Operation Flashpoint (March 1945)
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Operation Flashpoint was the
Initial assault
Operation Flashpoint, under the command of William H. Simpson, involved an assault by the 30th Infantry Division (between Wesel and Möllen) and the 79th Infantry Division (between Möllen and Walsum), a sector defended by the 1st Parachute Army commanded by Alfred Schlemm. As Schlemm had been wounded in an air attack on his command post at Haltern March 21, command was assumed on 27 March by Günther Blumentritt.
Bridging the Rhine
The Rhine was bridged by the 17th Armored Engineer Battalion, detached from the 2nd Armored Division. On the night of 23 March, Company E and C constructed two preliminary treadway rafts over the Rhine, south of Wesel and opposite Spellen (now part of the town of Voerde). In the morning, a bridge that could bear mechanized transport started at 9:45 am, and by 4:00 pm the first truck crossed the floating bridge. Over 1152 feet of M2 treadway and 93 pneumatic floats were used in the project, which required just six hours and fifteen minutes to complete, setting a record for the size of the bridge.[1]
Breakout
After the Rhine had been bridged, the
References
- ^ "1945 March 24, at Spellen, Germany, Bridging the Rhine". 17th Armored Engineer Battalion in World War 2. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
Bibliography
- Christopher Chant: The encyclopedia of codenames of World War II. ISBN 978-0-7102-0718-0.
- Charles B. MacDonald: The Last Offensive. (United States Army in World War II, European Theater of Operations). Office of the Chief of Military History, Department of the Army. Washington D.C. 1973 (pages 303-309, Index).
- Rawson, Andrew (2006). The Rhine Crossing - Operation Flashpoint & Varsity 9th US Army & 17th US Airborne. Barnsley. ISBN 978-1-84415-232-2.