1942 - US Army Center Of Military History

[ 26 MARCH 1945 ]
between Ruesselsheim and Raunheim, coming under
heavy AA fire from Frankfurt; CCR assembles
to rear of CCA in Gross Gerau area; 4th Armd Div
breaks through to the Main near Hanau and Aschaffenburg
and establishes bridgeheads. On left, CCA
reaches the river at Klein Auheim, just S of Hanau,
where bridge is seized and small bridgehead is
established at Grossauheim. From Hahnlein, CCB,
on right, speeds to the Main S of Aschaffenburg,
taking a rail and highway bridge and establishing
bridgehead in Schweinheim area; elements enter
Aschaffenburg but are withdrawn to guard bridge.
CCR displaces to Dieburg to block between there
and Eberstadt and sends TF to Darmstadt, which
is virtually undefended. 5th Div’s RCT 2 clears to S
bank of the Main within its zone; RCT 10, to
right, seizes Hassloch and Koenigstaedten. Driving
NE toward the Main between Frankfurt and Hanau
with 359th Inf on left and 358th on right, 90th Div
cuts autobahn and gets forward elements of both
regts to Langen; to right, TF Spiess, reorganized to
exclude 90th Rcn Tr, enters Darmstadt from the
W as 4th Armd Div TF enters from E, and the city is
easily cleared. 328th Inf, 26th Div, relieves 101st
Inf of defensive mission along the Rhine, permitting
101st to move to Darmstadt; 104th, still attached to
4th Armd Div, protects right flank of that div after
completing river crossing. XX Corps enjoys brief
lull during which it prepares to force crossings of
the Rhine. 94th Div conducts rehabilitation and
training program in Baumholder area. 80th Div
closes in Rockenhausen assembly area. Seventh
Army units begin relief of 11th Armd Div along
the Rhine: 3d Div of XV Corps relieves CCB and
all elements of CCA S of grid line 33.
6th Army Group: U.S. Seventh Army, having
cleared the industrially important Saar Palatinate
in conjunction with Third Army to N, regroups to
continue offensive across the Rhine. VI Corps releases
4th and 42d Divs to XXI Corps and takes
control of 71st and 100th Divs from XXI Corps.
Corps will defend W bank of the Rhine while XV
Corps and, later, XXI Corps attack across the river.
Fr armor eliminates enemy bridgehead at Maximiliansau.
EASTERN EUROPE—In East Prussia, Heiligenbeil
falls to Third White Russian Front forces. Troops
of Second White Russian Front overrun Oliva,
suburb of Danzig. Red Army offensive from Hungary
toward Austria broadens as troops of Second
Ukrainian Front start W to right of Third Ukrainian
forces and clear Esztergom, Felsoegall, and Tata.
ITALY—15th Army Group: In Br Eighth Army
area, 10 Corps takes command of Jewish Brig from
5 Corps. In 13 Corps area, Lt Gen Sir John Harding,
new corps commander, arrives.
[ 453 ]
CHINA—U.S. Fourteenth Air Force personnel
withdraw from Laohokon airfield after destroying
installations. This is the last of the Fourteenth Air
Force bases to fall to enemy. Subsequent Japanese
thrusts toward bases at Sian and Ankang are stopped
short of their objectives by Chinese.
LUZON—In U.S. Sixth Army’s I Corps area,
128th Inf of 32d Div completes relief of 127th Inf
on Villa Verde Trail and prepares to continue attack
toward Salacsac Pass and Santa Fe. 3d Bn of 35th
Inf, 25th Div, turns over roadblock on Old Spanish
Trail to guerrilla forces, concluding American operations
on this crude trail. 27th Inf, working along ridge
toward Mt Myoko, has by now gained 4,000 yards
and is up against enemy outposts. In XI Corps area,
1st Bn of 20th Inf, 6th Div, patrols and places arty
fire on enemy positions ahead. 1st Inf prepares to
relieve 20th of positions along Bosoboso R. 2d Bn
of 103d Inf, 43d Div, seizes barrio of New Bosoboso
and ridges commanding it, limiting Japanese escape
routes to a single trail running NW from the barrio.
To close this route 100, 1st Bn begins attack on Hill
1200, which commands it. In XIV Corps area, one
1st Cav Div column pushes from Santo Tomas toward
Tanauan; another drives into Los Banos with
ease. 188th Inf, 11th A/B Div, makes contact with
187th SE of Mt Macolod. 187th pauses briefly in Mt
Macolod area to patrol and probe.
S PHILIPPINES—In U.S. Eighth Army area, X
Corps issues orders for future operations on
Mindanao. 24th Div is to land in Malabang area on
17 April. Five days later, 31st Div is scheduled to land
in Parang area. 185th Inf assembles for operation
against Negros. Cebu Attack Group, commanded by
Capt Albert T. Sprague, USN, joins Covering Group
off Cebu.
IWO JIMA—RCT 28, 5th Mar Div, completes
reduction of final pocket of resistance on Iwo in
morning. RCT 26 starts re-embarking.
RYUKYU Is.—Preinvasion aerial and naval
bombardment continues, though mine-sweeping operations
prevent naval surface vessels from moving
up to within effective range of Okinawa. Underwater
demolition teams go into action.
26 March
WESTERN EUROPE—21 Army Group: In Br Second
Army area, 30 Corps expands bridgehead toward
the Issel. 51st Div completes capture of Rees
and thrusts toward Isselburg; 43d Div, advancing
to left of 51st, reaches Millingen. In 12 Corps area,
15th Div reaches the Issel at Ringenberg and is
passed through by 53d Div reinf by 4th Armd Brig.
7th Div moves up to spearhead drive on Rheine.
In XVIII Corps (A/B) area, Br 6th A/B and U.S.
17th A/B Divs drive E abreast against progressively