OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF MILITARY HISTORY
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
WASHINGTON, D.C., 1965
Library of Congress Catalog Number: 62-60001
CONTENTS
Forward vii Preface ix Chapter Page PART ONE
Breaching the Siegfried Line
I. THE ROAD TO GERMANY 3-19 Allied Strategy 3 The Shadow of Logistics 6 The Germans in the West 14 II. THE FIRST U.S. ARMY 20-38 Weapons and Equipment 25 The Terrain and the West Wall 28 A Pause at the Border 36 III. V CORPS HITS THE WEST WALL 39-65 The Race for the West Wall 41 Into Germany 43 Battle of the Schnee Eifel 49 Bridgehead at Wallendorf 56 Defense of the Bridgehead 63 IV. VII CORPS PENETRATES THE LINE 66-95 German Developments 69 The Battle of the Stolberg Corridor 71 The Drive on the Second Band 75 A Wall About Aachen 80 Battle of the Monschau Corridor 82 The Germans Strike Back 86 The Onset of Position Warfare 90 The First Fight in the Forest 92 V. ACTION ON THE NORTH WING 96-115 Defense of the Albert 98 From the Albert to the Border 101 Delay in the Assault 112 PART TWO
An Airborne Carpet in the North
VI. OPERATION MARKET-GARDEN 119-139 The Germans in the Netherlands 123 Seven Days for Planning 127 What Did the Germans Know? 134 The Flight to the Corridor 136 VII. INVASION FROM THE SKY 140-173 "a remarkably beautiful late summer day" 140 Hell's Highway 143 Six Bridges and a Ridge 154 Taking the Objectives 160 The Red Devils at Arnhem 170 VIII. DECISION ON THE GROUND 174-206 Developments on D Plus 2 (19 September) 174 The Fight for the Nijmegen Bridges 179 First Attempts To Drive on Arnhem 184 Keeping the Corridor Open 186 The Outcome at Arnhem 195 The Achievements and the Cost 198 Release of the U.S. Divisions 201 IX. THE APPROACHES TO ANTWERP 207-230 The Controversy About Antwerp 209 The Battle of the Schelde 215 Baptism of Fire 222 South Beveland and Walcheren 227 Something Beastly in Antwerp 229 X. THE PEEL MARSHES 231-248 First Army Draws the Assignment 231 The British Attempt 241 A Spoiling Attack 242 PART THREE
The Battle of Aachen
XI. A SET ATTACK AGAINST THE WEST WALL 251-280 XII. THE FIRST ATTACKS AT ST. VITH 1-45 The 7th Armored Division Move to St. Vith 1 The Enemy Strikes at the St. Vith Perimeter 1 XIII. VIII CORPS ATTEMPTS TO DELAY THE ENEMY 1-45 CCR, 9th Armored Division, and the Road to Bastogne 1 The Advance of the XLVII Panzer Corps 1 Team Cherry on the Longvilly Road 1 The 101st Airborne Division Moves Into Bastogne 1 PART FOUR
The Roer River Dams
XIV. THE FIRST ATTACK ON SCHMIDT 323-340 The Neglected Objective 324 Objective: Schmidt 328 To the First Clearing 331 Toward Raffelsbrand and Vossenack 334 Regiment Wegelein 337 XV. THE SECOND ATTACK ON SCHMIDT 341-375 Planning the Thrust 343 Objective: Schmidt 348 The Germans React 352 Events Along the Trail 359 Catastrophe in Vossenack 364 The Kall Gorge 366 Climax at Kommerscheidt 368 Withdrawal Across the Kall 369 New Missions 372 PART FIVE
The Huertgen Forest
XVI. THE BIG PUCTURE IN OCTOBER 377-389 Ai Support 381 An Enigma Named Logistics 382 XVII. NEW PLANS TO DRIVE TO THE RHINE 390-407 German Resurgence and Deception 392 First Army Plans 397 Ningth Army Plans 400 Operation QUEEN 403 The Roer River Dams and the Weather 406 XVIII. VII CORPS MAKES THE MAIN EFFORT 408-439 The State of the LXXXI Corps 409 Preliminary Bombardment 411 The Push Northeast From Schevenhuette 415 Armor in the Stolberg Corridor 421 The Second Battle of the Donnerberg 424 Another Victim of the Huertgen Forest 428 XIX. V CORPS JOINS THE OFFENSIVE 440-463 A Fourth Fight on the Bloody Plateau 440 The Fight for Huertgen 447 An Armored Drive on Kleinhau 448 Broadening the Effort 451 Bergstein and Castle Hill 457 XX. THE FINAL FIGHT TO BREAK OUT OF THE FOREST 464-495 The Fruits of Deception 464 A Handful of Old Men 470 Resuming the Corps Main Effort 474 Towns, Woods, Hills, and Castles 479 German Reinforcements 487 Debacle at Merode 490 PART Six
Battle of the Roer Plain
XXI. CLEARING THE INNER WINGS OF THE ARMIES 497-515 The Fight North of the Boundary 499 The Fight South of the Boundary 503 The Push to the Inde 506 Taking the High Ground 510 XXII. THE ROER RIVER OFFENSIVE 516-544 Planning Period 516 D Day on the Roer Plain 522 Armor Attracts Armor 530 Finding the Formula 534 The Push to Gereonsweiler 540 XXIII. THE GEILENKIRCHEN SALIENT 545-557 Operation CLIPPER 546 The Jump-off 550 An Exercise in Frustration 554 XXIV. NINTH ARMY'S FINAL PUSH TO THE ROER 558-579 ". . . in effect we are there . . ." 560 A Hundred Men of the XIII Corps 566 A Shift in the Main Effort 571 Gut Hasenfeld and the Sportplatz 574 PART SEVEN
Conclusion
XXV. THE APPROACHES TO DUEREN 581-595 On the Plain 583 In the Forest 587 To the River 590 XXVI. OBJECTIVE: THE ROER RIVER DAMS 596-615 The Neglected Objective 596 The Second Battle of the Monschau Corridor 602 Heartbreak Crossroads 606 Something in the Air 611 The VIII Corps in the Ardennes-Eifel 612 XXVII. THE END OF THE CAMPAIGN 616-622 Appendix Page A TABLE OF EQUIVALENT RANKS 623 RECIPIENTS OF THE DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS 624-626 FIRST ARMY STAFF ROSTER AS OF 11 SEPTEMBER 1944 627 NINTH ARMY STAFF ROSTER AS OF 4 OCTOBER 1944 628 BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE 629-632 GLOSSARY CODE NAMES BASIC MILITARY MAP SYMBOLS
MAPS1. Drive From the Albert Canal to the West Wall, XIX Corps, 10-19 September 1944 The Battle of the Schelde, 2 October-8 November 1944 Operations in the Peel Marshes, 29 September-3 December 1944 Encirclement of Aachen, 7-20 October 1944 The Roer River Dams The First Attack on Schmidt, 9th Division, 6-16 October 1944 The Second Attack on Schmidt, 28th Division, 2-9 November 1944 Tanks Along the Kall Trail Objective: the Roer River Dams, V Corps, 13-15 December 1944 Maps I-X Are in Inverse Order Inside Back Cover I. Cosmopolitan World (Rand McNally Map) II. Pursuit to the Border, 26 August-11 September 1944 III. V Corps Hits the West Wall, 11-19 September 1944 IV. Breaching the West Wall South of Aachen, VII Corps, 12-29 September 1944 V. Invasion from the Sky, Operation MARKETARDEN VI. XIX Corps Breaks Trhough the West Wall, 2-7 October 1944 VII. The Huertgen Forest, 16 November-9 December 1944 VIII. Drive to the Roer, 16 November-9 December 1944 IX. The Approaches to Dueren, 10-16 December 1944 X. The Siegfried Line Campaign, 11 September-15 December 1944
ILLUSTRATIONS1. The Siegfried Line Frontspiece 2. The Our River 1 . ... #