US NAVY
PACIFIC—Aircraft from TF 38 continue to wreak havoc on
Japanese shipping in the Philippines: off Cebu, Navy carrier- based planes sink
gunboat Onoshi Maru and auxiliary submarine chaser No.16 Yusen Maru, and
auxiliary submarine chaser No.7 Shonan Maru off western tip of Luzon. Off
San Fernando, Luzon, U.S. Navy carrier planes sink fishery protection gunboat No.1
Suzuya Maru, merchant cargo ship Eishin Maru and merchant tankers No.9
Hammei Maru, No.7 Takasago Maru and No.24 Nanshin Maru; they also
damage auxiliary submarine chaser No.2 Suzuya Maru and army cargo ships Taishin
Maru (which is run aground to prevent loss) and Ceram Maru.
Submarine Lapon
(SS-260) damages merchant cargo ship Jungen Go, 15°22'N, 119°17'E.
Submarine Narwhal
(SS-167) lands men and supplies on southwest coast of Mindanao.
Submarine Pargo
(SS-264) unsuccessfully attacks Japanese cargo vessel Manshu Maru, 08°13'N,
117°02'E; destroyer Shiokaze’s counterattack is likewise unsuccessful.
ATLANTIC—German submarine U-979 torpedoes storeship
Yukon (AF-9) about 43 miles west of Reykjavik, Iceland.
MEDITERRANEAN—Rescue tug ATR-1 is stranded on
submerged wreck.
US ARMY AIR FORCE
EIGHTH AF—Over 600 heavy bombers from UK escorted by 6 P-51
groups bomb 3 armored vehicle and motor transport factories at Kassel along
with 6 targets of opportunity at Wetzlar. Over 100 B-24’s fly gasoline to
France. Last Eighth AF UK-USSR-Italy-UK shuttle mission ends as 84 B-17’s
escorted by 51 P-51’s return directly to UK bases from Italy. Remaining
aircraft return on 8 Oct.
NINTH AF—XIX TAC HQ accompanies US Third Army HQ from
Chalons-sur-Marne to Etain. No bomber missions are flown. Fighters attack
railroads, supply and ordnance depots, and strongpoints, and fly sweeps and
armed reconnaissance over Cologne, Dusseldorf, Aachen, Koblenz, Trier, Bonn,
Mannheim, and Strasbourg areas.
TWELFTH AF—Operating N of Italian battle area, medium
bombers bomb road and rail bridges, while fighter bombers continue hitting
roads, railroads, and transportation, and support ground forces as US Fifth
Army elements prepare to pursue enemy withdrawing from N of Pistoia and to
drive N to Raticosa Pass and NE to Imola. British Eighth Army forces battle
enemy along Marecchia R.
FIFTEENTH AF—366 B-24’s and B-17’s escorted by 270 fighters
bomb NE industrial area of Munich and Munich/Riem airfield. 76 B-24’s bomb
Larissa marshalling yard. 68 B-24’s fly supply mission to S France.
TENTH AF—13 B-24’s fly fuel to Liuchow. Troop carriers fly
more than 170 other sorties to various points in the CBI.
FOURTEENTH AF—24 B-24’s pound Hankow. 12 B-25’s and 7
P-51’s hit Hengyang road junction and ferry. 7 B-25’s bomb Kianghwa while 6
P-51’s damage nearby bridge. 5 B-25’s hit Yungming. 44 P-40’s and P-51’s blast
targets of opportunity along roads in Changsha, Siangtan, and Sintsiang areas.
50-plus other P-40’s and P-51’s hit various targets of opportunity around
Chuanhsien, Paoching, Lingling, Hankow, and Kiyang.
FEAF—B-24’s again pound Sidate and Mapanget. B-24’s and
B-25’s bomb Amahai and Liang villages and Haroekoe airfield. A-20’s pound
Urarom airfield while fighter bombers hit Idorra, Windissi, Moemi, and Kaimana.
SEVENTH AF—15 Sapan-based B-24’s strike shipping at Chichi
Jima. 24 P-47’s strafe Pagan and bomb Anatahan I. 3 B-24’s on snooper mission
and armed reconnaissance flight bomb Iwo Jima and Marcus. 15 B-26’s, flying out
of Makin, bomb Nauru.
US ARMY
21 Army Group: In Canadian First
Army’s 2 Corps area, 3d Division receives surrender of Boulogne garrison. 4th Armored
Division has cleared as far N as Leopold Canal and on right flank has reached
Schelde Estuary. With capture of Terneuzen by Polish armor, enemy is confined
to “Breskens Pocket,” region N of Leopold Canal and W of Savojaards Plaat.
In British Second Army’s 1 A/B Corps
area, British 1st A/B Division is still isolated and under heavy pressure N of
the Neder Rijn near Arnhem. Air resupply is impossible because of weather
conditions. Elements of 30 Corps make contact with the Polish detachment at
Driel and bring DUKW’s loaded with ammunition and supplies for 1st A/B Division.
Mud is too deep for the DUKW’s, but group of Poles succeeds in crossing
supplies on rafts, night 22–23. U.S. 82d A/B Division clears S bank of the Waal
3 miles E of highway bridge. In 30 Corps area, 43d Division, taking over attack
toward Arnhem from Guards Armored Division, gets elements to Driel, but main
body is held up far to S by determined opposition. Germans make major
counterattack against Veghel, main effort coming through village of Erp. U.S.
101st A/B Division, to whom reinforcements are rushed, forces enemy back from
Veghel, but Germans cut highway between there and Uden. 12 Corps is slowly
improving positions W of Eindhoven. 8 Corps, continuing toward Helmond, takes
Weert.
12th Army Group: U.S. First Army
goes on the defensive along most of its line. XIX Corps postpones offensive
against West Wall indefinitely. In VII Corps area, Combat Command B of 3d Armored
Division, under smoke screen, withdraws both TF Lovelady and TF Mills from
Donnerberg area to Stolberg, where TF Hogan has cleared enemy from S part of
town; Combat Command B then goes on the defensive and makes contact with Combat
Command A at Muensterbusch; the Division comes to a halt within 3 miles of its
objective, Eschweiler. Germans make all-out counterattack against 47th
Infantry, 9th Division, at Schevenhuette but are driven back with extremely
heavy losses; 60th Infantry breaks off attack for Huertgen village in order to
send reinforcements to Schevenhuette; these are not required there but later
attack to ease pressure on the single 60th Infantry Battalion in Huertgen
Forest, where close, indecisive fighting rages for next 3 days. V Corps remains
on the defensive.
In U.S. Third Army’s XX Corps area,
enemy evacuates Cheminot, since it has become an untenable pocket between XX
and XII Corps. 7th Armored Division prepares to attack across the Seille on 23d.
2d Battalion of 10th Infantry, 5th Division, withstands further enemy attacks
against Pournoy-la-Chétive, this time from SE of the town. In XII Corps area,
elements of 80th Division continue to fight in Bois de la Rumont. Combat
Command B, 6th Armored Division, circling W and S from Forêt de Grémecey to
take enemy in Amance area from rear, clears strongly occupied Armaucourt. 134th
Infantry, 35th Division, attacks into Bois de Faulx at noon; 137th pushes
through rest of Fort de Champenoux, from which enemy flees under air and
artillery attack, abandoning Amance plateau. 6th Armored Division ( — ) assembles
in Fort de Grémecey to clear this region and screen between 80th Infantry and
4th Armored Divisions. Combat Command A, 4th Armored Division, halts German
tank-infantry attack toward Moyenvic in region W of Juvelize and inflicts heavy
losses on enemy. In XV Corps area, 79th Division progresses slowly: on left,
Germans make local attacks from Forêt de Parroy toward Lunéville; 315th Infantry
loses and recovers a portion of Lunéville; 313th, delayed by counterattack at
Moncel, cannot advance into Forêt de Mondon; 4 cos of 314th Infantry ford the
Meurthe but, since they cannot advance without support from tanks and arty,
halt to await bridging. French 2d Armored Division crosses the Meurthe between Flin
and Vathiménil, night 22–23; patrols through S part of Forêt de Mondon to La
Vezouse R at Benamenil but is driven back.
6th Army Group: In U.S. Seventh Army’s
VI Corps area, 157th Infantry of 45th Division maintains bridgehead at Igney
while 179th crosses the Moselle at Arches and clears Archettes; 180th continues
to clear Epinal, from which enemy begins withdrawing. 36th Division finishes
clearing Eloyes and is attacking Remiremont.
ESTONIA—Soviet
forces seize Baltic prize of Tallinn.
ITALY—AAI:
In U.S. Fifth Army’s IV Corps area, S African 6th Armored Division is ordered
forward in pursuit since enemy appears to be withdrawing from positions above
Pistoia. II Corps virtually completes operations against the Gothic Line and is
ready for drive N to Radicosa Pass and NE to Imola. 362d Infantry, 91st Division,
completes reduction of Futa Pass defenses; other elements of 91st Division establish
outposts across the Santerno. On left flank of corps, enemy opposition to 34th Division
is weakening: 135th Infantry takes M. Citerna, NW of Santa Lucia; 168th seizes
Hill 1134, E of Montepiano. 91st Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, screening
left flank, finds Vernio abandoned by enemy. 85th Division pushes toward M. la
Fine on right to assist 88th Division and toward M. Canda on left in support of
91st Division’s attack for Radicosa Pass. On right flank of corps, 88th Division
continues rapidly along Santerno R valley, outdistancing 85th Division, and boundary
is altered to give M. la Fine, except for western spur, to 88th Division. In British
13 Corps area, Indian 8th Division completes occupation of Giogo di Villore
without opposition.
In British Eighth Army area, 5
Corps, with Indian 4th Division on left, 46th Division in center, and 1st Armored
Division on right, attacks across the Marecchia, night 22–23, and begins
struggle for ridges N of the river. 56th Division withdraws from line; its
168th Brigade ceases to exist as a fighting unit. In Canadian 1 Corps area, British
4th Division establishes bridgehead across the Marecchia on left flank of
corps, and 5th Armored Division prepares to attack through it. NZ 2d Division takes
command of coastal sector, releasing Canadian 1st Division and attached Greek
3d Mountain Brigade for welcome rest.
PALAUS—On
Peleliu, Japanese continue effective defense of central ridges and are bringing
up reinforcements. 1st Marine Division observation planes are operating from
the airfield. On Angaur, elements of 322d Infantry again push into the bowl in
Lake Salome area from the S but retire at night.
ULITHI—Regimental
Combat Team 323, 81st Division, lands without opposition and begins securing
the atoll.
US MARINE CORPS
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