From D-Day to V-Day
September 1944
September 19, 1944 - D-Day + 105
The tank battle at Arracourt
The 4th Canadian Armored Division under the First Canadian Army’s II Canadian Corps, operating on the corps’ western flank, mopped up the area west of the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal and south of the Leopold Canal. Tanks from the Polish 1st Armored Division secured the crossings and the bridgehead over the Hulst Canal.
Bad news came in from Arnhem, where poor weather conditions made it impossible for stronger aerial support to be provided to the land forces. The situation in the Arnhem zone, where the men from the British 1st Airborne Division fought against the enemy’s armed tanks, grew worse by the hour. The enemy gripped the British perimeter west of the city and the small airborne unit holding the northern section of the bridge over the Rhine was surrounded. The weather prevented the planned drop of the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade from taking place, and the food and ammunition supplies that were dropped mostly fell into enemy hands. The British Guards Armoured Division made contact with the US 82nd Airborne Division in Grave and joined the American effort to conquer the bridge in Nijmegen in order to continue the advance on Arnhem. The attack on the railroad and highway bridge taking place at the same time was halted by the enemy just before the target. The 82nd Airborne Division deflected an attack against the Nijmegen-Groesbeck ridge and gained control over the main Cleve-Nijmegen highway. Tanks were also involved in the battle, as the British XXX Corps’ Guards Division waged fierce battles with the enemy in Nijmegen. On the same day, the 101st Airborne Division maintained its defensive positions in Eindhoven, Son, Sint-Oedenrode and Veghel, and deflected the strong counterattack led against Son. Enemy resistance near Best fell apart, but the village remained in German hands. After nightfall, about 100 German bombers carried out an air raid on Eindhoven, bringing heavy losses to the civilian population and the British forces located inside the city. As the Americans were deployed outside of Eindhoven, they did not incur any losses. This was the only major air raid carried out by Göring’s bombers on the western front in the fall of 1944.
The British XII Corps’ 53rd Infantry Division launched an attack from the bridgehead near Lommel, reached the main Eindhoven-Turnhout highway near Cuizel, occupied Veldhoven, and in Mereveldhoven made contact with the British 50th Infantry Division. In the meantime, the British 11th Armored Division advanced northwards to Leende and sent patrols out to Heeze, where a bridgehead had been built by the British 3rd Infantry Division.
The US Ninth Army’s VIII Corps successfully completed its military operations in Brittany. Units from the 8th Infantry Division mopped up the Crozon peninsula and a captured the commander of the fort in Brest, Generalmajor Hermann-Bernhard Ramcke.
Task Force Stokes of the US XIX Corps reached the boundary between the armies. The 99th Infantry Battalion remained in this designated space while the remainder of the task force returned to its parent unit. In the meantime, the 2nd Armored Division advanced through Gangelt towards Geilenkirchen. It broke through the gap between the two German armies, but the enemy carried out a counterattack in order to renew contact. The corps now stood before the Siegfried Line and prepared for the next day’s attack.
Combat Command A from the US VII Corps’ 3rd Armored Division, together with one battalion from the 1st Infantry Division’s 16th Infantry Regiment, won the lower slopes of the Münsterbusch ridge. In the meantime, Combat Command B and Task Force Hogan continued in their efforts to occupy Weissenberg Hill. The 9th Infantry Division’s 47th Infantry Regiment was exposed to constant enemy attacks in Schevenhuete, while in the Lammersdorf corridor, the 39th Infantry Regiment pushed the enemy two miles back towards German-occupied Rollesbroich. It then continued to fight for Hill 554.
Under enemy pressure, the 1st Battalion from the 4th Infantry Division’s 12th Infantry Regiment under the US V Corps was forced to retreat from the southwest along the main highway to Schnee Eifel. The Germans also carried out a counterattack against the flank of the 5th Armored Division at the bridgehead near Wallendorf, but aircraft from the IX Tactical Air Command assisted to deflected the attack. In spite of this, though, the decision was made to reduce the space of the bridgehead. In the end it was occupied by units from the 5th Armored Division’s Combat Command B and fresh battalions from the 28th Infantry Division’s 112th Infantry Regiment, so that they could relieve Combat Command R and the original 112th Infantry Regiment units.
Following a tough battle in the outskirts of Sillegny, Combat Command R from the US XX Corps’ 7th Armored Division under Patton’s Third Army entered the city that had been deserted by the enemy, but it was pushed back by extraordinarily strong artillery fire and an enemy attack. Tank groups from Combat Command B advanced along the Seille River and occupied Longueville, but they did not manage to conquer Cheminot. Aerial reconnaissance discovered large movements of German columns and gathering enemy forces in Coin-sur-Seille advancing to launch a counterattack. The 3rd Cavalry Group (Mechanized) sent out the reinforced Task Force Polk to secure the line near the Mosel River between Grevenmacher and Thionville.
An assault battalion from the 5th Infantry Division was put under battle alert for an attack on Fort Driant, but for various reasons the attack was put off by a day several times.
The 80th Infantry Division from the XII Corps continued to expand the bridgehead at Dieulouard. In the end, the fierce enemy counterattack from Pain de Sucre against Task Force Sebree was deflected and the enemy was chased back beyond Agincourt. The 35th Infantry Division’s 137th Infantry Regiment started to advance through the extensive Forét de Champenoux towards the Amance Hill in the afternoon. Units from the 2nd and 3rd Battalions advanced along both sides of the path running from north to south through the forest, and until 1800 hours they did not encounter any enemy resistance. When the vanguard units found themselves in the open terrain by the main highway between Nancy and Château-Salins, though, they were hit by strong German machine gun and 120mm mortar fire. In the Arracourt area, Combat Command A from the 4th Armored Division deflected a series of enemy infantry and tank attacks aimed at Nancy. During these clashes, the Germans lost over 40 tanks. The enemy’s front attack points in Lézey, on the ridge west of Bezange-la-Petite and in Rethicourt-la-Petite, had become dulled. Units from the 4th Armored Division’s Combat Command A assisted in mopping up operations while Combat Command B started to attack to the northeast towards Saarbrücken and tried to find the best route of advance.
Combat Command B from the 6th Armored Division relieved units from the 4th Armored Division’s Combat Command R in Lunéville. During the day, the US XV Corps sent vanguard units out to cross the Mortagne River. Operating on the left flank, the 313th Infantry Regiment of the 79th Infantry Division made it over the river Xermaménil after dominating the resistance mounted by the enemy’s rear guard. Its “sister” 314th Infantry Regiment reached the river in Gerberville, but halted the attack after dusk. The enemy retreated from the town in the night from September 19-20, 1944. Combat Command D from the French 2nd Armored Division crossed the river near Vallois, sent reconnaissance out to the Meurthe River and occupied Vathiménil. During the night, the Germans retreated from the Meurthe River as their defense line on the Mortagne had been broken at several points.
In Lyon, the operation zone of the Sixth Army Group, the commanders held a conference to draw up the plans for the next operations. French Army B was renamed the French First Army.
Supported by the French 1st Infantry Division, the 45th Infantry Division from the Seventh Army’s VI Corps, maneuvering on the corps’ left flank, prepared to advance to the Mosel River in Epinal.
The Czechoslovaks serving in the No. 310 and 312 Squadrons RAF also took part in Operation Market, the aerial section of the “Dutch invasion”, on September 19. Whereas on the previous day they escorted a huge formation of gliders and tow-planes headed for the Dutch city of Nijmegen, today they had a similar mission that brought them over Eindhoven.
In the course of the day, the Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade started to conduct field exercises in the area around the French city of Falaise. The exercises would last until September 21, and then several training missions would be conducted. Everything was directed at deploying the units on the front. In about three weeks, General Liška’s men would show up at the perimeter in front of Dunkirk and would remain here until e end of the war.
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