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Rhineland Offensive

The Rhineland Offensive was a series of allied offensive operations by 21st Army Group commanded by Bernard Montgomery from 8 February 1945 to 25 March 1945, at the end of the Second World War. The operations were aimed at occupying the Rhineland and securing a passage over the Rhine river.[1]

Rhineland Offensive
Part of the Western Allied invasion of Germany

Churchill tanks at the onset of Operation Veritable, 9 February 1945
Date8 February – 27 March 1945
Location
Reichswald, (Germany), and adjacent areas
Result Allied victory
Belligerents
 United Kingdom
 Canada
 United States		  Germany

It was part of General Dwight D. Eisenhower's "broad front" strategy to occupy the entire west bank of the Rhine before its crossing. The Rhineland Offensive encompassed Operation Veritable, Operation Grenade, Operation Blockbuster, Operation Plunder and Operation Varsity.[2]

Opposing forces

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Allies

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  Bernard Montgomery
 
  Canada Harry Crerar

Forces deployed North to South:[3]: 87  [4]

Allied 21st Army Group
Field Marshal Sir Bernard Law Montgomery

  Canadian First Army
Lieutenant General Harry Crerar
British XXX Corps (Lt Gen Brian Horrocks)
British 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division (Maj Gen Colin Barber)
British 43rd (Wessex) Division (Maj Gen Sir Ivor Thomas)
British 51st (Highland) Division (Maj Gen Tom Rennie)
British 53rd (Welsh) Division (Maj Gen Robert Knox Ross)
British Guards Armoured Division (Maj Gen Allan Adair)
Canadian 2nd Infantry Division (Maj Gen Bruce Matthews)
Canadian 3rd Infantry Division (Maj Gen Daniel Spry)
Canadian II Corps (Lt Gen Guy Simonds)
Canadian 4th Armoured Division (Maj Gen Christopher Vokes)
 
  Miles Dempsey
  British Second Army
Lieutenant General Miles Dempsey
79th Armoured Division (Maj Gen Sir Percy Hobart)
British I Corps (Lt Gen John Crocker)
Polish 1st Armoured Division (Maj Gen Stanisław Maczek)
49th (West Riding) Infantry Division (Maj Gen Gordon MacMillan)
British VIII Corps (Lt Gen Evelyn Barker)
11th Armoured Division (Maj Gen Pip Roberts)
3rd Infantry Division (Maj Gen Lashmer Whistler)
British XII Corps (Lt Gen Neil Ritchie)
7th Armoured Division (Maj Gen Lewis Lyne)
52nd (Lowland) Division (Maj Gen Edmund Hakewill-Smith)
 
  William H. Simpson
  US Ninth Army
Lieutenant General William H. Simpson
75th Infantry Division (Maj. Gen. Ray E. Porter)
95th Infantry Division (Maj. Gen. Harry L. Twaddle)
US XVI Corps (Maj. Gen. John B. Anderson)
8th Armored ("Thundering Herd") Division (Maj. Gen. John M. Devine)
35th Infantry ("Santa Fe") Division (Maj. Gen. Paul W. Baade)
79th Infantry ("Cross of Lorraine") Division (Maj. Gen. Ira T. Wyche)
US XIII Corps (Maj. Gen. Alvan C. Gillem Jr.)
5th Armored ("Victory") Division (Maj. Gen. Lunsford E. Oliver)
84th Infantry ("Railsplitters") Division (Maj. Gen. Alexander R. Bolling)
102nd Infantry ("Ozark") Division (Maj. Gen. Frank A. Keating)
US XIX Corps (Maj. Gen. Raymond S. McLain)
2nd Armored ("Hell on Wheels") Division (Maj. Gen. Isaac D. White)
29th Infantry ("Blue and Gray Division") Division (Maj. Gen. Charles H. Gerhardt)
30th Infantry ("Old Hickory") Division (Maj. Gen. Leland S. Hobbs)
83rd Infantry ("Thunderbolt") Division (Maj. Gen. Robert C. Macon)

Axis

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Theatre commander
 
Gerd von Runstedt
Army group commanders
 
Johannes Blaskowitz
 
Walter Model

Oberbefehlshaber West
Generalfeldmarschal Gerd von Rundstedt

Forces deployed North to South:[3]: 86  [5]

Heeresgruppe H
Generaloberst Johannes Blaskowitz[a]
Twenty-Fifth Army
General der Infanterie Günther von Blumentritt
XXX Corps (Otto Fretter-Pico)
LXXXVIII Corps (Hans-Wolfgang Reinhard)
First Parachute Army
General der Fallschirmtruppe Alfred Schlemm
XLVII Panzer Corps (Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz)
II Parachute Corps (Eugen Meindl)
LXXXVI Corps (Erich Straube)
Heeresgruppe B
Generalfeldmarschal Walter Model
Fifteenth Army
General der Infanterie Gustav-Adolf von Zangen
XII SS Corps (Eduard Crasemann)
LXXXI Corps (Friedrich Köchling)
LVIII Panzer Corps (Walter Krüger)
Fifth Panzer Army
General der Panzertruppe Hasso von Manteuffel thru 9 Mar, then Generaloberst Josef Harpe
LXXIV Corps (Carl Püchler)
LXVII Corps (Otto Hitzfeld)
LXVI Corps (Walther Lucht)
 
Rhineland campaign (February–March 1945)

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Charged with war crimes; committed suicide May 1948.

References

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  1. ^ Paul Douglas Dickson (2007). A thoroughly Canadian general : a biography of General H.D.G. Crerar. Toronto : University of Toronto Press, p.360.
  2. ^ Rosendaal, J. (2014). De Bevrijding in Beeld. Van Neerpelt tot Wesel, 1944–1945, Nijmegen, Vantilt, p.6. 9789081450003.
  3. ^ a b Ford, Ken (2000). The Rhineland 1945: The last killing ground in the West. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85532-999-7.
  4. ^ Stanton, Shelby L. (1984). World War II Order of Battle. New York: Galahad Books. ISBN 0-88365-775-9.
  5. ^ Tessin, Georg (1975). Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939-1945. Vol. 2. Osnabrück: Biblio-Verlag. p. 283. ISBN 978-3764810832.

Further reading

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  • Berkel, Alexander (2004). Krieg vor der Eigenen Haustür, Kleef, B.o.s.s. Druck und Medien. ISBN 3924380228.
  • Hag, Leo ten (2014). Het natuurgebied rondom Nijmegen bezien als militair landschap3. ISBN 9789090292595.
  • Rawson, A. (2006). The Rhine Crossing. 9th US Army & 17th US Airborne, South Yorkshire, Pen & Sword Military. ISBN 1844152324.
  • Rosendaal, J. (2014). De Bevrijding in Beeld. Van Neerpelt tot Wesel, 1944–1945, Nijmegen, Vantilt. ISBN 9789081450003.
  • Saunders, Tim (2006). Operation Plunder. The British & Canadian Rhine Crossing, South Yorkshire, Pen & Sword Military. ISBN 1844152219.
  • Whitaker, W.D. en Whitaker, S. (1989). Rhineland. The Battle to end the war., Stoddart. ISBN 978-0312034191.
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