Crossing Weser (Deister-Süntel) April 1945

Hello,

i´m from Germany and looking for information about the battle and administration of Villages between the mountain range Deister and Süntel.
In this area fought the 2nd and 5th US-Armored Divisions around the 8. April 1945. I read that on 8th April the Task Force Boyer fought at the town Springe against some German troops.
Is someone here who has information about the battle between Deister-Süntel? What archive in America has that kind of records?

I have attached a picture where i marked the Deister-Süntel Area. I don´t know if the data on the pictures are right, it´s from Wikipedia.

Best regards,
Chris

 

Welcome to the forum, Chris. I'm posting some links that I hope will provide you with some info. I found one reference to TF Boyer in the 628th TD Bn file. Most of the files at these links cover numerous months, you'll need to find the April, 45, reports and extract them.

Various 5th Armored Div. unit files:

47th Armored Infantry Battalion: http://cgsc.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p4013coll8/id/3737/rec/1

81st Tank Battalion: http://cgsc.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p4013coll8/id/3644/rec/1

628th Tank Destroyer Battalion (link to page with unit files/history): http://tankdestroyer.net/units/battalions600s/212-628th-tank-destroyer-battalion

Various 2nd Armored Div. unit files:

66th Armored Regiment (April is a very poor scan): http://cgsc.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p4013coll8/id/3651/rec/3

67th Armored Regiment: http://cgsc.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p4013coll8/id/3719/rec/2

702nd Tank Destroyer Battalion (link to page containing unit files): http://tankdestroyer.net/units/battalions700s/236-702nd-tank-destroyer-battalion

Good luck!

Steve

 

Hello Steve,

thank you for that records. The report of 66th AR isn´t readable in period of April. But i found some information in the report of 47th ARB which confirms my actual information.
So they didn´t fight in the area between Deister-Süntel but at the B217 at Springe and than continued to Hanover (see red marked road on Attachment). But i didn´t read that some Units drove the blue marked way through the Deister-Süntel area.
An old lady told me that some Tanks drove through the Villages which are circled on the Attachment. But i can´t find these Villages in the records, is it possible that they drove through it and it isn´t written, because there were no fights or resistance?
Do you know which "Units" take control (administration) after the fighting Troops crossed?

 

Chris, I think it's highly likely that many of the smaller villages were not listed in unit records if there was no resistance there. Also, the variability of how detailed a given units records were plays into this, especially late in the war. Units were sometimes "pinched out" of contact with the enemy since many of them (and the neighboring units) were moving so quickly.

I don't have any information regarding occupation troops. That's a good question though, maybe someone else on the forum knows of a resource for that?