1942 - US Army Center Of Military History

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low CCR to Innsbruck, and advances E along autobahn
to Sulzbach. 4th Div remains in place, mopping
up and preparing for relief by 101st A/B Div, which
is moving into its zone. RCT 141, 36th Div, reaches
Tegern See on left and Lenggries area on right;
elements of RCT 142 make contact with VI Corps
units at Wallgau. In VI Corps area, 103d Div continues
negotiations for surrender of Innsbruck. RCT
409 reaches the Inn at Telfs and Zirl, taking bridge
at Telfs; pushes E along the river to Innsbruck.
Elements of 410th Inf clear several small towns in
region W of Mittenwald Seefeld road. At 2030,
RCT 411 ( — ) starts motorized movement from Mittenwald
toward Brenner Pass in effort to establish
contact with Fifth Army troops in Italy. 71st
Inf, 44th Div, drives S from Fern Pass to Nassereith
and from there 1st Bn continues toward Imst while
2d moves E along highway toward Innsbruck and
makes contact with elements of 103d Div at Telfs.
114th Inf TF reaches Tarrenz, NW of Imst.
In Fr 1st Army area, 1st Corps continues S along
the Iller and Rhine, reaching Feldkirch on the
Rhine.
E ASTERN EUROPE—Continuing W through
Mecklenburg and Brandenburg on broad front,
troops of Second White Russian Front effect junction
with British forces of Western Front along line
Wismar–Wittenberge. To left, troops of First White
Russian Front reach the Elbe SE of Wittenberg and
link up with U.S. forces of Western Front.
BURMA—In ALFSEA’s 15 Corps area, 36th Brig
of Ind 26th Div enters Rangoon while 71st Brig
moves into Syriam, across the river from Rangoon.
23d Para Bn defends W bank of Rangoon R from
Thakutpin to Elephant Pt.
LUZON—In U.S. Sixth Army’s I Corps area, 3d
Bn of 161st Inf, 25th Div, prepares to attack Mt
Haruna, commanding feature W of Balete Pass. In
XI Corps area, 6th Div relieves final elements of
38th Div in Kembu sector. 38th Div regroups for
coordinated attack with 145th Inf toward Wawa
Dam. 152d Inf temporarily suspends action against
Woodpecker Ridge while patrolling and consolidating.
Fifth Air Force begins series of strikes on Ipo
area as 43d Div is moving secretly into position for
ground attack. Baldy Force is dissolved, RCT 169
reverting to 43d Div. In XIV Corps area, 8th Cav
and Tr F of 7th Cav revert to parent div from attachment
to 11th A/B Div. RCT 158 probes in Mt Isarog
area to locate and destroy enemy remnants in the
Bicols.
S PHILIPPINES—In U.S. Eighth Army’s X
Corps area, 3d Bn of 19th Inf, 24th Div, clears
Davao, Mindanao, which is in ruins, and patrols to
Santa Ana. Forward elements of 124th Inf, 31st
Div, overrun Kibawe and its airstrip and secure
junction of Sayre Highway with Talomo Trail; ele-
ments then advance SE along Talomo Trail. On Negros,
1st Bn of 164th Inf, Americal Div, tries in vain
to reopen supply line in Negros Oriental.
OKINAWA—In U.S. Tenth Army’s XXIV Corps
area, 1st Mar Div continues to receive heavy, accurate
enemy fire and makes little headway on W
flank of corps. Elements of 307th Inf, 77th Div, reach
top of Maeda Escarpment, where they come under
heavy fire from reverse slope. Coordinated attack on
Kochi Ridge by 1st and 3d Bns of 17th Inf, 7th Div,
fails. Japanese begin their only major counteroffensive
of the Ryukyus Campaign on night 3–4, sharply
stepping up air attacks and arty fire and attempting
landings behind American lines on W and E coasts.
The amphibious operations are costly failures: 500–
800 Japanese are killed, and most of their landing
craft are destroyed. The enemy forces that succeed
in landing are soon rounded up and wiped out.
4 May
[ 4 MAY 1945 ]
WESTERN EUROPE—21 Army Group: Germans
sign instrument of surrender of armed forces in Holland,
NW Germany, and Denmark at 1820, to become
effective at 0800 5 May.
12th Army Group: In U.S. Ninth Army area,
XIII Corps commander meets with Soviet III Cav
Corps commander. 29th Div is transferred to XVI
Corps.
U.S. First Army begins to turn over its troops to
other U.S. armies as First Army hq prepares to
return to the U.S. for redeployment to the Pacific.
VII Corps loses contact with enemy as Red Army
closes up solidly along its front. V Corps is assigned
9th Armd and 16th Armd Divs and at 1930 passes
to control of Third Army for final drive on Karlsbad
(Karlovy Vary) and Pilsen (Plzen). 9th Armd Div,
assembling in vicinity of Weiden, releases CCA to
1st Div for drive on Karlsbad. 16th Armd Div,
performing security duties in Nuremberg, is directed
to move to Waidhaus area upon relief by
elements of 4th Div.
In U.S. Third Army’s XII Corps area, enemy in
Linz and Urfahr places heavy fire on 11th Armd
Div columns as they threaten these objectives. From
Zwettl, CCB drives SE to Alterberg area; 41st Cav
continues SE, taking Gallneukirchen, where CCB is
ordered to halt and attempt to make patrol contact
with Soviet forces. CCR relieves CCB elements at
Zwettl and takes responsibility for guarding div N
flank. CCA makes slow progress in Gramastetten–
Rottenegg area; abandons plan to attack Urfahr
from the NW and prepares to circle N and E to
attack from NE. RCT 328, 26th Div, joins CCA and
is reinf by a medium tank company. Though AA
fire keeps XIX TAC from Linz, fighter bombers
assist CCA with strikes NW of Linz. Arty is