September 1944

Western Europe

In the II Corps area, the 3rd Division pushes into Calais and takes the Citadel.

The Germans make a particularly strong counterattack against the Eindhoven-Arnhem salient in a futile effort to take the highway bridge at Nijmegen.

In the XIX Corps area, Gen Corlett orders an offensive to clear the Peel Marshes. The 7th Armored Division is to attack from the north while the Belgian 1st Brigade, which comes under corps control, and the 113th Cavalry Group make a secondary effort on the south.

A US 3rd Army directive places Metz first on its priority list.

In the XII Corps area, bitter, indecisive fighting occurs on ths southern flank of the 4th Armored Division, where the Germans make repeated and determined efforts to break through to Arracourt. CCB gains and then loses the crest of Hill 318, as the fighting continues into the night, digging in on a reverse slope near the crest. The Germans take Hill 293, to the southwest, and reach the eastern edge of Bois du Beaumont. The 35th Division undergoes enemy counterattacks all along the line, the most determined being against the northeastern edge of Forêt de Grémecey, where ground is lost but largely regained in a counterattack. An attack from Jallaucourt against the western flank of the division's perimeter is broken up by artillery fire. Enemy forces again reach Pettoncourt before being checked.

The XV Corps begins a limited attack to clear the Forêt de Parroy. The 79th Division, with the 315th Infantry on the left and the 313th on the right, jumps off in the afternoon after air preparation, pushing to the edge of the forest.