Destination Berchtesgaden by John Frayn

Author:John Frayn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Destination Berchtesgaden: The US Seventh Army during World War II
ISBN: 9781780967288
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
Published: 2017-08-09T04:00:00+00:00

The relative ease of VI Corps’ penetration of the High Vosges – a natural obstacle considered to be impregnable – came as a shock to the Germans. On November 21, General Thumm, commanding the German LXIV Corps opposing VI Corps’ advance, issued an order of the day in which he exhorted his soldiers to fight “standing at the borders of our fatherland” for the life of the people, of the soldier’s families, and of Germany herself. “The order to hold out to the last man must be executed under all circumstances… Great decisions are being made here and now. I expect all commanders, leaders and troops to hold out, not to lose their nerve, and fight to the last breath… The decision falls on this side of the Rhine.”

Although by the end of December the enemy’s Vosges line had been breached and Allied troops had already reached the Rhine at Mulhouse and Strasbourg, the Germans showed no sign of ordering a general withdrawal from the area between these two cities, the Colmar Pocket. In fact, it appeared that they had every intention of making its capture as costly as possible for the Allies, even if it meant sacrificing their own chances of survival.

The Seventh Army, in accordance with the original plan, was to have attempted a crossing of the Rhine north of Strasbourg in December, but the presence of a large German force in the Colmar Pocket caused Eisenhower to change both the mission of the Seventh Army and its direction of advance. The new strategy called for a swing north astride the Vosges in an advance coordinated with the Third Army; its object was to breach the famous Siegfried Line between Lauterbourg on the Rhine and Saarbrücken, destroying the German forces still west of the Rhine in the process.

Moving an entire army front is a highly complicated maneuver at the best of times; the Seventh Army had to carry it out while still engaging the enemy in some sectors. Nevertheless, the task was accomplished by the end of November, and on December 5 both XV and VI Corps stood ready to launch their new drive to the north. XV Corps now comprised the 44th and 100th Infantry Divisions, with the newly attached 12th Armored Division. In the VI Corps sector, the 45th and 79th Divisions were still in the line, with the 14th Armored and 103rd Infantry Divisions assembled to the rear in readiness for a general offensive. The 32nd Infantry Division continued to hold Strasbourg and its environs, while the 36th Division and the French 2nd Armored Division remained in the line from Selestat to the Rhine.

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