Your IP address will be tracked even if you remain anonymous. By the end of 24 Mar 1945, the German airfields were so damaged that the Luftwaffe practically ceased to exist on this front. The western boundary of Lorraine is formed by the Moselle Valley and the eastern boundary by the Saare River. Patton led the provisional tank brigade that captured the town of Varennes, but was wounded on the first morning of the battle. Thank You, Meanwhile, Company B engaged the Germans who had taken up a strong position inside Juvelize. This crossing was an important step in bringing the conflict to a close on May 8th, 1945. Meanwhile, Patton acknowledged that he might have to delay his advance east. 6731 Whittier Avenue, Suite C-100 McLean, VA 22101, Stay up to date with all of our latest news, The reversal of fortune gnawed at Patton from the outset of his service in France. The 37th Tank Battalion would get no rest on September 20. 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. On 22 March, Patton's 3rd Army crossed the Rhine south of Mainz at Oppenheim. Patton told Wood to strike east the following day in the belief that it would keep the Germans off balance. Click here to see our comprehensive article on World War 2. 2. 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. In late March 1945, Gen. George Patton crossed the Rhine River on World War II veteran Glenn Chaney's bridge, pausing for the most famous bathroom break of t. A German counter attack from Frankfurt, Germany towards Kstrin barely got out of the city. The following day, CCB lined up with the 137th Regiment at Lorey in time to defeat another counterattack by the 15th Panzergrenadier Division. Hitler, who reluctantly agreed to a far less ambitious counterattack than initially envisioned, issued orders for the German attack to begin on September 18. "It's time for another Patton to die," he said aloud. With the vise tightening on Nancy, Blaskowitz ordered the 553rd Volksgrenadier Division to pull out of the Nancy pocket before it was cut off. This was the greatest airborne operation of the war. Scouts from the U.S. 42nd Cavalry Squadron detected a German column approachingfrom the south toward Lunville at 7 am on September 18. 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. On the night of March 22, 1945, elements of the Third Army crossed the Rhine at the German town of Oppenheim. So Patton called Bradley again. Meanwhile, US Third Army captured Ludwigshafen and Speyer, Germany. Bradley, who found the report satisfactory, passed the news to Eisenhower that Third Army was indeed across the Moselle in strength. 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. 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. Balck expanded the fight by committing units from Knobelsdorffs First Army to the battle on September 24. . 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. 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. The new panzer brigades each had a battalion of Panzergrenadiers drawn from the three Panzergrenadier divisions already in Lorraine. 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. 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. 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. But the Americans stood their ground. Objekt des Monats Mrz: Rhine River Crossing Memorial. 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. To the north, German infantry launched a determined attack to seize Hill 265, but they could not prevail against entrenched forces with a clear advantage in artillery support. With their high-velocity guns, the Panthers easily knocked out the Yanks vehicles. Pattons troops beat Montgomery across the Rhine by one day. By September 7, U.S. armored reconnaissance units had reached the Moselle despite resistance from Germans still on the west bank. WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. 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. All rights reserved. A follow-on series of panzer brigades, numbered above 110, would contain a battalion of Panthers and a battalion of Mark IVs. 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. 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. Meanwhile, US Third Army captured Aschaffenburg, Germany, 40 kilometers to the southeast. Our database is searchable by subject and updated continuously. Seventh Army during the Sicilian campaign ( Operation Husky ), and in August 1944 his Third Army became operational in northern France. The 111th once again sustained staggering losses, losing 17 of 22 panzers. On the night of March 22, 1945, elements of the Third Army crossed the Rhine at the German town of Oppenheim. For Gods sake send some gasoline. Neither a patient nor defensive-minded commander, Patton seems not to have hindered his promotion to the temporary rank of four-star general in April by acting or remarking as he did. Some of the hardest fighting was done by the 704th Tank Destroyer (TD) Battalion. Still, the 137th Infantry Division that same day managed to establish several small bridgeheads on the eastern bank. 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. While the fighting raged, P-47s flew repeated sorties against Bures, through which the Germans were funneling fresh troops and ammunition into the battle. 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. All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB. He is all through. On March 23, 1945, Eisenhower wrote a warm letter to Patton: I have frequently had occasion to state, publicly, my appreciation of the great accomplishments of this Allied force during the past nine months. As expected, the Germans counterattacked at 1 pm on September 13 just as CCA began crossing the bridge. ww2dbaseAll this, plus the assembly of vast amounts of troops, assault boats, Buffaloes, guns etc. Email Address Copyright 2023 Center for the National Interest All Rights Reserved. Patton had been correct that the Germans possessed no defense in depth immediately after Third Army crossed the Moselle. In 1943 he commanded the U.S. Hitler, who had never liked Blaskowitz, sacked him on September 21. 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. This article is from the bookPatton: Blood, Guts, and Prayer2012by Michael Keane. At Nierstein assault troops did not meet any resistance. He made his way halfway across the bridge before suddenly halting. If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. 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. 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. 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. Total losses for the day were five Shermans and more than 40 Panther and Mark IV tanks. 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. This meant that two columns of tanks and half-tracks from the 113th would have to carry the objective themselves. ww2dbaseSource: 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. Seventh Army in the invasion of Sicily in July 1943. The new commander, General Hermann Balck, arranged for elements of the German First Army to join the battle the following day. Against light opposition, he had secured Morocco during the opening phase of Torch and ably led the U.S. II Corps when selected to replace Maj. Gen. Lloyd Fredenhall after the debacle at Kasserine Pass. Meanwhile, US Third Army reached Siegen, Germany. Please use this data for any reference citations. 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. March 22, 1945 On this date in 1945, one day before the British 21st Army Group under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery was due to launch Operation Plunder, the long-awaited northern offensive across the Rhine River at Rees and Wesel in North Rhine-Westphalia, Gen. George S. Patton sneaked a division of his U.S. Third Army across the Rhine at Oppenheim, lower on the river and south of Mainz. 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. I was certainly very full of hopes and saw myself crossing the Rhine, Patton said. 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. 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. 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. During the respite the Fifth Army was given the previous day, Manteuffel had assimilated the remnants of three battered panzer brigades into veteran divisions. Although Heckers division was at nearly full strength, Rodts had been depleted as a result of nearly a year of hard fighting. 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. 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]. Patton (1895-1945) directed the amphibious landings near Casablanca during the Torch landings. Bradley quickly exploited the opportunity and expanded the bridgehead into a full-scale crossing. We figured we had a perfectly good boat. Hardcover. The attack on the 25th was not substantial enough to disrupt a shuffling of U.S. forces in the Arracourt sector. The very notion was unpalatable to Old Blood and Guts. This was the first crossing of the Rhine River by boat by an invading army since Napoleon Bonaparte. Our database is searchable by subject and updated continuously. Although the 106th Panzer Brigade was led by veterans from the Eastern Front, its crews had received very little training and the brigade suffered from a severe shortage of communications equipment essential to coordinate an assault. Through skilled use of defensive positions, the Americans stopped the Germans from capturing the town. To their surprise, they were not opposed by enemy forces. "My dear General", Winston Churchill said to the American general as they met the next morning, "the German is whipped. 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. US-Armee unter General George S. Patton (1885-1945) die Stadt Nierstein am Rhein. McLain issued orders for the nearest infantry regiments to converge on the enemy column. The 134th Infantry Regiment was ordered to cross on the left below Nancy, and the 137th Infantry Regiment on the right. Click here to see our comprehensive article on World War 2. 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. Upon arriving at a dock area, Tucker and his comrades saw a group of sailors lowering a Landing Ship Tank (LST) into the water with a large crane. With that measure of skill, the 704th managed that day to destroy eight Panthers without losing a single tank destroyer. 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. 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. Patton drove to the XII Corps front on September 19, where he met first with Eddy and later with Wood. Although the U.S. First Army had already captured an intact bridge over the river at Remagen, there was still a rivalry between Patton and British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery to cross next. The Sherman crews could do little to deter the advancing Panthers because of the excellent sloped and thick frontal armor the enemy tanks possessed. Eddy planned to isolate Nancy in a double envelopment. 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. He engineered the Normandy breakout and was made commander of the Twelfth Army Group. From there, Third Army would advance along a northeast route of march toward the fortified West Wall. As he came closer to the German lines, He immediately became calm, shaking off tremors of fear. I was determined that the attack on the Siegfried Line should go on in spite of what had happened in Lunville, he said. The 9th Armored Division quickly expanded the bridgehead into a full scale crossing. 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. Abrams received orders from Wood to pivot south toward Arracourt, where he would be in a position to link up with CCB and complete the encirclement of Nancy. 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. The media and public back home were outraged that a general would treat an enlisted man in such a manner. 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. 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. All comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB. Control of the crest of Hill 318 shifted back and forth on September 28. 6731 Whittier Avenue, Suite C-100 McLean, VA 22101, Stay up to date with all of our latest news, 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. 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. . 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. They swooped in at extremely low level, catching the German tank crews by surprise. Since the days of the Roman Empire it has served as central Germany's traditional defense against invasion from the west. 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. This was because Third Army, and the other Allied armies racing to its north, had stretched their supply lines until they snapped. To ensure that the bridgehead could properly defend itself, Wood ordered Clarks CCA to send its lead elements across the bridge the following morning. Meant that two columns of tanks and half-tracks from the bookPatton: Blood Guts! 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patton crossing the rhine