1ST INFANTRY DIVISION
FOR THE PERIOD 1 SEPTEMBER - 30 SEPTEMBER 1944
HEADQUARTERS 26TH INFANTRY
APO .NO. 1, U.S. ARMY
30 September 1944
5 September 1944
The Regtl CP was still at La Bouverie. Some German officer on surrendering had stated that there would be 700 troops coming in at 0700 hours, but nothing came of this. Division called ordering a strong combat patrol be sent out to Wasmes to check the report that there were about 1000-3000 of the enemy waiting to surrender. The patrol sent out there came back with 56 Germans and with the report that there were some 200-300 in the woods nearby. Another 2nd Bn. patrol took in some 90 prisoners. A meeting of the 2nd and 3rd Bn commanders and staffs was held at the Regtl CP at 1330 hours. A reinforced company from each battalion was to sweep the area to the east, starting at 1500 hours. In three hours the sweep had been completed, and some 125 prisoners netted. An enemy officer had a map with an escape route outlined on it, and this information was passed on by S-2 to Division. Though a movement order was put out, the last minute order from the Div CG countermanded it and ordered that mopping up in the present area be continued.
6 September 1944 - Gosselies
The movement order called for the 26th Infantry advancing as the left flank of the Division as it closed in on CC "B" 3rd US Armored Division. The movement was to start at 1200 hours, with the same mission as before, clearing out the pockets of enemy troops by-passed by the armored drive. Prior to the Bns pulling out, Gen Huebner in visiting the CP complimented the Colonel on the excellent job done by both battalions. The battalions moved to their new locations without incident at Gosselies, Belgium. The CT was alerted to move the following morning.
7 September- Eghezee
The CT closed in on the new objective, Eghezee, Belgium, at 1325 hours. The Blue Front Lines were at 000262, 004264, 007250, 002249, 998248, 994251, 997260, CP at 002247. White Front Lines: 978245, 982250, 988253, 988245, CP 981245. Cannon Co. CP 005252. Regtl CP 998252.
8 - 9 September
No change on 8 September. Another move was accomplished without any enemy contact. 2nd Bn posns: 329315; 330321; 337326; 342320; 341313; CP at 338317. 3rd Bn at 338318. CP at 347318. In the first four days the 1st Bn with CCA 3rd US Armored Division reported it had captured 2620 men and officers, including three full German colonels. Division alerted one battalion to move to an area protecting the northwest approaches to Liège, Belgium, with the rest of the Combat Team to move the morning of 9 September. The 3rd Bn moved out and reported no enemy contact in the area NW of Liège. Three bridges were found intact, and the inspection of these by Col. Gara of the 1st Eng Bn to determine whether or not they could hold Division traffic proved these capable of holding heavy vehicles.
10 September
At 0800 hours the Adv Command Group moved forward. A Temporary CP was set up south of the Meuse River where the rest of the CT moved across the river. The CT less 2 Bns closed in at 1320 hours. The 1st Bn was on a mission to follow the armor in a drive to the German border. The CP moved to Tignée, closing in at 1500 hours.
11- 12 September
The 3rd Bn, to the north of Tignée, reported some enemy locations which were taken under fire by heavy artillery. Otherwise all was quiet. On the 12th, the CP moved to vic of Aubel.
13 September - Bertholi
(***)This proved next to the last CP stop prior to crossing the German border. The 16th Infantry was to be relieved by the 26th CT: 2nd Bn was to relieve 3rd Bn, 16th CT, and 3rd Bn to relieve 1st Bn, 16th CT. The road through Bertholi (Berlotte) up forward meant that the CT was penetrating, the outer fringes of the Siegfried Line. When both battalions came just about at the border of Germany, they were held temporarily. The 16th CT had not actually gone as far as originally thought and still had taken their objectives. The 2nd and 3rd Bns in parallel columns were ordered by CG to attack the points that were holding up the 16th Inf. Plenty of bangalores and bazookas were called for to blast out the pillbox defenses encountered in the woods.
14 September 1944
First reports on pillboxes: 9 feet thick; steel and concrete. From 3rd Bn came request for Engrs to clear the road.
By 1400 hours the 2nd Bn had overcome resistance in its area and had reached its objective. The 3rd was still meeting heavy enemy small arms and artillery fire. With the Engineers the M-1Os and infantry co-operating, both 2nd and 3rd Bn used the one road up towards Chy (***) , Germany. A cub plane was sent up to spot some enemy artillery laying heavy stuff on the road. A company of the 16th was pulled from its position and the I & R Platoon sent to cover the position until a company from the 3rd Bn could get to the location. Craters in the road were filled; trees obstructing the paths were pulled out; bulldozers sent out forward took care of straightening and widening the paths for the battalions; it made slow going.
15 - 16 - 17 September 1944
From present positions, 3rd Bn was directing artillery and mortar fire on enemy personnel in the outskirts of Aachen. Some civilians were sent back to the Division PW Cage. War correspondents showed up at the CP and visited the Battalion lines.
Patrols were sent out by the two battalions all day and through the night, and these reported enemy locations and enemy movements, which were taken under fire by our artillery. The town of Roth-Erde was thoroughly patrolled.
Patrols on 17 Sept established the fact that artillery fire called for by the 3rd Bn had knocked out 20 enemy trucks in a woods. The 16th was undergoing a heavy enemy counterattack and a company of the 2nd Bn was alerted to go to their aid if needed. Same with the the 3rd Bn. A second Bn patrol entered town and had its leader, Lt. Fountain, killed. An enemy Bn was estimated holding the town. The town was placed under fire from our 33rd FA.
18 September 1944
There were no attacks during the night. Some 150mm shells landed in the 3rd Bn area. No damage.
Replacements- mostly men who had been wounded or had been ill with malaria- came dribbling in. We were to receive 135 of them in the next two days.
Mail has been exceptionally good, considering the long supply lines, and the fact that Division Rear was some 250 miles back in Meaux, France. Harassing and defensive artillery fires were laid during the night. 105 and 155’s. A building housing some snipers was blown apart by an assault gun that the 3rd Battalion worked through the woods. At 2100 hours the 2nd Bn had a counterattack- more a reconnaissance in force- in the Company "E" area. The 33rd FA did effective work on these enemy groups for there was screaming heard in the woods. 88mm mortars also were used effectively.
19 September 1944
A report came in that the 1st Bn was running into terrific enemy artillery fire around Diepenlinchen, where they were supporting an armored drive. 3rd Bn patrols sent out returned with information that last night’s firing had killed about a platoon of Germans and had knocked out 20 vehicles. 4 88's were found destroyed further out in front of 3rd Bn positions. Harassing 105 and 155mm artillery fire was laid on enemy positions reported by the battalion patrols. Usual patrol activities revealing no general enemy movement.
Map of Aachen (1943)
20 September 1944
There was sporadic enemy artillery shelling throughout the night. Patrols sent out by the second Bn reported they had made no enemy contact. Another patrol was sent out at 0000 hours, and this patrol reported it had been to 857420 and had located several German emplacements near R.R. tracks at 855422. It had worked its way east of that position and noted other enemy locations.
The 3rd Bn reported that an "L" Co. patrol worked in a northerly direction and at 853410 it ran into a patrol of 10 Germans and after a fire fight dispersed this group. At 855412 it found an abandoned German truck and destroyed it and then continued patrolling until fired upon by a pillbox. The German patrol it had previously beaten off now came and the two patrols fought it out for a second time. After two hours the patrol withdrew.
Some enemy 150mm shells landed in the third Bn area.
A reconnaissance patrol from "I" Co. ran into a MG position it could not bypass at 847414 and had to return. A combat patrol sent out ran into several MG's in the same vicinity and called for mortar and artillery missions.
Arrangement was made for harassing artillery fire during the night on enemy positions reported by the patrols.
21 September 1944
The morning passed without incident. A combat patrol was sent out after a tank at 849423. The combat patrol had two fire fights, one at the R.R. tracks and the other in the vicinity of the tank where the patrol was turned back by very heavy MG fire. A third petrol sent out encountered the same difficulty and an artillery fire mission was called.
Harassing fires laid on for the night.
