Clearing the West Bank of the Maas

[Andreas]

There was a chap a while back asking about the operation by UK VIII and XII Corps to clear the Wehrmacht from the west bank of the Maas. Unfortunately I can not find the thread in question. I today wrote up the mention of the battle for a friend in H.Essame's 'The battle for Germany', and since I had it typed anyway (my scanner crapped out on me), I thought I could just repost it here, in case others are interested too. This was the prelude to the operation the other chap asked about.

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>From Major-General Hugh Essame: The battle for Germany:

Although Montgomery had for the time being placed operations in the Peel Marshes in cold storage, his opponent, Model, had other views. The 15th Army at Antwerp was now in desperate straits: somehow or other means had to be found to relieve the pressure on them. Montgomery's forces were widely extended, and their eastern flank along the 'Market Garden' salient was peculiarly vulnerable. A blow here from the Peel marshes might well force Montgomery to abandon the offensive north-west of Antwerp. Model, engaged in training and rehabilitation, had available north of Aachen a force in every way suitable for a powerful armoured threust. the XVLII Panzerkorps under General von Lüttwitz. Its main components were the 9. Panzerdivision, 11,000 strong with at least 22 Panthers and 178 other armoured vehicles of various types, including SP guns, and the 15. Panzergrenadierdivision, 13,000 strong and with further tanks. Model decided to use it against the centre of the thinly held line of the 7th US Armoured Division at Meijel, and to carve out a chunk six miles deep. The weather in the last half of October was cold and overcast; the war seemed to have expired with the rapid decline into winter. It seemed as if both sides had settled down to a policy of live and let live.

Suddenly, about half an hour before dawn on 27 October, a violent artillery bombardment lasting 45 minutes descended on the posts of 7th Armoured Division along the Deurne canal. Hot on its tail came two armoured columns of the 9. Panzerdivision: one carried the town of Meijel, and pushed on along the Asten road.: the other thrust north towards Deurne. By nightfall both had advanced some five miles beyond the canal. At dawn next day, General Sylvester, the commander of 7th Armored Division, relieved of responsibility for the northern part of his front by General O'Connor [OC VIII Corps, I believe], struck back on both roads. Both of these counterattacks came to naught. Early on the third day, 29 October, the Germans renewed their offensive, and on the right drove the Americans back a further five miles. The situation was alarming. If the 7th Armoured was wiped off the map, the rear area of 2nd Army, packed with administrative units, and very few frontline troops, lay wide open to an armoured attack. The alarm spread rapidly amongst the Dutch. Only 10 miles away near Helmond, was the HQ of British 2nd Army. Bad news travels fast. For the first and only time in the campaign, the staff and clerks took to slit trenches and prepared to face a hero's death.

No one was more surprised at the speed of the advance than Model himself. Ever an opportunist, he had already pressed von Rundstedt on the second day of his attack to give him the 116. Panzerdivision and six additional artillery battalions to enable him to turn what originally had been designed as a limited operation into a large-scale raid in the British back areas, of the type Rommel had already made familiar in North Africa. Von Rundstedt would have none of it. the force had already lost some 30 tanks: it was wanted for another role. [short discussion of the Ardennes offensive] Nonetheless, he [Model] had to call of the attack. Although he did not know it, it had already achieved its aim.

To plug the gap, Montgomery had already pulled out 15th Scottish Division, followed by the 53rd Welsh Division, from North-West Holland, and they now arrived to relieve the 7th Armored Division. Reappraising the situation, he reached the conclusion that clearing the Peel Marshes, and thus closing with the Maas was obviously going to take considerable time, and the combined efforts of VIII and XII Corps.<hr></blockquote>

Essame was a brigadier in 43rd Wessex Division during the campaign in North-West Europe. His Brigade was fighting in the southern part of the operation, the attack on Geilenkirchen.

Hope that was mildly interesting to some to while away the time during the long, dark tea-time of the soul, aka Sunday afternoon.

[kipanderson]

Hi,

Good extract. I think this type of extract highlights very well that at the tactical level, the level of CM, there were many local counter attacks, even quite sizeable ones, by the Germans in late 44. Not just the Battle of the Bulge.

This gives the scenario builders the freedom to construct battles, and operations, that model German attacks and for the scenarios still to be historical, semi-historical. This will also prove to be the case when we all turn to the Eastern Front.

Combine this fact with the stunningly full feature scenario editor that ships with CMBO and the potential for re-playability is almost endless, in fact it is endless. We are all very lucky to have such a great game to play with.

All the best,

Kip.

[Hanns]

I'd love to see this as a battle. A couple of PzGrenadier companies with accompanying armor facing about 40 HQ units with no support!

[JonS]

In a similar vein, though from a different front, comes this tale of German tactical derring-do:

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr> From Graham and Bidwell: Tug of War

The division (92nd US Infantry) held perhaps an over-wide sector of the long US 4th Corps front and, like the rest of General Crittenberger’s units, its defensive localities were widely dispersed and expected to cover the gaps and the front by active patrolling, which it failed to do. The German 51st Mountain Corps had identified the positions of the 92nd Division and after careful observation decided that it was a ripe target for a raid designed to wreck it as an effective fighting unit. On Boxing Day, December 26, 1944 a Kampfgruppe of two line and two mountain infantry battalions with ample artillery support achieved complete surprise, and though some of the infantry fought with great courage the great majority fled the battlefield leaving a wide gap in the 4th Corps front. For a brief period Operation Wintergewitte (“Winter thunder-storm”) caused a considerable “flap” as it was thought that it prefaced a larger offensive.<hr></blockquote>

Italy in the winter of 1944/45 was a fairly quiet place. Unfortunately not quite as quiet as the Allies hoped.

Incidentally, the raid was a success in terms of its objective. The division had to be reformed completely. The three original regiments were combed out to make one worthwhile one, the Nisei regt was added, and the third regt was made up of now unemployed AA gunners, retrained as infantry. IIRC (from another source), the blame for the poor initial showing of the 92nd was laid squarely at the feet of the divisional commander.

Regards

JonS

Edit: Lord knows what that smiley was doing in there :confused:

[ 12-10-2001: Message edited by: JonS ]</p>