To the far left is scrolled, WARS MAY BE FOUGHT WITH . I think, everybody here know the photo as Patton urinated into the Rhine. 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. 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. Patton arrived in France exactly one month after the D-Day invasion to set up the operational command for Third Army. He announced that the Third Army would shortly capture its 230,000th prisoner of war. To cover CCBs former position in the line, Baades 35th Infantry Division advanced to a new position west of Chateau-Salins. 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. 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. Eddy planned to isolate Nancy in a double envelopment. 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. The Panthersknocked out three of the lightly armored HMCs in short order. Anthony Read and David Fisher, The Fall of Berlin. 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. 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. Brad, dont tell anyone, but Im across. A surprised Bradley responded, Well, Ill be damned. Operation Plunder landed over 16,000 British and American troops across the Rhine River region, allowing link ups with advancing British 21st Army Group's 4 bridgeheads. In short order, more than a half-dozen M5 Stuart tanks sat smoldering and crumpled in fields near the town. The Germans failed to reconnoiter enemy positions, and their replacement tank crews were no match for Leclercs veteran troops. and useful information about WW2. Whats more, a series of determined counterattacks by the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division kept the U.S. infantry from expanding the bridgehead. This dramatic entrance to the battle by CCA caught the Germans off guard and paid large dividends. 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. Subsequently VIII Corps made two additional crossings downstream, to the south of Koblenz. Control of the crest of Hill 318 shifted back and forth on September 28. The men of the 317th Infantry Regiment managed to cross a bridge left intact and braced themselves for a counterattack. 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. "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. Hitler, who had never liked Blaskowitz, sacked him on September 21. He made his way halfway across the bridge before suddenly halting. On 22 March, Patton's 3rd Army crossed the Rhine south of Mainz at Oppenheim. US First Army finally broke out of Remagen bridgehead in Germany. ww2dbaseBetween Frankfort and the Ruhr River, the American First Army had breached the Rhine River barrier earlier in the month near Remagen. von Florian Weber; Verffentlicht am 1. Patton drove to the XII Corps front on September 19, where he met first with Eddy and later with Wood. 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. 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. The Shermans, which went into action in the morning, knocked out eight enemy tanks in quick order. 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. Frankfort was captured by Allied troops on 29 Mar. Photo Credit: Men of the U.S. 5th Infantry Division hug the walls in one of the suburbs of Metz in early September 1944. 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. The 9th Armored Division quickly expanded the bridgehead into a full scale crossing. On Pattons left wing, Walkers XX Corps began probing the Metz defenses on September 7. Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? National Interest Newsletter. On 26 Mar 1945, these troops marched southward toward Patton's troops. 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. 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 operation to cross the northern Rhine River launched in the night of 23 Mar 1945. 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 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.. It is thought that the accompanying photo of General George Patton documents Patton urinating into the Rhine River. 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. Until now, I cant find a webpage, book or other source for an . Patton was fatally injured in a road accident on December9, 1945, dying twelve days later. DEste begins with Pattons early life and family and moves through his decades at a pace that makes this long book seem far shorter. Because of the heavy losses the Germans had sustained after the Normandy breakout, the Allies enjoyed a substantial advantage over the Germans in equipment, which amounted to a 2-to-1 advantage in artillery and nearly a 20-to-1 advantage in tanks. You mean across the Rhine? Sure am, Patton replied, I sneaked a division over last night. 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. Yet Abramss 35th Tank Battalion counterattacked in the afternoon and recaptured the town in a fight that inflicted substantial casualties on the Germans. 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. So Patton called Bradley again. In 1943 he commanded the U.S. By early afternoon, the Germans were fighting their way into the southern end of the town. Two days earlier, Patton had told Maj. Gen. Manton Eddy that his XII Corps would lead the way. March 22nd, 2020 - Palatinate Chapter member visits the commemorative site of Patton's historic crossing of the Rhine. British sappers built another Rhine bridge, "Westminster". Most of the forces opposite Pattons Third Army belonged to the German First Army, which was part of General-Colonel Johannes Blaskowitzs Army Group G. Hitler planned to increase the forces opposite Patton to the point that they would be capable of launching a strong counterattack that would rock Third Army back on its heels. 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. But Pattons dash ground to a halt shortly after it crossed the Meuse. Brad, for Gods sake tell the world were across. 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. 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. Although his unit was spearheading the attack toward the river, he assumed there would be a pause to get organized for the crossing. Within three days Patton's troops were rapidly approaching Frankfurt, Germany, capturing bridges in tact as the German defenses began to fall apart. When a column of 11 panzers appeared out of the mist that morning, three were immediately knocked out at close range by Shermans belonging to 1st Platoon, Company C, of Abramss 37th Tank Battalion in concealed positions. 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. Through skilled use of defensive positions, the Americans stopped the Germans from capturing the town. The 111th and 113th Panzer Brigades boasted two tank battalions, one of 45 Panthers and the other of 45 Mark IVs. 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. Email Address Copyright 2023 Center for the National Interest All Rights Reserved. Stopped the Germans off guard and paid large dividends, `` Westminster '' bridge left intact braced... The town in a fight that inflicted substantial casualties on the Germans off guard and paid large.. 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