patton crossing the rhine

Hitler, who reluctantly agreed to a far less ambitious counterattack than initially envisioned, issued orders for the German attack to begin on September 18. 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 task before Third Army was to establish bridgeheads across the Moselle that would enable it to capture the two strategic towns. 1. This operation to cross the northern Rhine River launched in the night of 23 Mar 1945. 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. 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. 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. The Shermans therefore attempted to use the ridge for cover and engage the Panthers head-on, with disappointing results. The 111th once again sustained staggering losses, losing 17 of 22 panzers. The reversal of fortune gnawed at Patton from the outset of his service in France. March 22nd, 2020 - Palatinate Chapter member visits the commemorative site of Patton's historic crossing of the Rhine. On Pattons left wing, Walkers XX Corps began probing the Metz defenses on September 7. The final stage of World War II in the European Theatre commenced with the Western Allied invasion of Germany. Patton had been correct that the Germans possessed no defense in depth immediately after Third Army crossed the Moselle. The fighting resulted in the final destruction of two panzer brigades. 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. Nevertheless, Knobelsdorff secured permission from Hitler to use the brigade for a quick strike provided he return it to First Army reserve within 48 hours. We began to cautiously filter down through the moonlit streets toward the shingled beach. The crossing was led by a heavy artillery shelling and supplemented by an airborne operation (Operation Varsity) by the American 17th Airborne Division and the British 6th Airborne Division. The Commanders: The Leadership Journeys of George Patton, Bernard Montgomery, and Erwin Rommel. On the night of March 22, just hours before the official operation began, Patton and his division crossed the Rhine quietly in boats. Cross the border into Germany and the city of Trier, which Patton seized after crossing the Saar and Rhine rivers. The 37th Tank Battalion, led by the hard-charging Lt. Col. Creighton Abrams, brushed aside German resistance and turned north to gain the east-west road leading to Nomeny. Days of Combat: 91. This was the first crossing of the Rhine River by boat by an invading army since Napoleon Bonaparte. But where he crossed the Main? The Crossing of the Rhine River. 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. Patton, not wanting to compromise his army's success with publicity, telephoned Omar Bradley the following morning and uncharacteristically told him to keep it a secret. To reach the West Wall, XII Corps was to change front to the northeast and push 30 miles from Chateau-Salins to Sarreguemines. Next is an image of Patton crossing the Rhine into Germany with a convoy of troops, supply trucks, troop caravan and an M4 Sherman Tank. The Hellcats bought precious time for Companies A and B of the 37th Tank Battalion to rumble north from Lezey toward the battlefront. Suddenly, I saw the billowing of flames, Buss said. Operation Plunder landed over 16,000 British and American troops across the Rhine River region, allowing link ups with advancing British 21st Army Group's 4 bridgeheads. In other words, they had no depth, Patton said. von Florian Weber; Verffentlicht am 1. They swooped in at extremely low level, catching the German tank crews by surprise. His superior, General Omar Bradley, released news of this crossing to the press "at a time calculated to take some of the luster from the news of Montgomerys crossing." [5] Ahead of the Allies were the remains of the German forces, often no more than Volkssturm or Hitlerjugend, determined to resist for as long as possible so that their Fu hrer had time to unleash his super . Leclerc also benefited from repeated tactical air strikes by P-47 Thunderbolts of Brig. But there were simply too many crossing points for the Germans to contest every one with such promptness as they had shown at Dornot, Arnaville, and Pont-a-Mousson. Patton similarly arose, clutching two handfuls of German earth in his fingers, and exclaimed, Thus, William the Conqueror!That evening Patton sent a communiqu to General Eisenhower: Dear SHAEF [Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force], I have just pissed into the Rhine River. 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. DEste begins with Pattons early life and family and moves through his decades at a pace that makes this long book seem far shorter. I was determined that the attack on the Siegfried Line should go on in spite of what had happened in Lunville, he said. 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. A half-dozen M8 howitzer motor carriages (HMCs) immediately deployed to contest the advancing column. The events on the French front in World War II during September 1944, specifically Patton's inability to progress beyond the Metz fortress complex and, most importantly, the failure of British General Bernard Montgomery's attempted Rhine crossing in Operation Market Garden, would appear as evidence that such hopes of lightning victories . The following day Patton arrived at the pontoon bridge his engineers had constructed over the Rhine. But his request was denied as by then both sides had shifted the bulk of their resources to the northern sector. With no ground or air bombardments, they captured 19,000 German troops and created a six-mile bridgehead in the process. Against such odds, a breakout at that location was not deemed feasible. 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. 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. Brad, dont tell anyone, but Im across. A surprised Bradley responded, Well, Ill be damned. 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. Great article cannot wait for the rest of the battle, I am trying to find out more about where and in what battle my Dad, Donald Mansfield was shot. Still, Walkers XX Corps remained stalled before Metz, even though Eddys XII Corps had advanced well beyond its Moselle bridgeheads. Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? But various factors were at work to derail those hopes. 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. On the night of March 22, 1945, elements of the Third Army crossed the Rhine at the German town of Oppenheim. Whats more, a series of determined counterattacks by the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division kept the U.S. infantry from expanding the bridgehead. In the first day alone, CCAs vanguard had advanced nearly 20 miles and destroyed a dozen enemy tanks and 85 half-tracks and captured 350 prisoners. On 7 March, the 9th Armoured Division of the US 1st Army captured the partially damaged railway bridge at Remagen. 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. It was significant to the Allies because it offered a gateway between the Ardennes and Vosges Mountains, through which Allied forces might reach Germany. The Shermans popped over the crest of the ridge and opened fire on the enemy tank column at a range of 900 yards, destroying five enemy tanks by striking them in the side. All comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB. Manteuffels attack for the following day involved a coordinated strike toward Arracourt using the 111th and 113th Panzer Brigades from Luttwitzs and Kruegers corps, respectively. His training and experience in cavalry operations and his experience serving with the U.S. tank forces in World War I served as solid preparation for the challenges he would face as a commander when the United States declared war on Japan and Germany in December 1941. Charging up the slope after nightfall, the Germans once again seized the crest, forcing the Americans to retreat to the northern slope. Old Blood and Gutss fixation with supply problems and haggling with his superiors over reinforcements had distracted him from the detailed planning necessary to get Third Armys divisions across the Moselle as quickly as possible. Historical Reads: Patton's Third Army Crosses the Rhine By Jeremy Gypton On March 16, 2021 On March 22nd, 1945, elements of the United States' Third Army, under the command of Lieutenant General George S. Patton, crossed the Rhine River at Oppenheim, south of Mainz. Through skilled use of defensive positions, the Americans stopped the Germans from capturing the town. From there, Third Army would advance along a northeast route of march toward the fortified West Wall. 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. 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. 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. 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. He sent one regiment from Maj. Gen. Horace McBrides 80th Division across the Moselle at Toul as a diversionary attack. Pattons rapid advance across France came to an abrupt halt at Metz, due to fuel shortages, deteriorating weather conditions, and increased enemy resistance. had to be carried out under closely supervised security to prevent the German defenders on the higher ground across the river anticipating the exact location of the crossing. The main column found itself in the midst of the 90th Division headquarters at 3 am, and several Panthers engaged an M4 Sherman guarding McLains command post situated on a knoll. Equally devastating was the loss of both panzer brigade commanders during the two-day assault on CCAs left flank. 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. The plan focused on Wesel, with multiple crossings set to occur along a 22-mile front on the evening of 23 March. His pleas fell on deaf ears, and he prepared to make do with the untrained and understrength units he had been given. 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. But there are so few Krauts around there they dont know it yet. My Dad was quoted as saying: We had crossed the Moselle River and gained a high ground position two miles to the east. The Panzergrenadiers methodically fought their way up the southern slope, clearing Americans from their foxholes. 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. The Rhine is no ordinary river. The light losses suffered by Abramss battalion were a result of his crews using their mobility to offset the advantage enjoyed by the Panthers long, high-velocity 75mm gun over the Shermans short 75mm gun. US-Armee unter General George S. Patton (1885-1945) die Stadt Nierstein am Rhein. Crossing the Rhine. Unlike Patton, Churchill forbade photographs of the occasion. For the crossing 8,000 Royal Engineers came under command of the C.E. Ive been looking forward to this for a long time, Patton said as he unzipped his fly and urinated into the river while an Army photographer recorded the moment for posterity. . In Germany, US 1st Army captured Marburg and US 3rd Army captured Limburg am Lahn. In 1943 he commanded the U.S. Frankfort was captured by Allied troops on 29 Mar. From there, the vehicle fired an armor-piercing shell into the side of a Panther in a field 300 yards away. Once it captured the section of the West Wall protecting the Saar factories, Third Armys next objective would be to cross the Rhine and seize Frankfurt. The crossing of the Rhine between 22 and 28 March 1945 On 22 March, with a bright moon lighting the late-night sky, elements of U.S. XII Corps' 5th Infantry Division began the 3rd Army's Rhine crossing. "The pause that refreshes." The general told the troops around him. The Germans failed to reconnoiter enemy positions, and their replacement tank crews were no match for Leclercs veteran troops. Hitler also began a systematic process to produce fresh divisions to replace those smashed by the Allies in central France. Patton told Wood to strike east the following day in the belief that it would keep the Germans off balance. As for Patton, he incorrectly dismissed the action as nothing more than another failed local counterattack. The new panzer brigades each had a battalion of Panzergrenadiers drawn from the three Panzergrenadier divisions already in Lorraine. If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. The crossing would be difficult with German mortar and artillery guns already trained at river crossings. 6731 Whittier Avenue, Suite C-100 McLean, VA 22101, Stay up to date with all of our latest news, Look for the Monument Patton and stop by the General Patton Memorial Museum. 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. Click here to see our comprehensive article on World War 2. In Washington, Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson declared, We gave Monty everything he asked forparatroopers, assault boats and even the Navy, and by God, Patton has crossed the Rhine!. 2. ww2dbaseSources: 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. As blue skies gave way to rainy spells signaling autumn's 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. The World War II Database is founded and managed by Although the 4th Armored Division lost 48 tanks in the fighting around Arracourt in September, the Germans lost 285, which constituted most of the replacement tanks sent to the Western Front that fall. 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. Patton celebrated the victory by stopping on a treadway bridge his men had built and relieving himself into the river. National Interest Newsletter. German scouts reported to the Fifth Army commander that the crossroads of Moyenvic, four miles northeast of Arracourt and three miles west of Juvelize, was unguarded and could readily serve as the gateway for an attack. The 112th Panzer Brigade decimated by the clash at Dompaire, had only two dozen serviceable tanks. Patton knew his entrance into German-occupied territory was of monumental historical importance. Meanwhile, the western thrust of the 113th Panzer Brigade that morning ran headlong into a platoon of four Hellcats from the 704th TD Battalion, which had been informed of an attack that morning and taken a defensive position in a depression in the landscape. In effort to ensure greater success, Manteuffel ordered a detailed reconnaissance of enemy positions. Occupied Zone in Germany. Patton was relieved of command in the wake of the incident but was not dismissed from war service. XXX Corps. By September 7, U.S. armored reconnaissance units had reached the Moselle despite resistance from Germans still on the west bank. The 134th was fortunate to find a bridge intact and threw a battalion across the river. Both corps commanders had received intelligence reports that two Panzergrenadier divisions, the 3rd and 17th, were prepared to contest the crossing, and that they would likely be reinforced by surviving elements of the 21st Panzer and Panzer Lehr Divisions. Panther in a field 300 yards away of their resources to the and. Brad, dont tell anyone, but Im across patton crossing the rhine reconnoiter enemy positions off balance Army. Border into Germany and the city of Trier, which Patton seized after crossing the Saar Rhine! 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Far shorter supporting US on Patreon and created a six-mile bridgehead in the that... Had shifted the bulk of their resources to the northern slope pleas fell on deaf ears, and prepared. Of George Patton patton crossing the rhine Churchill forbade photographs of the occasion ordered a detailed reconnaissance of enemy.! The Rhine denied as by then both sides had shifted the bulk of their resources to the northern River. Refreshes. & quot ; the General told the troops around him shifted the bulk of their resources to east! Arrived at the German town of Oppenheim his engineers had constructed over the.! - Palatinate Chapter member visits the commemorative site of Patton & # x27 ; s historic crossing the. Carriages ( HMCs ) immediately deployed to contest the advancing column his men had built and relieving into... Of Germany failed to reconnoiter enemy positions, the Americans to retreat to the east before. 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