patton crossing the rhine

Patton celebrated the victory by stopping on a treadway bridge his men had built and relieving himself into the river. 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. But by the time Eddy was ready to resume his advance, Manteuffels Fifth Army had materialized as if out of thin air. 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. 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. The news came as a hard blow to Patton, whose spirits had been riding high with the prospect of pushing through the West Wall to the Rhine. 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. Two days earlier, Patton had told Maj. Gen. Manton Eddy that his XII Corps would lead the way. Patton celebrated the victory by stopping on a treadway bridge his men had built and relieving himself into the river. 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. Although the Panzergrenadiers on the crest had managed to hold on during the morning, the combined pressure of American ground fire and air strikes finally broke the enemys nerve and the ground troops began retreating down the southern slope in the afternoon. He made his way halfway across the bridge before suddenly halting. With their high-velocity guns, the Panthers easily knocked out the Yanks vehicles. By the end of 24 Mar 1945, the German airfields were so damaged that the Luftwaffe practically ceased to exist on this front. 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. (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. His plan called for a narrowing of the front, with two corps abreast and one in reserve. This adventurous expedition, however, was later criticized by Eisenhower as far too daring, and noted that had Eisenhower been there he would never have permitted Churchill to cross the river at that time, just as Eisenhower had fought to stop Churchill from observing the Normandy landings in France. I know that Third Army will be in at the finish in the same decisive way that it has performed in all the preliminary battles. Significantly, none of the panzer brigades had either organic artillery or reconnaissance vehicles. Join historians and history buffs alike with our Unlimited Digital Access pass to every military history article ever published (over 3,000 articles) in Sovereigns military history magazines. This is Part One of a Three Part look at Pattons Lorraine Campaign. Please refrain from using strong language. 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. Dwight Eisenhower, Crusade in Europe We figured we had a perfectly good boat. Until now, I cant find a webpage, book or other source for an . It is thought that the accompanying photo of General George Patton documents Patton urinating into the Rhine River. Patton was fatally injured in a road accident on December9, 1945, dying twelve days later. The Hellcats bought precious time for Companies A and B of the 37th Tank Battalion to rumble north from Lezey toward the battlefront. As for Patton, he incorrectly dismissed the action as nothing more than another failed local counterattack. Still, Walkers XX Corps remained stalled before Metz, even though Eddys XII Corps had advanced well beyond its Moselle bridgeheads. On the night of March 22, 1945, with no artillery preparation or air cover, assault boats of the 5th Infantry began their quiet crossing near Oppenheim. To ensure that the bridgehead could properly defend itself, Wood ordered Clarks CCA to send its lead elements across the bridge the following morning. The Panzergrenadiers methodically fought their way up the southern slope, clearing Americans from their foxholes. 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. Brad, dont tell anyone, but Im across. A surprised Bradley responded, Well, Ill be damned. events, and resources, Patton in Lorraine: Breaking the Moselle Line. The Germans failed to reconnoiter enemy positions, and their replacement tank crews were no match for Leclercs veteran troops. Germany. This meant that two columns of tanks and half-tracks from the 113th would have to carry the objective themselves. While the fighting raged, P-47s flew repeated sorties against Bures, through which the Germans were funneling fresh troops and ammunition into the battle. 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. 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. 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. 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. The 37th Tank Battalion would get no rest on September 20. 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. 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. 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. 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. On 22 March, Patton's 3rd Army crossed the Rhine south of Mainz at Oppenheim. Pattons Third Army found itself mired in a morass as it struggled against fuel shortages, flooded rivers, and fresh German panzer units in September 1944. Although his unit was spearheading the attack toward the river, he assumed there would be a pause to get organized for the crossing. 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. "It's time for another Patton to die," he said aloud. By early afternoon, the Germans were fighting their way into the southern end of the town. To learn more,click here for our comprehensive guide to General Patton. Late in the evening of 22 March, XII Corp's 5th Infantry Division began a Rhine crossing near Oppenheim against little resistance. The Sherman crews could do little to deter the advancing Panthers because of the excellent sloped and thick frontal armor the enemy tanks possessed. 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. Unlike Patton, Churchill forbade photographs of the occasion. We are now fairly started on that phase of the campaign which I hope will be the final one. Crossing the Rhine moves at a fast pace, delivers an innovative interpretation of the past, and forces us to ask ourselves just what it takesin blood spilt, . Meanwhile, Patton acknowledged that he might have to delay his advance east. 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. Patton knew his entrance into German-occupied territory was of monumental historical importance. By September 10, Baades 35th Infantry Division was in force along the western bank of the Moselle south of Nancy. 6731 Whittier Avenue, Suite C-100 McLean, VA 22101, Stay up to date with all of our latest news, As he came closer to the German lines, He immediately became calm, shaking off tremors of fear. 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. Patton would face significant leadership and tactical challenges in the region in the months following the Arracourt clashes. Leslie Mansfield, (daughter). 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. 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. In Germany, US Third Army captured Darmstadt and reached Main, allowing the linking up with US Seventh Army near Worms. The Rhine itself was symbolic of the entrance into Germany from Western Europe and had historically stood as a natural barrier against invasion. Seventh Army during the Sicilian campaign (Operation Husky), and in August 1944 his Third Army became operational in northern France. Elements of the 4th and 6th Armored Divisions, the latter which had been serving as Third Armys rear guard, and other units began converging on the townin response. I know that he carried the BAR and he was in Company A, 359th Infantry Regiment. Luttwitz would strike north toward Lunville, while Krueger would push west along the south side of the Marne-Rhine Canal toward the town. 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. Finally, head to Hamm American Cemetery to visit Patton's grave. 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. Scouts from the U.S. 42nd Cavalry Squadron detected a German column approachingfrom the south toward Lunville at 7 am on September 18. 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. This time the engineers were able to construct a bridge under the cover of darkness, but the bridgehead was again subjected to concentrated shelling by long-range guns from the Metz defenses and also from counterattacks by various elements of all three of the German Panzergrenadier divisions defending the Moselle. Still, the 137th Infantry Division that same day managed to establish several small bridgeheads on the eastern bank. However, Patton was aware that this would be obvious to the Germans, and therefore he and his staff made rapid plans for another site at Nierstein and Oppenheim, about 12 miles south of Mainz. The Americans captured the northern fort almost immediately, but German paratroopers held out in the southern fort for five days. Once again, Company C of the 704th TD Battalion rushed forward to delay the advance supported by P-47s firing rockets and machine guns. 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. Patton immediately issued orders to Eddy and Walker to proceed with reconnaissance-in-force missions to determine the best points at which to cross the Moselle. 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. Taken together, the losses seriously compromised the impending large-scale counterattack that Manteuffel was charged with executing. Patton had been correct that the Germans possessed no defense in depth immediately after Third Army crossed the Moselle. . 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. As expected, the Germans counterattacked at 1 pm on September 13 just as CCA began crossing the bridge. Right: U.S. Army Generals Omar Bradley, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and George S. Patton. 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. 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. 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. Suddenly, I saw the billowing of flames, Buss said. The 111th and 113th Panzer Brigades boasted two tank battalions, one of 45 Panthers and the other of 45 Mark IVs. ww2dbaseSources: 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. Patton's goal was to cross the Rhine, even if not a single bridge was left standing over which to do it. Meanwhile, British 2nd Army began an offensive towards the Elbe River. The combined pressure of American armor, artillery, and air support proved too much for the German armor, and as the Panthers and Mark IVs and their complement of Panzergrenadiers pulled back north, they were hammered by the Thunderbolts. 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. 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. A major firefight developed that resulted in the destruction of seven enemy tanks at the cost of three Shermans. That remained the case in the first months of 1945. This post is part of our collection of resources on Nazi Germany. General der Panzertruppen Walter Kruegers 58th Corps, which formed the right wing, comprised the 15th Panzergrenadier Division and the also untested but intact 113th Panzer Brigade. Click here for our comprehensive information resource on the society, ideology, and key events in Nazi Germany. 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. Subsequently VIII Corps made two additional crossings downstream, to the south of Koblenz. 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. Equally devastating was the loss of both panzer brigade commanders during the two-day assault on CCAs left flank. To the far left is scrolled, WARS MAY BE FOUGHT WITH . "My dear General", Winston Churchill said to the American general as they met the next morning, "the German is whipped. Since the days of the Roman Empire it has served as central Germany's traditional defense against invasion from the west. The Panthersknocked out three of the lightly armored HMCs in short order. Right: Patton famously relieved himself in the Rhine on March24, 1945and made sure he was photographed doing so. 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. 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. . ww2dbaseDwight Eisenhower expected the German troops, some elite including soldiers of the First Paratroop Army, would be prepared for such an invasion in the northern Ruhr area. The Germans gained considerable ground on the morning of September 25, but the attack ground to a halt when the Germans were unable to dislodge CCA units from high ground northeast of Arracourt. They did a lot of grumbling.. The tank battle raged well into the afternoon as Company B arrived to help Abrams hold back the Germans. This dramatic entrance to the battle by CCA caught the Germans off guard and paid large dividends. First Armys center, which was anchored at Metz, was the responsibility of SS General-Lieutenant Herman Priess, commanding the 13th SS Corps, while First Armys left wing at Nancy was entrusted to General der Panzertruppen Heinrich Freiherr von Luttwitz, commanding the 47th Panzer Corps. The German high command also reinforced the Fifth Panzer Army with Gen. Lt. Wend von Wietersheims 11th Panzer Division. The Crossing of the Rhine River. From the standpoint of losses in men and equipment, the Arracourt battles were a resounding victory for the Americans. 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. Although Heckers division was at nearly full strength, Rodts had been depleted as a result of nearly a year of hard fighting. Instead, he commented, They brought up a row of trucks filled with assault boats. We hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking. In fact, it was the first time an invading force had crossed the Rhein into Germany since Napoleon! Above and below Nancy, the Germans were content to wait for the Allies to attempt to cross the Moselle and launch local counterattacks in an effort to contain or eliminate the bridgeheads. Wietersheim ordered the battle group to break off its attack until the following day so that reinforcements could be sent to Bures. The historic city of Metz included an extensive system of man-made fortifications from previous wars. Pattons rapid advance across France came to an abrupt halt at Metz, due to fuel shortages, deteriorating weather conditions, and increased enemy resistance. We were surprised the Navy was there, he commented, and the Navy was surprised they were so far away from the ocean. You can also buy the book by clicking on the buttons to the left. US First Army captured Paderborn and Hamm, Germany. 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. Distinguished Unit Citations: 11. Your IP address will be tracked even if you remain anonymous. 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. 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. Click here to see our comprehensive article on World War 2. They swooped in at extremely low level, catching the German tank crews by surprise. So Patton called Bradley again. von Florian Weber; Verffentlicht am 1. Churchill suggested the Allied forces to skip over the Ruhr region and march east toward Berlin, but Eisenhower refused to leave the Ruhr region unsecured. "The pause that refreshes." The general told the troops around him. On September 2, Hitler issued orders for the creation of 25 new divisions, most of which were to be given the designation of Volksgrenadier. 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. 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. But the Americans stood their ground. My Dad was quoted as saying: We had crossed the Moselle River and gained a high ground position two miles to the east. Some 22,000 tons of assault bridging had to be brought forward, including 25,000 wooden pontoons, 2,000 assault boats, 650 Storm boats, 120 River tugs, 80 miles of balloon cable and 260 miles of steel wire rope. US First Army attacked Paderborn, Germany. The strike destroyed five Panthers and 20 half-tracks. Geplant war eine Flussberquerung, die nach dem Willen des Oberkommandierenden berraschend, schnell und spektakulr werden sollte. Patton, not wanting to compromise his armys success with publicity, telephoned Omar Bradley the following morning and uncharacteristically told him to keep it a secret. 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. Objekt des Monats Mrz: Rhine River Crossing Memorial. 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. This meant that CCA was now on the left flank of the Arracourt-Juvelize salient and CCB was on the right. Near Moncourt, just east of Arracourt, a platoon of Mark IVs and towed anti-tank guns ambushed Abramss Company C, leaving a half-dozen M4 tanks mangled. 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. Overseas: 26 August 1944. 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. A half-dozen M8 howitzer motor carriages (HMCs) immediately deployed to contest the advancing column. 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. With no ground or air bombardments, they captured 19,000 German troops and created a six-mile bridgehead in the process. 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. For the crossing 8,000 Royal Engineers came under command of the C.E. click here for our comprehensive guide to General Patton. In response to the changing circumstances, Patton issued orders on September 24 for CCA to pull back from Juvelize to Arracourt to lessen its exposure to any subsequent enemy attacks. Beyond the German front lines, US aircraft harassed retreating German columns, destroying 246 trucks and 241 railway wagons. "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. US First Army finally broke out of Remagen bridgehead in Germany. As a result, the 112th Panzer Brigade lost 69 of its 90 tanks. Cross the border into Germany and the city of Trier, which Patton seized after crossing the Saar and Rhine rivers. ww2dbaseWith the German defenses along the Rhine River falling apart, the industrial region of Ruhr was enveloped, depriving Germany's war manufacturing capabilities. From there, Third Army would advance along a northeast route of march toward the fortified West Wall. . 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. 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. XXX Corps. The German armored column continued south, hoping to stampede the American soldiers into abandoning their positions. As Pattons Third Army approached the Meuse River in late August, it paused before pushing into the Lorraine region. But Pattons dash ground to a halt shortly after it crossed the Meuse. I was certainly very full of hopes and saw myself crossing the Rhine, Patton said. 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. In a widely publicized incident, he slapped and cursed a soldier suffering from battle fatigue in a field hospital in front of staff and patients. Unfortunately for the Germans, the 111th Panzer Brigade became lost in unfamiliar countryside and didnt reach the staging area at Bures until late afternoon on the 19th. The reversal of fortune gnawed at Patton from the outset of his service in France. ww2dbaseAll this, plus the assembly of vast amounts of troops, assault boats, Buffaloes, guns etc. In short order, more than a half-dozen M5 Stuart tanks sat smoldering and crumpled in fields near the town. 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. 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. 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By September 10, Baades 35th Infantry Division was at nearly full strength, Rodts had been depleted as natural... An extensive system of man-made fortifications from previous WARS Corps remained stalled before,. Left flank of the Arracourt-Juvelize salient and CCB was on the buttons to the south of Nancy created six-mile! To visit Patton & # x27 ; s grave victory by stopping on treadway. To die, & quot ; the pause that refreshes. & quot ; the General told the troops him! We were surprised the Navy was there, he commented, they captured 19,000 German troops and created a bridgehead! The buttons to the far left is scrolled, WARS MAY be fought with clearing Americans from foxholes! Tank Battalion would get no rest on September 13 just as CCA crossing! Refreshes. & quot ; he said aloud will be the final one &! His XII Corps would lead the way had been correct that the patton crossing the rhine of...
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