But by the time Eddy was ready to resume his advance, Manteuffels Fifth Army had materialized as if out of thin air. It began with the crossing of the River Rhine in March 1945, with forces fanning out and overrunning all of Western Germany until their final surrender on May 8, 1945. Hitler also began a systematic process to produce fresh divisions to replace those smashed by the Allies in central France. Photo Credit: Men of the U.S. 5th Infantry Division hug the walls in one of the suburbs of Metz in early September 1944. 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. World War Two Timeline From The Great War To Germanys Surrender. 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. Opposition was negligible and within 24 hours the entire US 5th Division had crossed the river. He made his way halfway across the bridge before suddenly halting. He engineered the Normandy breakout and was made commander of the Twelfth Army Group. ww2dbaseTo Eisenhower's surprise, the crossing of the Rhine River north of the Ruhr was not met with fierce resistance, and he attributed it to the beginning of the destruction of German morale. He is all through. Patton had been correct that the Germans possessed no defense in depth immediately after Third Army crossed the Moselle. Bradley quickly exploited the opportunity and expanded the bridgehead into a full-scale crossing. Luttwitz would strike north toward Lunville, while Krueger would push west along the south side of the Marne-Rhine Canal toward the town. In addition, Wood ordered CCB to shift to CCAs right flank to cover the ground between Rechicourt and the Marne-Rhine Canal. 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. McLain issued orders for the nearest infantry regiments to converge on the enemy column. 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. Late in the evening of 22 March, XII Corp's 5th Infantry Division began a Rhine crossing near Oppenheim against little resistance. You mean across the Rhine? Sure am, Patton replied, I sneaked a division over last night. The men of the 317th Infantry Regiment managed to cross a bridge left intact and braced themselves for a counterattack. He announced that the Third Army would shortly capture its 230,000th prisoner of war. 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. events, and resources. Initially, at least, Eddys XII Corps suffered setbacks as severe as those experienced by Walkers corps to its north. Distinguished Unit Citations: 11. But its fortune ended there. 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. 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. 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. Major General Clarence Huebner's V Corps made rapid advances with relative ease. 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. Thank you. News of the crossing made it around the world. 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. But Pattons dash ground to a halt shortly after it crossed the Meuse. Since the days of the Roman Empire it has served as central Germany's traditional defense against invasion from the west. Pattons third corps, Troy Middletons VIII Corps, had been detached and assigned to mop up German resistance in Brittany. This was the greatest airborne operation of the war. Patton knew his entrance into German-occupied territory was of monumental historical importance. Patton had seriously underestimated the Germans ability to recover from setbacks and mount a tenacious defense as the Western Allies neared the German border. It was really a simple thing, just like basic training., Tucker and another engineer packed themselves into one of the first boats with the infantry. News of the crossing made it around the world. The Germans failed to reconnoiter enemy positions, and their replacement tank crews were no match for Leclercs veteran troops. The Crossing of the Rhine River. US-Armee unter General George S. Patton (1885-1945) die Stadt Nierstein am Rhein. When the Germans attempted to withdraw, they found their escape route blocked by the 359th Infantry Regiment moving east to cut them off. The troops of the French First Army crossed the Rhine River near Philippsburg, Germany on 1 Apr. In little more than a months time, Patton, together with his archrival British General Bernard L. Montgomery, commanding the British Eighth Army, liberated the strategic island from Axis control. 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. Hitler, who reluctantly agreed to a far less ambitious counterattack than initially envisioned, issued orders for the German attack to begin on September 18. As Pattons Third Army approached the Meuse River in late August, it paused before pushing into the Lorraine region. HistoryOnTheNet 2000-2019. Einheiten des 3. Subsequently VIII Corps made two additional crossings downstream, to the south of Koblenz. ww2dbaseOn 24 Mar, Churchill crossed the Rhine River in an LCM (landing craft, mechanized), setting foot on the eastern bank of the river, symbolizing the crossing of the top British political leader over the traditional border of Germany that no foreign army had crossed in 140 years. 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. 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. British sappers built another Rhine bridge, "Blackfriars", by noon. 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. To their surprise, they were not opposed by enemy forces. The fighting resulted in the final destruction of two panzer brigades. click here for our comprehensive guide to General Patton. 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. Beyond the German front lines, US aircraft harassed retreating German columns, destroying 246 trucks and 241 railway wagons. His pleas fell on deaf ears, and he prepared to make do with the untrained and understrength units he had been given. By dawn the Germans had seized the crest of Hill 318. 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. Cross the border into Germany and the city of Trier, which Patton seized after crossing the Saar and Rhine rivers. Pattons rapid advance across France came to an abrupt halt at Metz, due to fuel shortages, deteriorating weather conditions, and increased enemy resistance. While the fighting raged, P-47s flew repeated sorties against Bures, through which the Germans were funneling fresh troops and ammunition into the battle. 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. While we were digging in for the night, the Jerries sent over a heavy artillery barrage. 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. Most of CCA had shifted north to prepare for an advance east in the direction of the West Wall, leaving artillery and other support units at Arracourt. The following day Patton arrived at the pontoon bridge his engineers had constructed over the Rhine. The 111th and 113th Panzer Brigades boasted two tank battalions, one of 45 Panthers and the other of 45 Mark IVs. ww2dbaseAs the Allied forces gathered on the west banks of the Rhine River, it was no longer a matter of surprise. As a result, the 112th Panzer Brigade lost 69 of its 90 tanks. 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. For inquiries about military records for members of the World War II armed forces, please see our FAQ. 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 Americans captured the northern fort almost immediately, but German paratroopers held out in the southern fort for five days. Second, it is to showcase The 134th was fortunate to find a bridge intact and threw a battalion across the river. Unlike Patton, Churchill forbade photographs of the occasion. Constant shelling from German long-range guns stationed at Fort Driant, an elevated outpost on the west bank of the Moselle, made it impossible for U.S. engineers to lay a bridge at that crossing. TeachingAmericanHistory.org is a project of the Ashbrook Center at Ashland University, 401 College Avenue, Ashland, Ohio 44805 PHONE (419) 289-5411 TOLL FREE (877) 289-5411 EMAIL [emailprotected]. This paratrooper operation was not a typical one where troops were dropped a distance behind enemy lines before the operation to disrupt communications; this time, Bernard Montgomery chose to drop the paratroopers immediately behind the enemy lines after the conventional infantry had already crossed the Rhine River under the cover of darkness. 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. Suddenly, I saw the billowing of flames, Buss said. In other words, they had no depth, Patton said. Through skilled use of defensive positions, the Americans stopped the Germans from capturing the town. The Germans, in an effort to regroup, turned southwest to escape the ambush. This article is also part of our extensive collection of articles on the second World War. 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. 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. As US Third Army made another Rhine River crossing near Worms, Germany, British Second Army and Canadian First Army launched their assaults across the Rhine River north of the Ruhr River. Hitler also made preparations for the creation of a new Fifth Army to be led by Manteuffel. The initial counterattacks against Third Armys bridgeheads should have convinced him that the enemy was regaining strength. He ordered Knobelsdorff to attack Dagers CCB with the 559th Volksgrenadier Division and the remnants of the 106th Panzer Brigade. 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. 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. Leclerc also benefited from repeated tactical air strikes by P-47 Thunderbolts of Brig. "The pause that refreshes." The general told the troops around him. and useful information about WW2. 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. Objekt des Monats Mrz: Rhine River Crossing Memorial. All comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB. National Interest Newsletter. Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? Patton led the provisional tank brigade that captured the town of Varennes, but was wounded on the first morning of the battle. It is thought that the accompanying photo of General George Patton documents Patton urinating into the Rhine River. 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 German high command also reinforced the Fifth Panzer Army with Gen. Lt. Wend von Wietersheims 11th Panzer Division. US First Army attacked Paderborn, Germany. 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!. 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. On the night of March 22, just hours before the official operation began, Patton and his division crossed the Rhine quietly in boats. Gen. Otto Weylands XIX Tactical Air Command. 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. 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 goal of this 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. Having mustered 50 tanks for the attack, Manteuffel ordered Wietersheim to capture Moyenvic and inflict as much damage as possible on CCA. In 1943 he commanded the U.S. 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 September 10, Baades 35th Infantry Division was in force along the western bank of the Moselle south of Nancy. George Patton received permission from his superiors to take the US 3rd Army across the Rhine River. Units of the Canadian First Army, British Second Army, and the U.S. 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. After the war Eisenhower was appointed Military Governor of the U.S. Because Knobelsdorff had no better luck than Manteuffel against the Americans, Balck returned control of the offensive back to Manteuffel. 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. The strike destroyed five Panthers and 20 half-tracks. This article is from the bookPatton: Blood, Guts, and Prayer2012by Michael Keane. 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. The purpose of this note is to express to you personally my deep appreciation of the splendid way in which you have conducted Third Army operations from the moment it entered battle last August 1. The Germans did not intended to give up either without a fight. By the end of 24 Mar 1945, the German airfields were so damaged that the Luftwaffe practically ceased to exist on this front. 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. Within three days Patton's troops were rapidly approaching Frankfurt, Germany, capturing bridges in tact as the German defenses began to fall apart. 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. 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. Patton told Wood to strike east the following day in the belief that it would keep the Germans off balance. The media and public back home were outraged that a general would treat an enlisted man in such a manner. 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. 25 March Military History Office It was during this week, in late March of 1945, that the U.S. Third Army under Gen. Patton, began its famous bridging and crossing operations of the Rhine. Hardcover. 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. 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. A half-dozen M8 howitzer motor carriages (HMCs) immediately deployed to contest the advancing column. 1. 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. After two days of hard fighting, the two sides braced for more of the same. 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. 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. Based on their experience pursuing the Germans across France, Patton and his corps commanders believed the enemy was broken and they would be across the Rhine in a matter of weeks. Montgomery was supposed to make the next crossing in a complex operation utilizing ground and airborne troops. Some of the hardest fighting was done by the 704th Tank Destroyer (TD) Battalion. In effort to ensure greater success, Manteuffel ordered a detailed reconnaissance of enemy positions. In a two-day pitched battle at Dompaire that began on September 12, a battle group from Maj. Gen. Jacques Leclercs 2nd French Armored Division of Haislips Corps smashed the 112th Panzer Brigade of Luttwitzs 47th Corps, which had been sent to check Haislips advance. 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. Our database is searchable by subject and updated continuously. The pause that refreshes. The general told the troops around him. Click here to see our comprehensive article on World War 2. 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. Pattons troops beat Montgomery across the Rhine by one day. 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 . Even Hitlers closest supporters like Heinrich Himmler and Joseph Goebbels could clearly hear the clanging bell. WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. Out of the fog on September 22, the remaining tanks of the 111th Panzer Brigade punched like a steel fist through CCAs cavalry screen around Juvelize. To protect the fatherland, Hitler ordered all German forces on the Western Front to hold their positions on the Moselle to allow engineers to make much-needed improvements to the West Wall fortifications. Patton's goal was to cross the Rhine, even if not a single bridge was left standing over which to do it. The initial objective for both was Lunville, which would become a staging area for a drive north to Chateau-Salins. Left: Keeping a low profile, soldiers of the U.S. Third Armys 89th Infantry Division cross the Rhine in assault boats under intense German fire, March1945. Patton arrived in France exactly one month after the D-Day invasion to set up the operational command for Third Army. Equally devastating was the loss of both panzer brigade commanders during the two-day assault on CCAs left flank. 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. On 26 Mar 1945, these troops marched southward toward Patton's troops. The German armored column continued south, hoping to stampede the American soldiers into abandoning their positions. 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. Anthony Read and David Fisher, The Fall of Berlin. All rights reserved. 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. Manteuffel, who had arrived to take command of Fifth Army in the field only a week before, pleaded for yet another extension, arguing that his forces were not strong enough to achieve their objective. Site created in November 2000. 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. Our comprehensive article on world War II armed forces, please see our comprehensive article on world II... Would top 300,000 the fighting resulted in the final destruction of two Panzer brigades boasted two tank battalions, of. Air strikes by P-47 Thunderbolts of Brig censor, and/or remove any comment had seriously underestimated the Germans, an! Replacement tank crews were no match for Leclercs veteran troops route blocked by the 704th tank Destroyer TD! Creation of a new Fifth Army had materialized as if out of thin air when the Germans did not to... Patton, Churchill forbade photographs of the same threw a battalion across the bridge before halting. Accompanying photo of General George S. Patton ( 1885-1945 ) die Stadt Nierstein am Rhein refreshes. & quot ; pause. 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