World War II Daily: DDay to VEDay

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

March 24, 1945: Another part of Operation Plunder begins: Operation Varsity - a successful joint American, British and Canadian airborne operation which is the largest airborne operation in history to be conducted on a single day and in one location - successfully drops more than 16,000 paratroopers via several thousand aircraft. The plans call for the dropping of two divisions from the US XVIII Airborne Corps, to capture key territory and to generally disrupt German defenses to aid the advance of Allied ground forces. The two divisions will hold the territory they capture until relieved by advancing units of 21st Army Group, and then join in the general advance into northern Germany. The airlift consists of 541 transport aircraft containing airborne troops, and a further 1,050 troop-carriers towing 1,350 gliders. The 17th Airborne Division consists of 9,387 personnel, who are transported in 836 C-47 Skytrain transports, 72 C-46 Commando transports, and more than 900 Waco CG-4A gliders. The 6th Airborne Division consists of 7,220 personnel transported by 42 Douglas C-54 and 752 C-47 Dakota transport aircraft, as well as 420 Airspeed Horsa and General Aircraft Hamilcar gliders. This immense armada stretches more than 200 miles in the sky, taking 2 hours and 37 minutes to pass any given point, and is protected by some 2,153 Allied fighters from the US 9th Air Force and the RAF.

By the end of the day, the Rhine crossing assault of British 21st Army Group (Field Marshal Montgomery) has established a bridgehead more than five miles deep. The bombed-out town of Wesel is captured by troops of British 2nd Army which link up with the airborne detachments. The US 9th Army, also part of 21st Army Group, begins to cross the Rhine a little to the south of the British and Canadians forces, sealing off the Ruhr region in Germany.

Patton’s US 3rd Army attacks Geisnach, Lichtenberg, Heuchel, Uckerath, Menden, Borscheid, Gladbach, and Ober Bieber as US Navy LCVP craft ferry they troops across the Rhine. General Patton famously urinates into the Rhine River. Upon completing his crossing over a pontoon bridge, he takes some dirt on the far bank, emulating his favorite historical figure William the Conqueror.

US 1st Army continues assaulting across the Rhine in multiple locations and expanding bridgeheads and US 7th Army is clearing west bank of the Rhine and preparing to assault across the river.

Private George J. Peters wasserving in Company G, 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 17th Airborne Division. His unit is dropped by parachute across the Rhine river near Fluren, Germany. Immediately upon landing, Peters single-handedly attacks a German machine gun emplacement which was firing on his group. He succeeds in destroying the position despite being mortally wounded during his advance. He is posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor eleven months later, on February 8, 1946. Here is his citation:
“Pvt. Peters, a platoon radio operator with Company G, made a descent into Germany near Fluren, east of the Rhine. With 10 others, he landed in a field about 75 yards from a German machinegun supported by riflemen, and was immediately pinned down by heavy, direct fire. The position of the small unit seemed hopeless with men struggling to free themselves of their parachutes in a hail of bullets that cut them off from their nearby equipment bundles, when Pvt. Peters stood up without orders and began a 1-man charge against the hostile emplacement armed only with a rifle and grenades. His single-handed assault immediately drew the enemy fire away from his comrades. He had run halfway to his objective, pitting rifle fire against that of the machinegun, when he was struck and knocked to the ground by a burst. Heroically, he regained his feet and struggled onward. Once more he was torn by bullets, and this time he was unable to rise. With gallant devotion to his self-imposed mission, he crawled directly into the fire that had mortally wounded him until close enough to hurl grenades which knocked out the machinegun, killed 2 of its operators, and drove protecting riflemen from their positions into the safety of a woods. By his intrepidity and supreme sacrifice, Pvt. Peters saved the lives of many of his fellow soldiers and made it possible for them to reach their equipment, organize, and seize their first objective.”
Peters was buried at the Netherlands American Cemetery, in Margraten, the Netherlands.

Serving in Company E of the 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 17th Airborne Division, Private First Class Stuart S. Stryker’s company attacked a strongly defended building near Wesel, Germany. When a platoon tasked with making a frontal assault became pinned down by intense fire, Stryker voluntarily ran to the head of the unit, called for the soldiers to follow him, and charged the German position. He was killed by hostile fire 25 yards from the building. His attack provided a diversion which allowed other elements of Company E to take the position, capturing over 200 soldiers and freeing three American airmen held as prisoners by the Germans. For these actions, Stryker was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor nine months later, on December 11, 1945. Here is his citation:
“He was a platoon runner, when the unit assembled near Wesel, Germany after a descent east of the Rhine. Attacking along a railroad, Company E reached a point about 250 yards from a large building used as an enemy headquarters and manned by a powerful force of Germans with rifles, machineguns, and 4 field pieces. One platoon made a frontal assault but was pinned down by intense fire from the house after advancing only 50 yards. So badly stricken that it could not return the raking fire, the platoon was at the mercy of German machine gunners when PFC. Stryker voluntarily left a place of comparative safety, and, armed with a carbine, ran to the head of the unit. In full view of the enemy and under constant fire, he exhorted the men to get to their feet and follow him. Inspired by his fearlessness, they rushed after him in a desperate charge through an increased hail of bullets. Twenty-five yards from the objective the heroic soldier was killed by the enemy fusillades. His gallant and wholly voluntary action in the face of overwhelming firepower, however, so encouraged his comrades and diverted the enemy's attention that other elements of the company were able to surround the house, capturing more than 200 hostile soldiers and much equipment, besides freeing 3 members of an American bomber crew held prisoner there. The intrepidity and unhesitating self-sacrifice of PFC. Stryker were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service.”
Aged 20 at his death, Stryker was buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California. In 2002, the U.S. Army named its new armored fighting vehicle "Stryker" in honor of both Stuart Stryker and fellow Medal of Honor recipient Robert F. Stryker.

Over Germany, US 8th Air Force attacks German airfields with 1,033 bombers in the morning and German airfields and transportation targets with 443 bombers in the afternoon. US 15th Air Force attacks Neuberg jet aircraft factory with 271 bombers and Berlin with 150 bombers in its first mission to the German capital. US 12th Air Force aircraft attack Muhlberg and Steinach across the border from Italy. RAF Bomber Command sends 177 aircraft to attack Sterkrade during the day, 175 aircraft to attack Gladbeck during the day, 185 aircraft to attack Dortmund and Bottrop during the day, and 67 aircraft to attack Berlin overnight.

On the eastern front, in Hungary, Szekesfehervar falls to the attacks of troops of 2nd Ukrainian Front. Meanwhile, the front line of the Soviet offensive in this area has already pushed farther to the west, taking Veszprem and Mor. The German and Hungarian forces of German Army Group South are retreating in disorder after sustaining heavy losses. To the northeast, in Poland, Soviet forces capture Spolot on the Baltic coast between Gdynia and Danzig.

Pictured: C-47 Skytrain transport aircraft releasing hundreds of paratroopers and their supplies over the Rees-Wesel region in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany during Operation Varsity, March 24, 1945



A medic of the 17th ABN trying to save the life of a private during Operation Varsity, Wessel Germany, on the 24th of March 1945.



Medal Of Honor recipient George Peters’ headstone



Medal Of Honor recipient Stuart Stryker's headstone




On Iwo Jima, US 28th Marine Regiment is reducing the final Japanese pocket, 50 yards by 50 yards, which continues to resist. Admiral Nimitz visits Iwo Jima.

Admiral Nimitz is greeted on Iwo Jima by Major General Schmidt, (shaking hands), Rear Admiral Hill (nearest camera), and Major General Chaney, USA, Garrison Force Commander (on right).

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

March 25, 1945: On the western front, results from Operation Plunder continue to impress. During the day, the various crossings of British 21st Army Group are consolidated into a single bridgehead, 30 miles wide. Further south, US 1st Army units, principally from US 3rd Corps, begin to break out of the Remagen bridgehead. The US 8th Corps (part of US 3rd Army) begins to cross the Rhine River near Boppard. To the south, Darmstadt is taken by US 12th Corps units who crossed at Nierstein. Other units have advanced farther east to the Main near Hanau and Aschaffenburg. US 9th Army pushes more troops across the Rhine, conducts another assault crossing, and expands bridgeheads while US 7th Army prepares to assault across the Rhine.

Winston Churchill, accompanied by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, crosses the Rhine River in Germany, visiting HQ 21st Army Group and delivering a characteristic message to officers and men.

Over Germany, US 8th Air Force attacks oil facilities with 243 bombers, but 737 other bombers are recalled due to poor weather conditions. RAF Bomber Command sends 275 aircraft to attack Hannover during the day, 175 aircraft to attack Munster during the day, and 156 aircraft to attack Osnabruk during the day.

On the Soviet front, in East Prussia, Keiligenbeil falls to units of the 3rd Belorussian Front, who pin remnants of German 4th Army into small pocket along the coast. Soviet 2nd Belorussian Front continues blasting the Gotenhafen (Gdynia) pocket and Danzig pocketIn Hungary, the Soviet offensive continues with the capture of Esztergom on the Danube River. Just north of the Danube, there are attacks by other elements of 3rd Ukrainian Front. The Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front opens a new offensive against German 8th Army, crossing the Hron River and pushing toward Bratislava.

Pictured: A pair of German tank destroyer Jagdpanzer IV/70 (A), captured by the U.S. 1st Army in the vicinity of Oberpleis, (east of Bonn) Germany. March 25, 1945



Large group of German prisoners of war sitting together in a compound after being captured by the Western Allies, March 25, 1945



Winston Churchill on the east bank of the Rhine River after crossing, south of Wesel, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, March 25, 1945



On Iwo Jima, US 28th Marine Regiment smashes the final Japanese pocket, completing combat operations on the island.

General Tadamichi Kuribayashi passes away - reportedly committing ritual suicide, but his body is never found.

A Japanese tank wedged between banks of solid earth was very difficult for US Marines to see or attack from the front, Iwo Jima, Mar 25, 1945.

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

Tidewater said:

I had read somewhere that Kuribayashi had led a final charge, which is why his body was not recovered.

Click to expand...

Shhh, that's tomorrow...

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

March 26, 1945: On the western front, US 3rd Army expands bridgeheads across the Rhine, forces more crossings, and prepares for further assaults, capturing Darmstadt and reaching Main, allowing the linking up with US Seventh Army near Worms. On the banks of the Rhine River the British Royal Corps of Engineers complete the construction of a Class 9 bridge "Waterloo Bridge" just after midnight and a Class 15 bridge "Lambeth Bridge" at 8:30 AM. Meanwhile the construction of an even larger Class 40 bridge "London Bridge" continues and is completed by midnight. British 2nd Army continues attacking around Rees, Isselburg, Millingen, and Ringenberg and US 9th Army attacks around Gahlen as it pushes eastward. US 1st Army makes rapid progress from Remagen sector. Following intensive preparatory bombardment, US 7th Army assaults across the Rhine before dawn around Hamm, Rhein Durkheim, Worms, and Mannheim.

General George Patton dispatches the 300-strong Task Force Baum to liberate prisoner of war camp OFLAG XIII-B near Hammelburg, Germany, where his son-in-law John Waters is imprisoned. 32 men are killed and about 200 are captured as the mission results in a complete failure. It becomes another controversy in Patton's military career, in which he is accused of risking 300 lives to save a family member.

Above Germany, US 8th Air Force attacks Zeitz with 12 bombers, Plauen with 269 bombers, and targets of opportunity with 49 bombers. US 15th Air Force attacks rail yards. RAF Bomber Command sends 86 aircraft to attack Berlin overnight.

To the east, 19th Army of Soviet 2nd Belorussian Front continues assaulting Gotenhafen (Gdynia), 40th Army of Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front captures Banska Bystrica, and 26th Army of Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front captures Devecser.

Nazi German official Martin Bormann called for German citizens to become "Werewolf" guerillas.

Pictured: German prisoners file across the Rhine as American supply trucks move forward toward the front. March 26, 1945



German prisoners captured at Friedrichsfeld march through a town in Germany after the crossing of the Rhine River by the U.S. 9th Army on March 26, 1945



A trooper from the U.S. 17th Airborne Division stands on a British tank on the morning of March 26, 1945 and shares a smoke with a Tommy.



Situation map from March 26, 1945



On Iwo Jima, 300-man Japanese force launch a final counterattack in the vicinity of Airfield No. 2. Army pilots, Seabees and Marines of the 5th Pioneer Battalion and 28th Marines fight the Japanese force for up to 90 minutes, suffering heavy casualties (53 killed, 120 wounded). Two Marines from the 36th Depot Company later receive the Bronze Star and 1st Lieutenant Harry Martin of the 5th Pioneer Battalion becomes the last Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor during the battle. Although still a matter of speculation because of conflicting accounts from surviving Japanese veterans, it is speculated that General Kuribayashi leads this final assault, which unlike the loud banzai charge of previous battles, is characterized as a silent attack. If proven true, General Kuribayashi would be the highest ranking Japanese officer to have personally led an attack during World War II. Additionally, this would also be Kuribayashi's final act, a departure from the normal practice of the commanding Japanese officers committing seppuku behind the lines while the rest perished in the banzai charge, as happened during the battles of Saipan and Okinawa. The island was officially declared secure at 9:00 on March 26, 1945.

First Lieutenant Harry L. Martin’s platoon was attacked by the concentrated Japanese force. He immediately organized a firing line among the men in the foxholes closest to his own, and temporarily stopped the headlong rush of the enemy. Several of his men were lying wounded in positions overrun by the enemy and the lieutenant was determined to rescue them. In the action which followed, he was severely wounded twice but continued to resist the enemy until he fell mortally wounded by a grenade. He is posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions, here is his citation:
“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as Platoon Leader attached to Company C, Fifth Pioneer Battalion, Fifth Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 26 March 1945. With his sector of the Fifth Pioneer Battalion bivouac area penetrated by a concentrated enemy attack launched a few minutes before dawn, First Lieutenant Martin instantly organized a firing line with the Marines nearest his foxhole and succeeded, in checking momentarily the headlong rush of the Japanese. Determined to rescue several of his men trapped in positions overrun by the enemy, he defied intense hostile fire to work his way through the Japanese to the surrounded Marines. Although sustaining two severe wounds, he blasted the Japanese who attempted to intercept him, located his beleaguered men and directed them to their own lines. When four of the infiltrating enemy took possession of an abandoned machine-gun pit and subjected his sector to a barrage of hand grenades, First Lieutenant Martin alone and armed only with a pistol, boldly charged the hostile position and killed all its occupants. Realizing that his remaining comrades could not repulse another organized attack, he called to his men to follow and then charged into the midst of the strong enemy force, firing his weapon and scattering them until he fell, mortally wounded by a grenade. By his outstanding valor, indomitable fighting spirit and tenacious determination in the face of overwhelming odds, First Lieutenant Martin permanently disrupted a coordinated Japanese attack and prevented a greater loss of life in his own and adjacent platoons and his inspiring leadership and unswerving devotion to duty reflect the highest credit upon himself and the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life in service of his country.”
First Lieutenant Martin was buried in the 5th Division Cemetery at Iwo Jima. At the request of his mother, his remains were returned to Ohio in 1948 for private burial in Oakwood Cemetery, Bucyrus, Ohio.



Iwo Jima was the only battle by the US Marine Corps in which the American casualties exceeded the Japanese, although Japanese combat deaths numbered three times the number of American deaths. Of the 22,000 Japanese soldiers on Iwo Jima at the beginning of the battle, only 216 were taken prisoner, some of whom were captured because they had been knocked unconscious or otherwise disabled. The majority of the remainder were killed in action, although it has been estimated that as many as 3,000 continued to resist within the various cave systems for many days afterwards, eventually succumbing to their injuries or surrendering weeks later. The last of these holdouts on the island, two of Lieutenant Toshihiko Ohno's men, Yamakage Kufuku and Matsudo Linsoki, lasted four years without being caught and finally surrendered on January 6, 1949.

US 4th Marine Division cemetery on Iwo Jima, Japan, March 1945

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

March 27, 1945: It’s Tuesday - today marks 42 weeks (294 days) since the D-Day Invasion at Normandy and the beginning of the liberation of Europe.

On the western front, British 21st Army Group units advance along the line of the River Lippe, attacking around Isselburg, Mechelen, Raesfeld, Erle, and Dorste. US 9th Army begins to penetrate south into the Ruhr industrial area, capturing Gahlen, Besten, Kirchhellen, Schmachtendorf, Wehofen, Sterkrade Holten, and Orsoy. Patton’s US 3rd Army has now crossed the Main both west of Frankfurt, where Wiesbaden is attacked, and to the east. 3rd Army continues expanding the bridgehead, attacking around Wiesbaden, Frankfurt, Hanau, and Aschaffenburg, overrunning nearly twenty towns. US 1st Army continues advancing rapidly toward Siegen, Marburg, and Giessen and US 7th Army begins pushing across the Rhine.

Technical Sergeant Clinton M. Hedrick, serving in Company I, 194th Glider Infantry Regiment, 17th Airborne Division, repeatedly charges through heavy fire to attack German positions, then he follows a group of German soldiers as they retreat into a castle. When the Germans indicate that they wish to surrender, Hedrick and four other men enter the castle, only to be fired upon by a German self-propelled gun. Hedrick is fatally wounded, but successfully covers the withdrawal of his men. For these actions, he is posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor seven months later, on October 19, 1945. Here is his citation:
“He displayed extraordinary heroism and gallantry in action on 27-March 28, 1945, in Germany. Following an airborne landing near Wesel, his unit was assigned as the assault platoon for the assault on Lembeck. Three times the landing elements were pinned down by intense automatic weapons fire from strongly defended positions. Each time, T/Sgt. Hedrick fearlessly charged through heavy fire, shooting his automatic rifle from his hip. His courageous action so inspired his men that they reduced the enemy positions in rapid succession. When 6 of the enemy attempted a surprise, flanking movement, he quickly turned and killed the entire party with a burst of fire. Later, the enemy withdrew across a moat into Lembeck Castle. T/Sgt. Hedrick, with utter disregard for his own safety, plunged across the drawbridge alone in pursuit. When a German soldier, with hands upraised, declared the garrison wished to surrender, he entered the castle yard with 4 of his men to accept the capitulation. The group moved through a sally port, and was met by fire from a German self-propelled gun. Although mortally wounded, T/Sgt. Hedrick fired at the enemy gun and covered the withdrawal of his comrades. He died while being evacuated after the castle was taken. His great personal courage and heroic leadership contributed in large measure to the speedy capture of Lembeck and provided an inspiring example to his comrades.”
Hedrick, age 26 at his death, was buried in North Fork Memorial Cemetery, Riverton, West Virginia

Over Germany, RAF Bomber Command sends 276 aircraft to attack Paderborn during the day, 150 aircraft to attack Hamm during the day, 115 aircraft to attack Farge during the day, and 82 aircraft to attack Berlin overnight.

On the eastern front, in Poland, the 2nd Shock Army and 19th Army of Soviet 2nd Belorussian Front have penetrated to the final German defense lines at both Gdynia and Danzig. The wreck of Kriegsmarine battlecruiser Gneisenau is sunk at Gotenhafen (Gdynia) as a block-ship as the evacuation concludes. A German 9th Army counterattack against the 8th Guards Army of Soviet 1st Belorussian Front around Kustrin barely gets out of the city before it is stopped, and Soviet 1st Belorussian Front captures Strehlen and Rybnik. Soviet 3rd Belorussian Front destroys the remnants of German 4th Army along the coast. In Hungary and Czechoslovakia, the 2nd and 3rd Ukraine Fronts continue their attacks. The heaviest fighting is along the line of the Raba River where 6th SS Panzer Army suffers heavy casualties in counter-attacks.

In Italy, US 5th Army occupies Salvaro without opposition and US 12th Air Force aircraft are grounded by poor weather conditions. Kriegsmarine corvette UJ-205 (ex Italian) is sunk by Allied aircraft at Venice.

In Britain, the last German V2 rocket lands south-east of London at Orpington. The V2 campaign has killed over 2,700 British civilians and injured 6,500. In addition to the 1,115 launched at British targets, another 2,050 were aimed at Antwerp, Brussels and Liege in an effort to slow the Allies.

Pictured: Soldiers of the 87th Div., US Third Army, in tanks and jeeps rolling over pontoon bridge across Rhine River during drive on Berlin. Boppard, Germany. March 27, 1945



M3A1 half-track armored vehicle belonging to the 9th U.S. Armored Division in the streets Engers Germany, March 27, 1945. Note the Ma Deuce heavy machine gun on the half truck.



Men of the American 7th Army pour through a breach in the Siegfried Line defenses, on their way to Karlsruhe, Germany on March 27, 1945, which lies on the road to Stuttgart.



Medal Of Honor recipient Clinton M. Hedrick



Ruined flats in Limehouse, East London. Hughes Mansions, Vallance Road, following the explosion of the last German V2 rocket to fall on London, March 27, 1945

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

March 28, 1945: On the western from, the Allies continue the push into Germany as US 1st Army continues its rapid advance from the Remagen bridgehead and captures Marburg and US 3rd Army captures Limburg am Lahn. Meanwhile, British 2nd Army begins an offensive towards the Elbe River. British sappers build another Rhine bridge, "Blackfriars", by noon. Behind the lines, Dwight Eisenhower transferrs US 9th Army from Bernard Montgomery's army group to Omar Bradley's army group as Anglo-American objective shifts toward southern Germany and Czechoslovakia. US 9th Army attacks around Dorsten, Kirchhellen, Hamborn, and Neumuhl while US 7th Army attacks toward Aschaffenburg, Mannheim, and Heidelberg.

In addition to besieging the German fortress ports at Lorient and St. Nazaire, US 15th Army is ordered to control occupied territory as more of Germany falls into Allied hands.

Over Germany, US 8th Air Force attacks Berlin with 383 bombers, Hannover with 465 bombers, and targets of opportunity with 43 bombers.

To the east, Soviet 1st Belorussian Front captures Danzig (now Gdansk), yielding 9,000 prisoners of war. Gdynia falls to forces of the Soviet 2nd Belorussian Front. Soviet 3rd Belorussian Front captures Balga, completing destruction of German 4th Army (except those elements evacuated by sea) along East Prussian coast. In Hungary, just south of the Danube River, Gyor is captured by troops from the 2nd Ukrainian Front. while Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front continues attacking German Army Group South and pushing beyond the Raab River.

Stalin receives a personal telegram from General Eisenhower (Supreme Allied Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force) giving details of his order of battle and saying that he intends to send the main weight of his advance across southern Germany and Austria. The main thrust is to be toward Erfurt and Leipzig and a secondary effort is to go for Nuremberg, Regensburg and Linz. This effectively leaves the capture of Berlin to the Soviets. The British protest the signal sent to Stalin, suggesting that decisions of such importance should not be taken by Eisenhower alone and that he also overstepping the authority in communicating directly with the Soviets. Both Churchill and the British Chiefs of Staff would prefer the advance to be directed on Berlin as had been the plan up to now for the political value of this move. However, President Roosevelt, weakened by his illness, leaves most military decisions to General Marshall and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Marshall confirms his support for Eisenhower in response to the British protest.

Pictured: Men of the UK 1st Commando Brigade manning two Vickers medium machine guns just east of the Rhine River outside of Wesel, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, between March 24-31, 1945



From left, Harry Goldsmith, Lawrence Czarnota, Cecil New and Glenn Kappelman bring two captured Germans, sitting on the front hood, into a Main River village. The photo was taken March 28, 1945, east of Offenbach, Germany.



Patton, Bradley, Hodges, and Eisenhower, Germany, March 28, 1945



Map depicting the crossing of the Rhine, 22-28 Mar 1945

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

March 29, 1945: Armor of the British 21st Army Group breaks out of the Wesel bridgehead and British 2nd Army attacks around Emmerich, Netterden, Rheine, Winterswijk, Osnabruck, Beikelort, and Coesfeld. US 9th Army is attacking around Dorsten, Marl, Polsum, Feldhausen, Schoven, Gladbeck, and Sterkrade while US 1st Army attacks northwards toward Paderborn to isolate the Ruhr. US 3rd Army captures Lauterbach and exploits rapidly northward and eastward. US 7th Army is attacking against strong resistance around Aschaffenburg but captures Mannheim and Heidelberg.

Omar Bradley is promoted to the temporary rank of general.

Above Germany, RAF Bomber Command sends 130 aircraft to attack Salzgitter during the day and 48 aircraft to attack Berlin overnight.

To the east, Soviet troops entered former Czechoslovakian province of Ruthenia. 8th Guards Army and 5th Shock Army of Soviet 1st Belorussian Front capture Kustrin, eliminating all but approximately 1000 German troops who escape. 2nd Shock Army and 19th Army of Soviet 2nd Belorussian Front assaulting Danzig. Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front is pushing back German Army Group South and isolating some German forces south of Lake Balaton. Germany loses its last major source of oil when Soviet units capture the Komorn oil fields in Hungary.

Over Britain, the last of 2,419 German V1 flying bombs reaches Greater London.

Pictured: Soldiers of 44th Division, US 7th Army fighting in Mannheim, Germany, 29 Mar 1945; note bazooka and M1 Garand rifles



Men of the 9th Durham Light Infantry advance through the ruins of Weseke, March 29, 1945



British Sergeant Edward Hill, captured by the Germans at Dunkerque, France in 1940, smiling as he was liberated in late Mar 1945



Soviet M-17 vehicles in the streets of Danzig, Germany, late-Mar 1945

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

March 30, 1945: On the western front, British 2nd Army captures Emmerich, Elten, and Winterswijk and advances rapidly. US 1st Army advances north out of its salient around Marburg and reaches and crosses the Eder River and attacks Paderborn, Germany. Beyond the German front lines, US aircraft harassed retreating German columns, destroying 246 trucks and 241 railway wagons. Commandant of the SS castle of Schloß Wewelsburg in Büren, Germany, Siegfried Taubert, abandons the castle as US 3rd Armored Division approaches and General Maurice Rose, commanding US 3rd Armored Division, is killed in action. Patton’s US 3rd Army continues advancing rapidly northward and eastward toward Gotha and Kassel. US 9th Army attacks around Marl, Polsum, Buer Hassel, Buer, Bottrop, Eigen, Sterkrade Buschhausen, and Emser canal while US 7th Army faces strong resistance around Aschaffenburg, pushing forward elsewhere.

George Peterson, serving near Eisern, Germany, as a Staff Sergeant in Company K, 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, was severely wounded but continued in the fight and single-handedly destroyed three German machinegun nests before receiving another, fatal, wound. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor seven months later, on October 17, 1945. Here is his citation:
“He was an acting platoon sergeant with Company K, near Eisern, Germany. When his company encountered an enemy battalion and came under heavy small-arms, machinegun, and mortar fire, the 2d Platoon was given the mission of flanking the enemy positions while the remaining units attacked frontally. S/Sgt. Peterson crept and crawled to a position in the lead and motioned for the 2d Platoon to follow. A mortar shell fell close by and severely wounded him in the legs, but, although bleeding and suffering intense pain, he refused to withdraw and continued forward. Two hostile machineguns went into action at close range. Braving this grazing fire, he crawled steadily toward the guns and worked his way alone to a shallow draw, where, despite the hail of bullets, he raised himself to his knees and threw a grenade into the nearest machinegun nest, silencing the weapon and killing or wounding all its crew. The second gun was immediately turned on him, but he calmly and deliberately threw a second grenade which rocked the position and killed all 4 Germans who occupied it. As he continued forward he was spotted by an enemy rifleman, who shot him in the arm. Undeterred, he crawled some 20 yards until a third machinegun opened fire on him. By almost superhuman effort, weak from loss of blood and suffering great pain, he again raised himself to his knees and fired a grenade from his rifle, killing 3 of the enemy guncrew and causing the remaining one to flee. With the first objective seized, he was being treated by the company aid man when he observed 1 of his outpost men seriously wounded by a mortar burst. He wrenched himself from the hands of the aid man and began to crawl forward to assist his comrade, whom he had almost reached when he was struck and fatally wounded by an enemy bullet. S/Sgt. Peterson, by his gallant, intrepid actions, unrelenting fighting spirit, and outstanding initiative, silenced 3 enemy machineguns against great odds and while suffering from severe wounds, enabling his company to advance with minimum casualties.”

In the same firefight near Eisern, Germany, First Lieutenant Walter J. Will, serving in Company K, 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, rescued three wounded men, single-handedly disabled two German machine gun nests and led his squad in the capture of two others, all despite his own injuries. Mortally wounded while leading a charge on the enemy, Will was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor seven months later, on October 17, 1945. He is buried at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten, South Limburg, the Netherlands. Here is his citation:
“He displayed conspicuous gallantry during an attack on powerful enemy positions. He courageously exposed himself to withering hostile fire to rescue 2 wounded men and then, although painfully wounded himself, made a third trip to carry another soldier to safety from an open area. Ignoring the profuse bleeding of his wound, he gallantly led men of his platoon forward until they were pinned down by murderous flanking fire from 2 enemy machineguns. He fearlessly crawled alone to within 30 feet of the first enemy position, killed the crew of 4 and silenced the gun with accurate grenade fire. He continued to crawl through intense enemy fire to within 20 feet of the second position where he leaped to his feet, made a lone, ferocious charge and captured the gun and its 9-man crew. Observing another platoon pinned down by 2 more German machineguns, he led a squad on a flanking approach and, rising to his knees in the face of direct fire, coolly and deliberately lobbed 3 grenades at the Germans, silencing 1 gun and killing its crew. With tenacious aggressiveness, he ran toward the other gun and knocked it out with grenade fire. He then returned to his platoon and led it in a fierce, inspired charge, forcing the enemy to fall back in confusion. 1st Lt. Will was mortally wounded in this last action, but his heroic leadership, indomitable courage, and unflinching devotion to duty live on as a perpetual inspiration to all those who witnessed his deeds.”

US 15th Army activates XXII Corps for occupation of west bank of the Rhine.

Jewish women being led to their deaths at the Ravensbrück Concentration Camp in Germany fought against their SS guards in an attempt to escape. Nine of them got away, but they were soon captured and were killed with the rest of the group.

In US 8th Air Force raids on the northern ports, 33 German vessels (including 14 U-boats) are sunk. US 8th Air Force attacks Farge with 32 bombers, Wilhelmshaven with 358 bombers, Bremen with 427 bombers, and Hamburg with 496 bombers. US 15th Air Force attacks targets in Austria with 60 bombers. RAF Bomber Command sends 43 aircraft to attack Berlin overnight and 43 aircraft to attack Erfurt overnight.

To the east, the final German positions in Danzig are overcome by the 2nd Shock Army of Soviet 2nd Belorussian Front, which take 10,000 prisoners of war and capture 45 submarines. In Hungary, leading elements of Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front, advancing beyond the Raba River enter Austria north of Koszeg - they are now 50 miles from Vienna, Ostmark, Germany.. To the north of these attacks, 2nd Ukrainian Front is approaching Bratislava in Slovakia. German Armeegruppe Weichsel (Vistula) evacuated its last Oder River bridgehead from Wollin, Germany and remnants of German 2nd Army squeezed into pocket around mouth of the Vistula River.

In Italy, US 12th Air Force aircraft attack transportation lines, supply depots, and other targets throughout northern Italy, including San Ambrogio di Valpolicella, Rovereto, Chiari, Palazzolo sull'Oglio, Legnago, Ora, and Romano di Lombardia.

Pictured: US Army Privates George Cofield and Howard Davis manning an anti-aircraft weapon near a bridge under construction over the Rhine River, March 30, 1945



Grave of Medal of Honor recipient George Peterson at the World War II Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial



Grave of Walter J. Will at Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial



DShK M1938 heavy machine being used as a tank-mounted weapon by a Soviet soldier in Danzig, late Mar 1945

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

March 31, 1945: On the eastern front, the British 2nd Armyattacks around Hoch Elten, Haaksbergen, Neuenkirchen, and Alstatte, and crosses the Ems River. German forces began withdrawing from the Netherlands. US 1st Army is attacking Paderborn and continues driving north and east to isolate the Ruhr, Patton’s US 3rd Army attacks toward Kassel, Mulhausen, and Meiningen and reachesSiegen, and US 9th Army crosses the Rhine at Wesel and continues pushing spearheads toward the east to isolate the Ruhr. US 7th Army is assaulting Aschaffenburg and advancing toward Wurzburg-Schweinfurt-Kitzingen area, Wertheim, Ochsenfurt, and Neckargemund.

As the troops of the French First Army crossed the Rhine River near Speyer, Germany, they became the first French troops to attack across the river since Napoleon Bonaparte. Further south, French Army Detachment of the Alps concludes attacks against Petit St Bernard Pass on the Franco-Italian border

SHAEF reports it is attempting to cope with 350,000 displaced persons

Allied commander Eisenhower demands German surrender over the radio.

Above Germany, US 8th Air Force attacks Halle with 740 bombers, Brandenburg with 265 bombers, Zeitz with 137 bombers, and secondary targets and targets of opportunity with 152 bombers. US 15th Air Force attacks Linz and Villach.
RAF Bomber Command sends 469 aircraft to attack Hamburg, destroying six U-boats. The Luftwaffe loses 17 fighters defending occupied territory against Allied strategic bombing.

To the east, Soviet troops capture Ratibor and Katscher, Germany (now Raciborz and Kietrz, Poland). 6th Guards Tank Army of Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front attacking around Sopron on the Hungarian-Austrian border while the 27th Army of Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front captures Kormend and Szentgotthard on the Hungarian-Austrian border. 7th Guards Army of Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front crosses the Vah River and captures Nitra.

On Heinrich Himmler's orders, men led by SS-Sturmbannführer Heinz Macher attempt to use tank mines to demolish the SS castle of Schloß Wewelsburg in Büren, Germany. The attempt only damages the southeast tower while the rest of the castle is damaged by fires. The 9,000 SS Ehrenring (SS Honor Rings) stored at the castle are taken away by Macher and are buried at a secret location in nearby woods.

In Italy, US 12th Air Force aircraft attack transportation lines, supply depots, and other targets while US 15th Air Force attacks rail yard at Treviso.

Pictured: The march on Berlin: A Cromwell tank of the British 7th Armored Division passes a roadblock in the devastated town of Stadtlohn, March 31, 1945



Jeep with two Wehrmacht officers as prisoner alongside a M5 Stuart tank of the United States in the town of Hersfeld, Germany, March 31, 1945



March 31, 1945: US Army Signal Corps photographer Sgt. William E. Tear of Pasadena, California, makes motion pictures of the ruins caused by heavy bombardment on Frankfurt, Germany.



A Messerschmitt Me-262 is photographed at an airfield in Frankfurt after her test pilot chose to surrender to U.S. forces on March 31, 1945. The Me-262 was the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft and claimed 542 Allied kills during her brief deployment in 1945. This particular unit was transported back to the U.S. but it crashed during testing in 1946. The test pilot ejected safely.

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

April 1, 1945: In northern Europe, Allied troops captured Doetinchem, Borculo, Eibergen, and Enschede in the Netherlands. US 1st and 9th Armies complete the encirclement of the Ruhr industrial area at Lippstadt, cutting off the 21 divisions (about 430,000 men) mostly from German 15th Army and 5th Panzer Army of German Army Group B (Field Marshal Model). Other elements of US 1st Army capture Paderborn while US 9th Army units take Hamm. American prisoners of war held at Ziegenhain, Germany were liberated by troops of the US 455th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion.

As US troops advance towards the Harz, thousands of prisoners of Dora-Nordhausen concentration camp are evacuated and force marched toward Bergen-Belsen camp.

The SS orders Dornberger, von Braun, and V-weapons research and development team to evacuate from central Germany to Oberammergau in the Bavarian Alps.

On the eastern front, the 6th Guards Tank Army of 3rd Ukrainian Front capture Sopron in western Hungary, to the south of Vienna, in a continuing advance. The 2nd Ukrainian Front, to the north, also continues to advance. On the Oder River, German resistance at Glogau is eliminated by elements of 1st Ukrainian Front. Soviet artillery began a 6-day artillery bombardment against Königsberg, Germany. German 9th Army conducts unsuccessful attack around Kustrin

In Italy, Operation Roast begins as British 8th ARMY Guards and Commando units attack over the River Reno between Lake Comachio and the Adriatic sea. US 12th Air Force aircraft attack transportation lines, supply depots, and other targets in the Po valley and elsewhere in northern Italy, including Calcinato, Crema, Mantua, and Monselice while US 15th Air Force attacks shore batteries near Venice.

Pictured: US Army M18 'Hellcat' Gun Moor Carriage/Tank Destroyer supporting 2nd Battalion, 397th Infantry Regiment in Wiesloch, Germany on April 1,1945



P-47D Thunderbolt of the 367th Fighter Squadron made a belly landing in field artillery position after being hit in the left wing during a dive bombing attack on near Würzburg, Germany, 1 Apr 1945. The pilot was only slightly injured.



Encirclement of the Ruhr and other Allied operations between March 29th and April 4th, 1945



Tenth Mountain Division Cpl. Squires of the 605th Artillery Battalion playing the organ for the Easter service at Rocca Pitigliano on April 1, 1945



Operation Iceberg - the invasion of Okinawa - begins. The 82-day-long battle will last until mid-June and will be one of the bloodiest in the Pacific - mainland Japan will lose 77,166 soldiers and the Allies will suffer 14,009 deaths.

US Marine landing at Okinawa; April 1, 1945

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

April 2, 1945: On the western front, the British 2nd Army continues its advance north of the Ruhr River. Munster is taken. The Canadian 1st Army also begins to move north and east from between Nijmegen and Emmerich, attacking toward Arnhem, Doesburg, and Zutphen. US 9th Army is attacking around Muenster and Neuhaus and , along with US 1st Army, tightening its grip on the Ruhr pocket. Patton’s US 3rd Army attacks into Kassel, Grimmenthal, and Vachdorf and mops up previously bypassed pockets. US 7th Army continues attacking Aschaffenburg while pushing toward Wuerzburg, Marienburg, Koenigshofen, Homburg, Heilbronn, and Bockingen. French 1st Army expands its bridgehead and conducts new assault across the Rhine near Leimersheim

Above Germany, US 15th Air Force attacks rail yards and bridges with nearly 600 bombers while RAF Bomber Command sends 54 aircraft to attack Berlin overnight and 50 aircraft to attack Magdeburg overnight.

On the eastern front - with assistance from Bulgarian units, 57th Army of Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front captures the main Hungarian oil production area near Magykanizsa, while in Slovakia, Kremnica is captured. Troops from the 46th Army of Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front captures the Hungarian industrial zone of Mosonmagyarovar. 6th Guards Tank Army of 3rd Ukrainian Front reaches Lake Neuseidler. Soviet troops capture Wiener Neustadt, Eisenstadt, Neunkirchen, and Gloggnitz in southern Germany, and are now threatening Vienna. Soviet artillery continues pounding Koenigsberg in preparation for major assault.

Round-the-clock work on a vast new Fuehrer.bunker southeast of Wei.mar near the Ohr.druf slave labor camp in eastern Germany come to an end when 9,000 inmates are forced-marched to the parent Buchen.wald death camp 32 miles away. It was from this still unfinished headquarters that Hitler and other Nazi leaders had hoped to strike a deal with the west.ern Allies to join the remnants of the Wehr.macht in fighting the “Jewish-Bol.shevik” Soviet Union.

Folke Bernadotte meets with Heinrich Himmler at the SS Hohenlychen sanatorium in Lychen, Germany; Himmler is unsuccessful in convincing Bernadotte to help seek a peace between Germany and the Western Allies. Meanwhile, Martin Bormann orders Germany to fight until victorious or until death.

In his bunker, Hitler predicts the complete destruction of Germany

In Italy, Operation Roast continues as British 8th Army successfully captures the bridgehead west of Lake Comacchio. Overhead, US 12th Air Force aircraft attack transportation lines, supply depots, methanol plants, and other targets in the Po valley and elsewhere in northern Italy, including Fornovo di Taro, San Michele all'Adige, Colle Isarco, and other targets.

Pictured: 11th Armored Division tanks entering bavaria, Germany - great roads!



British 6th Airborne Division crosses the Dortmund-Ems Canal ten miles south of Osnabruk



Ittenbach, Germany: the ceremony for Major General Maurice Rose, who was killed in action on March 30, 1945, in the advance on Paderborn, Germany. Only 45 years old at the time, had led his 3rd Armored "Spearhead" Division through France and Belgium, and then becoming the first Allied ground force to invade German soil in WWII. Later in 1945, his body was re-interned in Margraten, The Netherlands, as all American servicemen buried in Germany were re-interned outside of Germany



Situation map from April 2, 1945