1942 - US Army Center Of Military History

[ 516 ]
Czechoslovakian border in Eslarn–Schoensee area
and clears several Czechoslovakian villages. 2d Cav
Gp, upon relief by 303d Inf of 97th Div, shifts S,
relieving elements of 90th Div. On extreme left
flank of corps, 97th Div attacks NE toward Cheb
(Czechoslovakia), with 386th Inf on left and 387th
on right; gains heights N of the city and begins assault
on the city. In XX Corps area, 71st and 65th
Divs reach the Danube and relieve 3d Cav Gp along
it; 43d Cav Sq moves to right flank of corps to screen
from Hemau to the Danube. 71st Div, ordered to
attack across the Danube, night 25–26, and assist
65th Div’s assault on Regensburg with fire, pushes
S with all possible speed, 5th Inf pivoting about 14th
to advance on left and abreast it. 14th Inf reaches the
Danube and clears Donaustauf and Walhalla. 5th
closes along the river to left in Frengkofen area. On
left flank of div, 66th Inf reaches the Danube at Regensburg
and begins clearing portion of the city N
of the river: 65th Div prepares for assault cross-ing
of the Danube at 0200 on 26th, 260th Inf displacing
to forward assembly areas and 261st clearing
Waldorf and assisting in capture of Kelheim. In
III Corps area, 14th Cav Gp seizes Kelheim, where
Danube bridge is down, and searches for crossing
site over Ludwigs Kanal. 99th Div reaches the Altmuhl,
clearing Dietfurt and Kinding, and starts across the
river. 342d Inf, 86th Div, captures Eichstatt and
establishes small bridgehead over the Altmuhl there;
341st is clearing wooded region near Gungolding
bridge site.
In U.S. Fifteenth Army’s XXII Corps area, 417th
FA Gp relieves 82d A/B Div in Cologne sector;
82d A/B will move to Uelzen region for operations
under XVIII Corps (A/B). In XXIII Corps area,
54th AAA Brig takes over Koblenz district E of
the Rhine and rest of Koblenz district W of the
Rhine to boundary with Saarland, Pfalz, and Hessen.
28th Div is attached to corps and takes responsibility
for military government of Saarland
and Hessen W of the Rhine and Pfalz (except for
Landkreise Speyer, Landau, Germersheim, and
Bergzabern).
6th Army Group: In U.S. Seventh Army’s XV
Corps area, 45th and 42d Divs reach the Danube,
42d clearing Donauwoerth. In XXI Corps area, CCA
of 12th Armd Div defends Dillingen bridge and
finishes clearing Wertingen; 15th Inf then reverts
to 3d Div. CCB, driving W in region S of the
Danube in search of crossing sites, takes Rettenbach
and Limbach; elements thrust to Offingen but are
forced back to Rettenbach. CCR continues SW along
N bank of the Danube and makes contact with 63d
Div N of Guenzburg. 3d Div, less 30th Inf, completes
movement into Dillingen bridgehead. 7th Inf
attacks eastward from Wertingen area in evening.
30th Inf takes up blocking positions N of the Danube
[ 25 APRIL 1945 ]
on left flank of div. Forward elements of 4th and
63d Divs reach the Danube and start crossing. Most
of 8th and 12th Regts, 4th Div, are across at Lauingen
by end of day. 1st and 2d Bns of 254th Inf, 63d
Div, cross by damaged bridge near Riedheim and
take Leipheim; repel tank-supported counterattack.
In VI Corps area, 324th Inf of 44th Div and CCR
of 10th Armd Div cross the Danube at Ulm and
clear Neu Ulm. Upon completion of bridge at Dietenheim,
CCB crosses the Iller and speeds S to Kellmunz
area. CCA is unable to cross near Iller-rieden
since heavy fire prevents completion of
bridge there, but elements cross over Dietenheim
bridge and move N to block S and E exits from
Ulm. 71st Inf, 44th Div, crosses the Iller at Dietenheim
and drives N, clearing Voehringen. 114th Inf
( — ) assembles in Laupheim. 117th Cav Rcn Sq is
attached to 44th Div to maintain contact with
French forces 103d Div completes move to left rear
of 44th Div and drives SE, advance elements reaching
the Danube NE of Ulm. 115th Cav Gp and
107th Cav Rcn Sq are attached to toad Div. 100th
Div, in Stuttgart area, passes to direct control of
army.
In Fr 1st Army area, 2d Corps drives E from
Reutlingen–Sigmaringen area to destroy enemy remaining
in Swabian Jura. In 1st Corps area, Germans
make a desperate effort to escape to the
Bavarian Alps, mustering their forces in the Black
Forest and attacking between Villingen and the
Swiss frontier. 1st Corps, countering promptly, is
reinf by 5th Armd Div and part of 3d Algerian Inf
Div of 2d Corps and effectively supported by air.
EASTERN EUROPE—Germany is split into two
separate parts as patrols of First Ukrainian Front
establish contact with U.S. forces of Western Front
on the Elbe near Torgau. While fighting continues
within Berlin, elements of First White Russian and
First Ukrainian Fronts complete circle about the
city with junction NW of Potsdam. In East Prussia,
troops of Third White Russian Front overrun Pillau,
at tip of Samland Peninsula. On southern front,
forces of Second Ukrainian Front are fighting in
outskirts of Bruenn (Czechoslovakia).
ITALY—15th Army Group: In U.S. Fifth Army
area, 92d Div completes reduction of Gothic Line
positions in Ligurian coastal sector with capture of
Aulla. In IV Corps area, 85th Inf of 10th Mtn Div
takes Villafranca airfield, where it is overtaken by
special pursuit TF under Col William O. Darby. TF
Darby moves on toward Verona. CCA, 1st Armd
Div, crosses the Po to intercept retreating enemy W
of Lake Garda. 34th Div takes Parma, at junction
of Highways 9 and 62. In II Corps area, 88th Div
reaches Verona after nightfall and clears scattered
opposition there by dawn of 26th. 91st Div reaches
Cerea, on Highway to, where extremely heavy