We figured we had a perfectly good boat. The main attack would come from the town of Bures to the south, where Manteuffel had scraped together a battle group composed of 30 tanks and assault guns to capture the camelback. 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. By September 10, Baades 35th Infantry Division was in force along the western bank of the Moselle south of Nancy. Under extremely tough and experienced Parachute and Panzer officers and NCOs new replacements (many dedicated Nazis) had been moulded into a formidable fighting force. This article is from the bookPatton: Blood, Guts, and Prayer2012by Michael Keane. 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. News of the crossing made it around the world. Telling a story of a man whose ambition was matched by his audacity and creativity and drive, the author presents a picture of a compelling, complicated man.Interested in World War II? 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 turning point in the battle came when a U.S. artillery observer directed more than 300 howitzer rounds onto a German column lined up on a sunken road in preparation for an assault on the village of Mairy. But various factors were at work to derail those hopes. 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. The German high command also reinforced the Fifth Panzer Army with Gen. Lt. Wend von Wietersheims 11th Panzer Division. Patton arrived in France exactly one month after the D-Day invasion to set up the operational command for Third Army. Brad, dont tell anyone, but Im across. A surprised Bradley responded, Well, Ill be damned. and useful information about WW2. 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. Yet Abramss 35th Tank Battalion counterattacked in the afternoon and recaptured the town in a fight that inflicted substantial casualties on the Germans. The 112th Panzer Brigade decimated by the clash at Dompaire, had only two dozen serviceable tanks. Manteuffels goal, as head of the 5th Panzer Army on the Western Front, was to transform Lunville into a base from which to roll up Third Armys flank on the east bank of the river. 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. Using speed to its advantage, Third Army roared across two bridges over the Meuse River on August 31 before German forces could demolish them and slow the American advance. Patton began drafting plans for Third Armys advance east toward the Rhine as early as September 14. 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. Patton knew his entrance into German-occupied territory was of monumental historical importance. The German armored column continued south, hoping to stampede the American soldiers into abandoning their positions. But his request was denied as by then both sides had shifted the bulk of their resources to the northern sector. Site created in November 2000. Patton was relieved of command in the wake of the incident but was not dismissed from war service. 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 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. With their high-velocity guns, the Panthers easily knocked out the Yanks vehicles. Hitler also made preparations for the creation of a new Fifth Army to be led by Manteuffel. They did a lot of grumbling.. Anthony Read and David Fisher, The Fall of Berlin. Frankfort was captured by Allied troops on 29 Mar. But Pattons dash ground to a halt shortly after it crossed the Meuse. 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 was convinced then there were no Germans ahead of us except those we were actually fighting. Because Haislips corps threatened his left flank, a substantial part of Luttwitzs corps was directed to take up a defensive stance. Since the days of the Roman Empire it has served as central Germany's traditional defense against invasion from the west. Love him or hate him, Patton cuts a singular figure in military history, and left a long, complicated legacy for historians, soldiers, and history buffs to consider. Within three days Patton's troops were rapidly approaching Frankfurt, Germany, capturing bridges in tact as the German defenses began to fall apart. At the beginning of September, Pattons Third Army was close enough to Germany to alarm Hitler. To learn more,click here for our comprehensive guide to General Patton. It was an unusually costly day for the Americans, who lost a dozen Shermans. He sent one regiment from Maj. Gen. Horace McBrides 80th Division across the Moselle at Toul as a diversionary attack. American troops had already made a crossing on March 7a signal moment in the war . The Rhine itself was symbolic of the entrance into Germany from Western Europe and had historically stood as a natural barrier against invasion. 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. 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. 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. Though Patton had hoped XII Corps would be ready to resume its advance on September 16, Eddy informed Patton that his troops would not be ready to resume their eastward advance until the 19th, after they had mopped up German forces behind their lines. 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. The tank battle raged well into the afternoon as Company B arrived to help Abrams hold back the Germans. In short order, more than a half-dozen M5 Stuart tanks sat smoldering and crumpled in fields near the town. Once again, Company C of the 704th TD Battalion rushed forward to delay the advance supported by P-47s firing rockets and machine guns. This was because Third Army, and the other Allied armies racing to its north, had stretched their supply lines until they snapped. The Germans failed to reconnoiter enemy positions, and their replacement tank crews were no match for Leclercs veteran troops. 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. Subsequently VIII Corps made two additional crossings downstream, to the south of Koblenz. Although his unit was spearheading the attack toward the river, he assumed there would be a pause to get organized for the crossing. XXX Corps. To the far left is scrolled, WARS MAY BE FOUGHT WITH . Gen. Otto Weylands XIX Tactical Air Command. Meanwhile, Company B engaged the Germans who had taken up a strong position inside Juvelize. As for Patton, he incorrectly dismissed the action as nothing more than another failed local counterattack. 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. By August 30, Pattons army was receiving only about 32,000 of the 400,000 gallons of fuel it required to run all of its tanks and vehicles. The Shermans then retreated behind the crest of the ridge and reappeared at another point to finish off the three remaining Panthers. We hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking. The fighting resulted in the final destruction of two panzer brigades. This was the greatest airborne operation of the war. 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. 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 troops of the French First Army crossed the Rhine River near Philippsburg, Germany on 1 Apr. 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. Opposition was negligible and within 24 hours the entire US 5th Division had crossed the river. Look for the Monument Patton and stop by the General Patton Memorial Museum. We are now fairly started on that phase of the campaign which I hope will be the final one. The Panthersknocked out three of the lightly armored HMCs in short order. The 37th Tank Battalion would get no rest on September 20. To Allied supreme commander Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower he wrote: I have just pissed into the Rhine River. 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