November 1944

Western Europe

The XIII Corps begins the drive toward the Roer before dawn, omitting an artillery preparation. The 84th Division, on the left flank of the corps, makes the main effort toward Lindern and the high ground northeast of Beeck with the 335th Infantry. About 100 men of the 3rd Battalion reach Lindern at daybreak and hold there until reinforcements, including tanks, arrive much later in the day. German efforts to regain the village are repulsed. The 2nd Battalion begins the assault on the heights northeast of Beeck against strong opposition. The 333rd Infantry provides fire support for the 335th and in conjunction with the 113th Cavalry conducts a demonstration against Beeck. The 102nd Division makes a secondary effort on the southern flank of the corps. The 405th Infantry advances along the Lindern-Linnich highway to the right of the 84th Division with elements to the right gaining a limited objective in preparation for the next assault. The 7th Armored Division is held in corps reserve.

In the VII Corps area, the 104th Division retains its hold on Inden and Lammersdorf though the Germans try to recover them and blows the bridge at the latter. 2 companies of the 26th Infantry, 1st Division, push into Merode, where they are isolated and almost destroyed during a counterattack. The 4th Division renews its attack all along the line in the Huertgen Forest and finds that the Germans have strengthened their defenses during the lull in the fighting. The 8th Infantry makes negligible progress toward the road center at the eastern edge of the forest. The 12th Infantry closes the gap between the 8th and 22nd. The 22nd Infantry, in frontal and flanking attacks supported by armor, takes Grosshau and cuts the road to Gey. The 5th Armored Division, less CCR, is attached to the corps.

In the V Corps area, a CCR task force of the 5th Armored Division, under Lt-Col William A. Hamberg, drives into Kleinhau and clears the village. During the night, the 1st Battalion of the 13th RCT relieves Task Force Hamberg but abandons 2 roadblocks on a hill, seriously hampering VII Corps' later attack on Grosshau. Huertgen and Kleinhau are important objectives from which the coming battle for the Brandenberg-Bergstein ridge can be waged.

In the XX Corps area, the 90th and 95th Divisions launch a co-ordinated attack to reach the Sarre. The 90th Division, with little difficulty, gets a patrol to the river. The 95th is strongly opposed on the Saar heights in front of Saarlautern and undergoes 10 counterattacks, but gains the general line Kerprich-Hemmersdorf-St Barbara-Merten.

In the XII Corps area, the Germans recover all of Farebersviller from the 317th Infantry, 80th Division, although tanks and tank destroyers have moved forward to assist the infantry. The 318th Infantry is ordered to relieve the 317th. A task force of CCA, 4th Armored Division, takes Durstel.

In the XV Corps area, the 114th Infantry of the 44th Division takes Tieffenbach. The 45th Division improves its positions along the northern bank of the Moder in the Rothbach-Mertzwiller region. In a limited objective attack, the 79th Division's 314th Infantry clears Niederschaeffolsheim, near Haguenau.

In the VI Corps area, Erstein falls to the French 2nd Armored Division. The 411th Infantry, 103rd Division, seizes Barr and Andlau. CCA, 14th Armored Division, pushes southward through Barr along the eastern edge of the Vosges. The 36th Division mops up near Liepvre and to the south finds Le Bonhomme free of the enemy.