1942 - US Army Center Of Military History

[ 6 APRIL 1945 ]
assault boats at Veckerhagen. RCT 9 clears wooded
heights along W bank of the Weser to right. On
69th Div left flank, RCT 273 closes in on Hann
Muenden, at junction of Werra, Weser, and Fulda
Rivers, elements reaching the Werra at Laubach.
RCT 272 is approaching the Weser to right.
In U.S. Third Army’s XX Corps area, 6th Armd
Div’s mission is concluded as Langensalza, under
assault by elements of CCA and VIII Corps’ 65th
Div, capitulates. 86th Div begins move from Kassel
area to Gotha. RCT 385, 76th Div, reaches the
Werra, capturing Grossalmerode, Trubenhausen,
and Bad Sooden; crosses the Wehre at Niederhone to
reach Eschwege area. RCT 304 speeds E from the
Wehre by motor to vicinity of Schonstedt. 3d Cav
Gp assembles S of Kassel when boundary change
places it within V Corps zone. In VIII Corps area,
65th Div completes capture of Langensalza by 0745
and is disposed along restraining line Muhlhausen–
Langensalza before noon. 353d Inf, 89th Div, overcomes
strong opposition at Eisenach; 354th moves
around 353d to vicinity of Waltershausen; RCT 355
reverts to div and moves to Ohrdruf area to screen
right flank of div. 4th Armd Div remains in Gotha–
Ohrdruf area. 87th Div moves forward on right
flank of corps and relieves 90th Div and elements
of 328th Inf, 26th Div, of XII Corps. In XII Corps
area, 357th and 358th Regts, 90th Div, upon relief
N of the Werra, assemble S of the river; 359th joins
26th Div, to which it is attached with mission of
relieving 11th Armd Div in Zella Mehlis–Oberhof
area. 11th Armd Div is ordered to secure assembly
area along line Schleusingen–Hildburghausen in
preparation for drive on Bayreuth. 26th Div, continuing
E, relieves 11th Armd Div and establishes
outposts near Themar. 71st Div closes in Fulda area
and relieves 2d Cav Gp of task of screening right
flank of corps from there eastward.
6th Army Group: XV Corps continues rapid
northeastward advance. CCB and CCR columns of
14th Armd Div fan out on right flank. CCA continues
toward Neustadt. In XXI Corps area, 42d
Div troops and CCA, 12th Armd Div, drive NE
toward Schweinfurt. CCB crosses the Main at Kitzingen
and in conjunction with CCR to right overruns
Markbreit, Obernbreit, and Mainbernheim,
completing its mission. CCR also attains its objective
upon reaching Iphofen and Einersheim. 8th
Inf, 4th Div, mops up in Main bend N of Ochsenfurt.
22d and 12th Regts clear Koenigshofen area
and start SE abreast toward Bad Mergentheim.
Corps prepares to pivot SE about 4th Div. In VI
Corps area, 100th Div continues struggle for Heilbronn,
where assault forces, without aid of armor,
inch forward in NE and W portions of the city.
398th Inf ( — ) is firmly opposed near Jagstfeld while
attempting to expand Offenau bridgehead S toward
[ 477 ]
Heilbronn. 253d Inf, on right flank of 63d Div, withstands
strong pressure along the Jagst and completes
capture of Moeckmuehl. 254th and 255th Regts mop
up on N flank between Bad Mergentheim and Berlichingen.
While CCR, 10th Armd Div, blocks on left
flank of corps, repelling counterattack in
Roth area, CCA speeds SE, forward elements reaching
Crailsheim area. Enemy infiltrates across MSR
between Bad Mergentheim and Crailsheim, night
6–7. Corps releases CCB to 10th Armd Div.
In Fr 1st Army’s 2d Corps area, elements of
5th Armd Div assisting 3d Algerian Inf Div on left
flank of corps reach the Neckar at Lauffen. 3d
Algerian begins to clear Stromberg Forest. 2d Moroccan
Inf Div, reinf by elements of 5th Armd Div,
reached Enz R at Muehlacker on left, N outskirts
of Pforzheim in center, and clears Stein and Koenigsbach
on right. Valluy Groupement continues clearing
fortified region about Karlsruhe, taking
Durlach.
EASTERN EUROPE—Some elements of Second
Ukrainian Front clearing region N of the Danube
reach Morava R line NE of Vienna on 37-mile front
while others to S close in on Vienna from the E.
Troops of Third Ukrainian Front are clearing
southern suburbs of Vienna.
ITALY—15th Army Group: In U.S. Fifth Army
area, 92d Div continues attack toward Massa with
442d Inf, enemy fire preventing 370th from jumping
off. 442d takes M. Cerreta and begins attack on
M. Belvedere.
In Br Eighth Army’s 5 Corps area, 56th Div expands
its bridgehead across the Reno.
LUZON—In U.S. Sixth Army’s Legaspi sector,
1st Bn of 158th Inf continues southward along ridge
to trail running W from Daraga, about a mile S of
Busay. 2d Bn reaches Route 160, which extends from
Legaspi to Daraga. AT Co, reinf, in shore-to-shore
operation to clear Sorsogon Province, moves from
Legaspi to Bacon, where Bicol Peninsula is but 5
miles wide, and lands unopposed; drives overland to
Sorsogon. In I Corps area, on Highway 9, Co G of
129th Inf, under 33d Div control, becomes isolated
from main body of 2d Bn while executing envelopment
maneuver in Salat area. 126th Inf, 32d Div,
moving eastward to N of 128th, reaches Salacsac
Pass area and takes Hill 519. 25th Div, astride Highway
5, continues pressure toward Kapintalan. In
XI Corps area, 2d Bn of 63d Inf, 6th Div, opens assault
on Mt Mataba after preparatory arty fire. 20th
Inf, whose relief by 63d is completed, probes toward
Mt Oro and Mt Pacawagan. 103d Inf column of
43d Div, driving along shore of Laguna de Bay,
makes contact with Tr B of 5th Cav, 1st Cav Div
(XIV Corps), at Santa Cruz, giving Sixth Army a
solid front in S Luzon. In XIV Corps area, elements
of 1st Cav and 11th A/B Divs are fighting