1942 - US Army Center Of Military History

[ 8 APRIL 1945 ]
in Wehrden area and gains bridgehead including
Fuerstenberg, Derenthal, Meinbrexen, and Lauenfoerde.
To right, 104th Div expands and strengthens
Weser bridgehead: 413th Inf crosses at Gieselwerder,
starting at 0400; 415th completes crossing
on div right. CCR, 3d Armd Div, crosses at Gieselwerder
and assembles in Imbsen area. TF Taylor,
no longer required for defensive mission along Ruhr
pocket, is dissolved. In V Corps area, 2d Div completes
its crossing of the Weser and drives rapidly
E about 10 miles: on left, 23d Inf clears Gottingen
and continues SE; 9th Inf thrusts through Reinhausen
into Forst Reinhausen; 38th Inf gets into
position to protect left flank E of the Weser. On 69th
Div left flank, RCT 273 mops up in Hann Muenden
area; RCT 272, to right, completes crossing the
Werra, drives to Leine R in Nieder Gandern–Hohengandern
sector, and establishes bridgehead; RCT
271 (—) is moving forward to relieve RCT
273. 9th Armd Div starts to assembly area E of the
Weser.
In U.S. Third Army’s XX Corps area, RCT 417
of 76th Div moves to defensive positions E of Eschwege.
RCT 385 and CCR, 6th Armd Div, continue
to clear region N and NE of Eschwege. RCT 385
reaches Allendorf and Volkerode and relieves elements
of CCR at Volkerode. RCT 304 holds line E
of Langensalza and extends it NW, uncovering part
of zone of CCA, 6th Armd Div. 80th Div, leaving
319th Inf at Gotha to maintain order, starts E toward
Erfurt with 317th Inf on left and 318th on
right. In VIII Corps area, 65th Div, whose zone on
left flank of corps is being uncovered by XX Corps,
passes into reserve. 89th and 87th Divs continue
clearing Thuringer Wald against scattered but determined
opposition. 6th Cav Gp assembles in reserve
in Thal–Seebach area. 4th Armd Div, upon relief
by 89th Div and XX Corps’ 80th Div, assembles
in Gotha area. XII Corps finishes clearing to line of
departure from which to attack SE in force. On left
flank, 90th Div ( — ) moves to Thuringer Wald,
where it takes over Zella Mehlis sector and, with
359th and 358th Regts in assault—359th reverting to
it from attachment to 26th Div—clears eastward to
vicinity of Gehlberg on left and Stutzenbach on
right. Clearing Thuringer Wald to right of 90th
Div, 26th Div’s 328th and 101st Regts reach Nahe R
line from Schmiedefeld to Rappelsdorf and establish
contact with CCA of 11th Armd Div at Rappelsdorf.
11th Armd Div completes occupation of its assembly
area. 71st Div clears to general line Meiningen–Marisfeld–Juchsen.
42d Sq, 2d Cav Gp,
pushes SE on right flank of corps to Juchsen–Nordheim
area.
6th Army Group: In U.S. Seventh Army area,
XV Corps continues attack in Hohe Rhon hills with
infantrymen of 3d and 45th Divs. 3d Div is reinf
[ 481 ]
by CCB of 14th Armd Div. CCA and CCR, 14th
Armd Div, assemble. 44th Div is transferred to VI
Corps. In XXI Corps area, 42d Div meets strong
opposition from outer defenses of Schweinfurt: on
left, 232d Inf drives to line Alt Bessingen–Schwebenried;
in center, CCA, 12th Armd Div, and 242d Inf
units reach Werneck and Ettleben; on right, 222d
Inf maintains Volkach bridgehead and positions W
of the Main. 12th Armd Div begins reconnaissance
in force to SE, employing 92d Cav Rcn Sq on left
and 101st Cav Gp on right. 22d and 12th Regts, 4th
Div, patrol actively SE on right flank of corps. In
VI Corps area, 100th Div continues bitter street
fighting in Heilbronn and crosses reinforcements
into bridgehead there. To N, 398th Inf is still
strongly opposed in Jagstfeld area as it attempts to
expand Offenau bridgehead to Odheim. 63d Div
pushes S on left flank of corps to clear region between
Jagst and Kocher Rivers. 10th Armd Div
alters plan of attack, heading NW from Crailsheim
area toward 63d Div rather than due W toward
100th Div. Germans are offering strong opposition
in vicinity of Crailsheim. RCT 324, 44th Div, is
attached to 10th Armd Div.
In Fr 1st Army’s 2d Corps area, 3d Algerian
Inf Div finishes clearing its zone W of the Neckar
as far S as the Enz at Bissingen. Groupements
Schlesser and Navarre overrun Pforzheim and, in
conjunction with Valluy Groupement, clear Dietenhausen,
Ellmendingen, and Diedingen to W. 2d
Moroccan Inf Div gains further ground N of the
Enz and establishes bridgehead S of the river in
vicinity of Muehlhausen.
EASTERN EUROPE—Soviet forces of Third White
Russian Front begin all-out assault on Koenigsberg
(East Prussia), having broken through outer defenses
from NW and S. Elimination of German
garrison oaf Breslau (Silesia) continues. Second
Ukrainian Front pushes right flank elements northward
in Czechoslovakia toward Moravian frontier
and to left establishes bridgeheads across Morava
and Danube Rivers E and NE of Vienna. Troops of
Third Ukrainian Front gain ground in S and W
Vienna; some elements bypass the city and head W
toward Linz while others speed southward from
Wiener Neustadt area toward Graz.
ITALY—15th Army Group: In U.S. Fifth Army
area, 473d Inf replaces 370th in coastal sector and
continues attack up Highway 1 while 370th moves
to Serchio Valley positions previously occupied by
473d Inf.
CHINA—Strong Japanese patrols begin probing
Chinese outpost positions W of Paoching in preparation
for drive on Chihchiang.
LUZON—In U.S. Sixth Army area, patrols of
AT Co, RCT 158, reach Bulan, on W coast of Bicol
Peninsula. In I Corps area, Gen Swift orders drive