70 Years Ago Today: Thursday, December 7,1944 ** Selected Highlights ** European Theater, Western Europe In the US First Army’s V Corps virtually finishes clearing its sector to the Roer River. The 2nd Ranger Battalion pushes to the crest of Castle Hill, where it is under heavy fire and repels two counterattacks. When a platoon advances to reinforce the rangers, the enemy hastily withdraws. In the US Third Army’s XX Corps area, the 90th Division attempts to improve and consolidate its bridgehead in the Pachten–Dillingen area, with little success. The 357th Infantry establishes a thin perimeter on the north flank and holds it against a major counterattack, but is separated from the 358th Infantry in the Dillingen–Pachten area by the fortified West Wall belt. Enemy fire continues to prevent construction of a vehicular bridge, but a footbridge is improvised and the bridgehead is resupplied, during the night. The 95th Division continues to battle West Wall positions in its Saarlautern bridgehead. The 379th Infantry makes limited progress in Saarlautern–Roden. The 377th Infantry takes over the fight for Fraulautern. The 378th is virtually at a standstill, in the Ensdorf area, and its 2nd Battalion is still west of the Sarre River. The 10th Infantry, of the 5th Division, finishes clearing its sector and ties in with the 95th Division. In the Metz area, Fort Plappeville surrenders to the 2nd Infantry. In the US Seventh Army’s XV Corps area, the 44th Division is approaching Enchenberg, against lively opposition. The 100th Division seizes Mouterhouse. In the VI Corps area, the 94th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, and elements of the 19th Armored Infantry Battalion, attached to 79th Division, begin an attack on Gambsheim. The 103rd Division is committed between the 45th Division and the 79th Division. The French 1st Army opens an attack on the Colmar Pocket, in the I Corps zone, while II Corps is containing determined counterattacks in the Ostheim, Guemar, and Mittelwihr areas. I Corps drives on Cernay and Thann, with the 2nd Moroccan Division taking Bischwiller and establishing a bridgehead at Pont d’Aspach. Eastern Europe Right wing elements of the Third Ukrainian Front, clearing the region between the Danube River and Lake Balaton, seize Adony, about 25 miles south of Budapest, and Enying, less than 20 miles from Szekesfehervar. Mediterranean Theater In Austria, a group of 31 B-17s and B-24s, from the 15th Air Force, make predawn raids. Mediterranean Theater, Italian Campaign In the British Eighth Army’s V Corps area, the village of Piedura falls to the 46th Division, but the enemy retains the ridges near there. India – Burma Theater (India) 20th Air Force Mission 19 – 108 B-29s, operating from Chengtu, China, are dispatched to bomb the Manchuria Airplane Manufacturing Company and an adjacent arsenal at Mukden, Manchuria. Seven B-29s and their crews are lost. China Theater The 14th Air Force sends eight B-25s to attack a storage area at Lashio, Burma. In China, four B-25s and eight P-40s attack and considerably damage Sankiao, while four more B-25s, operating individually, attack truck convoys and other targets of opportunity. India – Burma Theater (Burma) In Burma, nine B-25s, from the 10th Air Force, knock out the east span of the road bridge at Tonbo. Meanwhile 21 P-47s support ground forces in the Bhamo area, and 63 blast concentrations of enemy troops and supplies at Male, while four others hit supplies at Myauk-le. Southwest Pacific Area In the Philippine Islands, Far East Air Force (FEAF) B-24s pound the Malogo Airfield, the town of Masbate, on Masbate Island, and the Legaspi Airfield, on Luzon Island. The 5th Air Force, along with Army and Marine land-based planes, attack an enemy convoy of six transports and seven escort vessels heading for Leyte with reinforcements. The entire convoy is believed to have been destroyed. In the X Corps area of Leyte, the enemy continues to stubbornly cling to the ridge southeast of Limon, preventing the 2nd Squadron, of the 112th Cavalry, from advancing. The 1st Squadron reaches the Leyte River, where it makes contact with Troop A and the 126th Infantry, of the 32nd Division. In the XXIV Corps area, the 77th Division, after naval gunfire preparation, begins an unopposed landing, at Deposito, at 0707 hours. Immediately moving inland, the 307th Infantry clears Ipil and the 305th Infantry reaches the Bagonbon River. Although opposition ashore is light, shipping in Ormoc Bay undergoes 16 enemy air attacks by an estimated 45 to 50 planes, of which 36 are believed to have been shot down. Suicide planes severely damage five vessels, two of which, the destroyer USS Mahan and the transport USS Ward, must be sunk. The 7th Division pushes on toward Ormoc, with the 184th Infantry reaching the Tabgas River, and the 17th Infantry taking Hill 380. This virtually completes the battle of the ridges, although fighting continues for several days before the 77th Division reaches its objective, the Talisayan River. Fighting continues in the Buri airstrip area. The 1st Battalion, of the 149th Infantry (38th Division), gains hold on southwestern edge, making contact with the 1st Battalion, of the 187th Glider Infantry (11th Airborne Division).
Posted on: Sun, 07 Dec 2014 13:20:36 +0000