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.
