1942 - US Army Center Of Military History

[ 10 APRIL 1945 ]
314th on right) and clears Bochum. After regrouping
and relieving elements of 79th Div, 17th A/B
Div attacks S with 507th Para Inf and takes Essen
without opposition. In sector of TF Twaddle, 8th
Armd Div gets into position for final assault on
Unna, a target for aircraft. In conjunction with
CCB, 95th Div’s 379th Inf drives through Luenern
and Muehlhausen on left and on right takes Kamen.
TF Faith finishes clearing its zone except for
Neheim and Arnsberg.
In U.S. First Army’s XVIII Corps (A/B) area,
13th Armd Div begins crossing the Sieg in Siegburg
area. One CCA column proceeds to Breidt area and
another reaches positions near Siegburg. CCB
thrusts to Agger R and establishes bridgehead with
2 rifle cos. 97th Div completes capture of Siegburg
and supports crossing of 13th Armd Div over the
Sieg. 78th Div, against delaying opposition, pushes
steadily NW to general line Nuembrecht–Eckenhage–Hillmicke.
8th Div drives rapidly NW to Valbert–Wegeringhausen
area. 86th Div’s 342d Inf
presses NW toward Attendorn. In III Corps area,
RCT 10 of 5th Div continues rapidly W to Wenne
R and takes bridge intact near Berge. RCT 2 secures
bridgehead across the Wenne on high ground E of
Grevenstein. 9th Div continues attack with 39th Inf
on right and 60th on left until pinched out. 7th
Armd Div commits CCA between CCR and CCB
and drives steadily NW in multiple columns. 394th
Inf, 99th Div, pushes through Odingen and Ober
Elspe; 393d takes Halberbracht; 395th clears Meggen
and Kickenbach. In VII Corps area, 3d Armd
Div continues rapid advance on Nordhausen, CCB
columns, on right, reaching Klein and Gross Werther,
just SW of objective, and CCR reaching Silkerode,
Bockelnhagen, and Zwinge. 1st and 104th Divs
continue to follow armor closely. In V Corps area,
9th Armd Div passes through 2d and 69th Divs to
spearhead attack to E: on left, CCB reaches Hain
area, S of Nordhausen; CCA, in center, drives to
positions beyond Ebeleben; on right, CCR overruns
Schlotheim and gets forward elements to Freienbessingen.
2d and 69th Divs mop up to rear of armor.
In U.S. Third Army area, XX Corps continues E
with 76th Div on left and 80th on right and prepares
to commit armor to spearhead drive to the Elbe.
76th Div, with RCT’s 304 and 385 abreast, 304 on
left, advances to assigned objective, Straussfurt–Kuehnhausen
rail line, with little difficulty; RCT
417 then relieves RCT 304. Against scattered resistance,
80th Div closes in on Erfurt and partially
encircles it. 6th and 4th Armd Divs prepare to attack
E abreast through 76th and 80th Divs. Elements of
6th Armd Div within First Army zone are relieved
by 9th Armd and 69th Inf Divs (V Corps). 3d Cav
Gp assembles N of Gotha and will protect left and
[ 485 ]
right flanks of corps. In VIII Corps area, 89th and
87th Divs continue E abreast. 89th Div, with 355th
Inf on left and 354th on right, drives to Gera R at
Rudisleben, Arnstadt, and E of Espenfeld. 87th Div’s
345th Inf takes Stutzhaus and continues to vicinity
of Crawinkel; 347th, to right, reaches edge of Geraberg.
Div forms TF Sundt (Div Rcn Tr, Co K of
346th Inf, and supporting units) to spearhead drive
to the Saale on 11th, followed by 3d Bn of 346th
Inf, motorized; rest of 346th Inf prepares to attack
through 345th. 65th Div closes in assembly area in
vicinity of Berka. XII Corps opens offensive to SE.
11th Armd Div, with close arty and air support,
drives quickly to vicinity of Coburg, its immediate
objective, against sporadic delaying action. On left,
CCA blocks N and NE exits from the city. CCB
reaches Wiesenfeld area, just N of Coburg, and
reconnoiters in force toward the city, drawing AT
fire. Heavy fire is placed on Coburg throughout
night. 71st Div follows 11th Armd Div, mopping
up. 26th Div pushes SE over difficult terrain of Thuringer
Wald to NE of 71st Div. On left flank
of corps, 90th Div continues E through Thuringer
Wald, 359th Inf reaching Ilmenau and 358th,
Neustadt.
U.S. Fifteenth Army takes command of 28th Div
( — RCT 112), which starts to Juelich area. XXIII
Corps takes over sector W of the Rhine to right of
XXII Corps.
6th Army Group: In U.S. Seventh Army area,
XV Corps holds current positions and patrols SE
while preparing to continue offensive. CCB reverts
to 14th Armd Div. In XXI Corps area, 42d Div,
supported by powerful medium bomber attack and
continuous arty fire, drives to within 3 miles of Schweinfurt
against tenacious resistance. 232d Inf circles
northward, overrunning Zell and Hambach; 242d
holds current positions in center; 222d continues N
along W bank of the Main to Bergrhein-feld. CCA
of 12th Armd Div, assisting 42d Div,
drives N along E bank of the Main, overrunning
Unter and Ober Spiesheim and Alitzheim. CCB
clears Stadt–Schwarzach, Klein Langheim, and Castell.
CCR, followed by 101st Cav Gp, drives SE to
Weigenheim and Geckenheim. Renewing offensive
on right flank of corps, 4th Div’s 22d Inf pushes SE
to line Bartenstein–Niederstetten while 12th, to left,
overruns Laudenbach. RCT 324, 44th Div, is attached
to 4th Div. Corps objective line is extended
to Blaufelden. In VI Corps area, 100th Div gets its
two bridgeheads in Heilbronn to within a city block
of each other. In Offenau bridgehead to N, 398th
Inf continues to battle stubborn enemy. On N flank
of corps, 253d Inf of 63d Div consolidates along the
Kocher; 255th expands Kocher bridgehead southward;
254th pushes S to general line Kunzelsau–Jagstberg
and makes contact with 10th Armd Div