1942 - US Army Center Of Military History

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for next few days. 3d Bn is responsible for San
Fernando area. 35th Inf, 25th Div, is directed to
halt drive on Balete Pass via Putlan R Valley since
27th Inf is making better progress on Mt Myoko;
is to remain in present positions temporarily, then
block E approach to Putlan Valley and attack N
through 1st Bn of 27th Inf. In XI Corps area, 1st
Bn of 1st Inf, 6th Div, drives 600 yards N from Mt
Baytangan area. 2d Bn, 20th Inf, attacks toward Mt
Mataba, gaining ridge position. 3d Bn also joins in
attack, but progress is slow. In XIV Corps area, 1st
Cav Div forces drive to outskirts of Lipa and San
Agustin. To N, 12th Cav seizes Mayondon Point
and reaches corps objective line within its sector.
187th Inf, 11th A/B Div, attacks from 2 directions
in vain effort to gain saddle between Mt Macolod
and Bukel Hill.
S PHILIPPINES—In U.S. Eighth Army area, 40th
Div forces on Panay embark at Iloilo for Negros
Occidental. On Cebu, 182d Inf, in 2-pronged assault
by 2d and 3d Bns, seizes Lahug Airfield. 1st Bn
secures bypassed Hill 30 and attempts to clear Go
Chan Hill, a spur of Hill 31, as well but finds it too
strongly defended. 32 pillboxes are destroyed on
Guadalupe Road E of Go Chan. Co E, 132d Inf,
secures Mactan I. and Opon Airfield without
opposition.
KERAMA Is.—BLT 3, RCT 305, meets no further
opposition on Aka I. Other elements of RCT
305 are eliminating the enemy position on Zamami.
RCT 306 seizes town of Tokashiki on Tokashiki I.
29 March
WESTERN EUROPE—21 Army Group: In Br
Second Army’s Cdn 2 Corps area, Cdn 3d Div
continues clearing Emmerich against strong resistance.
Netterden falls to Cdn 2d Div. In 12 Corps
area, 7th Armd Div drives on Rheine, passing
through Sudlohn and Stadtlohn. From Bocholt, 53d
Div drives toward Winterswijk. 8 Corps attacks to
exploit breakthrough on right flank of army, employing
11th Armd Div on left and 6th A/B Div
on right, and makes rapid progress toward Osnabrueck.
11th Armd Div reaches Beikelort, SE of
Ahaus, and 6th A/B Div drives to Coesfeld. In
XVIII Corps (A/B) area, 6th Gds Armd Brig,
relieved in Haltern before dawn by motorized elements
of U.S. 17th A/B Div, proceeds to Duelmen
and from there starts toward Buldern. U.S. 17th
A/B Div’s 194th Gli Inf is shuttled to Duelmen by
motor. U.S. 2d Armd Div (XIX Corps, U.S. Ninth
Army) begins passing through and relieving U.S.
17th A/B Div.
In U.S. Ninth Army’s XVI Corps area, CCA
of 8th Armd Div clears SW part of Dorsten; elements
push E toward Marl and Polsum. Some units
[ 29 MARCH 1945 ]
of CCR drive N to assist CCA at Dorsten while
others continue E, overrunning Feldhausen and
Schoven. 30th Div maintains defensive positions.
35th Div’s 134th Inf takes Gladbeck but firm enemy
resistance holds other regts to negligible gains.
Continuing S with 314th and 315th Regts, 79th Div
gets left flank to Emser Canal S of Sterkrade and
right flank to Rhine–Herne Canal. 29th Div is
attached to corps.
12th Army Group: In U.S. First Army’s VII
Corps area, 3d Armd Div, swerving N from Marburg,
pursues disorganized enemy about 50 miles N
toward Paderborn: on left, CC Howze’s TF Kane
reaches Brilon and TF Doan reaches Thuelen; to
right, CC Boudinot columns halt just short of Marsberg
and Mengeringhausen. 1st and 104th Divs move
forward to left and rear of armor, respectively. RCT’s
13 and 28, 8th Div, assemble E of the Rhine and
begin mopping up region just S of the Sieg between
Roth and Wahlbach, thus releasing elements of 1st
Div and 4th Cav Gp for operations elsewhere. 78th
Div continues to defend S bank of the Sieg to left of
8th Div and relieves elements of 4th Cav Gp in place.
86th Div completes relief of 8th W of the Rhine. In
III Corps area, 7th Armd Div begins drive N for
Edersee dam and crossings of Eder R. TF
Brown jumps off early in morning to clear CCR’s
assembly area—Kirchhain–Amoeneburg–Kleinseelheim
quickly clearing all but Kirchhain, where
resistance is so severe that TF Beatty is committed.
Elements of TF Brown bypass Kirchhain to reach
Bracht. TF Griffin advances to Buergeln area. CCB,
on right, drives N to Kirchhain, taking over attack
on that city and troops already engaged there at
1600 and completing its capture by 1800. CCB retains
control of TF Beatty but releases attached elements
of TF Brown upon fall of Kirchhain. CCA,
relieved at Giessen by 99th Div, is held in reserve.
9th Div maintains defensive positions along W bank
of Lahn R. After motoring to Wissmar area, 395th
Inf of 99th Div mops up W of Staufenberg and
establishes OPL east of that city; 394th relieves
CCA, 7th Armd Div, at Giessen and outposts region
to E; 393d occupies Wetzlar. 28th Div starts assembling
E of the Rhine. V Corps shifts its attack from
E to N, using 9th Armd Div to spearhead drive
toward Eder R. From Latin R, 9th Armd Div
sweeps NE to Gleen R line between Kirchhain and
Kirtorf with two CC’s abreast, relieving III Corps
elements at Giessen. On left, CCB crosses the Lahn
at Weilburg and drives to Schweinberg area while
CCA, followed by CCR, advances from Aumenau to
Kirtorf. 2d Div, riding tanks, TD’S, and organic
vehicles, moves forward behind armor. 69th Div
mops up stragglers in rear areas.
In U.S. Third Army’s VIII Corps area, 347th
Inf, on 87th Div N flank, relieves V Corps of re-