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From D-Day to V-Day

January 1945

January 31, 1945 - D-Day + 239

In Widdau, the 78th Infantry Division under the Ninth Army's XIX Corps made contact with units from the US First Army. The 78th Infantry Division's 311th Infantry Regiment under Col Chester M. Willingham occupied the remainder of Kesternich while its sister unit, the 310th Infantry Regiment under Col Earl J. Miner, conquered Imgenbroich. After mopping up the zone south of Eicherscheid, the 5th Armored Division's Combat Command A was returned to its home division from the 78th Infantry Division.

The 9th Infantry Division from the US First Army's V Corps occupied Widdau and advanced through the Monschau forest. It later rotated towards the main road that cuts through the forest between Monschau and Schleiden. East of Elsenborn, units from the 99th Infantry Division advanced through the same forest. Regiments under the 2nd Infantry Division finished occupying Rocherath and subsequently continued to advance to the northeast. The XVIII Corps made swift advances in the Buchholz forest, crossing the border into Germany. The 1st Infantry Division reached the Buchholz forest near Neuhof. Operating on the Corps' southern flank, the 82nd Airborne Division mopped up the greater part of the forest and later advanced almost all the way to the Neuhof – Losheim – Manderfeld line.

Division's 346th Infantry Regiment under the US Third Army's VIII Corps occupied Andler and Schonberg. In the meantime, the division's 345th Infantry Regiment occupied Amelscheid, Heuem and Alzerath while the 347th Infantry Regiment conquered Laudesfeld. In the course of the day, the 4th Infantry Division mopped up Elcherath and Weppeler. The 90th Infantry Division ran into retreating German troops east of the Our River. The division's 359th Infantry Regiment under Col Raymond E. Bell advanced through Auel and later attacked enemy positions around Winterspelt and Wallmerath, and in the end attacked Grosslangenfeld and cut off the main road between Winterspelt and Pronsfeld. The 358th Infantry Regiment, also from the 90th Infantry Division, conquered Heckhalenfeld.

At 2100 hrs, the 36th Infantry Division from the Seventh Army's VI Corps launched an attack leading along the Oberhoffen – Drusenheim axis. The division's mission in the operation was to sweep southwards to mop up the west bank of the Rhine River.

In the course of the day, the men from the 3rd Infantry Division under the French First Army's XXI Corps continued to receive support from the French 5th Armored Division. The 3rd Division's 7th Infantry Regiment overcame resistance in Horbourg on the outskirts of Colmar, and soon afterwards, French tank units were able to break through the city on the other side. Also under the 3rd Division, the 15th Infantry Regiment was unable to conquer Durrentzen. The 63rd Infantry Division's 254th Infantry Regiment advanced westward of Beltenzenheim to the Rhône – Rhine canal. An attack by the 75th Infantry Division that was originally supposed to be launched today was postponed.