United States Army in World War II
European Theater of Operations

The Siegfried Line Campaign

by
Charles B. MacDonald

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF MILITARY HISTORY
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
WASHINGTON, D.C., 1965

Library of Congress Catalog Number: 62-60001


. . . to Those Who Served


CONTENTS

Forward vii
Preface

ix
Chapter     Page
 

PART ONE
Breaching the Siegfried Line

 

I. THE ROAD TO GERMANY 3-19
  Allied Strategy 3
  The Shadow of Logistics 6
  The Germans in the West 14
II. THE FIRST U.S. ARMY 20-38
  Weapons and Equipment 25
  The Terrain and the West Wall 28
  A Pause at the Border 36
III. V CORPS HITS THE WEST WALL 39-65
  The Race for the West Wall 41
  Into Germany 43
  Battle of the Schnee Eifel

49
  Bridgehead at Wallendorf 56
  Defense of the Bridgehead 63
IV. VII CORPS PENETRATES THE LINE 66-95
  German Developments 69
  The Battle of the Stolberg Corridor 71
  The Drive on the Second Band 75
  A Wall About Aachen 80

  Battle of the Monschau Corridor 82
  The Germans Strike Back 86
  The Onset of Position Warfare 90
  The First Fight in the Forest 92
V. ACTION ON THE NORTH WING 96-115
  Defense of the Albert 98
  From the Albert to the Border 101
  Delay in the Assault 112
 

PART TWO
An Airborne Carpet in the North

 

VI. OPERATION MARKET-GARDEN 119-139
  The Germans in the Netherlands 123
  Seven Days for Planning 127
  What Did the Germans Know? 134
  The Flight to the Corridor 136
VII. INVASION FROM THE SKY 140-173
  "a remarkably beautiful late summer day" 140
  Hell's Highway 143
  Six Bridges and a Ridge 154
  Taking the Objectives 160
  The Red Devils at Arnhem 170
VIII. DECISION ON THE GROUND 174-206
  Developments on D Plus 2 (19 September) 174
  The Fight for the Nijmegen Bridges 179
  First Attempts To Drive on Arnhem 184
  Keeping the Corridor Open 186
  The Outcome at Arnhem 195
  The Achievements and the Cost 198
  Release of the U.S. Divisions 201
IX. THE APPROACHES TO ANTWERP 207-230
  The Controversy About Antwerp 209
  The Battle of the Schelde 215
  Baptism of Fire 222
  South Beveland and Walcheren 227
  Something Beastly in Antwerp 229
X. THE PEEL MARSHES 231-248
  First Army Draws the Assignment 231
  The British Attempt 241
  A Spoiling Attack 242
 

PART THREE
The Battle of Aachen

 

XI. A SET ATTACK AGAINST THE WEST WALL 251-280
 
XII. THE FIRST ATTACKS AT ST. VITH 1-45
  The 7th Armored Division Move to St. Vith 1
  The Enemy Strikes at the St. Vith Perimeter

1
XIII. VIII CORPS ATTEMPTS TO DELAY THE ENEMY 1-45
  CCR, 9th Armored Division, and the Road to Bastogne 1
  The Advance of the XLVII Panzer Corps 1
  Team Cherry on the Longvilly Road 1
  The 101st Airborne Division Moves Into Bastogne

1
 

PART FOUR
The Roer River Dams

 

XIV. THE FIRST ATTACK ON SCHMIDT 323-340
  The Neglected Objective 324
  Objective: Schmidt 328
  To the First Clearing 331
  Toward Raffelsbrand and Vossenack 334
  Regiment Wegelein 337
XV. THE SECOND ATTACK ON SCHMIDT 341-375
  Planning the Thrust 343
  Objective: Schmidt 348
  The Germans React 352
  Events Along the Trail 359
  Catastrophe in Vossenack 364
  The Kall Gorge 366
  Climax at Kommerscheidt 368
  Withdrawal Across the Kall 369
  New Missions 372
 

PART FIVE
The Huertgen Forest

 

XVI. THE BIG PUCTURE IN OCTOBER 377-389
  Ai Support 381
  An Enigma Named Logistics 382
XVII. NEW PLANS TO DRIVE TO THE RHINE 390-407
  German Resurgence and Deception 392
  First Army Plans 397
  Ningth Army Plans 400
  Operation QUEEN 403
  The Roer River Dams and the Weather 406
XVIII. VII CORPS MAKES THE MAIN EFFORT 408-439
  The State of the LXXXI Corps 409
  Preliminary Bombardment 411
  The Push Northeast From Schevenhuette 415
  Armor in the Stolberg Corridor 421
  The Second Battle of the Donnerberg 424
  Another Victim of the Huertgen Forest 428
XIX. V CORPS JOINS THE OFFENSIVE 440-463
  A Fourth Fight on the Bloody Plateau 440
  The Fight for Huertgen 447
  An Armored Drive on Kleinhau 448
  Broadening the Effort 451
  Bergstein and Castle Hill 457
XX. THE FINAL FIGHT TO BREAK OUT OF THE FOREST 464-495
  The Fruits of Deception 464
  A Handful of Old Men 470
  Resuming the Corps Main Effort 474
  Towns, Woods, Hills, and Castles 479
  German Reinforcements 487
  Debacle at Merode 490
 

PART Six
Battle of the Roer Plain

 

XXI. CLEARING THE INNER WINGS OF THE ARMIES 497-515
  The Fight North of the Boundary 499
  The Fight South of the Boundary 503
  The Push to the Inde 506
  Taking the High Ground 510
XXII. THE ROER RIVER OFFENSIVE 516-544
  Planning Period 516
  D Day on the Roer Plain 522
  Armor Attracts Armor 530
  Finding the Formula 534
  The Push to Gereonsweiler 540
XXIII. THE GEILENKIRCHEN SALIENT 545-557
  Operation CLIPPER 546
  The Jump-off 550
  An Exercise in Frustration 554
XXIV. NINTH ARMY'S FINAL PUSH TO THE ROER 558-579
  ". . . in effect we are there . . ." 560
  A Hundred Men of the XIII Corps 566
  A Shift in the Main Effort 571
  Gut Hasenfeld and the Sportplatz 574
 

PART SEVEN
Conclusion

 

XXV. THE APPROACHES TO DUEREN 581-595
  On the Plain 583
  In the Forest 587
  To the River 590
XXVI. OBJECTIVE: THE ROER RIVER DAMS 596-615
  The Neglected Objective 596
  The Second Battle of the Monschau Corridor 602
  Heartbreak Crossroads 606
  Something in the Air 611
  The VIII Corps in the Ardennes-Eifel 612
XXVII. THE END OF THE CAMPAIGN 616-622
 
Appendix     Page
  A TABLE OF EQUIVALENT RANKS 623
  RECIPIENTS OF THE DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS 624-626
  FIRST ARMY STAFF ROSTER AS OF 11 SEPTEMBER 1944 627
  NINTH ARMY STAFF ROSTER AS OF 4 OCTOBER 1944 628
 
  BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE 629-632
  GLOSSARY  
  CODE NAMES  
  BASIC MILITARY MAP SYMBOLS  

 
MAPS
 
1. Drive From the Albert Canal to the West Wall, XIX Corps, 10-19 September 1944 The Battle of the Schelde, 2 October-8 November 1944 Operations in the Peel Marshes, 29 September-3 December 1944 Encirclement of Aachen, 7-20 October 1944 The Roer River Dams The First Attack on Schmidt, 9th Division, 6-16 October 1944 The Second Attack on Schmidt, 28th Division, 2-9 November 1944 Tanks Along the Kall Trail Objective: the Roer River Dams, V Corps, 13-15 December 1944
  Maps I-X Are in Inverse Order Inside Back Cover  
I. Cosmopolitan World (Rand McNally Map)  
II. Pursuit to the Border, 26 August-11 September 1944  
III. V Corps Hits the West Wall, 11-19 September 1944  
IV. Breaching the West Wall South of Aachen, VII Corps, 12-29 September 1944  
V. Invasion from the Sky, Operation MARKETARDEN  
VI. XIX Corps Breaks Trhough the West Wall, 2-7 October 1944  
VII. The Huertgen Forest, 16 November-9 December 1944  
VIII. Drive to the Roer, 16 November-9 December 1944  
IX. The Approaches to Dueren, 10-16 December 1944  
X. The Siegfried Line Campaign, 11 September-15 December 1944  
 

ILLUSTRATIONS
 
1. The Siegfried Line Frontspiece
2. The Our River 1
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Transcribed and formatted by Patrick Clancey, HyperWar Foundation