1942 - US Army Center Of Military History

[ 502 ]
12th Army Group: In U.S. Ninth Army’s XIII
Corps area, CCA of 5th Armd Div, after driving
through Forst Knesebeck unopposed, assembles at
Steimke and releases attached elements of 102d and
84th Divs. In XIX Corps area, organized resistance
in Magdeburg ceases after assault elements of 30th
Inf and 2d Armd Divs clear their respective portions
and make contact. 83d Div forces E of the Elbe
regroup to improve defensive positions within
bridgehead; repel counterattack toward bridge at
Breitenhagen. Elements of RCT 320 take Dornbock,
W of the Elbe. 330th Inf continues to mop up in
Harz Mts. CCB, 8th Armd Div, attacking in woods
S of Derenburg, dears to Langenstein–Heimburg
road. Air attack forces enemy from Forst Heimburg.
XVI Corps’ mission of protecting Ninth Army’s
right flank is successfully concluded. 29th Div starts
to XIII Corps zone.
In U.S. First Army area, XVIII Corps (A/B)
overcomes organized resistance in the Ruhr and
begins mopping up stragglers. German forces under
Field Marshal Model have suffered staggering losses
in men and materiel in the Ruhr. Prisoners taken
during the operation total 325,000, more than twice
the number of enemy estimated to have been encircled.
In XVIII Corps (A/B) area, CCA of 13th
Armd Div drives W through Ratingen to the Rhine
while CCB remains at Duisburg. In 97th Div sector,
303d Inf drives through Duesseldorf virtually unopposed.
78th Div, with new mission of guarding
First Army rear, continues movement to Dillenburg
area. 8th Div searches for bypassed enemy.
86th Div passes to control of Third Army. In VII
Corps area, 3d Armd Div continues clearing its
zone and establishes contact with XIX Corps on
left. CCB completes withdrawal of Mulde bridgehead
in Torten area. CCR, reinf by 83d Armd Rcn
Bn and elements of CCA, attempts to secure Jessnitz–Wolfen–Greppin
sector on div right flank
and reaches Reuden and Thalheim. TF Kelleher,
104th Div, continues house-to-house fighting’ in S
part of Halle, clearing most of the city. 1st Div
continues E and NE in Harz Mts and establishes
contact with Ninth Army. 60th Inf, 9th Div, overruns
Maegdesprung and Friedrichsbrunn; 47th
clears Meisdorf and Opperode and begins assault on
Ballenstedt; 39th Inf and 4th Cav Gp, organized
as TF X and largely motorized for swift advance on
div right, reach Quedlinburg. In V Corps area, 2d
and 69th Divs begin co-ordinated assault on Leipzig.
23d and 38th Regts of 2d Div push into W
Leipzig and clear to Weisse and Pliesse Rivers.
69th Div, employing 273d Inf, attacks NW and W
into Leipzig. 9th Inf, 2d Div, takes German AA
positions E of Lutzen. RCT 271 is attached to 2d
Div and continues to fight in Zwenkau area, overrunning
Eythra and driving N toward Leipzig.
[ 18 APRIL 1945 ]
7th Armd Div closes in Gottingen in SHAEF
reserve.
U.S. Third Army regroups extensively and starts
side slipping southward for final drive SE to Austria
and Czechoslovakia. VIII Corps clears to corps
restraining line and takes control of XX Corps sector
and of 4th and 6th Armd and 76th Inf Divs in
place. 6th Armd and 76th Inf Divs maintain current
positions along restraining line and patrol; 76th
Div begins relief of 4th Armd Div. 89th Div attains
all its objectives: 355th and 354th Regts expand
Zwick Mulde bridgehead toward Oelsnitz,
overrunning Zwickau, Wilkau, and many other
towns; makes contact with 76th Div on left; 353d
Inf takes a number of towns E of the autobahn on
right flank of div. 6th Cav Gp assembles on right
flank of corps, where 28th Sq relieves elements of
90th Div (XII Corps) and patrols toward Czechoslovakian
border. XII Corps regroups as result of
boundary change and prepares to attack SE toward
Chain on 19th. 2d Cav Gp’s 42d Sq, upon relief in
Bayreuth area by 11th Armd Div, moves to Hof
area; after relieving left flank elements of 90th Div
now N of corps left boundary, maintains contact
with VIII Corps and patrols toward Czechoslovakia.
357th Inf of 90th Div shifts S, relieving 328th
Inf, 26th Div. 90th and 26th Divs push strong reconnaissance
to front in preparation for general
drive to SE. Patrol of 358th Inf, 90th Div, thrusts
across Czechoslovakian border near Prex at 0955,
being the first Allied troops to do so. In 26th Div
zone, 104th Inf pushes E to Kirchenlamitz and Weissenstadt;
101st consolidates between Gefrees and
Voitsumra; 357th assembles in vicinity of Berneck.
XX Corps turns over its sector and 3 divs to VIII
Corps and starts to Bamberg area. 80th Div releases
positions overlooking Chemnitz to 76th Inf and 4th
Armd Divs- 76th Div relieves 4th Armd
Div in line. XII Corps passes to Third Army control
from First Army and starts to extreme right flank
in Bavaria. 5th Armd Div takes over entire zone
formerly held by corps, relieving 14th Cav Gp and
8th TD Gp in place; is placed under Third Army
control. 86th Div is attached to corps and starts to
Windsheim area.
In U.S. Fifteenth Army’s XXII Corps area, 94th
Div takes over zone formerly held by 101st A/B
Div; 101st A/B Div prepares for move to Wurzburg
area in Seventh Army zone.
6th Army Group: In U.S. Seventh Army’s XV
Corps area, 45th and 3d Divs deepen penetration
into Nuremberg against stiff resistance. In XXI
Corps area, 42d Div enters Fuerth and, in conjunction
with elements of XV Corps, blocks all exits
from Nuremberg. 12th Armd Div, directed to attack
along axis Ansbach–Feuchtwangen–Lauchheim,
concentrates in Ansbach area. While CCA