patton crossing the rhine

(Back in Berlin, Adolf Hitler urged the Wehrmacht to attack the Allied bridgehead at Oppenheim, only to be told that no reserve forces were available to embark on such an operation.) The new panzer brigades each had a battalion of Panzergrenadiers drawn from the three Panzergrenadier divisions already in Lorraine. The Panthersknocked out three of the lightly armored HMCs in short order. With their high-velocity guns, the Panthers easily knocked out the Yanks vehicles. Walkers corps consisted of the 5th and 90th Infantry Divisions and the 7th Armored Division, while Eddys corps, at that time, consisted of the 35th and 80th Infantry Divisions and the 4th and 6th Armored Divisions. ww2dbaseWith the German defenses along the Rhine River falling apart, the industrial region of Ruhr was enveloped, depriving Germany's war manufacturing capabilities. But Pattons dash ground to a halt shortly after it crossed the Meuse. In a widely publicized incident, he slapped and cursed a soldier suffering from battle fatigue in a field hospital in front of staff and patients. News of the crossing made it around the world. But the main attacks were made by the bulk of the 80th Division north of Nancy, and by Maj. Gen. Paul Baades 35th Infantry Division south of the city. They swooped in at extremely low level, catching the German tank crews by surprise. When a column of tanks from the 111th Panzer Brigade appeared that morning out of the fog, it was left to the gunners of the 191st Field Artillery Battalion to fight off the attack. Troops of the US Ninth Army finished clearing the Duisberg Pocket in Germany. Within three days Patton's troops were rapidly approaching Frankfurt, Germany, capturing bridges in tact as the German defenses began to fall apart. The initial counterattacks against Third Armys bridgeheads should have convinced him that the enemy was regaining strength. Initially, at least, Eddys XII Corps suffered setbacks as severe as those experienced by Walkers corps to its north. That remained the case in the first months of 1945. Bradley (18931981) took part in the buildup to the July 1944 Normandy landings (Operation Overlord) and was given charge of the U.S. First Army. Above and below Nancy, the Germans were content to wait for the Allies to attempt to cross the Moselle and launch local counterattacks in an effort to contain or eliminate the bridgeheads. Significantly, none of the panzer brigades had either organic artillery or reconnaissance vehicles. This was because Third Army, and the other Allied armies racing to its north, had stretched their supply lines until they snapped. This airborne operation was the largest of its kind during the entire war, utilizing 1,625 transports, 1,348 gliders, and 889 escort fighters to deliver over 22,000 airborne infantry into the contested territory. The delay would prove a costly one. Crossing the Rhine 24 -31 March 1945: C-47 transport planes release hundreds of paratroops and their supplies over the Rees-Wesel area to the east of the Rhine. I think, everybody here know the photo as Patton urinated into the Rhine. British sappers built another Rhine bridge, "Westminster". The men of the 317th Infantry Regiment managed to cross a bridge left intact and braced themselves for a counterattack. All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB. Activated: 15 July 1942. Terms & Conditions; Privacy Policy For its part, the 15th Panzergrenadier Division had three dozen Mark IV tanks. Meanwhile the construction of an even larger Class 40 bridge "London Bridge" continued and was completed by midnight. At this location, on March 22 & 23, 1945, the 249th Engineer Combat Battalion, after supporting the U.S. Army 5th Infantry Division at Oppenheim, in the first successful Rhine river assault crossing since Napoleon, completed the construction of a 366 meter floating bridge to carry elements of General George S. Patton's 3rd Army across the Rhine. Einheiten des 3. While the fighting raged, P-47s flew repeated sorties against Bures, through which the Germans were funneling fresh troops and ammunition into the battle. This had elements of the 6th and 7th Parachute Divisions on their flanks and, to their rear in reserve, the 15th and 116th Panzer Divisions. Behind the lines, Dwight Eisenhower transferred US 9th Army from Bernard Montgomery's army group to Omar Bradley's army group as Anglo-American objective shifted toward southern Germany and Czechoslovakia. Total losses for the day were five Shermans and more than 40 Panther and Mark IV tanks. So Patton called Bradley again. The Germans attacking toward Hill 265 captured several key towns, one of which was Xanrey, a few miles northwest of Arracourt. At Nierstein assault troops did not meet any resistance. 6731 Whittier Avenue, Suite C-100 McLean, VA 22101, Stay up to date with all of our latest news, But there are so few Krauts around there they dont know it yet. During the fighting around Juvelize, the Americans lost 14 Shermans and 7 Stuarts. This was the greatest airborne operation of the war. The crossing began at 2230 hours on 23 March, when the first boats carrying 11th Infantry Regiment troops left the western bank of the Rhine. Patton began drafting plans for Third Armys advance east toward the Rhine as early as September 14. After suffering significant casualties from heavy anti-aircraft fire, the airborne infantry landed and participated in direct combat during daylight to attack the German defenders from both sides. By mid-September 1944, the U.S. Third Army was poised to strike at the soft underbelly of Adolf Hitlers Third Reich along a fabled corridor in northeastern France used for centuries by armies tramping across Europe. To their credit, the RAF despatched fifty specialist within twelve hours and promised that a further 300 volunteers good be made available if required. Bradley did not announce this crossing until the night of 23 Mar; Patton had wished the Americans to announce that they had crossed the Rhine River before the British. After the completion of the Battle in The Ardennes, Patton and his Army turned to the south and east attacking toward the Rhine. The day dawned with a thick blanket of fog shrouding the crest of the hill. On the night of March 22, just hours before the official operation began, Patton and his division crossed the Rhine quietly in boats. Although the Panzergrenadiers on the crest had managed to hold on during the morning, the combined pressure of American ground fire and air strikes finally broke the enemys nerve and the ground troops began retreating down the southern slope in the afternoon. He received the Bronze Star and was shot on or about 28 September, 1944. Once again, Company C of the 704th TD Battalion rushed forward to delay the advance supported by P-47s firing rockets and machine guns. All rights reserved. Brad, dont tell anyone, but Im across. A surprised Bradley responded, Well, Ill be damned. Our database is searchable by subject and updated continuously. Campaigns: Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe. By the end of the day on September 22, the 111th Panzer Brigade had only seven tanks from an original strength of 90 when the offensive started a week before. In short order, more than a half-dozen M5 Stuart tanks sat smoldering and crumpled in fields near the town. After two days of hard fighting, the two sides braced for more of the same. The 112th Panzer Brigade decimated by the clash at Dompaire, had only two dozen serviceable tanks. Had I not secured a good bridgehead by that time, I was to stop arguing and assume the mournful role of a defender, Patton said. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, Against All Odds: A True Story of Ultimate Courage and Survival in World War II, Forgotten: The Untold Story of D-Day's Black Heroes, at Home and at War, A Higher Call: An Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-Torn Skies of World War II, The Boy Who Followed His Father into Auschwitz: A True Story of Family and Survival, Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 19411942 (The Pacific War Trilogy, 1), Facing the Mountain: An Inspiring Story of Japanese American Patriots in World War II, Sons and Soldiers: The Untold Story of the Jews Who Escaped the Nazis and Returned with the U.S. Army to Fight Hitler, Hitler's American Gamble: Pearl Harbor and Germanys March to Global War, The Bedford Boys: One American Town's Ultimate D-day Sacrifice, A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II, The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz, Potsdam: The End of World War II and the Remaking of Europe. This is Part One of a Three Part look at Pattons Lorraine Campaign. Meanwhile, British 2nd Army began an offensive towards the Elbe River. To descend the ridge and maneuver against the Panthers would have exposed the Shermans to the Panthers highly effective guns. Two days before, Bradley had called Patton and First Army Commander Maj. Gen. Courtney Hodge to his headquarters at Dreux and informed them that the supply situation was dire. A major firefight developed that resulted in the destruction of seven enemy tanks at the cost of three Shermans. The fighting resulted in the final destruction of two panzer brigades. After some confusion as to the location of their target, which was Maj. Gen. Raymond McLains 90th Division of Walkers XX Corps, the Germans regrouped on the evening of September 7 and advanced after midnight in two columns through the village of Briey toward the American position. Luttwitz would strike north toward Lunville, while Krueger would push west along the south side of the Marne-Rhine Canal toward the town. Along the way the Third Army liberated some of the most ghastly killing and concentration camps in the Reich: Ohrdruf (a subcamp of Buchenwald), Flossenbuerg, Dachau, and Mauthausen-Gusen. On September 12, engineers had laid a 168-foot pontoon bridge across the Moselle that enabled the rest of the 35th Infantry Division and the remaining tanks of CCB to cross to the east bank, Two days later, CCB had pushed through light enemy resistance to reach the Marne-Rhine Canal seven miles beyond the Moselle. Suddenly, I saw the billowing of flames, Buss said. Site created in November 2000. This post is part of our collection of resources on Nazi Germany. However, such a strong resistance was not encountered as elements of the 21st Army Group and Ninth Army crossed the river in the north in the Ruhr River region. Click here for our comprehensive information resource on the society, ideology, and key events in Nazi Germany. Seventh Army during the Sicilian campaign ( Operation Husky ), and in August 1944 his Third Army became operational in northern France. He was confident that Eddys 35th Division, with close support of the 4th Armored, could achieve a breach and hold it open to allow Third Armys armored divisions to punch through the wall. Patton, not wanting to compromise his armys success with publicity, telephoned Omar Bradley the following morning and uncharacteristically told him to keep it a secret. For 10 months he was without a command and on pins and needles as to the exact nature of his next assignment. A severe shortage of fuel in the early days of September slowed Third Armys advance to a crawl, giving the Germans time to rush reinforcements from as far away as Italy to cover thinly defended sectors. Our orders were to get the infantry to the east bank, then push our boat back into the river and let it float downstream., To prevent beached boats from blocking follow-up waves, the engineers were ordered to push as many boats back into the river as possible and then gather up the rest of the engineers who landed and pile into a single boat to return. General der Panzertruppen Walter Kruegers 58th Corps, which formed the right wing, comprised the 15th Panzergrenadier Division and the also untested but intact 113th Panzer Brigade. With the vise tightening on Nancy, Blaskowitz ordered the 553rd Volksgrenadier Division to pull out of the Nancy pocket before it was cut off. Although the day was cloudy and wet, two squadrons of P-47s from the 405th Fighter Squadron were able to navigate to the area using their cockpit instruments and instructions from ground spotters. Patton told Wood to strike east the following day in the belief that it would keep the Germans off balance. They rose through the branches of the trees to a height of 60 feet. At daybreak, the 358th Infantry Regiment attacked the column with a wide range of antitank weapons including bazookas, 3-inch guns, and 105 mm howitzers. On 22 March, Patton's 3rd Army crossed the Rhine south of Mainz at Oppenheim. He announced that the Third Army would shortly capture its 230,000th prisoner of war. The plan called for a diversionary attack at daybreak by elements of the 11th Panzer Division against the 10th Armored Infantry Battalion atop Hill 265, another key position held by the Americans. On the banks of the Rhine River the British Royal Corps of Engineers completed the construction of a Class 9 bridge "Waterloo Bridge" at 0100 hours and a Class 15 bridge "Lambeth Bridge" at 0830 hours. About 766 miles in length, with an average width of about 1,300 feet, the generally north-flowing waterway also is exceptionally swift and deep. 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