Haislips arrival in early September disrupted a key element of Hitlers plan for a counterattack against Third Army by denying the Germans a staging area on the west side of the Moselle from which they might isolate American forces on the east side. He believed that it would leave too long of a left flank vulnerable to German counter offensives. In its place, Clark ordered three armored infantry battalions that were part of the 4th Armored Division to entrench on a camelback ridge composed of two adjacent prominences known as Hills 318 and 293, which barred the road to Nancy and allowed U.S. guns to sweep German positions to the east and south. Scouts from the U.S. 42nd Cavalry Squadron detected a German column approachingfrom the south toward Lunville at 7 am on September 18. Meanwhile, the main attack that morning by the Germans against the 51st Armored Infantry Battalion of Dagers CCB occupying the camelback was broken up by the concentrated fire of six artillery battalions. On Pattons left wing, Walkers XX Corps began probing the Metz defenses on September 7. Although the crossing was uneventful and drew no enemy fire, Tucker remembered, We swore not to push our boat into the water., Instead, once the infantrymen scrambled onto the shore, Tucker and his fellow engineer simply got back into their boat and paddled back across. The new panzer brigades each had a battalion of Panzergrenadiers drawn from the three Panzergrenadier divisions already in Lorraine. Third Armys advance would be further slowed by squabbles among Pattons lieutenants and by lack of training in fortress warfare on the part of its infantry. Left: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, in the company of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery and a party of U.S. commanders, crosses to the German-held east bank of the Rhine without incident, March25, 1945. On the day of the deadline, Patton reported to Bradley that the southern wing of Third Army had broken out of its bridgeheads and was in position to continue pushing east. I never knew what happened to those other boats., Once the two returned to the west bank, Tuckers entire squad was ordered north to help the U.S. Navy. The 37th Tank Battalion would get no rest on September 20. In addition, the Royal Navy provided a team to construct an anti-mine boom upriver to prevent the Germans from floating demolitions down to destroy the bridges after they had been constructed. 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. 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. Photo Credit: Men of the U.S. 5th Infantry Division hug the walls in one of the suburbs of Metz in early September 1944. Activated: 15 July 1942. Troops of the US Ninth Army finished clearing the Duisberg Pocket in Germany. The Germans did not intended to give up either without a fight. The Rhine Crossings in the South Map X The Rhine River Crossings in the South 22-28 March 1945 From the first, General Patton had hoped to exploit his Third Army's part in the Saar-Palatinate campaign into a crossing of the Rhine. The crossing would be difficult with German mortar and artillery guns already trained at river crossings. Three weeks earlier Churchill had visited the front lines near Juelich. Distinguished Unit Citations: 11. Patton, who actually did not have the orders to cross the river, did so under an extremely low profile: quietly, his troops crossed the river in boats without artillery barrage nor aerial bombardment. Although Heckers division was at nearly full strength, Rodts had been depleted as a result of nearly a year of hard fighting. The Germans, who observed the Americans pulling out of Juvelize, occupied the abandoned town the following day. ww2dbaseThe river on XXX Corps' front was 500 yards across and defended on its eastern bank by the German 8th Parachute Division, in and around the town of Rees. This operation to cross the northern Rhine River launched in the night of 23 Mar 1945. Until sufficient forces were gathered for the counterattack, the frontline troops were ordered to defend as many crossing points along the Moselle as possible between Nancy and Metz. But Pattons dash ground to a halt shortly after it crossed the Meuse. Whats more, a series of determined counterattacks by the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division kept the U.S. infantry from expanding the bridgehead. Patton spent so much time cajoling Bradley for permission to continue his advance east and additional reinforcements that he was seemingly oblivious to the stiffening enemy resistance and to evidence that the Germans were amassing substantial reinforcements in the Nancy sector. In short order, more than a half-dozen M5 Stuart tanks sat smoldering and crumpled in fields near the town. Late in the evening of 22 March, XII Corp's 5th Infantry Division began a Rhine crossing near Oppenheim against little resistance. When the Germans attempted to withdraw, they found their escape route blocked by the 359th Infantry Regiment moving east to cut them off. When Manteuffel learned that the 111th had becomebogged down in Lunville, he ordered it to break off the engagement and bypass the town to the east. Luttwitz and Krueger received their orders two days before the start date. 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. Indeed, the advance of Haislips XV Corps prevented German forces from assembling for their attack on the west bank of the Moselle, where they might cut off the forces on the east bank. The main attack would come from the town of Bures to the south, where Manteuffel had scraped together a battle group composed of 30 tanks and assault guns to capture the camelback. Unlike Manteuffels forces, Knobelsdorffs had artillery with which to support an attack. In addition, Wood ordered CCB to shift to CCAs right flank to cover the ground between Rechicourt and the Marne-Rhine Canal. site is two fold. The media and public back home were outraged that a general would treat an enlisted man in such a manner. Major General Clarence Huebner's V Corps made rapid advances with relative ease. By early afternoon, the Germans were fighting their way into the southern end of the town. This operation initially called for an air drop by the troops of the US 13th Airborne Division, but as the German defenses crumbled, the airborne operation was called off. Although the 106th Panzer Brigade was led by veterans from the Eastern Front, its crews had received very little training and the brigade suffered from a severe shortage of communications equipment essential to coordinate an assault. The Commanders: The Leadership Journeys of George Patton, Bernard Montgomery, and Erwin Rommel. North of Metz, Third Armys left flank lay exposed, and Knobelsdorff sent the 106th Panzer Brigade to attack the Americans in an effort to keep them off balance and slow their efforts to cross the Moselle. Though Gen. Patton had the blessing of Twelfth Army Group head Gen. Omar Bradley (take the Rhine on the run), his intent was to steal Montys thunder on the eve of the British commanders massive buildup of land-based and airborne units and to make the British offensive anticlimactic. Meanwhile, US Third Army captured Ludwigshafen and Speyer, Germany. Despite efforts to rush fuel to the frontline units, the Allies were still receiving their fuel from supply dumps in Normandy. American troops had already made a crossing on March 7a signal moment in the war . Copyright 20122023 World War II - Day By Day. Most of the forces opposite Pattons Third Army belonged to the German First Army, which was part of General-Colonel Johannes Blaskowitzs Army Group G. Hitler planned to increase the forces opposite Patton to the point that they would be capable of launching a strong counterattack that would rock Third Army back on its heels. When a column of 11 panzers appeared out of the mist that morning, three were immediately knocked out at close range by Shermans belonging to 1st Platoon, Company C, of Abramss 37th Tank Battalion in concealed positions. Click here for parts Two and Three. Throughout the night of 23 Mar and the next day, 80,000 British and Canadian troops crossed the 20-mile stretch of the river. Meanwhile, US Third Army reached Siegen, Germany. British sappers built another Rhine bridge, "Westminster". For the crossing 8,000 Royal Engineers came under command of the C.E. The next morning, elements of the 3rd Panzergrenadier Division overran the bridgehead, killing 300 Americans. Frankfort was captured by Allied troops on 29 Mar. Patton was chomping at the bit to get at the Germans as soon as he arrived in France, and Bradley received permission from Ike to activate Third Army on August 1. "The only thing that Patton told us was: 'When you get after them, chase them like hounds chasing a rabbit.' Then he said: 'Go to the Rhine and capture a bridge.' We did everything but capture. Luttwitz would strike north toward Lunville, while Krueger would push west along the south side of the Marne-Rhine Canal toward the town. Pattons troops beat Montgomery across the Rhine by one day. The German armored column continued south, hoping to stampede the American soldiers into abandoning their positions. While waiting for fuel to arrive with which to resume his eastward advance, Patton received good news from Bradley on September 4 that he would soon receive reinforcements in the form of Maj. Gen. Wade Haislips XV Corps, which would guard his right flank against German forces retreating up the Rhone Valley. The German troops knew that the Allied forces were only taking a short time to gather up strength before the invasion into Germany would commence. Patton had served with competence and distinction with the U.S. forces throughout Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa. The final stage of World War II in the European Theatre commenced with the Western Allied invasion of Germany. Seventh Army in the invasion of Sicily in July 1943. US First Army captured Paderborn and Hamm, Germany. He did not expect to encounter substantial resistance until he reached the West Wall. Two days earlier, Patton had told Maj. Gen. Manton Eddy that his XII Corps would lead the way. Although his unit was spearheading the attack toward the river, he assumed there would be a pause to get organized for the crossing. As blue skies gave way to rainy spells signaling autumns approach, the U.S. Third Army readied itself for a push to the Rhine, and perhaps the honor of being the first Allied troops to hurdle the last major barrier on the road to Berlin. To their credit, the RAF despatched fifty specialist within twelve hours and promised that a further 300 volunteers good be made available if required. ww2dbaseTo assist the Engineer the RAF's No.159 Wing was approached to furnish some of the men who operated the balloons to handle the winches that were to be used to haul the ferries and rafts across. events, and resources, Patton in Lorraine: Breaking the Moselle Line. His high hopes for a rapid advance to the West Wall would be dashed as heavy rains over the next two months restricted Third Armys tank columns to primary roads and sharply curtailed tactical air support. Brad, for Gods sake tell the world were across. Although the U.S. First Army had already captured an intact bridge over the river at Remagen, there was still a rivalry between Patton and British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery to cross next. British sappers built another Rhine bridge, "Blackfriars", by noon. For Gods sake send some gasoline. Neither a patient nor defensive-minded commander, Patton seems not to have hindered his promotion to the temporary rank of four-star general in April by acting or remarking as he did. Meanwhile, Patton acknowledged that he might have to delay his advance east. On the night of March 22, just hours before the official operation began, Patton and his division crossed the Rhine quietly in boats. On the night of March 22, 1945, elements of the Third Army crossed the Rhine at the German town of Oppenheim. Against light opposition, he had secured Morocco during the opening phase of Torch and ably led the U.S. II Corps when selected to replace Maj. Gen. Lloyd Fredenhall after the debacle at Kasserine Pass. Patton began drafting plans for Third Armys advance east toward the Rhine as early as September 14. US First Army attacked Paderborn, Germany. Patton was relieved of command in the wake of the incident but was not dismissed from war service. My Dad was quoted as saying: We had crossed the Moselle River and gained a high ground position two miles to the east. Maj. Gen. Leroy Irvins 5th Infantry Division pushed across the swollen waters of the flooded Metz River the following day to gain a precarious bridgehead at Dornot, five miles south of Metz. Initially, at least, Eddys XII Corps suffered setbacks as severe as those experienced by Walkers corps to its north. Patton arrived in France exactly one month after the D-Day invasion to set up the operational command for Third Army. "The pause that refreshes." The general told the troops around him. With no ground or air bombardments, they captured 19,000 German troops and created a six-mile bridgehead in the process. Since the days of the Roman Empire it has served as central Germany's traditional defense against invasion from the west. Manteuffels goal, as head of the 5th Panzer Army on the Western Front, was to transform Lunville into a base from which to roll up Third Armys flank on the east bank of the river. Balck requested that Rundstedt provide Army Group G with three fresh divisions and 80 additional tanks and assault guns to continue the fight. His pleas fell on deaf ears, and he prepared to make do with the untrained and understrength units he had been given. The flames were transparent orange, rising with startling swiftness. In Germany, US Third Army captured Darmstadt and reached Main, allowing the linking up with US Seventh Army near Worms. 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. National Interest Newsletter. (To be fair to the British 21st Army Group, their Rhine crossings were marshy (Wesel) and twice as wide, with the river carrying a far higher volume of water than the crossings consigned to the U.S. Third and Seventh Armies and the French First Army, meaning that Montgomery could not possibly cross the Rhine on the run.) The next day Patton, showing his contempt for the enemy, made good on his pledge to piss in the Rhine in a week, which he did from a pontoon bridge in full view of his men and news cameras. Lava's technical capabilities. As Third Army firmly established itself on the east bank of the Moselle at Nancy, capturing not only crossing points but also key crossroads on the east bank, the Germans had to postpone their counterattack several times and continually revise it to adjust to new events. Nevertheless, the Germans established strong defensive positions in two dilapidated French fortresses that effectively blocked the western approaches to the city. He wanted a quick, spectacular crossing that would produce newspaper headlines in the manner of Despite the ferocity of the attack, the cavalry held on for four hours before it finally withdrew into the town. Eisenhower issued orders in late August to all of his top commanders outlining a two-pronged offensive against western Germany in which the principal targets were the Ruhr and Saar industrial areas. By the end of the day the Germans had lost a dozen Mark IVs and six Panthers. Thank You, Company A, advancing on the left, gained high ground west of Juvelize, and with substantial artillery support, it checked the momentum of the enemy armor pushing south. Still, the 137th Infantry Division that same day managed to establish several small bridgeheads on the eastern bank. Germany. The shift in plans resulted in an ominous quiet on the front lines that day and led to speculation as to whether the Germans had finally quit their offensive. Patton drove to the XII Corps front on September 19, where he met first with Eddy and later with Wood. By the time the Third Army had gained a firm foothold on the east bank of the Moselle in mid-September, the masterminds of the German high command had hatched plans for a bold strike to regain the initiative. For 10 months he was without a command and on pins and needles as to the exact nature of his next assignment. von Florian Weber; Verffentlicht am 1. Irwins 5th Infantry Division made another effort to secure a bridgehead across the Moselle at Arnaville, a short march south of Dornot, on September 10. The World War II Database is founded and managed by You mean across the Rhine? Sure am, Patton replied, I sneaked a division over last night. To descend the ridge and maneuver against the Panthers would have exposed the Shermans to the Panthers highly effective guns. As a result, Eisenhower ordered him to make a personal apology to the soldier and also to everyone present at the time of the incident. Leslie Mansfield, (daughter). In Berlin, Adolf Hitler wanted to counterattack at the Allied bridgehead at Oppenheim, but he was told that no reserve forces were available to embark on such an operation. The Germans, in an effort to regroup, turned southwest to escape the ambush. Because Knobelsdorff had no better luck than Manteuffel against the Americans, Balck returned control of the offensive back to Manteuffel. Although ordered to avoid German forces concentrated at Chateau-Salins, Abrams nevertheless overtook an armored column from the 15th Panzergrenadier Division and, in another stunning attack, captured or destroyed 26 armored vehicles and took 400 prisoners. The British prime minister had long dreamed of relieving himself on Hitlers much-vaunted Siegfried Line to show his contempt for Hitler and Nazism. If youre interested in learning more about Patton, and his long history in and impact on the United States Army hint, its far deeper than just World War 2 Carlo DEstes biography, Patton: A Genius for War, is a good start. To learn more,click here for our comprehensive guide to General Patton. Hitler, who reluctantly agreed to a far less ambitious counterattack than initially envisioned, issued orders for the German attack to begin on September 18. He made his way halfway across the bridge before suddenly halting. Units of the Canadian First Army, British Second Army, and the U.S. As he came closer to the German lines, He immediately became calm, shaking off tremors of fear. Having previously been denied permission to photograph the face of the 200,000th prisoner (the Geneva Convention required that a prisoner be protected against acts of public curiosity), Patton announced that this time we will take a picture of his ass. (A week later their POW capture would top 300,000. (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 publicity was not for meGod knows Ive got enoughI could go to heaven and St. Peter would recognize me right awaybut it is for the officers and the men. Patton then complained that the Marines go to town by reporting the number [of their men] killed, I always try to fight without getting [our] people killed.. The plan focused on Wesel, with multiple crossings set to occur along a 22-mile front on the evening of 23 March. Hitler also reappointed General Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, who had been relieved of his command in June, to oversee Germanys forces in the west. To ensure that the bridgehead could properly defend itself, Wood ordered Clarks CCA to send its lead elements across the bridge the following morning. 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. The Shermans then retreated behind the crest of the ridge and reappeared at another point to finish off the three remaining Panthers. At the beginning of September, Pattons Third Army was close enough to Germany to alarm Hitler. After the completion of the Battle in The Ardennes, Patton and his Army turned to the south and east attacking toward the Rhine. Patton knew his entrance into German-occupied territory was of monumental historical importance. Charging up the slope after nightfall, the Germans once again seized the crest, forcing the Americans to retreat to the northern slope. On September 6, he sacked First Army commander General der Infanterie Kurt Chevallerie in favor of General der Panzertruppen Otto Knobelsdorff, who would lead German forces covering the line from Sedan to Nancy. A spearhead of the 317th Infantry Regiment crossed the river in boats, but the following morning they were bombarded by German artillery and mortars, which forced them into their foxholes. The fighting resulted in the final destruction of two panzer brigades. Your IP address will be tracked even if you remain anonymous. From the standpoint of losses in men and equipment, the Arracourt battles were a resounding victory for the Americans. The reconstituted Fifth Panzer Army was inserted into Blaskowitzs Army Group G between First Army to the north and the Nineteenth Army to the south. 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 destruction of the 112th Panzer Brigade occurred less than a week after the equally embarrassing debut of the 106th Panzer Brigade on Third Armys northern flank. US-Armee unter General George S. Patton (1885-1945) die Stadt Nierstein am Rhein. When Patton Enlisted the Entire Third Army to Pray for Fair Weather, California Do not sell my personal information. Meanwhile the construction of an even larger Class 40 bridge "London Bridge" continued and was completed by midnight. 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. Weeks ahead of his rival, British Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, Patton fought his own higher command structure nearly as hard as he did the Germans, making impolitic comments in public, moving farther and more aggressively than ordered, and even having his troops pose as First Army soldiers in order to steal fuel from that units stores in order to maintain their own advance to the east. Out of a morning mist that clung like a tight-fitting garment to field and forest on September 18 rumbled factory-fresh Panther tanks toward a thin screen of men and machines guarding the Third Armys right flank at Lunville, in the northeast corner of France. March 22, 1945 On this date in 1945, one day before the British 21st Army Group under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery was due to launch Operation Plunder, the long-awaited northern offensive across the Rhine River at Rees and Wesel in North Rhine-Westphalia, Gen. George S. Patton sneaked a division of his U.S. Third Army across the Rhine at Oppenheim, lower on the river and south of Mainz. The type of close-range fighting that day is exemplified by an encounter between an M18 Hellcat of the 704th against a pair of Panther tanks. Gen. Holmes Dagers Combat Command B (CCB) to assist the 35th Infantry Division south of Nancy, and Colonel Bruce Clarks Combat Command A (CCA) to be held in reserve to exploit whichever crossing offered the most promise for a rapid breakout. Third Army, which formed the right wing of Bradleys 12th Army Group, was composed of Maj. Gen. Walton Walkers XX Corps and Eddys XII Corps. We are now fairly started on that phase of the campaign which I hope will be the final one. In 1943 he commanded the U.S. Meanwhile, Company B engaged the Germans who had taken up a strong position inside Juvelize. As for Patton, he incorrectly dismissed the action as nothing more than another failed local counterattack. It was a daunting series of objectives, but Patton relished the opportunity. The Americans captured the northern fort almost immediately, but German paratroopers held out in the southern fort for five days. 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. From Metz to Nancy the Germans were deployed on the east bank of the Moselle as follows: the 559th Volksgrenadier Regiment opposite Thionville, Division Number 462 (partially composed of zealous officer cadets from the Metz service schools) and the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division at Metz, the 3rd Panzergrenadier Division opposite Pont-a-Mousson, the 92nd Luftwaffe Training Regiment opposite Marbache, the 3rd Parachute Replacement Regiment in front of Nancy in a westward loop of the river, and the 553rd Volksgrenadier Regiment inside Nancy. I was convinced then there were no Germans ahead of us except those we were actually fighting. With no ground or air bombardments, they captured 19,000 German troops and created a six-mile bridgehead in the process. The Hellcats bought precious time for Companies A and B of the 37th Tank Battalion to rumble north from Lezey toward the battlefront. The day dawned with a thick blanket of fog shrouding the crest of the hill. He sent one regiment from Maj. Gen. Horace McBrides 80th Division across the Moselle at Toul as a diversionary attack. By September 10, Baades 35th Infantry Division was in force along the western bank of the Moselle south of Nancy. I know that he carried the BAR and he was in Company A, 359th Infantry Regiment. 140 kilometers to the north, British Second Army captured Wesel, Germany. Gen. Otto Weylands XIX Tactical Air Command. Although a bridge had been captured some weeks before at Remagen, and a bridge-head tenuously held, this was to be the first river assault crossing of this famous stream since . So he decided to imitate William the Conquerors entrance into England before leading Norman forces in their heroic conquest of the entire island in 1066. He is all through. 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. . With that measure of skill, the 704th managed that day to destroy eight Panthers without losing a single tank destroyer. A week before the Rhine crossing, Patton had held a press conference in which he delivered a classic performance, mixing the humorous, provocative, and the profane. Desperate to achieve their objective, the Germans toiled throughout the day to construct strongpoints and establish camouflaged positions on the southern slope to support their attack. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was the supreme commander of Allied forces in North Africa at the time, picked Patton to lead the U.S. The following day Patton arrived at the pontoon bridge his engineers had constructed over the Rhine. The western boundary of Lorraine is formed by the Moselle Valley and the eastern boundary by the Saare River. A heavy artillery barrage preceded an attack near Chateau-Salins by two regiments supported by tanks across flat ground against U.S. forces in defensive positions on a long ridge. All of these units suffered serious armored and antitank deficiencies. Pattons notion that Third Army could cross the Moselle with ease and cover the 40 miles from the river to the West Wall in a matter of weeks had been shattered by Manteuffels determined, if futile, counterattack in September. The initial counterattacks against Third Armys bridgeheads should have convinced him that the enemy was regaining strength. But where he crossed the Main? The initiative then shifted to the Americans when a task force from Companies A and B of the 37th Tank Battalion swept through Rechicourt, driving the Germans beyond the town. Over the next four days, CCA raided the countryside around Arracourt, managing to destroy more enemy tanks and vehicles at a cost of only a half dozen M4 Sherman tanks. As expected, the Germans counterattacked at 1 pm on September 13 just as CCA began crossing the bridge. 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