November 1944

Western Europe

In the VII Corps area, the 104th Division takes Puetzlohn but is opposed from house to house in Weisweiler. TF Richardson (Lt-Col Walter B. Richardson), consisting of elements of the 3rd Armored Division plus a battalion of the 47th Infantry, is formed to drive on Huecheln, Wilhelmshoehe, and Frenzerburg Castle. After laboriously clearing a mine field, the TF seizes Huecheln. The 18th Infantry, 1st Division, continues toward Langerwehe, with elements reaching Schoenthal, but is still unable to take Hill 203.

In the V Corps area, the 121st Infantry of the 8th Division continues efforts to reach the edge of the woods overlooking Huertgen and by this time, has suffered 600 battle casualties. To hasten the attack, CCR of the 5th Armored Division is orderd to assist on the 25th, moving along the exposed Germeter-Huertgen highway, since the 121st has been unable to clear a safer route along Weisser Weh valley.

In the XX Corps area, the 358th Infantry of the 90th Division continues to assault the Orscholz line. The 3rd Battalion, attacking toward Tettingen and Butzdorf after halting an enemy counterattack, gets elements into Butzdorf, where they are isolated. The 2nd Battalion, reinforced during the day by the 1st, breaks into Oberleuken, but cannot drive the enemy out.

In the XII Corps area, the 1st Battalion of the 134th Infantry, 35th Division, helped by tanks and an intense artillery shelling, takes Hilsprich. The 328th Infantry, 26th Division, continues an attack against the enemy rear-guard line Vittersbourg-Altwiller. The 101st makes a vain and costly attempt to take the château strongpoint in the center of Bois de Bonnefontiane. CCB, 4th Armored Division, crosses the Sarre in the XV Corps zone at Romelfing and Gosselming and turns northeast. The northern column takes up blocking positions on the high ground west of Postroff. The southern columm brushes aside resistance at Kirrberg and clears Baerendorf in house-to-house fighting.

The 6th Army Group penetrates the enemy line along the Vosges. Gen Eisenhower, beginning a tour of inspection of the 6th Army Group front, attends a conference of commanders, where it is decided to clear the region west of the Rhine before attempting an assault across it. The US 7th Army is to drive northward to help the 3rd Army. The French 1st Army is to reduce the Colmar Pocket, the German bridgehead west of the Rhine. The boundary between the 12th and 6th Army Groups will be altered.

In the XV Corps area, the French armor in Strasbourg will be seriously threatened unless it can be bolstered by infantrymen. The Germans continue pressure from the north in the region north of Sarrebourg.

In the VI Corps area, forward elements of the 3rd Division reach Rothau. The 103rd Division continues an outflanking movement against Steige, clearing Lubine, to the southwest. The 142nd Infantry spearheads an eastward drive of the 36th Division, reaching Ban-de-Laveline and La Croix-aux-Mines.

The II and I Corps are ordered to converge on Burnhaupt as quickly as possible to pocket the German forces in Alsace. The II Corps clears Grosmagny and Petit-Magny, on the road to Rougemont-le-Château. The I Corps withstands heavy pressure in the Mulhouse area and is largely concerned with keeping routes to the Rhine open.