Chapter V: Section IV: Rhineland Campaign

15 September-15 December 1944[3]

On 15 September 1944 the Allied forces that had invaded southern France came under control of the Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force. This added the 6th Army Group to the forces opposing the enemy along the German frontier, making a total of forty-eight Allied divisions in the European Theater of Operations. In a little over three months, 6 June-15 September 1944, the Western Allies had carried their offensives from the Normandy beaches to the western borders of Germany. During the next three months little, if any, progress was made. Several factors contributed to this general slowdown. As fall and winter approached, rain, mud, and snow greatly hindered operations and made living conditions extremely trying. The terrain became more difficult since many rivers and streams had to be crossed and rough, wooded, and hilly country was encountered. Enemy resistance stiffened as the Allies reached the German border. But more important than any other single factor was the problem of supplying the large forces which had advanced so rapidly that they had outrun their supplies.

During this period, as the Allies came to the West Wall and the Rhine, severe fighting took place all along the front. Some of the most difficult operations of the war in western Europe occurred during the Rhineland Campaign as battles were fought in the Arnhem area, the Schelde estuary, the Huertgen Forest, the Aachen sector, the Metz and Saar regions, and the Belfort and Saverne Gaps. On 15 December the efforts of the Allies in the Rhineland were interrupted when the enemy broke through the lines in the Ardennes, causing a shift of troops to the Ardennes to reinforce the lines there.

ENLISTED MAN WALKING THROUGH MUD in his bivouac area. The
Allied advance was halted at the German border by poor weather
conditions, difficult terrain, stiffening German resistance,
and, most of all, by lack of supplies. At this time the decision
was made to employ the greatest strength in the north to attain
flanking bridgeheads across the lower Rhine River beyond the
main fortifications of the West Wall. This area was chosen
for the drive since the terrain to the south was considered
unsuitable for a rapid advance because of the mountainous and
forested country.]

PLANES TOWING GLIDERS take off for the invasion of the
Netherlands, 17 September 1944. The First Allied Airborne Army
launched its attack to secure a bridgehead across the Rhine in
the Arnhem area. Complete surprise was achieved and the drops
and glider landings were effective and in most cases were
made in the prescribed areas. During the following ten days
the fighting was severe with repeated German counterattacks.
However, the railroad bridge across the Waal River in the
Nijmegen area was captured on 20 September and remained in
Allied hands. By the end of September the corridor was widened
somewhat and the operation was considered a success even though
the Allies were forced to evacuate most of the attacking troops
after numerous casualties were suffered.]

PARATROOPERS ADVANCING UNDER ENEMY FIRE in the Arnhem
area (top). A captured German self-propelled assault gun
(Sturmgeschuetz 7.5-cm. Stu. K. 40) (bottom). During the entire
operation in the Netherlands which lasted for thirty days, from
17 September to 16 October 1944, over 5,500 planes and 2,500
gliders transported 34,000 men, and over 1,900 vehicles, 500
artillery pieces, and 5,000 tons of supplies. The airborne army
suffered more than 13,000 casualties in killed, wounded, or
missing.]

INFANTRYMEN FOLLOWING A TANK during the advance north of Aachen
(top). Infantrymen riding on an M4 medium tank-dozer through the
West Wall, while others follow on foot (bottom). The last two
weeks in September were spent by the First Army in probing the
enemy’s defenses along the frontier. On 2 October an attack was
launched across the German border about eight miles north of
Aachen. Progress during the next two weeks was slow as troops
fought their way through six miles of West Wall, or “Siegfried
Line,” fortifications.]

A 57-MM. ANTITANK GUN M1 being unlimbered from a half-track
during the street fighting in Aachen (top). A Browning
.30-caliber machine gun M1919A4 being fired at the enemy in
Aachen (bottom). The German troops in Aachen refused a surrender
ultimatum on 11 October 1944, and during the next three days the
city was subjected to intense aerial bombardment and artillery
fire. Infantrymen entered the city on 13 October and after
fierce house-to-house fighting almost completely occupied Aachen
by 20 October. The following day the garrison surrendered,
making Aachen the first German city to fall to the Allies. The
First U. S. Army then began preparations for a drive to the
Rhine as soon as supplies and reinforcements should become
available.]

WEST RAILROAD YARDS LOUSBERG

A PORTION OF THE CITY OF AACHEN. During the bitter fighting the
Allies found it necessary to use all types of artillery weapons,
from the 155-mm. gun to the smaller guns of tank destroyers,
at point blank range to reduce the heavily fortified buildings
occupied by enemy troops.]

BRIDGEHEAD ACROSS THE MOSELLE south of Metz near Arnaville.
While the U. S. First Army was driving toward the Rhine in the
vicinity of Bonn and Cologne, the Third Army was holding its
positions pending the improvement of the supply situation. The
Ninth Army moved up from Brittany and took its position between
the First and Third Armies in the Ardennes sector. The battle
of Brest ended on 18 September 1944, and except for enemy
resistance in the Atlantic coast port cities of Lorient and
Saint-Nazaire, the Brittany Peninsula was completely in Allied
hands.]

M4 MEDIUM TANKS on a street in Lunéville (top). U. S. troops
firing a captured German 88-mm. gun in the vicinity of Metz
(bottom). The period from 25 September to 7 November 1944 was
the most unproductive phase of the U. S. Third Army’s operations
on the Continent. Troops closed in on the Moselle north of
Thionville and consolidated their positions east of Nancy. On 18
September the Germans launched a counterattack near Lunéville
but were stopped in their tracks. Two other attacks on 22 and 24
September were also stopped and the Germans began to retreat on
the night of 1–2 October.]

FIVE-GALLON WATER CANS loaded in a quarter-ton trailer
being filled at an Engineer water point. The Engineers were
responsible for the purification of drinking water and set up
water points from which all units located in the area drew their
daily supply.]

BREAD BEING PLACED ON COOLING RACKS in a Quartermaster bakery
after being removed from the ovens.]

INFANTRY MEN FIRING a .30-caliber Browning machine gun M1917A1
on the outskirts of Metz (top). Infantry patrol entering Metz
(bottom). For two months the U. S. Third Army was stalled in
the vicinity of Metz, the fortress which would have to be
captured before any substantial advance eastward could be
made. Metz dominated three invasion routes into Germany from
France: the valley of the Moselle through Trier and Coblenz; the
Kaiserslautern Pass through Saarbruecken to Mainz and Worms; and
the route through the Saverne Gap from Sarrebourg to Strasbourg
and the Rhine. Only once in modern times had the fortress of
Metz fallen to an attacking army--in 1871 the defending French
troops surrendered to the Prussians.]

90-MM. GUN MOTOR CARRIAGE M36 in Metz. The capture of Metz was
hindered by rain and floods which canceled the heavy air support
and made the advance difficult for the ground forces. The attack
started on 8 November with only artillery support and it was
not until 22 November that the city was finally clear of all
enemy pockets of resistance. The last of the forts which ringed
the city was taken on 13 December. The Third Army was then
confronted by one of the strongest sections of the West Wall,
and since its reduction would require a vast amount of artillery
support, the attacks were suspended until the necessary
ammunition could be brought up.]

MOSELLE RIVER CANAL FORT ST. JULIEN ROUNDHOUSES FORT DE QUEULEU

THE CITY OF METZ showing the location of two of the forts which
ringed the city. These and other forts presented problems to the
assaulting troops.]

THANKSGIVING DINNER AT THE FRONT. During October and November
1944 the cold, rain, fog, and floods made living conditions of
the front-line troops miserable. The battle against the weather
was as difficult as that against the enemy.]

ENGINEERS HAULING BRIDGING EQUIPMENT in flooded areas of the
Moselle River. The flooded rivers and smaller streams made the
task of bridging extremely difficult during this period of the
fighting along the German frontier since, in addition to the
wider than normal spans necessary to cross the rivers, the
weather was cold and rainy, adding to the hardships of those
employed in the task.]

TRACK EXTENSIONS being put on the track of a medium tank. The
maneuverability of tanks and other tracked vehicles was greatly
hampered by mud along the front lines. Confronted by a problem
more serious than anticipated, Ordnance personnel quickly
designed and started production of track extensions at the rate
of 156 separate pieces for each tank. Civilian manufacturing
facilities were utilized in France and Belgium and before the
program was completed 1,500,000 extensions had been made and
welded to the tank tracks.]

AN M4A3 MEDIUM TANK fitted with track extensions maneuvering
through soupy ground. Track extensions were so devised as to
give better flotation and traction through the November mud.]

105-MM. HOWITZER M3 shelling enemy positions. After the capture
of Aachen the First and Ninth Armies prepared for a new
offensive. The initial objectives were to capture bridgeheads
over the Roer River in the vicinity of Dueren and make advances
toward Juelich. At the same time the defensive positions in the
Ardennes area were held. After a four-day delay the weather
cleared and planes of the Allied air forces began the attack.
Several towns including Dueren and Juelich were reduced to
rubble.]

MEDIUM TANKS FIRING during the assault toward the Roer River
(top). 155-mm. gun motor carriage M12 firing on enemy held
positions (bottom). In spite of the elaborate preparations made
for the attack and the great concentration of combat power,
progress was extremely slow. Each of the towns was woven into a
network in which each house had to be reduced, and each foot of
the muddy ground was defended to the last by the enemy troops.
The attack plowed on determinedly in the mud and cold and on 3
December 1944 the Ninth Army came to the Roer. The First Army
also attacked until the river was reached. (Note the newer type
track with cleats on the treads to give better traction.)]

3-INCH GUN MOTOR CARRIAGES M10 move up in the Huertgen Forest
area. Troops of the First and Ninth Armies had been fighting
their way toward Schmidt since September in one of the most
bitterly contested actions of the war. One of the major
obstacles in the advance was the Huertgen Forest which covered
roughly the triangle of Aachen-Dueren-Monschau. In the vicinity
of Schmidt were dams which controlled the level of the Roer
River, and while these were still in enemy hands water could
be released flooding the valley of the Roer. It was therefore
considered necessary to take this area and the dams before the
river was crossed by the attacking U. S. forces.]

INFANTRYMEN pushing through the Huertgen Forest near Vossenack,
Germany (top). Vehicles moving up a muddy road through the
forest (bottom). The Germans had strengthened this natural
barrier by the clever use of wire, pillboxes, and mines, and
the U. S. infantrymen, restricted by the rough wooded terrain,
were forced to fight for the most part without the aid of
artillery or air support. On 13 December the attack on the dams
was renewed but the going was still slow. Casualties to the two
armies advancing in this area were high.]

KALL RIVER OUTSKIRTS OF VOSSENACK KALL RIVER

KOMMERSCHEIDT AND THE SURROUNDING AREA. The terrain of the
Schmidt and Vossenack areas, like that of the Huertgen Forest,
was hilly and wooded. The Roer River dams in this area were
important objectives for the Allies during this part of the
campaign.]

TIRED, DIRTY, HUNGRY INFANTRYMEN eat their first hot meal after
fifteen days of siege of the town of Huertgen.]

BATTLE-WEARY GERMANS who were among the last to surrender after
the battle of the Huertgen Forest which lasted for several weeks.]

MINE EXPLODER T1E3 attached to a medium tank. This model was an
improvement over the earlier one because of its chain-driven
exploder disks. On the first models the exploder disks rolled
freely and were not power driven. The new model also had a
higher degree of indestructibility and greater maneuverability
and could be driven in mud eighteen inches deep and across
broken terrain. The T1E3 could be driven across a Class 70
military bridge.]

FIRING ROCKETS during the fighting in the Huertgen Forest area.
In the above pictures 4.5-inch multiple rocket launchers T27 are
mounted on 2½-ton trucks and consist of eight tubes in a single
bank. Two banks are mounted on each of the trucks with the
rockets being fired at half-second intervals.]

FOG OIL being used to produce a smoke screen to limit
observation during river crossings. This function of the
Chemical Warfare companies was utilized in covering the
activities of troops at ports, airfields, docks, and harbors
in addition to concealing vital points from direct enemy air
observation during advances and river crossings. When the danger
of aerial attack was practically eliminated it was still used
against ground observation. By means of a generator the fog
oil was converted into a white fog which was used effectively
whenever the wind conditions were not strong enough to disperse
the screen too rapidly.]

90-MM. ANTIAIRCRAFT GUN M 1 being fired at a German flying bomb
passing over Belgium. Liege was subjected to an attack by these
robot bombs and suffered considerable damage. Because of the
great speed of these weapons it was difficult to combat them,
but later with the utilization of the newly developed proximity
fuse, the seriousness of the threat of the flying bombs
diminished.]

SEVENTH ARMY VEHICLES CROSSING THE MOSELLE. During the
later half of September the 6th Army Group’s positions were
consolidated, boundaries were adjusted, divisions were shifted
into their proper zones, and plans were made for the advance to
the Rhine.]

4.2-INCH CHEMICAL MORTAR being fired during the advance of the
Seventh Army, October 1944.]

THREE INFANTRYMEN of the Seventh Army looking down on a village
in France from a hilltop which has been under heavy mortar and
artillery fire.]

INFANTRYMEN CLIMB UPON AN M 5 LIGHT TANK in preparation for an
advance. In November 1944 the Seventh Army was to make the main
effort of the 6th Army Group in an advance toward Sarrebourg
and Strasbourg. In the south the French First Army was to drive
through the Belfort Gap.]

ARTILLERY LIAISON PLANES grounded in the Seventh Army area.
In the Vosges mountains snow drifted over the roads, the
temperature dropped below freezing, and streams overflowed their
banks.]

INFANTRYMEN OF THE SEVENTH ARMY advance through snow and
sleet. The attack of 6th Army Group was to breach the Vosges
mountains whereupon the two armies would join in the Rhine plain
to isolate the enemy’s Vosges positions. Short of artillery
ammunition, the troops slugged it out with the enemy over
difficult terrain and in increasingly bad weather, with the
infantry carrying most of the burden.]

SEVENTH ARMY ARTILLERYMEN loading a 105-mm. howitzer M 2A 1. The
attack was launched, after an all-night artillery preparation,
in a snow storm on the morning of 13 November 1944. At noon on
14 November the French First Army jumped off in its attack. On
16 November the French broke through the Belfort defenses and
on 20 November reached the Rhine. Mulhouse fell on 22 November
despite a quickly established enemy defensive line.]

A 105-MM. HOWITZER MOTOR CARRIAGE M 7 being fired on German
positions in the Rhine Valley (top). Infantrymen wait in a
shallow zig-zag trench before advancing (bottom). On 20 November
Sarrebourg was captured and on 22 November Saverne fell. By
27 November Strasbourg and its ring of defending forts had
been taken. After the collapse of the enemy positions in the
Vosges, the Seventh Army attacked northward and by the middle
of December had crossed the German frontier on a 22-mile front
and penetrated the West Wall defenses northeast of Wissembourg.
In the meantime the German forces which had been driven from
the Vosges maintained their bridgehead in the Colmar area,
which became known as the Colmar pocket before it was finally
liquidated.]

REWARDS FOR STANDING IN LINE: men receiving typhus booster shots
(top); men exchanging their French and Belgium francs for German
marks (bottom).]

WOUNDED SOLDIERS BEING EVACUATED in tracked vehicles during the
winter months. Cargo carrier M 29 (top); half-track personnel
carrier M 3 (bottom).]

OPENING THE VALVE ON A GASOLINE PIPELINE. The critical fuel
situation of September, which had stalled the armored divisions
at the West Wall, was materially improved by December. At
that time three main pipelines were constructed or under
construction: one for the northern armies, one for the central
armies, and another for the southern armies.]

FIVE-GALLON CANS BEING FILLED WITH GASOLINE at a distribution
point. On 15 December 1944 the armies had from a five-to
nine-day supply of gasoline on hand while the Ninth Air Force
had over 600,000 gallons of aviation gasoline and oil stored in
the Namur area.]

ARMY SUPPLIES BEING UNLOADED at Antwerp. The greatest single
factor in the improved supply situation was the port of Antwerp
which became operational on 27 November. Despite heavy attacks
from the German “V” weapons the port discharged cargo which was
badly needed by the forces fighting along the German frontier.
Utah and Omaha Beaches ceased operations in November and then
only the larger port cities were used as supply ports of entry.]

AMPHIBIAN TRUCKS LOADING SUPPLIES into railroad cars after
bringing them ashore from ships in the harbor of Le Havre (top).
In addition to Antwerp, the major Allied ports were Le Havre,
Ghent (opened in January 1945), Rouen, Cherbourg, and Marseille.
An enlisted man reading a directive, signed by the theater
commander, concerning the conservation of tires, an effort made
to curtail the wasteful use of equipment and supplies (bottom).
While in general the supply situation was much improved over
that in September there were still critical shortages in a wide
variety of items including antifreeze, tires, post exchange
rations, miscellaneous signal equipment, and some winter
clothing.]

2½-TON TRUCKS PICK UP RATIONS at a Belgian railhead (top).
10-ton semitrailers loaded with rations at Antwerp, ready to
be hauled to the forward depots (bottom). The multiple-drive
motor transport vehicles were continuously on the move and made
possible the supplying of troops during the rapid advances.]

ARDENNES-ALSACE CAMPAIGN