B Troop of 116th ACR was actually tasked with retreiving the Black Madonna and had nothing to do with Operation Reset. Problem is they never linked up with the person carrying their orders so all they know is they were to meet somebody or group of somebodies in central Poland for further orders....
Although the books state the aim of the offensive was to clear the Baltic coast of Pact forces, the presence of the US 5th in the Lodz area implies a more ambitious objective - that of swinging behind the Soviet lines and potentially cutting their line of supply (minimal as it is in 2000). The very threat alone of encirclment, even partial encirclement would force the Soviet and Polish unit to withdraw at least several hundred kilometres.
Unfortunately, the 4th Guards Army appeared and destroyed the spearhead of the offensive (the US 5th ID) while at the same time, instead of the expected withdrawal, Pact units went on the offensive forcing the units which were to have followed on behind the 5th ID to be committed on the German-Poland border.
In my opinion, the US 8th ID were to have halted and established a defensive line from the vicinity of Kalingrad to Olsztyn, the 50th AD fill between there and west of Warsaw with the 5th took responsibility for the southern section down to around Lodz.
The German III Corps would continue the drive down to (and perhaps through) Czestochowa, with a little luck reaching the mountainous Czech-Poland border. Far reaching and ambitious perhaps, and possibly more than could be achieved, but bearing in mind that the aim may have been to force the withdrawal of Pact forces from Western Poland....
The British, the only other force of significance in Europe, would be called upone to fill between the German III Corps and their own positions in the vicinity of Frankfurt.
I believe, even with the various holes and shortcomings, the above is a reasonable assessment/guess on why the 5th were so far to the south. Why they were allowed by the XI Corps commander, or even German 3rd Army Command to move so far ahead of supporting units is a question for another day.
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