WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. Shortly after crossing the Rhine river near Oppenheim, Gen. Pattons 3rd Army went into the heart of Germany as they crossed their next water barrier, the Main river. 9th AID M3 Half-tracks advancing through Engers, Germany, 27 March 1945. This meant that two columns of tanks and half-tracks from the 113th would have to carry the objective themselves. Control of the crest of Hill 318 shifted back and forth on September 28. The media and public back home were outraged that a general would treat an enlisted man in such a manner. Gen. Otto Weylands XIX Tactical Air Command. To Allied supreme commander Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower he wrote: I have just pissed into the Rhine River. But his cajoling paid off, as Bradley had been working hard to ensure that Haislips XV Corps, which had been helping to clear the lower Seine of German forces, would join Third Army on its southern flank. As Pattons Third Army approached the Meuse River in late August, it paused before pushing into the Lorraine region. 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. 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 men of the 317th Infantry Regiment managed to cross a bridge left intact and braced themselves for a counterattack. Patton had served with competence and distinction with the U.S. forces throughout Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa. But various factors were at work to derail those hopes. CROSSING THE RHINE After several days of what passed for R&R (Rest & Recreation) in Koblenz, we loaded up and climbed on trucks in the late afternoon of March 24 and moved upstream on the west side of the Rhine to the small town of Boppard. Both sides employed heavy guns to shell enemy forces clinging to their respective slopes. For Gods sake, send some gasoline.. Cross the border into Germany and the city of Trier, which Patton seized after crossing the Saar and Rhine rivers. The Shermans therefore attempted to use the ridge for cover and engage the Panthers head-on, with disappointing results. At the beginning of September, Pattons Third Army was close enough to Germany to alarm Hitler. He announced that the Third Army would shortly capture its 230,000th prisoner of war. 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. The Germans failed to reconnoiter enemy positions, and their replacement tank crews were no match for Leclercs veteran troops. Mrz 2023; . Fearing Hitlers ire, Blaskowitz berated Manteuffel for failing to make any noticeable gains and ordered him to continue the counterattack regardless of the losses incurred. (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.) We've got him. National Interest Newsletter. Subsequently VIII Corps made two additional crossings downstream, to the south of Koblenz. Geplant war eine Flussberquerung, die nach dem Willen des Oberkommandierenden berraschend, schnell und spektakulr werden sollte. Finally, head to Hamm American Cemetery to visit Patton's grave. Meanwhile the construction of an even larger Class 40 bridge "London Bridge" continued and was completed by midnight. The pause that refreshes. The general told the troops around him. 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. 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. 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. 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 Germans attacked along the entire line on September 29, and Wietersheim committed his final reserve of 40 tanks to the fight for Hill 318. Having failed to reconnoiter the American lines, the Germans blundered into a hornets nest. 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. As the troops of the French First Army crossed the Rhine River near Speyer, Germany, they became the first French troops to attack across the river since Napoleon Bonaparte. The day dawned with a thick blanket of fog shrouding the crest of the hill. Patton would face significant leadership and tactical challenges in the region in the months following the Arracourt clashes. The final stage of World War II in the European Theatre commenced with the Western Allied invasion of Germany. Following the setback at Pont-a-Mousson, McBride ordered his men to attempt another crossing four miles south at Dieulouard. He later went as far as the railway bridge at Wesel by Montgomery's staff car, a bridge that was still under enemy fire. The Crossing of the Rhine River. 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. While the fighting raged, P-47s flew repeated sorties against Bures, through which the Germans were funneling fresh troops and ammunition into the battle. click here for our comprehensive guide to General Patton. Scouts from the U.S. 42nd Cavalry Squadron detected a German column approachingfrom the south toward Lunville at 7 am on September 18. ), Patton also requested the help of the press corps in informing the Germans that four of his armored divisions were slashing away at them. The American tank crews also benefited from a hydraulic turret that allowed them to swing into firing position faster than the Germans slower hand-cranked traverse. After the war Eisenhower was appointed Military Governor of the U.S. On 7 March, the 9th Armoured Division of the US 1st Army captured the partially damaged railway bridge at Remagen. Within three days Patton's troops were rapidly approaching Frankfurt, Germany, capturing bridges in tact as the German defenses began to fall apart. He made his way halfway across the bridge before suddenly halting. 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. 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. The Shermans then retreated behind the crest of the ridge and reappeared at another point to finish off the three remaining Panthers. Second, it is to showcase Lloyd Clark. So Patton called Bradley again. It might be impossible to complete the mission which we started out on, but we could kill a lot of Germans trying, he told Eddy. After the completion of the Battle in The Ardennes, Patton and his Army turned to the south and east attacking toward the Rhine. The tank battle raged well into the afternoon as Company B arrived to help Abrams hold back the Germans. 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. By September 10, Baades 35th Infantry Division was in force along the western bank of the Moselle south of Nancy. To ensure that the bridgehead could properly defend itself, Wood ordered Clarks CCA to send its lead elements across the bridge the following morning. Hardcover. As expected, the Germans counterattacked at 1 pm on September 13 just as CCA began crossing the bridge. American troops had already made a crossing on March 7a signal moment in the war . The Sherman crews could do little to deter the advancing Panthers because of the excellent sloped and thick frontal armor the enemy tanks possessed. For its part, the 15th Panzergrenadier Division had three dozen Mark IV tanks. 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. Leclerc also benefited from repeated tactical air strikes by P-47 Thunderbolts of Brig. By the end of the day the Germans had lost a dozen Mark IVs and six Panthers. The Commanders: The Leadership Journeys of George Patton, Bernard Montgomery, and Erwin Rommel. Still, the 137th Infantry Division that same day managed to establish several small bridgeheads on the eastern bank. But by the time Eddy was ready to resume his advance, Manteuffels Fifth Army had materialized as if out of thin air. Events in the northern sector made it necessary to divert precious fuel and ammunition to British and American units in that sector, which meant that Third Army would have insufficient resources to sustain prolonged offensive action. Although his unit was spearheading the attack toward the river, he assumed there would be a pause to get organized for the crossing. 2nd Lt. Richard Buss, commanding a platoon of M18s, ordered one of his vehicles to take up a well-protected position behind a railroad embankment with only its barrel visible. 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. This operation to cross the northern Rhine River launched in the night of 23 Mar 1945. BATTLE OF THE BULGE is scrolled underneath. He did not expect to encounter substantial resistance until he reached the West Wall. and useful information about WW2. Lying astride Third Armys route of advance were the key cities of Metz and Nancy, both of which are located on the east bank of the Moselle. US First Army finally broke out of Remagen bridgehead in Germany. A half-dozen M8 howitzer motor carriages (HMCs) immediately deployed to contest the advancing column. 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. With their high-velocity guns, the Panthers easily knocked out the Yanks vehicles. In December he was appointed Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force and planned the July 1944 invasion of Europe (Operation Overlord). In short order, more than a half-dozen M5 Stuart tanks sat smoldering and crumpled in fields near the town. On the evening of March 22, 1945 General George S. Patton's forces were fronting the last major obstacle to the heart of Germany, the Rhine River. Hitler, who reluctantly agreed to a far less ambitious counterattack than initially envisioned, issued orders for the German attack to begin on September 18. 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. 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. By dawn the Germans had seized the crest of Hill 318. Eddy was tasked with locating possible crossing points above and below Nancy, while Walker was instructed to do the same above and below Metz. If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. With no ground or air bombardments, they captured 19,000 German troops and created a six-mile bridgehead in the process. Patton would be promoted to General (four stars) in April, 1945, after his troops liberated some of the worst concentration camps in Germany, and was fighting toward the Czech border by the time VE Day was declared on 8 May 1945. Your IP address will be tracked even if you remain anonymous. This dramatic entrance to the battle by CCA caught the Germans off guard and paid large dividends. 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. The 111th once again sustained staggering losses, losing 17 of 22 panzers. 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. You mean across the Rhine? Sure am, Patton replied, I sneaked a division over last night. 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. 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. Charging up the slope after nightfall, the Germans once again seized the crest, forcing the Americans to retreat to the northern slope. 140 kilometers to the north, British Second Army captured Wesel, Germany. 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. To learn more,click here for our comprehensive guide to General Patton. The goal of this I know that he carried the BAR and he was in Company A, 359th Infantry Regiment. Tom Tucker was one of the first men from Pattons Third Army to cross the Rhine River, the last natural barrier to the heart of Germany. Luttwitzs 47th Panzer Corps, constituting the left flank, consisted of the understrength 21st Panzer Division, the untested but intact 111th Panzer Brigade, and the remnants of the 112th Panzer Brigade. Balck requested that Rundstedt provide Army Group G with three fresh divisions and 80 additional tanks and assault guns to continue the fight. 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. His pleas fell on deaf ears, and he prepared to make do with the untrained and understrength units he had been given. In 1943 he commanded the U.S. Brian Horrocks, Corps Commander (Magnum Books, 1977). 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. Pattons rapid advance across France came to an abrupt halt at Metz, due to fuel shortages, deteriorating weather conditions, and increased enemy resistance. This I felt was particularly true against the Germans, because as long as you attack them, they cannot find the time to plan how to attack you, Patton said. 6731 Whittier Avenue, Suite C-100 McLean, VA 22101, Stay up to date with all of our latest news, In effort to ensure greater success, Manteuffel ordered a detailed reconnaissance of enemy positions. To succeed in Lorraine, Patton would have to exercise careful planning, make quick tactical adjustments, and adjust his goals and expectations when the weather failed to cooperate. US First Army attacked Paderborn, Germany. 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. 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. . This is Part One of a Three Part look at Pattons Lorraine Campaign. 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. ww2dbaseBetween Frankfort and the Ruhr River, the American First Army had breached the Rhine River barrier earlier in the month near Remagen. But its fortune ended there. 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. 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. 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