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From D-Day to V-Day

April 1945

April 1, 1945 - D-Day + 299

It was the start of April, the last full month of World War II in Europe. Throughout March 1945, the Allies on the western front made a final and decisive crossing of the Rhine and advanced to the German interior. During the third week of April, an event that went down in Czech history took place near the town of Hranice (Aš) – weapons in hand, the first American troops crossed the pre-1938 borders of Czechoslovakia and together with their Allies in the east brought freedom to this small, subjugated nation in the heart of Europe. In the course of the month, air raids against targets located inside the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia would also intensify; American “pigeon keepers”, as the Czechs nicknamed the fighter bombers, would literally bring road and rail transportation to a halt. This was a period filled with expectation and hope, but also a time when the war would claim its final victims. By the end of the month, the war would be over in just a matter of hours.

The II Canadian Corps under the British Second Army expanded and reinforced its bridgehead near Emmerich. Units from the British XXX Corps advanced towards Dortmund, while members from the British 6th Airborne Division and the British 11th Armored Division under the British VIII Corps headed for Osnabrück.

The 5th Armored Division under the XIII Corps went around Münster and advanced to the Weser River. The division’s Combat Command R, commanded by Col Glen H. Anderson, took off in the direction of Greffen to the Ems River, while Col John T. Cole’s Combat Command B advanced to Warendorf. The 17th Airborne Division prepared for an attack on Münster. The 84th Infantry Division started to assemble on the east bank of the Rhine. The 11th Cavalry Group (Mechanized) secured the Corps’ northern flank from Coesfeld eastward. In the operational zone of the XIX Corps, the 2nd Armored Division’s Combat Command B under Brigadier General Sidney R. Hinds headed to the southeast toward Lippstadt and made contact with units from the 3rd Armored Division, while Brigadier General John Collier’s Combat Command A went through the Teutoburger Wald and cut off the Cologne-Berlin Autobahn. Units from the 83rd Infantry Division and 15th Cavalry Group (Mechanized) advanced eastward through the Münsterland region while eliminating remnant enemy groups and securing the Corps’ right flank along the Lippe River. The 8th Armored Division was prepared to attack Paderborn. The 30th Infantry Division assembled in the Drensteinfurt area. To protect the left flank of the Corps’ front, Col William S. Biddle’s 113th Cavalry Group (Mechanized) was attached to the Corps. The 75th Infantry Division under the XVI Corps, now reinforced by the 29th Infantry Division’s 116th Infantry Regiment under Col Sidney V. Bingham, launched an attack through the positions of the 8th Armored Division. The 35th Infantry Division’s 134th Infantry Regiment under Col Alford C. Boatsman occupied Recklinghausen and headed toward the Zweig Canal, while the division’s 137th Infantry Regiment under Col William S. Murray advanced to the Rhine – Herne Canal.

The 3rd Armored Division under the US First Army’s VII Corps conquered Paderborn, and its Task Force Kane quickly advanced to Lippstadt. The 104th Infantry Division’s 413th Infantry Regiment under Col Gerald C. Kelleher improved its position west of Rimbeck. In the meantime, its sister 415th Infantry Regiment under Col J. H. Cochran mopped up the Winterberg – Medebach area. The 8th Infantry Division launched an attack on Siegen and the dominant hills north of the Sieg River. For operations in the Ruhr, the XVIII Airborne Corps was attached to the US First Army. The 9th Armored Division under the US V Corps expanded the bridgehead over the Diemel River north of Warburg. In Rimbeck, it made contact with units from the 104th Infantry Division. The 2nd Infantry Division, presently without its 38th Infantry Regiment commanded by Col Francis H. Boos which was attached to the 9th Armored Division, assembled in the Sachsenhausen area. Regiments from the 69th Infantry Division moved from the Weilburg – Wetzlar area to the vicinity of Naumburg.

The 97th Infantry Division under the Fifteenth Army’s XXII Corps took over the 95th Infantry Division’s sector in the Neuss area. The 101st Airborne Division was reassigned to the Corps.

Units from the 76th Infantry Division under the US Third Army’s VIII Corps finished mopping up the area west of the divided highway connecting Frankfurt with Bad Nauheim. Under the XX Corps, the 6th Armored Division’s Combat Command B commanded by Col Harry F. Hanson crossed the Fulda River in Malsfeld and headed for Spangenberg. Vanguard patrols from the 80th Infantry Division took up positions about three miles from Fulda. Meanwhile, the 65th Infantry Division assembled in the rear of the 3rd Cavalry Group (Mechanized). Regiments from the 5th Infantry Division continued to keep order in the Frankfurt area. Under the XII Corps, the 4th Armored Division’s Combat Command B commanded by Col Creighton W. Abrams reached the Werr River and built a small bridgehead. Combat engineers subsequently started to build a pontoon bridge. The 11th Armored Division went through Meiningen and the Thuringian Forest, and later continued toward Arnstadt and Kranifeld. At the same time, Combat Command B advanced to Kalensundheim and Combat Command A headed for Frankenheim and Reichenhausen. Troops from the 26th Infantry Division mopped up the area behind the armored columns. The division’s 101st Infantry Regiment commanded by Col Walter T. Scott opened an attack against Fulda. The 71st Infantry Division, which was in reserve near Hanau, headed out to cut off German units that had assembled north of the city. The 2nd Cavalry Group (Mechanized) protecting the Corps’ right flank advanced to the northeast toward Bad Orb.

Forces from the XV Corps encountered fierce enemy resistance around Aschaffenburg. The 45th Infantry Division’s 157th Infantry Regiment commanded by Col Walter P. O’ Brien attacked from the south, and after entering the city literally fought from house to house. The 14th Armored Division was attached to the Corps. Meanwhile, with the 12th Armored Division in the lead, the 42nd Infantry Division behind it, and the 4th Infantry Division on its right flank, the XXI Corps continued to advance to the east and southeast. Armored columns reached the vicinity of Würzburg and Könighofen. The 101st Cavalry Group (Mechanized) under Col Charles B. McClelland was attached to the 4th Infantry Division during the day. Under the VI Corps, the 10th Armored Division’s Combat Command R commanded by Col Wade C. Gatchell made its way along the east bank of the Neckar River to the next river, the Jagst, and came to a stop only after Alfeld. Meanwhile, Brigadier General Edwin W. Piburn’s Combat Command A went through Hueffenhardt and Hoffenheim to Dielheim, and Col Basil G. Thayer’s Combat Command B advanced to the south to Bruchsal before rotating eastward to the Sttettfeld – Ubstadt area.

The French II Corps under the French First Army expanded its bridgehead and cut off the Karlsruhe – Frankfurt Autobahn near Bad Schönborn and Bruchsal.