September 1944

Western Europe

In the Canadian 1st Army's British I Corps area, the German garrison of Le Havre surrenders. About 12,000 prisoners are taken. In the II Corps area, the Polish 1st Armored Division, after relieving the 7th Armored Division of the XII Corps at Ghent, pushes forward to Lokeren and St Nicolas. The 4th Armored Division finishes clearing the Bruges area and reaches the Leopold Canal.

In the British 2nd Army area, the XII Corps, as relieved by the Canadian 1st Army, is moving into the area Gheel-Diest-Malines- Antwerp.

In the XIX Corps area, the 30th Division, whose 117th Regiment has joined the 119th east of the canal and river south of Vise, drives northward and northeastward, with the 113th Cavalry Group advancing northeastward to its right. The 2nd Armored Division reconnaissance battalion clears a bridge site along the northern bank of the Albert Canal with a bridge being completed there at midnight. CCA begins crossing at once.

The VII Corps conducts a reconnaissance in force to the West Wall. The 1st Division enters the Aachen Municipal Forest, south of Aachen, where it repels a counterattack. One 3rd Armored Division column, driving northeastward from Eupen, stops for the night at the edge of the Eynattener Wald, within about 1,000 yards of the West Wall. Another column probes eastward from Eupen with some elements reaching the West Wall at Schmidthof and others reaching Roetgen. just short of the West Wall. Gen Collins decides to bypass Aachen, isolating it in conjunction with the XIX Corps, and drive toward the Stolberg corridor.

The V Corps begins limited attacks toward the West Wall. While the 102nd Cavalry Group protects the northern flank and maintains contact with the VII Corps, the 4th Division advanced toward St Vith against light resistance. Elements of the 109th Infantry, 28th Division, cross a bridge over the Our and take Sevenig. Elements of the 110th cross the German frontier to reach positions west of Grosskampenberg, on the Kesfeld-Uttfeld route, coming up against the West Wall.

In the XX Corps area, the 90th Division eliminates all resistance west of the Moselle in the Thionville area and clears Thionville west of the river except for the approach to the main bridge there. The Germans destroy the bridge. The 2nd Infantry, 5th Division, continues bitter fighting to improve its positions and straighten lines south of Amanvillers. The Arnaville bridgehead perimeter holds against a coordinated German counterattack. At noon engineers finish bridging the Moselle, permitting tanks and tank destroyers from CCB of the 7th Armored Division to cross into the bridgehead.

In the XII Corps area, the 80th Division's 317th Infantry attacks across the Moselle in the Dieulouard area early in the morning and finds the east bank lightly held. The 318th Infantry follows just before noon. Weapons and vehicles start across later in the day. With little difficulty the bridgehead is expanded to include Ste Geneviève, Loisy, Bezaumont, and La Côte Pelée. The 137th Infantry, 35th Division, and CCB, 4th Armored Division, strengthen and expand the Lorey bridgehead south of Nancy.

In the XV Corps area, elements of the 106th Cavalry Group cross the Moselle north of Charmes without opposition. The 79th Division's 314th Infantry clears Charmes, and after dark the 1st Battalion fords the Moselle at Charmes. The 313th clashes with the enemy near Poussay as the 315th converges on Neufchâteau, where the enemy garrison is trapped. The French 2nd Armored Division's CCL takes Vittel and CCV clears Andelot. The Germans move from Epinal in 2 columns in preparation for a counterattack to free the encircled forces in the Vittel area.