|
Foreword |
vii |
|
The Author |
viii |
|
Preface |
ix |
Chapter |
Page |
I. |
Prelude to Victory |
1 |
|
|
Allied Strategy |
2 |
|
|
Allied Versus German Strength |
5 |
|
|
Weapons and Equipment |
10 |
|
|
Organization and Command |
15 |
|
|
Terrain and the Front Line |
18
|
II. |
Victory in the Ardennes |
22 |
|
|
The First Army's Attack |
26 |
|
|
A Grim Struggle Around Bastogne |
33 |
|
|
The Drive on St. Vith |
43 |
|
|
Northward Across the Sure |
48
|
III. |
Main Effort in the Eifel |
55 |
|
|
General Bradley's Proposal |
56 |
|
|
The Eifel Highlands |
57 |
|
|
The Enemy in the Eifel |
59 |
|
|
A Try for Quick Success |
60 |
|
|
A Shift to the North |
67 |
|
|
An End to the Offensive |
68
|
IV. |
The Roer River Dams |
70 |
|
|
Toward Schmidt |
73 |
|
|
Toward the Dam |
80
|
V. |
The Drive on Pruem |
84 |
|
|
Into the West Wall |
86 |
|
|
German Countermeasures |
91 |
|
|
The Final Phase |
96
|
VI. |
Bittburg and the Vianden Bulge |
99 |
|
|
Crossing the Sauer |
101 |
|
|
The Vianden Bulge |
106 |
|
|
Expanding the XII Corps Bridgehead |
112 |
|
|
To Bitburg and the Kyll |
113
|
VII. |
The Saar-Moselle Triangle |
117 |
|
|
Probing the Orscholz Switch |
117 |
|
|
Expanding the Penetration |
123 |
|
|
Broadening the Effort |
125 |
|
|
Crossing the Saar |
129
|
VIII. |
Operation GRENADE |
135 |
|
|
The Terrain and the Enemy |
137 |
|
|
Catch-as-Catch-Can |
140 |
|
|
Objectives and Maneuvers |
142 |
|
|
Challenging the Swollen River |
145 |
|
|
The First Day on the East Bank |
153 |
|
|
The VII Corps at Dueren |
156 |
|
|
The First Day's Results |
162
|
IX. |
Ninth Army to the Rhine |
163 |
|
|
The Third and Fourth Days |
166 |
|
|
Rundstedt's Appeal |
170 |
|
|
Pursuit |
171 |
|
|
Efforts To Seize a Bridge |
173 |
|
|
The Wesel Pocket |
179 |
|
|
The Beginning of the End |
183
|
X. |
Operation LUMBERJACK |
185 |
|
|
Toward Bonn and Remagen |
191 |
|
|
Patton in the Eifel |
196
|
XI. |
A Rhine Bridge at Remagen |
208 |
|
|
The Germans at Remagen |
209 |
|
|
The Hope for a Bridge |
211 |
|
|
Advance to the Rhine |
212 |
|
|
The Crisis at the Bridge |
213 |
|
|
Reaction to the Coup |
217 |
|
|
On the German Side |
220 |
|
|
Build-up and Command Problems |
222 |
|
|
The End of the Bridge |
229 |
|
|
Expansion of the Bridgehead |
230
|
XII. |
The Saar-Palatinate |
236 |
|
|
American Plans |
238 |
|
|
The Defenders |
241 |
|
|
Through the Hunsrueck |
244 |
|
|
Across the Lower Moselle |
246 |
|
|
Plunge to the Nahe and Fall of Koblenz |
249 |
|
|
Seventh Army's Deliberate Attack |
252 |
|
|
Breakthrough |
256 |
|
|
Thrust to the Rhine |
260
|
XIII. |
The Rhine Crossings in the South |
266 |
|
|
The VIII Corps in the Rhine Gorge |
273 |
|
|
To the Main River and Frankfurt |
279 |
|
|
The Hammelburg Mission |
280 |
|
|
The Seventh Army Crossing at Worms |
284 |
|
|
The XX Corps in the Rhine-Main Arc |
289
|
XIV. |
The Rhine Crossings in the North |
294 |
|
|
The Big Build-up |
296 |
|
|
Interdiction From the Air |
300 |
|
|
The View From the East Bank |
301 |
|
|
"Two if by sea" |
302 |
|
|
Operation FLASHPOINT |
303 |
|
|
The Drive to the Railroads |
307 |
|
|
Operation VARSITY |
309 |
|
|
At the End of D-Day |
314 |
|
|
The Try for a Breakout |
315 |
|
|
How To Bring the Ninth Army's Power to Bear |
317
|
XV. |
At the End of March |
321 |
|
|
An Awesome Power |
322 |
|
|
The Logistical Backbone |
324 |
|
|
Decisions at the Top |
328 |
|
|
The Plight of the Germans |
335 |
|
|
A Decision on Berlin |
339
|
XVI. |
Reducing the Ruhr |
344 |
|
|
The Breakout Offensive |
346 |
|
|
Collapse of the LXXXIX Corps |
348 |
|
|
A Turn to the North |
350 |
|
|
The Thrust From Winterberg |
354 |
|
|
Breakthrough North of the Ruhr |
357 |
|
|
Making Motions at Breakout |
359 |
|
|
The Ruhr Pocket |
362 |
|
|
"The predominant color was white." |
368
|
XVII. |
Sweep to the Elbe |
373 |
|
|
A New Allied Main Effort |
379 |
|
|
The Role of the Third Army |
381 |
|
|
A Bridgehead to Nowhere |
384 |
|
|
A Flak-Infested Route to the Mulde |
389 |
|
|
A Short New War |
395
|
XVIII. |
The Myth of the Redoubt |
407 |
|
|
The First Phase Beyond the Rhine |
409 |
|
|
The Struggle for Heilbronn and Crailsheim |
415 |
|
|
To the Hohe Rhoen and Schweinfurt |
418 |
|
|
A Shift to South and Southeast |
420 |
|
|
Nuremberg and the Drive to the Danube |
422 |
|
|
The Drive on Stuttgart |
427 |
|
|
A French Incursion to Ulm |
430 |
|
|
The "Stuttgart Incident" |
432 |
|
|
From the Danube Into Austria |
433
|
XIX. |
Goetterdaemmerung |
443 |
|
|
The Meeting at Torgau |
445 |
|
|
The End in Berlin |
458 |
|
|
The Drive to the Baltic |
460 |
|
|
Piecemeal Surrenders |
464 |
|
|
Surrender at Reims |
474
|
XX. |
Epilogue |
476
|
Appendix |
Page |
A. |
Table of Equivalent Ranks |
483 |
B. |
Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross |
484 |
|
Bibliographical Note |
489 |
Glossary |
492 |
CODE NAMES |
497 |
Basic Military Map Symbols |
498 |
Index |
503 |
MAPS |
1. |
Main Effort in the Eifel, 27 January-3 February 1945 |
61 |
2. |
The Capture of Schmidt and the Schwammenauel Dam,
5-9 February 1945 |
76 |
3. |
The Remagen Bridgehead, 7-24 March 1945 |
218 |
4. |
Foray to Hammelburg, 25-27 March 1945 |
282 |
5. |
Reduction of the Ruhr Pocket, 4-14 April 1945 |
363 |
6. |
The Harz Pocket, 11-17 April 1945 |
403 |
7. |
The American-Russian Linkup, 25 April 1945 |
449 |
8. |
Drive to the Baltic, 29 April-2 May 1945 |
462 |
9. |
Action at Fern Pass, 44th Infantry Division, 1-4 May 1945 |
470 |
Maps I-XVII Are in Inverse Order Inside Back Cover |
I. |
The Western Front, 3 January 1945 |
|
II. |
The Ardennes Counteroffensive, 3-28 January 1945 |
|
III. |
The Drive on Pruem |
|
IV. |
Clearing of the Vianden Bulge and the Capture of Bitburg, 6-28 February 1945 |
|
V. |
The Saar-Moselle Triangle, 13 January-1 March 1945 |
|
VI. |
Operation GRENADE, 22 February-11 March 1945 |
|
VII. |
Eliminating the Wesel Pocket, 3-11 March 1945 |
|
VIII. |
Operation LUMBERJACK, 1-7 March 1945 |
|
IX. |
The Saar-Palatinate Triangle, 12-21 March 1945 |
|
X. |
The Rhine River Crossings in the South, 22-28 March 1945 |
|
XI. |
Rhine Crossings in the North, 24-28 March 1945 |
|
XII. |
Breakout From Remagen, 24-28 March 1945 |
|
XIII. |
Encircling the Ruhr, 28 March-1 April 1945 |
|
XIV. |
Drive to the Elbe, 4-24 April 1945 |
|
XV. |
Sixth Army Group Offensive, 27 March-24 April 1945 |
|
XVI. |
Into Austria and Czechoslovakia, 28 April-8 May 1945 |
|
XVII. |
V-E Day, 8 May 1945 |
|
ILLUSTRATIONS |
1. |
General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lt. Gen. Omar N. Bradley, and Lt. Gen. George S. Patton, Jr. |
3 |
2. |
Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt |
6 |
3. |
M4 Sherman Tank in the Ardennes |
11 |
4. |
M4A3 Sherman Tank With 76-mm. Gun |
12 |
5. |
Lt. Gen. Courtney H. Hodges |
27 |
6. |
Maj. Gen. J. Lawton Collins |
29 |
7. |
General der Panzertruppen Hasso von Manteuffel |
30 |
8. |
Generalfeldmarschall Walter Model |
30 |
9. |
Wind-Swept Snow in the Ardennes |
37 |
10. |
Patrols of the First and Third Armies Meet at Houffalize |
42 |
11. |
Maj. Gen. Matthew B. Ridgway |
45 |
12. |
Medics Use a "Litter-Jeep" to Evacuate Patients |
47 |
13. |
Men of the 82d Airborne Division Pull Sleds Through the Ardennes Snow |
62 |
14. |
Traffic Jam on a Slick Ardennes Road |
64 |
15. |
Maj. Gen. C. Ralph Huebner |
71 |
16. |
The Urft Dam |
74 |
17. |
The Schwammenauel Dam |
75 |
18. |
Damage to the Schwammenauel Dam Causes Flooding of the Roer River |
82 |
19. |
Maj. Gen. Troy H. Middleton |
85 |
20. |
Men of the 4th Division Eating Inside Captured Pillbox |
87 |
21. |
Dropping Supplies by Parachute to the 4th Division |
97 |
22. |
Maj. Gen. Manton S. Eddy |
101 |
23. |
Crossing Site on the Sauer River Near Echternach |
102 |
24. |
Welcome to Germany From the 6th Armored Division |
110 |
25. |
Crew of a 3-Inch Gun on the Watch for German Tanks |
119 |
26. |
Removing German Dead After Fighting in Nennig |
121 |
27. |
Maj. Gen. Walton H. Walker |
126 |
28. |
Lt. Gen. William H. Simpson |
136 |
29. |
General der Infanterie Gustav von Zangen |
142 |
30. |
Bursts of White Phosphorus Shells Light Up the Roer River |
144 |
31. |
Crossing Sites at Linnich |
146 |
32. |
Derelict Assault Boats Near Linnich |
148 |
33. |
Smoke Pots Along the Roer Near Dueren |
149 |
34. |
Crossing Sites at Juelich |
150 |
35. |
Footbridge Across the Roer Serves Men of the 30th Division |
152 |
36. |
Crossing Sites at Dueren |
158 |
37. |
Maj. Gen. Raymond S. McLain |
164 |
38. |
Maj. Gen. John B. Anderson |
166 |
39. |
Pershing Tank T26 With 90-mm. Gun |
170 |
40. |
Maj. Gen. Alvan C. Gillem, Jr |
175 |
41. |
Generaloberst Johannes Blaskowitz |
176 |
42. |
The Demolished Hohenzollern Bridge at Cologne |
190 |
43. |
Maj. Gen. John Millikin |
192 |
44. |
2d Lt. Karl H. Timmerman, First Officer To Cross the Remagen Bridge |
215 |
45. |
Sgt. Alexander Drabik, First American Across the Rhine |
217 |
46. |
Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring |
222 |
47. |
Ludendorff Railroad Bridge at Remagen |
224 |
48. |
Maj. Gen. James A. Van Fleet |
229 |
49. |
The Rhine at the Remagen Bridge Site |
231 |
50. |
Lt. Gen. Jacob L. Devers |
239 |
51. |
Lt. Gen. Alexander M. Patch, Jr. |
240 |
52. |
Engineers of the 87th Division Ferry a Tank Across the Moselle |
251 |
53. |
Troops of the 63d Division Cross Dragon's Teeth of the West Wall |
255 |
54. |
Reinforcements of the 5th Division Cross the Rhine in an LCVP |
271 |
55. |
Crossing the Rhine Under Enemy Fire at St. Goar |
277 |
56. |
Raising the American Flag Atop the Lorelei |
278 |
57. |
Maj. Gen. Wade H. Haislip |
284 |
58. |
Infantry of the 3d Division Climb the East Bank of the Rhine |
288 |
59. |
Duplex-Drive Tank With Skirt Folded |
290 |
60. |
Duplex-Drive Tank Enters the Water |
291 |
61. |
Field Marshal Sir Bernard L. Montgomery |
296 |
62. |
American Paratrooper Caught in a Tree |
310 |
63. |
Glider Troops After Landing Near Wesel |
312 |
64. |
Maj. Gen. Leonard T. Gerow |
323 |
65. |
The Rhine Railroad Bridge at Wesel |
326 |
66. |
Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial Bridge at Mainz |
327 |
67. |
Ponton Bridge Across the Rhine |
328 |
68. |
Liberated Prisoners of War |
329 |
69. |
Destruction in the Heart of Wurzburg |
336 |
70. |
Infantrymen of the 79th Division Cross the Rhein-Herne Canal |
364 |
71. |
Russian Prisoners Liberated by the Ninth Army |
368 |
72. |
German Soldiers Make Their Way Unguarded to a Prisoner-of-War Camp |
369 |
73. |
Prisoners of War in the Ruhr Pocket |
371 |
74. |
White Flags Hang Above a Deserted Street |
377 |
75. |
German Prisoners Head for the Rear as American Armor Advances |
382 |
76. |
German Civilians Carry Victims of Concentration Camp for Reburial |
383 |
77. |
Infantrymen Ride an Armored Car in the Race to the Elbe |
388 |
78. |
Crossing of the Weser River |
390 |
79. |
A 12.8-cm. "Flak" Gun |
394 |
80. |
"Sixty-One Minute Roadblock" |
411 |
81. |
Maj. Gen. Frank W. Milburn |
412 |
82. |
Lt. Gen. Edward H. Brooks |
414 |
83. |
A Tank of the 14th Armored Division Enters Prison Camp at
Hammelburg |
419 |
84. |
A Patrol of the 3d Division Makes Its Way Through the Rubble of Nuremberg |
424 |
85. |
General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny |
428 |
86. |
Tanks of the 20th Armored Division Ford the Inn River |
440 |
87. |
Paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division Approach Berchtesgaden |
441 |
88. |
2d Lt. William D. Robertson Shows General Eisenhower His Makeshift Flag |
455 |
89. |
General Hodges Meets the Russians at the Elbe |
457 |
90. |
Men of the 103d Division Find Resistance in the Austrian Alps |
463 |
91. |
Austrian Civilians Greet American Troops in Innsbruck |
468 |
92. |
Czechoslovakian Villagers Welcome Tank Crew |
469 |