patton crossing the rhinepatton crossing the rhine

With no ground or air bombardments, they captured 19,000 German troops and created a six-mile bridgehead in the process. 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. 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. 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. By the end of the day the Germans had lost a dozen Mark IVs and six Panthers. World War Two Timeline From The Great War To Germanys Surrender. But various factors were at work to derail those hopes. Meanwhile, US Third Army captured Ludwigshafen and Speyer, Germany. 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 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. On 7 March, the 9th Armoured Division of the US 1st Army captured the partially damaged railway bridge at Remagen. CROSSING THE RHINE. To learn more,click here for our comprehensive guide to General Patton. Patton would face significant leadership and tactical challenges in the region in the months following the Arracourt clashes. All comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB. 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 . 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. Total losses for the day were five Shermans and more than 40 Panther and Mark IV tanks. A follow-on series of panzer brigades, numbered above 110, would contain a battalion of Panthers and a battalion of Mark IVs. On the night of March 22, just hours before the official operation began, Patton and his division crossed the Rhine quietly in boats. When he reached the other side of the river, Patton pretended to stumble, imitating William the Conqueror, who famously fell on his face when landing in England but transformed the bad omen into a propitious one by leaping to his feet with a handful of English soil, claiming it portended his complete possession of the country. His plan called for a narrowing of the front, with two corps abreast and one in reserve. In addition, Eisenhower and Bradley had decided to transfer Haislips XV Corps to Lt. Gen. Jacob Devers Sixth Army leaving Patton once again with just two corps. Hardcover. The Third Army did just that on the night of 22/23 March, crossing the river with a hasty assault south of Mainz at Oppenheim. Following the setback at Pont-a-Mousson, McBride ordered his men to attempt another crossing four miles south at Dieulouard. 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. 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. Click here to see our comprehensive article on World War 2. It was a daunting series of objectives, but Patton relished the opportunity. 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. This meant that CCA was now on the left flank of the Arracourt-Juvelize salient and CCB was on the right. He later went as far as the railway bridge at Wesel by Montgomery's staff car, a bridge that was still under enemy fire. In effort to ensure greater success, Manteuffel ordered a detailed reconnaissance of enemy positions. The bombing started on 21 Mar, and by 24 Mar the German air force were no longer able to put up much of a resistance against its Allied counterpart; 8,000 sorties were launched between 21 Mar and 24 Mar, and Allied airmen reported only about 100 enemy aircrafts sighted. When the Germans attempted to withdraw, they found their escape route blocked by the 359th Infantry Regiment moving east to cut them off. From there, Third Army would advance along a northeast route of march toward the fortified West Wall. Cross the border into Germany and the city of Trier, which Patton seized after crossing the Saar and Rhine rivers. 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. Equally devastating was the loss of both panzer brigade commanders during the two-day assault on CCAs left flank. British sappers built another Rhine bridge, "Westminster". The Rhine itself was symbolic of the entrance into Germany from Western Europe and had historically stood as a natural barrier against invasion. Nevertheless, the Germans established strong defensive positions in two dilapidated French fortresses that effectively blocked the western approaches to the city. Patton celebrated the victory by stopping on a treadway bridge his men had built and relieving himself into the river. Pattons troops beat Montgomery across the Rhine by one day. Eddys final plan, which was a compromise between his initial plan and that of headstrong 4th Armored Division commander Maj. Gen. John Wood, called for Brig. Gen. Otto Weylands XIX Tactical Air Command. Thank you. But by the time Eddy was ready to resume his advance, Manteuffels Fifth Army had materialized as if out of thin air. 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. The new panzer brigades each had a battalion of Panzergrenadiers drawn from the three Panzergrenadier divisions already in Lorraine. Copyright 2004-2023 Lava Development, LLC., all rights reserved, See all 47 photographs of Crossing the Rhine, Message from George Patton to US 5th Infantry Division. The 134th was fortunate to find a bridge intact and threw a battalion across the river. Pattons triumph of the summer in which Third Army raced across France against light opposition had given way to the hard reality of bitter fighting along the Moselle line. Having raced 400 miles from the hedgerows of Normandy to the forested banks of the Moselle River in less than one months time, Lt. Gen. George S. Pattons troops had fought desperately to secure bridgeheads in the Lorraine region from an enemy that had at last turned like a cornered animal and bared its fangs. Luttwitz and Krueger received their orders two days before the start date. ww2dbaseSources: A German counter attack from Frankfurt, Germany towards Kstrin barely got out of the city. The gasoline arrived and Pattons men pressed headlong across southern Germany and into Czechoslovakia. The final stage of World War II in the European Theatre commenced with the Western Allied invasion of Germany. 9th AID M3 Half-tracks advancing through Engers, Germany, 27 March 1945. Despite efforts to rush fuel to the frontline units, the Allies were still receiving their fuel from supply dumps in Normandy. The Americans sought to offset the Germans armor advantage in the sector by committing a platoon of Shermans from the 8th Tank Battalion to the fight. 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. March 22nd, 2020 - Palatinate Chapter member visits the commemorative site of Patton's historic crossing of the Rhine. All rights reserved. Bradley quickly exploited the opportunity and expanded the bridgehead into a full-scale crossing. Because Haislips corps threatened his left flank, a substantial part of Luttwitzs corps was directed to take up a defensive stance. The German armored column continued south, hoping to stampede the American soldiers into abandoning their positions. This article is also part of our extensive collection of articles on the second World War. Throughout the night of 23 Mar and the next day, 80,000 British and Canadian troops crossed the 20-mile stretch of the river. 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. Two days earlier, Patton had told Maj. Gen. Manton Eddy that his XII Corps would lead the way. US First Army finally broke out of Remagen bridgehead in Germany. This operation to cross the northern Rhine River launched in the night of 23 Mar 1945. 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.. 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. Copyright 20122023 World War II - Day By Day. Second, it is to showcase You have made your Army a fighting force that is not excelled in effectiveness by any other of equal size in the world, and I am very proud of the fact that you, as one of the fighting commanders who has been with me from the beginning of the African campaign, have performed so brilliantly throughout. Two days earlier, Patton had told Maj. Gen. Manton Eddy that his XII Corps would lead the way. The very notion was unpalatable to Old Blood and Guts. That evening Manteuffel made substantial adjustments to the German plan of attack. 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. Meanwhile, US Third Army captured Aschaffenburg, Germany, 40 kilometers to the southeast. We are now fairly started on that phase of the campaign which I hope will be the final one. 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 media and public back home were outraged that a general would treat an enlisted man in such a manner. Meanwhile, British 2nd Army began an offensive towards the Elbe River. Subsequently VIII Corps made two additional crossings downstream, to the south of Koblenz. The bulk of men and supplies would be detailed for the primary thrust toward the Ruhr in the north, but a secondary thrust through Lorraine was considered worth undertaking to stretch German forces along the Western Front. The Germans, who observed the Americans pulling out of Juvelize, occupied the abandoned town the following day. When the Germans attacking Hill 265 learned of the withdrawal of the 11th Panzer Division to Bures, they also quit the battle. Lorraine, situated in northeastern France, consists of a large plateau interspersed with forests, lakes, fields, and towns, through which the upper stretches of the Meuse and Moselle Rivers flow. Lava's technical capabilities. Whats more, a series of determined counterattacks by the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division kept the U.S. infantry from expanding the bridgehead. Please use this data for any reference citations. To compensate for a reduction in forces, the main objective was switched to a strike toward Nancy to relieve those elements of the 553rd Volksgrenadier still fighting their way out of the tightening pocket. Germany. 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. Not content to wait for the infantry, the vanguard of Dagers CCB managed to ford the Moselle at Bayon, where the rivers height was substantially lower because water was diverted to fill canals on each side. 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. click here for our comprehensive guide to General Patton. The western boundary of Lorraine is formed by the Moselle Valley and the eastern boundary by the Saare River. 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