1942 - US Army Center Of Military History

[ 18 APRIL 1945 ]
reconnoiters Ansbach–Feuchtwangen road, CCB and
CCR overrun northern part of Ansbach in coordinated
assault; 101st Cav Gp moves forward to
screen S flank of div. 4th. Div continues southward
and begins relief of 324th Inf with 22d. In VI Corps
area, 10th Armd Div advances 9 miles as enemy
resistance slackens. CCA, in conjunction with 398th
Inf of 100th Div, captures Mainhardt, Grab, and Ob
Rot and continues SE through Hansen. CCB helps
63d Div complete capture of Schwaebisch Hall and
mops up in Michelfeld and Bibersfeld; after regrouping,
continues S along Kocher R to positions
beyond Fichtenberg on right and to vicinity of Gross
Altdorf on left. 397th Inf, 100th Div, clears toward
Murr R at Sulzbach; 399th runs into considerable
opposition on heights NE of Beilstein in Neckar R
Valley. 254th Inf, 63d Div, mops up Schwaebisch
Hall and clears to general line Ruppertshofen–Croeffelbach;
255th clears Eltershofen–Celbingen area NE
of Schwaebisch Hall; 253d mops up W and SW of
Schwaebisch Hall to line Sanzenbach–Uttenhofen.
44th Div, less RCT 324, closes in corps zone.
In Fr 1st Army area, 2d Corps begins drive on Stuttgart.
From Freudenstadt, 5th Armd Div and
2d Moroccan Inf Div advance NE along the Neckar
to Rottenburg and Herrenberg. 3d Algerian Inf Div
finishes clearing forest S of Pforzheim. 1st Corps
makes progress in Black Forest sector, clearing Obertal,
Oppenau, Gengenbach, and Lahr. DA ATL
completes reduction of Royan pocket and in Pointe
de Grave sector crosses AT ditch and reaches Soulac.
ITALY—15th Army Group: U.S. Fifth Army
moves boundary between IV and II Corps W. In
IV Corps area, 10th Mtn Div reaches Sulmonte-S.
Chierlo area astride Lavino Creek and takes almost
3,000 prisoners. Forces flanking it are regrouped
to enable the mountain troops to concentrate in
center for rapid pursuit. 1st Div of BEF takes over
from left flank elements. 1st Armd Div, whose
relief on right flank of corps is completed, moves
forward rapidly on left flank of corps astride the
Samoggia. 85th Div releases right flank elements
of 10th Mtn Div and moves forward, on right flank
of corps. In II Corps area, enemy is retreating all
along line. S African 6th Armd Div finds S.
Barbara ridge undefended and patrols to junction
of Reno R and Setta Creek without incident, 88th
Div takes ridge extending W from Furcoli and
speeds northward to within a mile of M. Mario.
Elements on Furcoli ridge are pinched out. 91st
Div takes M. Adone, M. Posigliano, Pianoro, and
M. Arnigo. 34th Div seizes Dei Mori Hill.
In Br Eighth Army’s 13 Corps area, NZ 2d Div
establishes bridgehead across the Gaiano. 5 Corps
gains Argenta Clap, through which it is to force
enemy back across the Po. 6th Armd Div is released
[ 503 ]
from army reserve to corps to exploit toward Ferrara
and takes up positions on left flank.
BURMA—In Br Fourteenth Army’s 4 Corps
area, Ind 5th Div completes clearing Shwemyo
Bluff and drives S on Pyinmana.
LUZON—In U.S. Sixth Army area, assault forces
of RCT 158 attacking Cituinan Hill from N and S
are 2,000 yards apart. 2d Bn, having turned over
responsibility for mopping up Sorsogon Province
to guerrillas, gets into position near Malabog to
attack the hill from E. In I Corps area, 148th Inf
of 37th Div fights for ridges astride Highway 9
near Irisan bridge site, clearing one and part of
another. In Mt Myoko sector, some elements of
27th Inf, 25th Div, continue efforts to clear hill
300 yards N of the Wart while others attack toward
hill 600 yards from the Wart. In XI Corps area,
145th Inf of 37th Div and 20th Inf of 6th Div
complete exchange of sectors. 145th Inf, now responsible
for Novaliches watershed area, is directed
to attack toward Mt Pacawagan, about 3,000 yards
N of Mt Mataba, on 21st. Mt Pacawagan commands
approaches to Wawa. 1st Inf, 6th Div, takes
high ground overlooking Mariquina R after costly
fighting. On El Fraile I., 38th Div patrol enters
Fort Drum, a burned out shell, and finds 69 enemy
dead. In XIV Corps area, 187th Inf of 11th A/B Div
renews attack on Mt Macolod and gains positions
on SE slope.
S PHILIPPINES—In U.S. Eighth Army area, X
Corps CP opens at Parang on Mindanao, and Gen
Sibert assumes command ashore. 24th Div begins
amphibious and overland drives on Fort Pikit en
route to Kabacan road junction, a key position. 2d
Bn, 21st Inf, and force from 533d Engr Boat and
Shore Regt, divided into 2 groups, make amphibious
drives up 2 branches of Mindanao R and take
Cotabato and Tamontaca without opposition; elements
continue upstream and seize undefended
Lomopog, 22 miles from Cotabato. RCT 19 starts
overland drive southward along Highway 1, aided
after nightfall by illumination of naval star shells.
On Negros, 40th Div, assisted by aircraft, continues
assault on strong enemy defense positions, making
slow progress. 185th Inf inches forward from the
tank trap in its sector. Elements of 160th reach
military crest of Hill 3155 but are forced to withdraw.
On Palawan, elements of Co G, 186th Inf,
41st Div, in shore-to-shore operation, secure Balabac
I., off S tip of Palawan.
RYUKYU Is.—On Ie Shima, war correspondent
Ernie Pyle is killed by enemy sniper. 77th Div
continues to make main effort against Bloody Ridge
from S and W with 307th Inf helped by 305th, but
vicious opposition makes progress very slow. 1st
Bn, 305th Inf, is attached to 307th to protect right
flank. 3d Bn, 305th, drives into le town but pulls