US Cavalry Recon. Squadron - A drive to the Inn, April 1945

Earthican · Aug 31, 2014

In my continuing quest to unite detailed accounts of battle with useful maps I present an example of mechanized cavalry. I found this mixed-in with the monographs at The Infantry School. Since this is a rare account of a Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron (Mecz), I thought it worth preserving and sharing.
View attachment SchaudtHowardP CPT.pdf

I was looking for a period road map, such as a Michelin, but I found a 1951 AMS map (based on a Freytag-Berndt auto-strassenkarten, who knew?).
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ams/central_europe_road_maps/

I marked the maps with locations of the 23d CRS in PINK -- I wanted to use yellow but it didn't stand-out -- locations for armor and infantry divisions are marked in GREEN and BLUE, respectively.

This late war action involves the US III Corps sweeping through Bavaria near the end of the war. With one armored division (14th AD) and two infantry divisions (99th ID & 86th ID), III Corps was typically configured for rapid advance. In the drive south to the Inn, the corps made assault crossings over two rivers (Danube & Isar). Breaking out from the bridgeheads, armor outpaced the advance of the infantry which was sweeping the flanks of the corps zone. At each defended river line the armor would often need the infantry to seize a bridgehead and engineers to build heavy bridges.

The 23d CRS, from the 16th AD, was attached to III Corps and further subordinated to the 86th ID. Initially the cavalrymen performed flank security and contact patrols to adjacent units. Later they would spearhead a day/night drive to seize a bridge over the Inn.
http://niehorster.orbat.com/013_usa/44_org/div-arm/ad_cav__sqdn.html

An overview of III Corps operations is provided in the next post.

Earthican · Aug 31, 2014

The monograph above lacks the usual description of the larger operation so I turned to an often overlooked volume of the US Army official history: Chronology of the US Army in World War II, 1941-1945. While the text is exceedingly terse and confusing, it is also packed with information which is hard to obtain otherwise. It appears this volume was written by rote with no attempt at clarity. In this excerpt, the described actions are almost always ordered from the left of the corps zone to the right. While consistent, this approach often has events out of logical order. Infantry must seize a bridgehead before armor can breakout, likewise, armor typically led the advance while infantry closed to their flank.
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-SS-Chronology/index.html

I thought about cutting-and-pasting the sentences for each day into a logical order. I still might do that, but if someone else wants to try I would be grateful for the effort. And you might find an error or two in my map; I certainly did when I last proof-read this post.

27 April 1945
In III Corps area, 14th Armd Div regroups and mops up along the Danube; CCR relieves 86th Div troops in Ingolstadt. 99th Div establishes bridgehead across the Danube: 393d Inf, passing through 394th, crosses in assault boats in vicinity of Eining, SW of Kelheim, and captures Eining and Straubing; 395th attempts to cross in Neustadt area but is so firmly opposed that it turns N and follows 393d across at Eining. 342d Inf, 86th Div, completes its crossing of the Danube at Ingolstadt early in morning, rear elements using newly completed footbridge, and is passed through by 343d Inf, which thrusts quickly S toward the Isar; 341st reaches the Danube and starts crossing.

28 April 1945
In III Corps area, 14th Cav Gp assembles S of Ludwigs Kanal and the Altmuhl in order to cross the Danube in 99th Div zone. 14th Armd Div crosses the Danube and continues rapidly SE toward the Isar; CCA, in the lead, takes Steinbach and approaches Moosburg. 99th Div expands Danube bridgehead to line Abensberg-Muehlhausen-Geibenstetten. 341st Inf, 86th Div, completes its crossing of the Danube and with 343d advances toward the Isar; by end of day, forward elements are within 5 miles of the river. 23d Cav Rcn Sq, 16th Armd Div, is attached to 86th Div to protect its right flank.

29 April 1945
In III Corps area, 14th Cav Gp crosses the Danube in 99th Div zone and heads for the Isar. 99th Div advances to the Isar against little or no resistance, securing line Pfettrach-Bruckberg-Moosburg. CCA, 14th Armd Div, reaches the Isar at Moosburg and prepares to force crossing; sends column NE along the Isar to Altdorf, where heavy fire is met from Landshut. CCR and CCB assemble NW of Landshut in Furth-Schatzhofen area; CCR prepares to take control of CCA forces at Altdorf and from there attack Landshut. Continuing SE on right flank of corps, 86th Div crosses Amper Kanal; continues to the Isar, capturing Friesing; begins crossing the Isar in assault boats under heavy fire, night 29-30.

30 April 1945
In III Corps area, 14th Cav Gp reaches the Isar on left flank of corps. 99th Div attacks across the Isar: 393d Inf begins crossing in vicinity of Landshut; 395th crosses in Moosburg area to cover bridging operations of 14th Armd Div and secures line Kochbauer-Langenpreising. CCR, 14th Armd Div, clears portion of Landshut N of the Isar and assembles for crossing at Moosburg, where engineers put in ponton bridge. Dismounted elements of CCA cross at Moosburg and drive beyond Mittl Isar Kanal. CCB starts across the Isar over Moosburg bridge at night. Foot elements of 86th Div's 342d and 343d Regts complete crossing the Isar on right flank of corps; continue to Mittl Isar Kanal and start across it in vicinity of Eitting; attached 23d Cav Rcn Sq crosses over XVI Corps bridge SW of Freising. Engineers construct treadway bridge at Freising.

1 May 1945
III Corps gets all elements across the Isar and speeds SE toward the Inn in effort to take bridges before enemy can destroy them. 99th Div completes its crossing of the Isar at Landshut and with RCT's 393 and 394 abreast, 393 on left, drives to line Vilsbiburg-Velden. 14th Cav Gp crosses at Landshut, night 1-2. Upon completing crossing at Moosburg, 14th Armd Div drives SE with CCA on left and CCB on right, passing elements through 99th Div and continuing advance during night 1-2. On right flank of corps, 86th Div organizes TF Pope (bn of 342d Inf (reinf and motorized) and 23d Cav Rcn Sq of 16th Armd Div), which heads for Wasserburg, where Inn R bridge is reported intact. Div, with RCT 342 on left and RCT 343 on right, pushes SE from vicinity of Mittl Isar Kanal to Erding.

2 May 1945
III Corps continues SE toward the Inn until ordered to refrain from crossing the Inn. Forward elements of 14th Cav Gp reach the Inn in vicinity of Neuoetting and make contact with XX Corps to left. 99th Div gets almost to the Inn. CCB, 14th Armd Div, reaches the river SE of Aschau and takes bridge intact. To left, CCA reaches the river in vicinity of Muehldorf and establishes small infantry bridgehead, withdrawing it upon order. 86th Div, replacing RCT 343 with RCT 341, drives SE to Haag with 2 RCT's abreast; TF Pope reaches outskirts of Wasserburg before being halted and is then dissolved. After breaking off attack, corps units begin assembly in assigned areas N of the Inn.
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Andreas · Aug 31, 2014

Nice work.

All the best

Andreas

Earthican · Sep 3, 2014

I found this account of the 86th Infantry Division from Igolstadt to Erding. It appears to have been translated from English to German and then auto-translated back to English. If nothing else, it provides dates and locations; my map is a little off but I'm not changing it.
http://www.tenhumbergreinhard.de/themenuebersicht/kampfverbaende-1933-1945/86th-us-infantry-division.html

I did manage to find a 1943 GSGS map (Germany is in Central Europe, who knew?). Good thing I did not find this the first time I looked; better to just detail a small portion of the action.

Excerpt Schaudt Monograph

By 0130, 1 May, the bridge across the Ludwig Canal was
repaired, and D troop moved on east across the Isar Canal at
Neider Neuehing (05-70). C Troop was protecting the bridgehead
and had been under artillery fire just fifteen minutes
before D Troop arrived. D Troop then continued east to
Reixing (07-70), which was outposted for the night.

.....

At 0500, 1 May, B Troop had moved on Squadron order in
the direction of Pretzen (10-73). In passing through the town
of Pretzen, the 1st Platoon took a wrong turn and immediately
came under fire from buildings in the town. The 1st, leading,
Platoon opened fire on visable targets and buildings from which
the fire had come, while the 2d and 3d Platoons dismounted and
went into the buildings to clear the opposition. An uncounted
number of Germans were killed, four were wounded and sixty-one
captured. One 1/4 ton truck (Jeep) was lost, but no casualties
were suffered by the Troop personnel.

Here at Pretzen, a platoon of light tanks (M-24) from F
Company and a platoon of assault guns from E Troop were attached.

With the 3d Platoon leading, B Troop moved on towards
Indorf (12-73). Upon entering the town, the Troop came under
artillery and mortar fire. The Troop withdrew and by-passed
Indorf moving on north through Erding and on to Kirchasch. (16-75),
where it had to await approximately six hours for gasoline.
The amoant of gasoline received was insufficient to fill all
vehicles.

B Troop continued east at about 1430 with the 1st Platoon
as the leading element. This Platoon passed through Landersdorf
(23-75) and secured the northeastern edge of the town. A message
from the front of the column told of the approach of an
enemy infantry column of approximate a company coming down
the road from the north. The assault guns with two dismounted
reconnaissance platoons went into position on the left of the
road. The tanks moved to the right of the road, and on order
all opened fire. Almost all of the enemy column was destroyed.
One of the tankers, bore sighting with 75mm gun, sniped at an
enemy infantryman running across an open field. The enemy
infantryman disintegrated.

B Troop then moved on to Schrafstetten (22-77). Upon
starting to enter the town, an enemy machine gun opened fire
on the column from an old wooden farm building to the left of
the road. One round of WP from an assault gun silenced the
machine gun and set the building on fire. After a few buildings
in the town had been taken under assault gun fire, a
German civilian was sent into the town with orders for the
town to surrender, or it would be destroyed. Sixty-four SS
prisoners were taken.

Gasoline was again running short. B Troop back tracked
to Landersdorf where there were better facilities for billeting.
Supper was eaten, and the Troop was bedded down for the
night. Members, of an element of the 14th Armored Division,
passing through the town, told the Troop commander the entire
plan had been changed. Nothing to that effect was received
from Squadron. The town had been secured for the night. Snow
was still falling, and gasoline had not been received. The
location of the Troop was reported to Squadron Headquarters.
Click to expand...

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US Cavalry Recon. Squadron - A drive to the Inn, April 1945

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Andreas Working on two books

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US Cavalry Recon. Squadron - A drive to the Inn, April 1945

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Andreas Working on two books

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