1942 - US Army Center Of Military History

[ 12 APRIL 1945 ]
and newly arrived 51st on right. In 12 Corps area,
53d Div clears Rethem and establishes bridgehead
across the Leine there. In 8 Corps area, 15th Div
passes through 6th A/B Div and enters Celle, on
Aller R.
12th Army Group: U.S. Ninth Army releases
29th Div to operational control of XVI Corps, but
the div retains its current security mission in army
rear. In XIII Corps area, 5th Armd Div completes
dash to the Elbe, CCR reaching the river at Wittenberge
and Werben and CCA in Tangermuende
area, but is unable to secure bridges as hoped. 84th
and 102d Divs continue to clear toward the Elbe
in left and right sectors of corps, respectively. 11th
Cav Gp screens N flank of corps. In XIX Corps area,
CCB of 2d Armd Div establishes small infantry
bridgehead across the Elbe in Randau area, S of
Magdeburg. CCA and CCR speed toward the Elbe
at Magdeburg and block exits from Magdeburg.
30th Div completes capture of Braunschweig and
drives about 35 miles E toward the Elbe. 329th Inf,
83d Div, reaches the Elbe at Barby, SE of Schoenebeck.
330th continues to clear Harz Mts and block
main roads there. 331st, after assembling in Derenburg
area, drives E, forward elements taking Nienburg,
on Saale R. In XVI Corps area, 75th Div
continues to clear region N of the Ruhr between
Witten and Westhofen; 289th Inf relieves 137th
Inf, 35th Div. 134th Inf maintains and improves
positions along the Ruhr; 320th is relieved by 95th
Div and 75th Rcn Tr. On W flank of corps, 17th
A/B Div begins relief of 79th Div N of the Ruhr;
507th Para Inf patrol receives formal surrender of
Duisburg- 79th Div, as relieved, assembles for occupation
duties in sector N of the Ruhr; withdraws
its small bridgehead at Kettwig. In zone of TF
Twaddle, 8th Armd Div mops up in Unna area and
at 2400 passes to army control as reserve. 378th Inf,
95th Div, breaks into E part of Dortmund, where
lively fighting ensues; 379th, to left, thrusts rapidly
SW toward the Ruhr; TF Faith contains Arnsberg
on the N while 5th Div of III Corps, First Army,
attacks the city from the S.
In U.S. First Army’s XVIII Corps (A/B) area,
as enemy withdrawal becomes increasingly hasty and
more and more prisoners are being taken, presaging
a speedy end of the Ruhr pocket, corps establishes
stop line and extends boundaries of 97th, 78th, and
8th Divs to it; provides alternate plans of advance
in the event 78th Div reaches Hueckeswagen–Wipperfuerth
area, final objective of armor, before 13th
Armd Div. CCB, 13th Armd Div, closes on initial
objective in Dunnwald area and reorganizes CCA
takes Altenrath and thrusts toward Rath; CCR follows
CCB, mopping up. 87th Div continues clearing
region to rear of armor. 78th Div column pushes
into woods near Engelskirchen on left; center and
[ 489 ]
right columns speed to Thier-Klueppelberg region,
threatening Wipperfuerth. 8th Div drives to
Kreuzberg–Oberbruegge area, SW of Luedenscheid.
86th Div drives about 4 miles NW on right flank of
corps; at 2200 forms TF Pope (reinf 3d Bn of 342d
Inf) to drive through 8th Div to Luedenscheid. In
III Corps area, RCT 10, on 5th Div right, captures
Arnsberg and Wennigloh; RCT 2 reaches the Rohr
in Hachen–Recklinghausen area and establishes
bridgehead; Sad Cav Sq, operating with RCT 2,
clears region between Rohr R and Sorpe Staubecken
Lake as far S as Seidfeld. 7th Armd Div speeds W
some 15 miles, passing through 5th Div on right and
cutting across front of 99th Div on left; CCA reaches
Hoevel and Balve on right; CCR seizes Neuenrade.
Continuing steadily NW, 99th Div reaches general
line Rohrenspring-Roenkhausen. In VII Corps area,
CCR of 3d Armd Div takes Obersdorf, Polsfeld, and
Blankenheim; CCA secures Sangerhausen; CCB
overruns Holdenstedt, Wolferstedt, and Allstedt;
83d Armd Rcn Bn, on right flank, reaches Oberroeblingen,
Niederroeblingen, and Allstedt. 1st Div and
attached 4th Cav Gp are mopping up along edge of
Harz Mts, where bypassed enemy is almost encircled;
26th Inf pushes into W edge to Clausthal–
Zellerfeld. 413th Inf, 104th Div, enters Bad Lauterberg
and seizes Sachsa and Ellrich; 414th blocks
Harz Mts exits NE of Nordhausen; 415th moves elements
forward to Kelbra, Wallhausen, and Oberroeblingen.
In V Corps area, CCB of 9th Armd Div,
after gaining positions near the Saale in vicinity of
Delitz and Bad Lauchstaedt, is directed to assemble;
CCA crosses Unstrut R at Nebra and continues to
Pettstaedt area, NW of Weissenfels, where it assembles;
CCR crosses the Saale near Naumberg and
drives E through Naumberg to Weissenfels–Zeitz
road, then SE toward Zeitz, elements abandoning
drive NW toward Weissenfels upon learning that
bridge there is down. 2d and 69th Divs, following
armor, gain 25–30 miles.
In U. S. Third Army’s XX Corps area, 6th Armd
Div continues E from the Saale to Weisse-Elster R
and gains crossings. One CCB column, finding
Weisse-Elster bridges down, turns N into V Corps
zone to seize bridge at Pegau and continues to Audigast;
another bypasses Zeitz to N and searches for
crossing over Weisse-Elster R. CCA is held up
on left by strongpoint W of Zeitz but on right takes
bridge across Weisse-Elster at Rossendorf and establishes
infantry bridgehead before bridge is lost to
time bomb. CCR moves E in effort to secure bridge
at Zeitz and reaches Kretzschau, just W of Zeitz.
4th Armd Div closes along the Saale where bridges
are down and crosses, initial elements in rubber
boats and by ferry and rest over newly constructed
bridges; CCB crosses the Saale N of Jena and clears
Kunitz and Laasan; CCA crosses S of Jena and