Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? This operation to cross the northern Rhine River launched in the night of 23 Mar 1945. 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. Gen. Holmes Dagers Combat Command B (CCB) to assist the 35th Infantry Division south of Nancy, and Colonel Bruce Clarks Combat Command A (CCA) to be held in reserve to exploit whichever crossing offered the most promise for a rapid breakout. The Panthersknocked out three of the lightly armored HMCs in short order. and useful information about WW2. Third Army, which formed the right wing of Bradleys 12th Army Group, was composed of Maj. Gen. Walton Walkers XX Corps and Eddys XII Corps. He later went as far as the railway bridge at Wesel by Montgomery's staff car, a bridge that was still under enemy fire. Brad, dont tell anyone, but Im across. A surprised Bradley responded, Well, Ill be damned. 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. We figured we had a perfectly good boat. 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. In addition, he ordered the creation of 10 new panzer brigades, numbered 101 to 110, each of which would boast a battalion of approximately 45 Panther tanks. You can read more about the day . I was determined that the attack on the Siegfried Line should go on in spite of what had happened in Lunville, he said. While the fighting raged, P-47s flew repeated sorties against Bures, through which the Germans were funneling fresh troops and ammunition into the battle. I want the world to know Third Army made it before Monty starts across, he shouted. For the crossing 8,000 Royal Engineers came under command of the C.E. Manteuffel, who knew the attacks were hopeless but was under orders from Balck to continue regardless of the cost, threw the remnants of the 111th and 113th against CCA again the following day, only to suffer further tank losses. 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. American radioscrackled throughout the morning with requests to rush immediate support to Lunville. When the Germans attacking Hill 265 learned of the withdrawal of the 11th Panzer Division to Bures, they also quit the battle. Bradley quickly exploited the opportunity and expanded the bridgehead into a full-scale crossing. 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. For the Allied high command, the all-out assault across the Rhine was hugely important because crossing the river, the historic boundary of German power in the west, rang the death knell on the lunacy and bestiality of Hitlers Thousand Year Reich. 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. Patton might have been destined to oversee U.S. forces in the invasion of France the following year, but his inability to control his emotional outbursts and a personal sense of honor and duty that blocked him from sympathizing with the trials and tribulations of frontline troops caused him to stumble. Second, it is to showcase He is all through. Click here for our comprehensive information resource on the society, ideology, and key events in Nazi Germany. Patton received orders from Bradley on September 23 to switch to a defensive position until further notice. Seventh Army in the invasion of Sicily in July 1943. Instead, the final orders that Blaskowitz gave to Manteuffel called for a two-pronged strike northwest to disrupt the advance of the U.S. 4th Armored Division and retake the crossroads at Chateau-Salins. 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. 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. When the Germans attempted to withdraw, they found their escape route blocked by the 359th Infantry Regiment moving east to cut them off. Manteuffels attack for the following day involved a coordinated strike toward Arracourt using the 111th and 113th Panzer Brigades from Luttwitzs and Kruegers corps, respectively. Click here to see our comprehensive article on World War 2. As for Patton, he incorrectly dismissed the action as nothing more than another failed local counterattack. This kind of came as a surprise, but everything was so well prepared for us, recalled Tucker. In 1943 he commanded the U.S. He ordered Knobelsdorff to attack Dagers CCB with the 559th Volksgrenadier Division and the remnants of the 106th Panzer Brigade. The new panzer brigades each had a battalion of Panzergrenadiers drawn from the three Panzergrenadier divisions already in Lorraine. 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. But Pattons dash ground to a halt shortly after it crossed the Meuse. 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. So dont make any announcementwell keep it a secret until we see how it goes.. On the night of March 22, 1945, elements of the Third Army crossed the Rhine at the German town of Oppenheim. 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. At this location, on March 22 & 23, 1945, the 249th Engineer Combat Battalion, after supporting the U.S. Army 5th Infantry Division at Oppenheim, in the first successful Rhine river assault crossing since Napoleon, completed the construction of a 366 meter floating bridge to carry elements of General George S. Patton's 3rd Army across the Rhine. The Commanders: The Leadership Journeys of George Patton, Bernard Montgomery, and Erwin Rommel. Lieutenant-General Brian Horrocks of XXX Corps commented later that, although they heard stories of German soldiers surrendering in their thousands at other places, the German troops encountered in XXX Corps' area were extremely fanatical in defence of their homeland. His superior, General Omar Bradley, released news of this crossing to the press "at a time calculated to take some of the luster from the news of Montgomerys crossing." [5] The 134th Infantry Regiment was ordered to cross on the left below Nancy, and the 137th Infantry Regiment on the right. Despite efforts to rush fuel to the frontline units, the Allies were still receiving their fuel from supply dumps in Normandy. A major firefight developed that resulted in the destruction of seven enemy tanks at the cost of three Shermans. The British prime minister had long dreamed of relieving himself on Hitlers much-vaunted Siegfried Line to show his contempt for Hitler and Nazism. Anthony Read and David Fisher, The Fall of Berlin. In Germany, US Third Army captured Frankfurt and Wiesbaden and US Seventh Army captured Mannheim. This post is part of our collection of resources on Nazi 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. ), Patton also requested the help of the press corps in informing the Germans that four of his armored divisions were slashing away at them. National Interest Newsletter. Pattons third corps, Troy Middletons VIII Corps, had been detached and assigned to mop up German resistance in Brittany. Beyond the German front lines, US aircraft harassed retreating German columns, destroying 246 trucks and 241 railway wagons. As a result, the Germans broke off the attack and retreated to the safety of a nearby forest leaving behind 11 wrecked tanks. Leclerc also benefited from repeated tactical air strikes by P-47 Thunderbolts of Brig. 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. This was the greatest airborne operation of the war. 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. McLain issued orders for the nearest infantry regiments to converge on the enemy column. Again, the Germans proved they had the determination and resources to make the Americans pay heavily to get their forces across the Moselle. 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. 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. Further south, where the river was narrower, Patton's Third Army vaulted the Rhine with its customary elan, as did Devers' Sixth Army Group. 6731 Whittier Avenue, Suite C-100 McLean, VA 22101, Stay up to date with all of our latest news, US First Army captured Paderborn and Hamm, Germany. All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB. Patton knew his entrance into German-occupied territory was of monumental historical importance. To the right side of the center banner WORLD WAR II 75th ANNIVERSARY is Patton in a B-3 Bomber jacket and his name, GEN. GEORGE S. PATTON JR. Next is an image of Patton crossing the Rhine into Germany with a convoy of troops, supply trucks, troop caravan and an Sherman M4 tank. If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. To their surprise, they were not opposed by enemy forces. 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. Patton celebrated the victory by stopping on a treadway bridge his men had built and relieving himself into the river. Within three days Patton's troops were rapidly approaching Frankfurt, Germany, capturing bridges in tact as the German defenses began to fall apart. 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. 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. This dramatic entrance to the battle by CCA caught the Germans off guard and paid large dividends. The Germans did not intended to give up either without a fight. 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. 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. But its fortune ended there. 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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. Walkers corps consisted of the 5th and 90th Infantry Divisions and the 7th Armored Division, while Eddys corps, at that time, consisted of the 35th and 80th Infantry Divisions and the 4th and 6th Armored Divisions. 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. The tank battle raged well into the afternoon as Company B arrived to help Abrams hold back the Germans. The 134th was fortunate to find a bridge intact and threw a battalion across the river. Pattons troops beat Montgomery across the Rhine by one day. 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 final stage of World War II in the European Theatre commenced with the Western Allied invasion of Germany. 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. Brad, for Gods sake tell the world were across. The pause that refreshes. The general told the troops around him. This article is also part of our extensive collection of articles on the second World War. The Hellcats bought precious time for Companies A and B of the 37th Tank Battalion to rumble north from Lezey toward the battlefront. Lava's technical capabilities. At Toul, where a great bend in the Moselle channeled the Moselle away from Nancy, the Germans were content to allow McBrides 319th Infantry Regiment to cross unopposed on September 5. The 111th and 113th Panzer Brigades boasted two tank battalions, one of 45 Panthers and the other of 45 Mark IVs. March 22nd, 2020 - Palatinate Chapter member visits the commemorative site of Patton's historic crossing of the Rhine. 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. Bradley, who found the report satisfactory, passed the news to Eisenhower that Third Army was indeed across the Moselle in strength. 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. The initial counterattacks against Third Armys bridgeheads should have convinced him that the enemy was regaining strength. The World War II Database is founded and managed by But his request was denied as by then both sides had shifted the bulk of their resources to the northern sector. Please refrain from using strong language. 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. WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. I was convinced then there were no Germans ahead of us except those we were actually fighting. With their high-velocity guns, the Panthers easily knocked out the Yanks vehicles. If you supply any information, it would be appreciated by his family. 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 celebrated the victory by stopping on a treadway bridge his men had built and relieving himself into the river. Please use this data for any reference citations. 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. To cover CCBs former position in the line, Baades 35th Infantry Division advanced to a new position west of Chateau-Salins. Total losses for the day were five Shermans and more than 40 Panther and Mark IV tanks. B of the Rhine Germany, us aircraft harassed retreating German columns, destroying 246 trucks and railway..., destroying 246 trucks and 241 railway wagons lines, us aircraft harassed retreating German columns, destroying trucks. 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