80th Tank Bn., Co. D - Itinerary
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  Date     Description
4 January 45 - Left Tidworth, England 0600. Travelled 76 miles by convoy. Arrived at Chickerell, England 1700. Weather clear and cold. Conditions of roads, fair. Morale - good.
5 January 45 - Left Chickerell 0945. Travelled 3 miles to Weymouth, England. Boarded LST at 1415.62 EM 4 Officers aboard. 3rd platoon, plus one officer plus one tank crew aboard another LST. Total strength of company, 5 officers, 84 EM aboard 2 LSTs.
6 January 45 - On board LST. Left Port of Weymouth, England at 1600.
7 January 45 - Arrived Le Havre, France 0600 disembarked at 1230. Convoyed from Le Havre to Cressy, France. Arrived at 2100. 3rd platoon and 1 officer joined the unit at 2100. Road travelled over by convoy, good. Weather, cold and snowing. Morale at time of arrival, good.
8 January 45 - No change.
9 January 45 - Left Cresy at 2231. Travelled by convoy, arrived at St. Saen, France 2400. Distance travelled, 16 miles. Weather, cold and snowing. Roads, slippery.
10 January 45 - Left St. Saen 0015. Travelled, 162 miles. Arrived at Sept Saulx, France, 1805. Weather cold and clowdy.Roads, slippery. Company all set up in bivouac and given a hot meal at 2100. Arrived into bivouac with all vehicles and men present. Morale, very good.
11 January 45 - No change.
12 January 45 - Left Sept Saulx at 0806. Arrived at Verdun, 2250. Weather, cold and snowing. Roads, very slippery. Rate of travel, very slow. 8 enlistem men, 2 vehicles missing from column at 2400. Total distance travelled. 83 miles. Morale, very good.
13 January 45 - Left Verdun, 0015. Arrived, Morville Sur Sielle, France, 0600. Distance travelled, 30 miles. Upon arrival, men were bedded down in open barn and rested until 1300. Chow served at 1315. At 1800 remaining men and vehicles joined the company. Morale, excellent.
14-22 January 45 - No change.
23 January 45 - Usual camp duties and preparation for combat. Alerted at 0845. Moved on practice mounted move at 1020. Arrived back in billet area, 1100. Snow on the ground. Movement very satisfactory. Morale, excellent.
24-31 January 45 - No change.
1 February 45 - Left billet area at 0935 for practice mounted road march. Arrived back in billet area 1530. Distance travelled, 20 miles. Roads, muddy and slippery. Weather, rainy.
2 February 45 - No change.
3 February 45 - No change. Left Morville Sur Seille, 0249. Ran 144 miles, mounted. Arrived in Marche, Belgium, 2330. Ate chow and performed maintenance. Weather, cool. Roads travelled over, good. Morale, good. All vehicles and men present on arrival.
4 February 45 - Left Marche 0030. Travelled 58 miles. Arrived at Vilt, Holland, 0700. Weather, cool and cloudy. Roads fair. Men tired, morale at this time, poor. All men and vehicles present on arrival in billet area.
5 February 45 - Usual organizational duties and preparation for combat. Weather, cool and raining. Morale, good.
6-12 February 45 - No change.
13 February 45 - One light tank crew departed 1300 to join 85th Recon, 5th Armd. Division, (Destination unknown) for a demonstration with M24 light tanks.
14-19 February 45 - No change.
20 February 45 - Left Vilt, 1045 for combat. Travelled 27.7 miles. Arrived at Maasbracht, Holland, 1315. Roads were fair. Weather, cloudy and warm. 1 vehicle with crew of 3 men left behind with Co. 'C', 130th Ord. All other men and vehicles present. Morale, excellent.
21 February 45 - No change.
22 February 45 - 1st platoon was furnished to Bn Hq for security reasons.
23 February 45 - 1st platoon was released at 0700. Tour of dutyn uneventful. 3rd platoon appointed the alert platoon for this Bn Hq from 1800 to 0600, 24th February. Tour of duty, uneventful.
24 February 45 - No change.
25 February 45 - 1st platoon left Maasbracht at 0610 to take up position at VK 7586 and are atchd. to Co. C 58th Armd Inf Bn. 2nd platoon left Maasbracht at 0613 to take up position at VK 7384 and are atchd to Co A 58th Armd Inf Bn. 3rd platoon left Maasbracht at 0630 to take up position at VK 7482 and are atchd to Co A(?) 58th Armd Inf Bn. Hq platoon left Maasbracht, 0745, travelled 2.8 miles, arrived at VK 7482 and are atchd to Hq Co 58th Armd Inf. Morale of company, excellent. Weather, cloudy and cool.
26 February 45 - 1st and 2nd and 3rd platoons are now being used as support for 58th Armd Inf Bn abd A Co this Bn. Positions and progress of platoons at this time unknown, No casualties reported.
27 February 45 - Platoons took up same positions as occupied 26th. All quiet except small arms fire. Platoons were relieved of their positions by B Co this Bn at 1600. Platoons moved back to Maasbracht at 1630. All men in excellent condition, morale, excellent.
28 February 45 - Left Maasbracht, 0345. Travelled 37 miles, arrived at Hucklehoven, Germany, 0300(?). Men are all tired but morale still good. Weather, cloudy, roads fair.
1 March 45 - Left Hucklehoven, 0300. Arrived in Wegberg, Germany 0600. Performed maintenance of vehicles. 3 tanks and 15 EM left back with C Co 130th Ord. Morale good.
2 March 45 - 2nd and 3rd platoons in support of 58th Armd Inf Bn met strong enemy opposition. Platoons withdrew at 2000! One tank damaged by mines but later repaired. No casualties in 2nd and 3rd platoons. Men were very tired at end of first few days of combat. Morale excellent. 1st platoon holding position at approx. VK 75.5-86.5. 2nd Lt. Gilbert H Higgins, platoon leader for 1st plstoon slightly wounded by shrapnel when his tank ran over a mine and blew the tank track off. Tank was evacuated by the Maint Sec and is being repaired. No other casualties.
3 March 45 - Left Grefrath, Germany, 0800. Travelled 12 miles to billeting area at Wall, Germany, arrived 1700. Morale at time of arrival, low. Company has now been put into Corps Reserve. Combat mission unknown.
4 March 45 - Company performing maintenance. Morale of Company is much improved after rest. Mission for Company is still unknown.
5 March 45 - No change.
6 March 45 - Left Wall, Germany, 0736, travelled 12 miles and billeted at Vinkrath, Germany. Roads good, weather, raining. Morale good. Arrived in billeting area at 0845.
7-13 March 45 - No change.
14 March 45 - Left Vinkrath at 0155 for practice night mounted march and crossing of pontoon bridge. Crossed bridge QE 7901 at 0315. March and crossing very successful despite heavy fog which made progress very slow and difficult. Arrived back at billeting area, 0530. Distance travelled, 20.3 miles. Morale excellent.
15-25 March 45 - No change.
26 March 45 - Left Vinkrath, 2100. Travelled 38.9 miles. Arrived in bivouac area at Bruckhausen, Germany at 0430.
27 March 45 - Company crossed Rhine River in Germany at 0430. Crossing was a complete success, no casualties and all vehicles and personnel present upon arrival at bivouac area. Battalion is now attached to 30th Inf Division. Exact mission of the Bn and Co is uncertain. Morale of the Company is excellent despite the long hard march. Roads travelled over were poor. Weather conditions partly cloudy and foggy.
28 March 45 - Company departed Bruckhausen, Germany at 0600.(?) Met heavy resistance at Zweckel, Germany and had heavy casualties. 3 tanks knocked out at this point. Capt Griffin, Lt Omdal, Pvt Corona and Pvt Nye evacuated their tanks which were knocked out and rejoined the Company at 2100.Morale of men after engagement with enemy was good. Lt. Higgins, killed, Todd, Huntington, Lange, Sanchez, Kunig, Rounds, Cowan, Nye lost to evacuation hospital.
30 March 45 - Left Scholven, Germany at 0600. Arrived after 8 miles under combat conditions at Bergmannsgluck, Germany 2000. No action was incurred during the day. No casualties.
31 March 45 - Left Bergmannsgluck at 1100. Met stiff enemy resistance at Langenbochum, Germany. Resistance was overcome at 1600 and Company moved into Langenbochum. No casualties and no prisoners. Morale, excellent.
1 April 45 - Left Langenbochum, Germany at 1200. Travelled 40 miles, convoy arrived at Bork, Germany at 1600. Roads travelled fair, weather cloudy. Morale, excellent.
2 April 45 - Left Bork, Germany at 1200 enroute to concentration area.
3 April 45 - Arrived in Delbruck, Germany at 1000. Distance 73 miles. Left Delbruck, Germany at 1900. Travelled 13 miles. Arrived in billet area 3 miles north of Lippstadt, Germany, 2215. Morale of men, good.
4 April 45 - Left Lippstadt at 0630. Met stiff resistance at Ebbinghausen, Germany. Town was cleared and at 1730 the Company moved in. No vehicles lost, no casualties. Distance travelled 14 miles. Morale good.
5 April 45 - Attacked town of Horn, Germany. Town surrendered without resistance. Went on to take town of Schmerleke without resistance. Company was relieved at 1400 and moved into billets at Western Kotten, Germany at 1530. Distance travelled 9 miles, morale very good.
6 April 45 - Maintenance and complete reorganization of tank crews is being accomplished.
7 April 45 - Left Western Kotten at 1100. Travelled 12.7 miles, arrived at Soest, Germany 1215 and went into billeting area. Roads good, weather clear, morale excellent.
8 April 45 - Left Soest at 1245. Travelled 11 miles to billet area at Oberense, Germany. Arrived in Oberense 2130. Bn met stiff enemy resistance at Bremen (not port), Germany. Took town 2100. This Company supported C and B Companys while they moved into town. Weather clear and cool. Morale excellent.
9 April 45 - Left Oberense 0700. Travelled 7.9 miles, engaged enemy, arrived arrived E Schluckingen at 2100. No casualties.
10 April 45 - Left E Schluckingen at 0545. Engaged enemy at 0700. Occupied Wickede, Germany at 2230. No casualties.
11 April 45 - Left Wickede 0921. Travelled 11 miles, arrived 2 miles NW Fromern, Germany at 2230. Captured town of Hohenheide at 1230. No casualties.
12 April 45 - Left billet area at 1400. Travelled 1.5 miles to Hohenheide to outpost the town.
13 April 45 - Outposting the town of Hohenheide, Germany.
14 April 45 - Left Hohenheide 0600 en route to Wedtlenstedt, Germany
15 April 45 - Arrived Wedtlenstedt ?. Moved out 1600 on screening detail with 1st platoon to Lefferde, Germany, 3rd platoon at Woltwiesche, Germany, and Hq platoon at Lengede.
16 April 45 - Screening and outposting Lengede, performing maintenance.
17 April 45 - Usual field duties, maintenance. Morale excellent.
18 April 45 - 3rd platoon moved to Salder, Germany to outpost Div Trains. Morale excellent.
19 April 45 - 1st platoon outposting Lefferde. 3rd platoon outposting Trains at Salder.
20 April 45 - Hq, 1st and 2nd platoons left Lengede at 0530 to outpost airport at Braunsweigh, Germany. Left airport at 1445. Arrived billet in area at Strebeck, Germany 1830. Morale excellent.

AT THIS POINT THE UNIT HAS BEEN RELIEVED OF COMBAT ASSIGNMENTS!       BACK TO GARRISON!!!!!!!!

    3/24/10