The Rhine Crossings 1945 by Ken Ford

Author:Ken Ford
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978 1 84908 723 0
Publisher: Osprey Publishing

Supporting US Ninth Army from the air was Brig Gen Richard Nugent’s US XXIX Tactical Air Command. This command would provide a fighter-bomber group to work with each of the assault divisions (373rd Fighter-Bomber Group with 79th Division and 366th Fighter- Bomber Group with 30th Division) as well as providing support and cover to the daylight attack by US XVIII Airborne Corps. Two days prior to the crossings, a programme of neutralizing the Luftwaffe was implemented, with heavy attacks on ten German airfields immediately north of Twenty-First Army Group’s sector of the Rhine. A larger interdiction programme had begun in the last week of February by the RAF and the US Eighth Air Force which used over 1,000 heavy bombers in a series of attacks against important bridges, viaducts, railways and road networks from Koblenz to the North Sea.

With so much artillery and air power available to the XVI Corps, it is not surprising that each assault division was well supported. In addition to its own artillery, the 30th Division had three extra battalions of field guns and the artillery of 35th Division attached, making a total of 11 field artillery battalions directly under command. Likewise with 79th Division, it had three non-divisional battalions and the guns of 8th Armoured division attached, giving it ten battalions of guns on call.

The guns available to XVI Corps were designed to be put to good use in the coming battle, for the fire plan was extremely comprehensive. Prior intelligence had located a great number of enemy targets to be engaged during Operation Flashpoint, 989 in total. These included 54 definite and 68 probable German gun batteries; 52 command posts; 36 supply depots or dumps; 42 German observation posts; 24 possible assembly areas; 454 locations for interdictory fire and 258 miscellaneous targets of opportunity.

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