One military reconnaissance trip made an indelible impression on the Allies and brought back the reality that the Germans were indeed still in the area. Two soldiers had been sent ahead to scope the area. Marching quietly into town, the soldiers were amazed at the amount of German items still scattered on the ground. The buildings in the town circled around the center marketplace. German guns and tanks sat in the center of the town. Building by building the soldiers hid in the shadows and moved slowly along. Nothing. Finding a hedge along one side of the town, the soldiers advanced and then quietly looked through the green wall. Right in the middle of town, not far from the Allies were completing their mission sat a group of German soldiers eating lunch.
The soldiers froze and decided to return to base. Just as they moved back to disappear out of sight from the Germans, they were spotted and shots rang out. By the time they were discovered the two-man reconnaissance team had put enough distance between them and the Germans that the shots missed. Pressing onward in the direction of camp, the men had one goal. Make it safely back to camp without being shot.
The Germans had made it safely to their tanks and were determined to not let the two Americans get away. The huge 88 mm canon was pointed directly towards the departing soldiers. The Allies had one advantage. The German engineering was far behind the construction of the American tanks. German tanks could only shoot in one direction and only after the first shot had been fired could the direction of the tank cannon change. This one small factor gave the Allies the advantage and the soldiers were able to stay out of range and make it safely back to camp.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
SCOUTING OUT ONE TOWN
Moving around the perimeter of another town, the Allies came upon another group of Germans, eating lunch. Slowly moving back towards camp the soldiers wanted nothing more than to get back unnoticed. Without any hint of what had happened, the Allies began shouting and welcoming the soldiers back to camp. The noise apparently didn’t reach the German ears because the troop was able to go back into town and confront the enemy. The Allies gained another victory and the Germans were slowly losing ground in the war.
AACHEN: OCTOBER 24, 1944
Aachen located in a triangular area on the border of Luxembourg, Netherlands and France is the area where heavy fighting begins. Army focus was to be through southern Belgium and Luxembourg towards German land south of Rhine.
The first German city to fall into Allied hands was Aachen It took five months of heavy fighting to get into the area. Once the Allies moved into Aachen they began to infiltrate into Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. Five months of heavy fighting ensued.
The main obstacle that had to be overcome was the heavily fortified pill box. Germans could easily hide behind the concrete structures set in the ground. The pill box was normally located on a steep hill in regions that were heavily forested and where there was thick underbrush. The box could possibly be covered with wire so that it was even more inaccessible and had deep trench tunnels where the Germans could lie in wait. The pill box was an excellent camouflage for machine guns and mortars. When anyone was within a reasonable distance, the Germans would open fire on the unsuspecting GI’s. The goal for the Allies was to completely destroy the pill box either be detonation or by having a tank demolish the box completely. The purpose was to insure that the Germans would not be able to use them later on.
The best way to move into an area was to crawl along the ground in the hours just before daylight. For the Germans, the heaviest fighting was usually one hour after dark. That gave them time to study the landscape and get their bearing. That gave the Germans over the GI’s and the Germans had the advantage. Once the Allies were aware of the German fighting hours the Allies would stop fighting one hour before dark so that they would have time to study the area and have a better opportunity to maintain the attack.
The first German city to fall into Allied hands was Aachen It took five months of heavy fighting to get into the area. Once the Allies moved into Aachen they began to infiltrate into Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. Five months of heavy fighting ensued.
The main obstacle that had to be overcome was the heavily fortified pill box. Germans could easily hide behind the concrete structures set in the ground. The pill box was normally located on a steep hill in regions that were heavily forested and where there was thick underbrush. The box could possibly be covered with wire so that it was even more inaccessible and had deep trench tunnels where the Germans could lie in wait. The pill box was an excellent camouflage for machine guns and mortars. When anyone was within a reasonable distance, the Germans would open fire on the unsuspecting GI’s. The goal for the Allies was to completely destroy the pill box either be detonation or by having a tank demolish the box completely. The purpose was to insure that the Germans would not be able to use them later on.
The best way to move into an area was to crawl along the ground in the hours just before daylight. For the Germans, the heaviest fighting was usually one hour after dark. That gave them time to study the landscape and get their bearing. That gave the Germans over the GI’s and the Germans had the advantage. Once the Allies were aware of the German fighting hours the Allies would stop fighting one hour before dark so that they would have time to study the area and have a better opportunity to maintain the attack.
Monday, August 18, 2008
THE END OF 1944
November 24, 1944: Cherbourg, France
December 16-27, 1944: Battle of the Bulge. This battle was where most of the heavy fighting of the war occurred. American forces lost 80,000 men in this conflict alone.
December 26, 1944: Bastogne; First German plane shot down at 10:00 p.m. The offensive begins
Once on the ground, the troop headed towards Bastogne just inside the Belgium border where the other Allies were waiting. Bastogne was a key point in the war and the troops panned out all sides of the town, hoping to stop the Germans from entering into France. Bitter cold, extremely windy conditions, and snowy weather with temperatures near or just below freezing, delayed progress. As supplies diminished, the Allies felt their resolve fall. The Germans attacked whenever they could but the weather limited their vision too.
German military tactics that could have been easily used to overcome the Allies were ignored. Rather than group together and hit all the areas of the perimeter, the Germans opened gunfire on only one section of the perimeter. That steady stream of gunfire to only one area gave the Americans the advantage. The Germans were stopped and just two days before Christmas. The weather cleared so that supplies could be dropped for the Allies. Gaining new strength the Allies continued to fight the resistance and shortly after Christmas, Bastogne was officially an Allied victory.
December 16-27, 1944: Battle of the Bulge. This battle was where most of the heavy fighting of the war occurred. American forces lost 80,000 men in this conflict alone.
December 26, 1944: Bastogne; First German plane shot down at 10:00 p.m. The offensive begins
Once on the ground, the troop headed towards Bastogne just inside the Belgium border where the other Allies were waiting. Bastogne was a key point in the war and the troops panned out all sides of the town, hoping to stop the Germans from entering into France. Bitter cold, extremely windy conditions, and snowy weather with temperatures near or just below freezing, delayed progress. As supplies diminished, the Allies felt their resolve fall. The Germans attacked whenever they could but the weather limited their vision too.
German military tactics that could have been easily used to overcome the Allies were ignored. Rather than group together and hit all the areas of the perimeter, the Germans opened gunfire on only one section of the perimeter. That steady stream of gunfire to only one area gave the Americans the advantage. The Germans were stopped and just two days before Christmas. The weather cleared so that supplies could be dropped for the Allies. Gaining new strength the Allies continued to fight the resistance and shortly after Christmas, Bastogne was officially an Allied victory.
BELGIUM
The next maneuver was to move into Belgium and look for any GI’s that may have been left in the area. Rumors indicated that German combat soldiers had killed and slaughtered several Allies on December 17th. Near the crossroads of Baugnez the German infantry saw the advancing American troops and opened fire on the squad. Any surviving Allies became prisoners and had no choice but to follow the Germans. After what seemed like miles, the Germans gave the Allies a break and a chance to rest. They were allowed to gather in a field far enough away from the Germans that they could be still seen. While the prisoners were trying to relax and appraise the current situation they were in, rounds of machine gun bullets whizzed through the area killing all 120 men. Some men remained on the ground feigning death but when the Germans discovered that they were still breathing, they were executed right on the spot. Buildings were burned and when everything was quiet and still, the Germans left.
A few stunned soldiers later emerged from their hiding places to assess the damage. They looked in awe at the devastation around them. Forty-three soldiers remained unscathed and took shelter among the American troops. The stories were all the same. Germans shot Americans without any warning and it was literally “every man for himself”. Bodies were littered all over the ground.
When the Gun Battalion approached the field, the scene was one so grotesque that it would never be forgotten. American soldiers were scattered all over the frozen snowy ground. Many of the bodies had been shot in half and body parts were everywhere. Torn pictures of wives and girlfriends were littered on the surface, GI identification papers were strewn everywhere and combat boots had been removed. Fingers had been cut off to remove any jewelry and any other object that might help to identify the soldier.
It took almost a month to cover the distance into the town of Huy. (January 1945) The terrain was rough and steep and mostly inhabited. Investigating the area with the vivid descriptions of carnage fresh in their mind, there was a new determination to make the responsible party help accountable. Troops of eight men, four on foot and four assigned to gun duty, pushed through the brush and wooded area of Huy.
A few stunned soldiers later emerged from their hiding places to assess the damage. They looked in awe at the devastation around them. Forty-three soldiers remained unscathed and took shelter among the American troops. The stories were all the same. Germans shot Americans without any warning and it was literally “every man for himself”. Bodies were littered all over the ground.
When the Gun Battalion approached the field, the scene was one so grotesque that it would never be forgotten. American soldiers were scattered all over the frozen snowy ground. Many of the bodies had been shot in half and body parts were everywhere. Torn pictures of wives and girlfriends were littered on the surface, GI identification papers were strewn everywhere and combat boots had been removed. Fingers had been cut off to remove any jewelry and any other object that might help to identify the soldier.
It took almost a month to cover the distance into the town of Huy. (January 1945) The terrain was rough and steep and mostly inhabited. Investigating the area with the vivid descriptions of carnage fresh in their mind, there was a new determination to make the responsible party help accountable. Troops of eight men, four on foot and four assigned to gun duty, pushed through the brush and wooded area of Huy.
THE ALLIED MISSION: EARLY 1945
The major goal for the early part of 1945 is to move into Germany via the Rhine River. Since the Rhine River Valley was one of the busiest waterways, it was one of the best ways to gain control of Germany.
January 1945: By the end of the month the Germans had been pushed to their original starting point.
March 7, 1945: Allied take Cologne
March 17, 1945: Remagen Bridge collapsed; Rhine River crossed. (Some sources call this the Leidendorff Bridge).
March 18, 1945 to October 25, 1945:
The troops were stationed in Germany and directly in the middle of the heavy fighting. The focus was along the Rhine River and was located between the cities of Cologne and Koblens. [The Rhine River starts in Switzerland and goes through Dusseldorf, Cologne and Bonn. It also goes to Austria, Germany, France, and Luxembourg.] It is a crucial part of the war since the Rhine flows into so many countries. Stopping the Germans from accessing the Rhine would force them within the boundaries of Gremany.
APRIL 20, 1945: Deep within the forest of Germany the Allies work to move into Germany.
January 1945: By the end of the month the Germans had been pushed to their original starting point.
March 7, 1945: Allied take Cologne
March 17, 1945: Remagen Bridge collapsed; Rhine River crossed. (Some sources call this the Leidendorff Bridge).
March 18, 1945 to October 25, 1945:
The troops were stationed in Germany and directly in the middle of the heavy fighting. The focus was along the Rhine River and was located between the cities of Cologne and Koblens. [The Rhine River starts in Switzerland and goes through Dusseldorf, Cologne and Bonn. It also goes to Austria, Germany, France, and Luxembourg.] It is a crucial part of the war since the Rhine flows into so many countries. Stopping the Germans from accessing the Rhine would force them within the boundaries of Gremany.
APRIL 20, 1945: Deep within the forest of Germany the Allies work to move into Germany.
MARCH AND APRIL 1945
March 22, 1945: Oppenheim Bridge is 2nd point of entry into Germany
April 5, 1945: War moves to Bonn, Germany
April 20, 1945: Troops move into the area where German tanks and military production
occurred.
***Witzenhausen, Germany is located between Kassel and Gottingen in the state of Hesse with the main access river being the Werra.
***Kassel is located between Frankfurt and Hannover and was home to the German tank and airplane production.
***Gottingen is 67 miles from Hamburg. The Leine River runs through the area and the town was almost completely untouched by the Allies.
April 24th 1945; Troops moved into the area near where German tanks and military production occurred.
THE STORY:
Determined to forge ahead and overcome the Germans lurking in the town, the soldiers made their way back to the town. The unsuspecting Germans were unable to overcome the Allies and at the end of the day 14 tanks had been confiscated and 4400 Germans were killed. The two Allied soldiers who had been scouting out the area realized exactly how fortunate they had been. Imagine, just imagine being in a town where you were one of the two soldiers sent ahead and you were able to escape from over four thousand Germans. Luck had surely been on their side.
April 5, 1945: War moves to Bonn, Germany
April 20, 1945: Troops move into the area where German tanks and military production
occurred.
***Witzenhausen, Germany is located between Kassel and Gottingen in the state of Hesse with the main access river being the Werra.
***Kassel is located between Frankfurt and Hannover and was home to the German tank and airplane production.
***Gottingen is 67 miles from Hamburg. The Leine River runs through the area and the town was almost completely untouched by the Allies.
April 24th 1945; Troops moved into the area near where German tanks and military production occurred.
THE STORY:
Determined to forge ahead and overcome the Germans lurking in the town, the soldiers made their way back to the town. The unsuspecting Germans were unable to overcome the Allies and at the end of the day 14 tanks had been confiscated and 4400 Germans were killed. The two Allied soldiers who had been scouting out the area realized exactly how fortunate they had been. Imagine, just imagine being in a town where you were one of the two soldiers sent ahead and you were able to escape from over four thousand Germans. Luck had surely been on their side.
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