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From D-Day to V-Day

April 1945

April 13, 1945 - D-Day + 241

Forces from the First Canadian Army’s I Canadian Corps continued to fight for Arnhem, while the 1st Canadian Infantry Division attacked Apeldoorn.

The British Second Army’s British XX Corps continued towards Bremen and advanced to the Cloppenburg – Goldenstedt sector. The British 3rd Infantry Division came back under the command of the Corps. The British XII Corps expanded the bridgehead over the Leine River near Rethem towards Soltau, while the British VIII Corps attacked Uelzen.

The Ninth Army’s 8th Armored Division moved into Wolfenbüttel and was designated as army reserves. The 5th Armored Division under the XIII Corps advanced along the Elbe and occupied several villages around Tangermünde. Units from the 84th and 102nd Infantry Divisions continued their advance eastwards to the Elbe. The 2nd Armored Division’s Combat Command B under the XIX Corps was unable to create a bridgehead on the Elbe, and as a result moved southwards to the new zone near Schönebeck. Units from Combat Commands A and R were fighting their way to the outskirts of Magdeburg at the time. Units from the 83rd Infantry Division’s 329th and 331st Infantry Regiments were able to build a bridgehead over the Elbe at Barby. The 75th Infantry Division under the XVI Corps mopped up the northern sector of the Ruhr River from Witten to Westhofen. The 95th Infantry Division’s 378th Infantry Regiment commanded by Col Samuel L. Metcalfe finished occupying Dortmund, which earlier Allied raids had reduced to a pile of rubble.

Forces from the US First Army’s XVIII Corps pursued the retreating enemy. The 13th Armored Division’s Combat Command B, followed by Combat Command R, started to advance northwards out of Dünnwald. Meanwhile, Combat Command A headed towards Bensburg south of Bergisch Gladbach. The 78th Infantry Division occupied Wipperfürth and Hückeswagen in the course of the day, and the 8th Infantry Division advanced to the lines southwest of Hagen. The 28th Infantry attacked Schwelm, and one of its infantry regiments occupied the area near Milspe north of Radevormwald. The 86th Infantry Division’s motorized 341st Infantry Regiment commanded by Col Henry J. Hunt rode out of Hichenbach towards Hagen, while its sister 342nd Infantry Regiment conquered Lüdenschied and advanced to Hohenlimburg. In the meantime, the division’s 343rd Infantry Regiment commanded by Col George F. Bloomquist mopped up Herscheid, Hünghausen, and Plettenberg. The 5th Infantry Division under the III Corps headed towards the Herdringen – Holzen – Böingsen line. The 7th Armored Division’s Combat Command A advanced to the northwest towards Hemer. The 99th Infantry Division mopped up the area south of the Sorpe Dam. The 3rd Armored Division under the VII Corps headed eastward to Asleben, Nelben, and Friedeburg, all villages on the Saale River, until finally crossing a bridge built by combat engineers in the night from April 13-14, 1945. The men from the 1st Infantry Division and units from the 4th Cavalry Group (Mechanized) mopped up the Harz Mountains. The 9th Infantry Division assembled near Nordhausen. The 9th Armored Division’s Combat Command A under the US V Corps went through Naumburg, advancing to the Weisse-Elster River near Pegau. Meanwhile, Combat Command B halted at Wessenfeld and waited until combat engineer units would finish building a bridge. Combat Command R took command of a bridge northwest of Zeitz, crossed the river, and advanced to positions south of Leipzig. The 2nd Infantry Division neared the Saale River not far from Merseburg. The 69th Infantry Division’s 271st Infantry Regiment commanded by Col Henry B. Margeson, reinforced by Lt Col David T. Zweibel’s 777th Tank Battalion, mopped up the greater part of Weissenfels, while the 272nd Infantry Regiment sent reconnaissance patrols out to Hohenmölsen.

The 6th Armored Division under the US Third Army’s XX Corps continued to make its way across the Weisse-Elster River. Combat Command B headed from Pegau to the southeast towards Lucka. Combat Command A crossed the river at Schkauditz and advanced to the southeast towards Breitenbach. Together with battalions from the 76th Infantry Division’s 304th Infantry Regiment, units from Combat Command R made their crossing while under heavy fire near Zeitz; in the end, the regiment troops went on to attack the town. The 4th Armored Division headed eastwards and went around the city of Jena, which was being mopped up by units from the 80th Infantry Division. The division later crossed the Weisse-Elster River and, after advancing over 60 miles, arrived at the Zwick Mulde River. Combat Command B built a bridgehead in Wolkenberg, and Combat Command A did the same near Oberwinkel. Battalions from the 89th Infantry Division’s 353rd and 355th Infantry Regiments under the VIII Corps occupied Rothenstein and Beutelsdorf. The 87th Infantry Division mopped up the sector around the Saale River, crossing the river between Etzelbach, Schwarza, and Saalfeld. Meanwhile, the 65th Infantry Division started to attack Arnstadt. The 6th Cavalry Group (Mechanized) secured the Corps’ left flank. Tank columns from the XII Corps’ 11th Armored Division moved forward along muddy side roads, conquered Kulmbach, and cut off the main road between Kulmbach and Bayreuth. Units from the 26th Infantry Division reached the Steinbach – Fortschendorf – Steinberg – Kronach line. The 90th Infantry Division advanced to Lothr, Gleim and Rottersdorf, while a reconnaissance unit took control of a bridge over the Selbitz River southeast of Lichtenberg. The 42nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Group commanded by Lt Col Thomas B. Hargis reached the Thurnau area in the sector northwest of Bayreuth.

The 28th Infantry Division under the Fifteenth Army’s XXII Corps took over the sector by Jülich.

Regiments from the 3rd and 45th Infantry Divisions under the Seventh Army’s XV Corps attacked Bamberg. The 42nd Infantry Division under the XXI Corps rotated to the southeast and prepared to attack Fürth. The 12th Armored Division’s Combat Command B advanced southwest of Neustadt an der Aisch to the Aisch River. Reconnaissance from the 101st Cavalry Group (Mechanized) determined the enemy’s defense positions on the Adelshofen – Gallmersgarten – Burgbernheim – Windsheim line. The 4th Infantry Division attacked the Freudenbach – Lichtel – Schrozberg – Blaufelden area. The 100th Infantry Division under the VI Corps mopped up the Heilbronn area and started to advance to the east and southeast. The 10th Armored Division occupied Öhringen, later heading westwards to Heilbronn and making contact with units from the 100th Infantry Division. The 63rd Infantry Division’s 253rd Infantry Regiment crossed the Kocher River and reached the Brettach River near Neuenstadt, while its sister 254th Infantry Regiment reinforced its positions around Künzelsau and mopped up the area to the south in the direction of Kupferzell and Rüblingen.

Reinforced by the French 1st Armored Division’s Combat Command 3, Task Force Valluy rapidly advanced through the Baden basin and occupied Bühl.

On April 13, 1945, His Majesty King George VI decorated the commander of the Czechoslovak No. 311 Squadron RAF W/Cdr Jan Kostohryz with a Distinguished Service Order, and the No. 311 Squadron’s A Wing commander S/Ldr Alois Šedivý and Pilot F/Lt Jan Hrnčíř each received an Air Force Cross.

Fighters from all three Czechoslovak fighter squadrons in the RAF took part in Operation Ramrod 1539 that day, providing fighter escorts to 34 Lancaster bombers headed for the German cruiser warships Prinz Eugen and Lützow anchored in Swinemünde, Germany.