HEADQUARTERS 7th ARMD INF BN
8th Armd Div
APO 258, U. S. ARMY

S-3 AFTER ACTION REPORT
April 1945

1. Front lines at end of period: None

2. Location of Troops: Incl No. 2 (overlay)

3. Information of adjacent units and supporting troops: None

4. Operations for the Period, 1 - 30 Apr 45:

On the night of Mar 31- 1 Apr 45 TF Poinier, consisting of Tp A 88th, Co A 18th Tk, Co A 809th TD, and Hq, B, C, & Svc co's of the 7th AIB was assembled in vic TINGLER, GERMANY. At 0330 on the morning of 1 Apr, the TF commander received orders to move as the lead element of CCA to SELM. The TF moved out at 0630, reaching SELM at 1020. The TF secured the area and at 1900 was alerted to move E again at 2300. At 0330, 2 Apr 45, 'H' hr was advanced to 0700. At that time the clm moved out for DELBRUCK. The clm proceeded slowly due to heavy traffic congestion, reaching DELBRUCK at 1845. Here the TF was sent NE to an assembly area in the vic of KLAUSHEIDE where the TF closed at 2300.

Early on the morning of 3 Apr, the TF was alerted to go to the help of CCB, which in its attack on PADERBORN had received two counter attacks. By 0800 it became apparent that CCB could handle the situation and the TF was ordered to hold in place. At 1448 orders were received to move SE via SALZKOTTEN, GESEKE, ERWITTE, and ANROCHTE to WARSTEIN. Lead elements of the TF moved out at 1533 and reached EIKELOH at 1720. Information was received here that strong enemy troops and Nazi Party Officials held ERWITTE. The TF commander ordered an immediate reconnaissance to reveal what enemy resistance there was in ERWITTE. Reconnaissance elements drew heavy SA, AT and some arty fire from the eastern edge of the town. Despite this fire, reconnaissance and dismounted Inf elements reached a point half way between EIKELOH and ERWITTE at 441358. At 1950 the TF commander ordered these units to hold in place as an outpost, and moved the rest of the TF to EIKELOH.

On orders from the CG CCA, the TF resumed its attack on ERWITTE at 0630 on the 4th of Apr. Dismounted elements of C Co passed through the outpost line at 0735. They received heavy SA and AT fire. The enemy AT guns were taken under fire by AGs, tanks and TDs which slowly beat down the enemy fire. At 1031, CG CCA, ordered a platoon fr TF Goodrich to move NW fr BERGE and strike ERWITTE fr the SE. This platoon reached a point 1000 yds SW of ERWITTE by 1400. C Co reached the center of town at 1450 followed by the rest of the TF and consolidated the town.

TF Commander immediately pushed recon elements south to ANROCHTE where they ran into a road block covered with SA and AT fire at 1600. The TF Commander pulled the recon back to the south edge of ERWITTE, outposted the town and pushed out an outpost to BERGE on the E flank at ANROCHTE. At 2100 the TF Commander received orders to continue the attack to ANROCHTE and on the MOHNE River at 0800 the next morning.

At 0700, 5 Apr 45, Co B, supported by AGs moved south from ERWITTE for ANROCHTE. At 0820 Co B moved into the town in coordination with the small TF moving W from BERGE. ANROCHTE surrendered almost immediately without resistance. The TF Commander received orders at 0900 in ANROCHTE to attack W via ALTENGESEKE for SOEST. Recon elements moved W out of ANROCHTE at 1125 taking WALTRINGHAUSEN and ROBRINGHAUSEN. Reinforced by Co B, Recon elements moved on to ALTENGESEKE which fell at 1530.

A second clm consisting of one plat of tanks and one plat of Inf moved SE through MELLRICH and took ALTENMELLRICH at 1716. Recon elements plus light tanks and AGs continued the atk W from ALTENGESEKE at 1730, but were stopped on the high ground short of NEUENGESEKE by SA and AT fire. Here the TF held for the night, establishing outposts on the edge of NEUENGESEKE and holding ALTENGESEKE as a strongpoint.

The Tank and Inf platoon which had taken ALTENMELLRICH, moved on to HERRINGSEN and held there for the night. At 0700, 6 Apr 45, the TF continued the atk to the W, taking NEUENGESEKE and ENKESEN without opposition. The TF held on this line during the day while CCB crossed the front. At 2315 the TF was alerted to move S to the MOHNE River at 0700, 7 Apr 45.

The TF moved out at 0700 and proceeded in three clms to the MOHNE River. The central clm moving on BELECKE was held up north of the town by a roadblock covered with SA fire and bazookas at 1000. Resistance, however, collapsed when the roadblock was out-flanked and the town was occupied by 1345. The TF outposted the river line during the evening of 7 Apr, and throughout 8 Apr. At 1515 on 8 Apr, TF was alerted to move W along the river to a new assembly area in the vic of BUECKE. The TF moved out at 0700 on the 9th and reached BUECKE at 0945.

Again on the evening of the 9th the TF was alerted to move W the next morning. At 0700 on the 10th the TF moved from BUECKE to the vic of BUDERICH where the Bn closed at 0905. Security was posted and the TF waited throughout the day for CCB to take UNNA so that CCA could pass through CCB at that point and continue the atk to the W. By 1845 it became apparent that CCB would not take UNNA that night. The TF Commander received orders to move to the vic of KESSEBUREN and make a coordinated atk on UNNA together with TF Goodrich and elements of CCB and the 95th Inf Div.

The TF moved out of BUDERICH at 2355 and closed KESSEBUREN at 0330 on the 11th. At 0700 lead elements of the TF crossed the LD and moved quickly into the SE edge of UNNA reaching the edge of town at 0740 and completing occupation of the town by 1137. Throughout the day, the TF mopped pockets of enemy resistance in town.

At 1920 on the 11th, on orders fr CCA, reconnaissance units were ordered to move W and outpost the vic of HOLZWICKEDE, MASSEN and OBERMASSEN, These units moved out at 2033 and completed the occupation of these areas by 2330.

At 0130 on the 12th the 194th Airborne took over the responsibility for the defense of UNNA. However, the TF was ordered to resume responsibility for UNNA at 1420 and to relieve units of CCR along the RUHR River from FRONDENBURG to STENTROP. This was accomplished at 1500. The TF continued to patrol and outpost UNNA and FRONDENBURG on the 13th until 1745 when the TF Commander received orders to move E fr UNNA across the WESSER River to the vic of WOLFENBUTTEL.

The TF moved out of UNNA at 1801 on the 13th of Apr and reached WOLFENBUTTEL at 1400 the next day. Here, the TF took over the outposts of the 49th AIB in WOLFENBUTTEL, and occupied the Herman Goring Steel Works at IMMENDORF. Throughout the 15th and 16th of Apr 45 the TF continued to outpost WOLFENBUTTEL and IMMENSDORF while engaged in maintenance.

At 0800 on the 17th the TF was alerted by CG CCA to move to the vic of SEEHAUSEN. Lead elements of the TF moved out of WOLFENBUTTEL at 1250 and closed in an assembly area in the vic of SCHERMOKE at 1630. Here, the TF remained during 18 Apr 45. On 19 Apr, at 1500 orders were received fr CCA to move fr SCHERMOKE to the vic of HEUDEBER. Lead elements of the clm moved out at 1602 and closed HEUDEBER at 1856, where orders were received at 2000 to continue SW to WERNIGERODE at 0630 the next morning and relieve elements of the 330th Inf Regt in the HARZ MTS with the mission of clearing the woods E to HEIMBURG.

The TF moved out of HEUDEBER at 0635 on the morning of the 20th, relieving elements of the 330th at 0830 S of WERNIGERODE. At 0915 the TF began to move E thru the mts in 2 clms which made slow progress throughout the day against light opposition. At 1800 these clms emerged onto the plain in the vic of BENZINGERODE and HEIMBURG, there, the TF held for the night. At 0700 on the 21st the TF continued the atk to the E with another two-pronged swep to MICHAELSTEIN which fell to an atk from the north before the two clms moving NE through the woods could reach the town. The clms clearing the woods from the SW reached MICHAELSTEIN at 1235 and 1400. Here the TF held and reorganized until relieved by CCB at 1715.

At 0845, 22 Apr 45, the TF Commander received orders to move fr WERNIGERODE to HURZBERG and to police and screen that area. The TF moved out at 0850 and closed HURZBERG at 1700. During the period 23 - 30 Apr 45, 7th AIB engaged in screening the area of its responsibility and in maintenance of weapons and vehicles.