1942 - US Army Center Of Military History

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and drives to edge of Wuppertal on right. 28th
Inf of 8th Div reaches the Ruhr N of Schwelm and
is passed through by 13th and 121st Regts, which
start W abreast, former on right; 13th, reinf by
CCR of 13th Armd Div, overruns Hattingen; from
Schwelm assembly area, 121st gains about 3 miles
toward Wuelfrath. 86th Div finishes clearing its
sector along Lenne R up to the Ruhr except for
scattered pockets. In III Corps area, 5th Div completes
offensive operations in the Ruhr and is passed
through by 7th Armd Div. While RCT’s 10 and
2 remain in place along S bank of the Ruhr, 11th
Inf clears region W of Meriden between Iserlohn
and the Ruhr. CCR, 7th Armd Div, drives W from
Meriden in two columns and reaches Kalthof area.
99th Div continues NW to general line Iserlohn–
Kesbern–Altena. In VII Corps area, CCB of 3d
Armd Div establishes shallow bridgehead across
Mulde R near Torten, using wreckage of a bridge;
elements to right reach Thurland area. CCR clears
all except NE edge of Koethen and sends elements
W toward Bebitz. CCA is committed on div right
facing Dessau and reaches line Quellendorf–Koernitz–Fernsdorf.
Reconnoitering on extreme right of
div, 83d Armd Rcn Bn finds Wolfen and Bitterfeld
strongly held but secures Reuden, Thalheim, and
Sandersdorf. 1st and 9th Divs continue methodical
elimination of enemy in Harz Mts for next few
days. In V Corps area, CCA of 9th Armd Div
reaches Thierbach–Kirzscher–Stockheim region
NW of Borna, bypassing Borna, which CCB takes
without opposition. CCR reaches Mulde R line,
clearing Grimma on left and taking bridges in Colditz–Lastau
area on right. 2d Div clears Merse-burg
and Leuna by 0800, then crosses 23d Inf over the
Saale at Merseburg and moves 9th Inf S after dark to
clear German AA positions in zone of 69th Div. Forward
elements of 69th Div reach positions
due S of Leipzig on S flank of corps, pushing
through Zeitz.
In U.S. Third Army’s XX Corps area, 6th Armd
Div crosses the Mulde, CCB at Rochlitz and rest of
div at Lunzenau, and continues E to limiting line,
where div halts to await arrival of Red Army forces.
CCA takes 3 bridges across Zachopau R near Mittweida.
76th Div mops up in Zeitz and Altenburg
and pushes elements rapidly eastward in order to
take over 6th Armd Div’s Mulde bridgehead. CCB,
4th Armd Div, improves positions in Bergstadt area
and takes Chemnitz R bridges at and N of Draisdorf.
CCA patrols toward Chemnitz and receives
surrender of Siegmar. 80th Div follows 4th Armd
Div closely: 319th Inf clears Grimmitscha and most
of Glauchau; 318th prepares to take over bridgehead
overlooking Chemnitz. VIII Corps directs 89th
Div to establish bridgehead over Zwick Mulde R in
vicinity of Wickau and to make contact with XX
[ 15 APRIL 1945 ]
Corps. Committing 354th Inf between 355th and
3534, 89th Div drives to line of Weisse-Elster and
Weida Rivers between Gera and Zeulenroda and
begins crossing after nightfall. 6th Cav Gp crosses
Weisse-Elster R on left flank of corps and moves E
and SE in zone of 89th Div. Thrusting SE toward
Weisse-Elster R, 87th Div’s 346th Inf reaches Kleinwelschendorf,
just W of Zeulenroda; TF Sundt
drives to Pausa area; 347th Inf reaches Langenbach.
65th Div is notified that it will be returned to XX
Corps. In XII Corps area, 11th Armd Div, its mission
completed, remains in assembly areas. RCT 14,
71st Div, assisted by elements of 2d Cav Gp, continues
to mop up within Bayreuth. Rest of 71st Div
completes drive to corps restraining line on SW
flank of corps, extending generally from Gefrees to
Bayreuth. In center of corps, 26th Div reaches restraining
line from Hof to Gefrees. On NE flank,
90th Div continues toward Plauen-Hof road and
clears most of Hof.
In U.S. Fifteenth Army area, XXII Corps is made
responsible for Aachen area.
6th Army Group: In U.S. Seventh Army area,
XV Corps gains ground toward Nuremberg. In
XXI Corps area, 42d Div’s 222d and 232d Regts
reach Aisch R line in Neustadt area. CCB, 12th
Armd Div, completes its crossing of the Aisch at Dietersheim
and thrusts SE to Scheller and Kotzenaurach;
rorst Cav Gp drives SE through Linden
to Zenn R; CCR is halted by stubborn opposition in
vicinity of Westheim. 8th Inf, 4th Div, attacks SE
toward Ansbach in conjunction with CCR of 12th
Armd Div. 12th and 22d Regts push a little closer
to Rothenburg against stronger resistance. VI Corps
attacks SE with 100th and 63d Divs abreast, 100th
on right, each div employing 3 regts abreast. 100th
Div clears Unt Gruppenbach on right, begins outflanking
Loewenstein in center, and on left drives
to Neuberg-Buchhorn region, S of Pfedelbach.
From right to left, 63d Div reaches Michelbach;
positions near Waldenburg and Westernach; Goggenbach;
Steinkirchen; and Nesselbach.
In Fr 1st Army area, 2d Corps continues to
clear Black Forest in conjunction with Valluy
Groupement and is thrusting toward Nagold R. 1st
Corps crosses elements over the Rhine N of Kehl
without opposition. Valluy Groupement, assisted by
1st Corps elements E of the Rhine, clears Kehl;
forward elements overrun Offenburg and continue
S in Baden Plain to outskirts of Lahr; left flank elements
continue clearing Black Forest. In DA ATL
area, after intense air and arty bombardment of
enemy fortifications in Royan sector, Fr forces push
to edge of that city. Fr troops across the Gironde in
Pointe de Grave sector drive salient into enemy positions
in vicinity of Vensac.