, V Corps,
and CCB of 9th Armd Div take over part of 99th
Div zone. At midnight 21–22, 9th Armd Div is
transferred to V Corps. V Corps goes on the offensive.
2d Div begins crossing the Rhine via III Corps
bridges and LCVP’s at 0400. RCT 9, upon relief
W of the river by 69th Div, closes in vicinity of
Rheinbrohl E of the Rhine. 69th Div is moving
forward to W bank of the Rhine.
In U.S. Third Army’s VIII Corps area, 76th Div
completes relief of 2d Cav Gp, XII Corps, along the
Rhine from Boppard to Bingen and passes to corps
control. In XII Corps area, 42d Sq of 2d Cav Gp
takes Bingen and extends positions along the Rhine
to Frei Weinheim; 2d Sq, disposed along the Rhine
between Frei Weinheim and Mainz, is in contact
with 90th Div near Mainz. 90th Div closes in on
Mainz and clears most of its zone W of the Rhine.
357th Inf is committed between 359th Inf and TF
Spiess. 5th Div clears its zone W of the Rhine, RCT
11 reaching the river at Oppenheim and Nierstein.
RCT 10, which reverts to parent unit, mops up
Worms and begins assembly. 4th Armd Div drives
N along W bank of the Rhine with CCB on right
and CCA on left, clearing region between Worms
and Oppenheim; CCR assembles in Stein Bockenheim
area to block roads on div S flank. 11th Armd
Div completes its second drive to the Rhine by 0800,
when CCB takes final objective, airport S of Worms.
CCB, to which 41st Cav is attached, enters Worms,
which is in ruins, and withdraws to assembly area
near Weinsheim. RCT 355 reverts to 89th Div
from attachment to 11th Armd Div. XX Corps gets
additional elements to the Rhine between Worms
and Mannheim and takes up positions for assaults
on Ludwigshafen and Speyer. Elements of 302d Inf,
94th Div, reach the Rhine near Petersau; 376th
advances to W edge of Ludwigshafen. 12th Armd
Div’s CCA reaches outskirts of Ludwigshafen and
is passed through by elements of 94th Div, which
it prepares to assist in attack on the city. CCR and
CCB ( — TF Field) complete drive to the Rhine
and, upon relief along W bank by 94th Div, move
[ 447 ]
to assembly area. TF Field and 92d Cav Rcn Sq head
for Speyer (which is also objective of 10th Armd
Div), reaching edge of Mutterstadt. 10th Armd Div
drives S on broad front toward Speyer: CCA reaches
Neustadt and Dannstadt; CCR clears Rinnthal, Annweiler,
and Queichambach, W of Landau;
CCB reaches Densieders, NE of Pirmasens, and
positions near Rinnthal. 80th Div ( — ) moves to
forward assembly areas E of Kaiserslautern. 26th
and 65th Divs continue E until ordered to halt.
Former, advancing generally toward Neustadt, is
to remain W of vertical 20 grid line and S of horizontal
90 grid line. 65th Div is to assemble in Neunkirchen
area and 3d Cav Gp, which is detached
from it, in Ottweiler region for rehabilitation and
training.
6th Army Group: U.S. Seventh Army CP moves
forward from Luneville to Sarreguemines. In XXI
Corps area, organized resistance collapses. 63d Div’s
TF Harris clears Neunkirchen area. 63d Div is then
transferred to XV Corps. 70th Div is withdrawn
as army reserve. In XV Corps area, 6th Armd
Div moves rapidly eastward to the Rhine, which
CCA reaches at Rhein–Durkheim; makes patrol contact
with Third Army at Worms. 179th Inf, 45th
Div, follows CCA while rest of div mops up. In VI
Corps area, 42d Div, renewing attack on West
Wall at 1900 after air and arty preparation, finds
that enemy has abandoned his first belt of pillboxes.
102d Div TF (2d Bn, 409th Inf, and elements of
761st Tank Bn) drives into Reisdorf. 36th Div
overruns a number of enemy strongpoints within its
sector. CCA and CCR, 14th Armd Div, continue
clearing Steinfeld against determined opposition.
Groupement Monsabert is still engaged in clearing
the Bien Wald.
In Fr 1st Army area, DA ALPS completes
relief of U.S. Forces within limits of Alpine Front
Command.
BURMA—In Br Fourteenth Army’s 33 Corps
area, organized resistance within Mandalay ceases.
Br 2d Div opens road from Ava to Mandalay while
Ind 10th Div thrusts to Wundwin.
CHINA—Japanese begin drive on Laohokon
airfield, moving by night.
LUZON—In U.S. Sixth Army’s I Corps area,
troops of 130th Inf, 33d Div, link up with Filipino
guerrillas of U.S. Army Forces in the Philippines,
North Luzon, in vicinity of San Fernando without
opposition. Co F of 130th Inf finds Naguilian and
its airstrip undefended. Guerrillas of 121st Inf occupy
San Fernando without opposition. West coast
of Luzon is now clear. 3d Bn of 161st Inf, 25th Div,
attacks along ridge extending to Crump Hill, about
1,000 yards W of Kapintalan, against accurate fire
that stalls advance until 8 April. 27th Inf, 25th Div,
beats off determined counterattack on ridge leading