Operation Queen
Operation Queen | |||||||
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Part of the Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine in the Western Front of World War II | |||||||
The Schwammenauel dam at the Rur - one of the main objectives of Operation Queen | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
United States Air support United Kingdom | Germany | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Gerd von Rundstedt Walter Model Gustav-Adolf von Zangen Erich Brandenberger | |||||||
Strength | |||||||
9th Army |
Army Group B 7th Army 15th Army | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
38,500 | 39,000 |
Operation Queen was an American operation during World War II on the Western Front at the German Siegfried Line.
The operation was aimed against the
The offensive commenced on 16 November 1944 with one of the heaviest Allied tactical bombings of the war. However, the Allied advance was unexpectedly slow, against heavy German resistance, especially in the Hürtgen Forest through which the main thrust of the offensive was carried out. By mid-December, the Allies finally reached the Rur and tried to capture its important dams, when the Germans launched their own offensive, dubbed Wacht am Rhein. The ensuing Battle of the Bulge led to the immediate cessation of Allied offensive efforts into Germany until February 1945.
Background
In June 1944, the
First thrust into the Hürtgen Forest
In the north in Belgium, the Allies were still involved in the
Planning
The Allied High Command planned a large offensive in the area of the
Initially, the starting date of the offensive was set for 5 November, later 10 November, but because of bad weather it was delayed until 16 November. The ground offensive was to begin immediately after the air raids, allowing the defenders no time to reestablish fortifications, supply routes and communications.[5][6]
German planning was entirely different. Running out of strategic options, the Wehrmacht planned an all-out counteroffensive in the West, codenamed Wacht am Rhein. The first draft of the plan was already completed in secret in October 1944 and was aimed against the Ardennes, mirroring the successful campaign in 1940 against France. The plan required for the best divisions of the Wehrmacht to be held back from the autumn fighting, to gain time to build them up for the planned offensive. For the successful execution of the plan, the holding of the Rur River line was deemed as absolutely important, to prevent the Allies from a flanking attack. The German plan for the November–December Campaign was, therefore, to hold the Rur River line with a minimum of available forces until the Ardennes Offensive could be launched.[7]
The Germans also had a card up their sleeve. With control over the dams on the Rur, they could release the water from them and flood the Rur valley and everything else downstream of it as far as the Meuse and into the Netherlands. That would cause large scale destruction and destroy Allied bridges over the Rur, isolating all troops east of the river. The Allies did not fully recognize the strategic importance of the dams for some time, and only days before the end of the offensive they made their first specific moves towards them.[8]
Opposing forces
The Allied forces participating in the operation were the U.S. First and Ninth Armies, assigned to
After the chain of disasters in the summer of 1944, the Allies expected the Wehrmacht to be unable to recover, but this was not the case. Although manpower losses were enormous, the Wehrmacht sought to compensate for this with transferring of men from the
Offensive
Preliminary air raids
On 16 November 1944 between 11:13 and 12:48, the Allied bombers conducted the preliminary bombings of Operation Queen. 1,204 heavy bombers of the U.S. 8th Air Force hit Eschweiler,
The result of the bombing was mixed. The German towns being hit suffered from severe destruction. German communications after the bombing were heavily impaired, and there was a considerable effect on morale, especially of units consisting of younger and more inexperienced troops. However, the direct damage dealt to the German frontline troops was low, and casualties were few. Allied air commanders admitted that the bombing did not measure up to expectations. About 12 aircraft were shot down during the initial bombing by meager anti-aircraft fire.[13]
First Army's advance through the Hürtgen Forest
VII Corps November fighting
Together with the bombing raids, heavy artillery bombardments preceded the main thrust of
The attack of VII Corps commenced with a two-pronged attack with 1st Infantry Division on the right and the 104th Infantry Division on the left. In its initial attack 1st Division was only able to make ground slowly against the 47th VGD around Hamich. Casualties were heavy, especially after reinforced counterattacks on Hamich and nearby Hill 232 by the 47th VGD and still-present mobile reserves from the 116th Panzer Division.[15] After four days of fighting Hamich was taken, but 1st Division had only advanced about 3.2 km (2.0 mi), with casualties already numbering more than 1,000 men.[16]
Meanwhile, Collins ordered the American
1st Division's advance continued to be slow. The German defenders were in a favorable heightened position, from which they could overlook the approach routes of the Allied forces. The German tactic was to fight mainly in the thick woods, where American artillery and aerial support was ineffective and a state of bloody trench warfare emerged. The Americans had to take hill after hill in heavy fighting, while casualties were mounting. Numerous German counterattacks slowed the advance down even more, often taking back ground which had just been captured in a bloody fight. In an act of desperation, Collins moved in virtually all of his available artillery to blast a way for the 1st Division on 21 November. With the Allied advance already flagging in the first phase of the offensive, CCA of the 3rd Armored Division was assigned to the northern part of the 1st Division's left flank. The armored attack was able to capture the castle at Frenzerburg (near Inden). This fight lasted until 28 November. Meanwhile, GFM Rundstedt decided to inject some reinforcements into the battle, but only if two divisions were simultaneously pulled out from the front for the Ardennes Offensive preparations. Therefore, the 3rd Parachute Division was transferred to the front, while the bled out 12th and 47th VGD were withdrawn. The logistical difficulties and the inexperience of the new opponent aided 1st Division and it was finally able to push out of the forest, taking Langerwehe, Jüngersdorf and Merode by 28 November. Nevertheless, the dire situation did not change, and a violent counterattack by 3rd Parachute Division at Merode led to the destruction of two companies. At the beginning of December, 1st Division was worn out and had already suffered about 6,000 casualties.[18][19]
The advance of the 104th Division went somewhat better. The unit secured the left flank of VII Corps between the First and the Ninth US Army. The target of the unit was the industrial triangle at Eschweiler-Weisweiler and the Eschweiler woods at Stolberg. This part of the front was dominated by the
Aside from the double thrust conducted by the 1st and 104th Division, the American command had determined that another attack route should be taken towards Düren. This task was passed to the
V Corps joins the offensive
The initial planning did not see a deployment of General Gerow's V Corps until VII Corps had achieved a major breakthrough. V Corps then would have to make a close drive together with VII Corps towards Bonn. However, after the first days the American senior command realized that VII Corps would need extra assistance to achieve a breakthrough. Therefore, V Corps was ordered to join the fighting. The Corps was situated south of VII Corps. Gerow's first action was to relieve the 28th Division with the 8th Infantry Division, to assist the drive of the already fighting 4th Division. The division was assisted by a CCR from the 5th Armored Division. The corps took over Hürtgen and Kleinhau as objectives from the 4th Division and started its attack on 21 November.[24]
The advance of the 8th Division was steady but very slow. 4th Division reached Grosshau on 25 November, but could not capture it due to heavy resistance and coordination problems with the supporting armored units. At the same time, the tanks of CCR tried a direct assault on Hürtgen, which ended in complete failure against German anti-tank positions. In a renewed attack conducted by infantry only, Hürtgen was taken on 28 November. The 4th and 8th divisions simultaneously attacked Grosshau and Kleinhau on 29 November, and both towns were captured the same day. This success spurred the American efforts. The 8th Division together with the CCR continued its advance for the next days eastwards towards the Brandenberg-Bergstein ridge. Brandenberg was taken on 2 December. The same day a rare massive Luftwaffe raid occurred with about 60 planes, but did only minor damage. On 5 December Bergstein fell. Facing the Allied advance, the Germans mounted a massive counterattack into the town. During the night and over the next day heavy fighting ensued until the German forces were repulsed, and Castle Hill, an important hill beyond Bergstein overseeing the town, was taken. V Corps was now in striking distance of the Rur and reached the river a day later.[25][26]
In the meantime, 4th Division also had made some progress. After the capture of Grosshau, the division was aided by the armored forces of the CCR. The division now headed for Gey, which was reached on 30 November, but heavily defended. Two days later the Germans mounted a counterattack out from Gey, which caused heavy casualties. The attack was only stopped by intense artillery fire. Since the beginning of the offensive, 4th Division had already lost about 6,000 men and was now unable to conduct further offensive operations. Subsequently, Collins decided to halt its offensive operations and pulled the division out to replace it with the 83rd Infantry Division on 3 December.[27]
At the beginning of December, First Army had fought its way through most of the Hürtgen Forest. Although V Corps had reached the Rur at the very southern wing, VII Corps was still short of its objective of reaching the Rur. Casualties for this campaign were tremendous. The fighting for the Hürtgen Forest, which lasted already since September, had cost the Americans about 32,000 men.[28]
Ninth Army's advance through the Rur plains
Parallel to First Army's advance through the Hürtgen Forest, Ninth Army had to advance through the Rur plains. This terrain was fundamentally different from the dense forest, consisting of flat farmland with small villages. Planning for this area for both sides was different, as the Germans expected the Allied main thrust through this area, while it was actually through the Hürtgen Forest. One of the reasons for this decision was the dangerous Geilenkirchen-Salient at Ninth Army's northern flank, which would have threatened the American advance. This salient was reduced and rendered harmless in Operation Clipper, by a combined US-British attack until 22 November. The 84th Division of XIII Corps of the Ninth Army played a major role in this operation.[29]
Ninth Army's drive was conducted mainly by XIX Corps under
As in the First Army's sector, Operation Queen began with a massive aerial bombardment against German towns and positions on 16 November. After the air strike was over, the American offensive was launched. 30th Division started a frontal attack against its first objective – Würselen. After four days of slow advance, the town was taken. The German resistance from the 3rd Panzergrenadier Division was hampered due to the large area it had to cover. In the center, 29th Division also commenced with its attack. The plan called to advance in between the towns to deal with the fortified strong points after they were encircled. This plan, however, was flawed and 29th Division soon was pinned down making no further progress. With assistance from the 2nd Armored Division, on 18 November its drive was renewed against the opposing German 246th VGD, taking
Meanwhile, in the north 2nd Armored Division also had commenced its attack on
As of 22 November, all 3 divisions of XIX Corps were in striking range of the Rur. At this point, the German command decided to release another division, the
North of XIX Corps, Geilenkirchen had been captured during Operation Clipper, but the Allied advance had stalled at Wurm some kilometers short of the Rur, rendering the Allied advance in this sector a stalemate. Ninth Army's casualties for Operation Queen were 1,133 killed, 6,864 wounded, and 2,059 missing.[34]
VII Corps pushes to the Rur
While Ninth Army's advance was successful, at the beginning of December VII Corps had just left the Hürtgen Forest, was still short of the Rur and had taken heavy casualties. For the upcoming conclusion of the offensive, 1st Infantry Division was replaced by 9th Infantry Division and 4th Infantry Division by the 83rd Infantry Division. After a deliberate break for reorganisation, the attack was resumed on 10 December towards the Rur and the key city of Düren. German manpower at this point was very low with the defense relying mostly on artillery support. In the north 104th and 9th Division, assisted by the 3rd Armored Division, didn't face much resistance. The 3rd Parachute Division and especially the worn out 246th VGD were not able to offer serious resistance. After four days 104th Division was at the Rur. The same was for the 9th Division. During the fighting, 3rd Parachute Division was replaced by the hastily assembled
In the south 83rd Division faced larger problems. It had to advance through the towns of Strass and Gey, the latter had just been the location of a heavy battle which had practically rendered 4th Division unavailable for further offensive operations. Nevertheless, the fresh 83rd Division assisted by the 5th Armored Division was able to take most of Strass and reach Gey the same day against the worn out 353rd VGD. However, the muddy road and mines prevented the Americans from bringing their tanks into both towns to support the infantry. As a result, after some determined German counterattacks on Schafberg, the American units in Strass were effectively cut off and had to be supplied by aircraft, while the Germans started several attacks on the town. Schafberg was retaken on 12 December and tanks reached Gey and Strass, easing the situations. Casualties nevertheless had been heavy, with about 1,000 men for the division in just 3 days.[36]
In the north of Gey the division's advance fared better and the division took the towns
The Rur dams
During the Allied approach towards the Rur, the issue of the Rur dams took on a new urgency. The dams were a strategically important target, as they would allow the Germans to flood the Rur valley and everything else downstream of it as far as the Meuse and into the Netherlands. This would delay the Allied offensive effort into Germany, possibly causing major casualties as well as trapping Allied units east of the flooding. It took a long time until the Allied high command recognized its importance and until the first specific actions were implemented towards them. The first approach was made by the RAF which was tasked to breach them, with bombing starting in early December. In continuous attack waves, hundreds of aircraft were thrown against the dams, but the damage was only negligible. On 13 December V Corps, already at the Rur, was tasked to start an offensive to seize the dams from various directions including the Ardennes sector. The offensive took the Germans by surprise, but as the Allies ran directly into the Germans being near ready for the
Aftermath
Operation Queen was not able to meet its sophisticated goals. At the beginning of the offensive, Allied planners envisioned for the offensive to be just a staging point for a deep penetration over the Rur into Germany to the Rhine. After one month of heavy fighting the Americans had barely made it to the Rur. No bridgehead over the river had been made, the Germans still held some portions west of the river and the important Rur dams were still in German hands, threatening any further offensive operations. Even without knowing of the upcoming German offensive, Allied planners estimated the earliest date for a large thrust into Germany for mid-January.[40]
The Wehrmacht was successfully able to delay the American advance towards the Rur. The Rur River line, whose holding was deemed necessary for the successful implementation of the Ardennes Offensive, was held. The preparation of the final Ardennes Offensive was mostly successful with Germany being able to build up enough troops in secrecy for a sufficient blow. On 16 December the Allies were taken by complete surprise and the Germans were quickly able to achieve a breakthrough. Later (14 until 26 January 1945), the Roer triangle was cleared during Operation Blackcock and only in February 1945 were the Allies finally able to cross the Rur, by then the road to the Rhine was clear.[40]
However, the Ardennes offensive also showed the lack of any long-term strategic perspective for Germany. The superiority of the Allies in numbers of men and equipment could not be overcome by Germany. The successful holding of the Rur River line would only lead to a lengthened war, causing additional destruction and loss of life.[41]
Notes
- a VII Corps: 2,448 killed, 15,908 battle casualties, 8,550 non-battle casualties
V Corps: 2,800 battle casualties, 1,200 non-battle casualties
Ninth Army: 1,133 killed, 6,864 wounded, and 2,059 missing
Casualties of the Rur dams offensive (13–16 December) and casualties in the Hürtgen Forest preceding 16 November not included
See also
- 17th Armored Engineer Battalion
- 82nd Armored Reconnaissance Battalion
- List of World War II military operations
References
- ^ MacDonald (1993), p. 594
- ^ Zaloga (2007), pp. 9–12
- ^ Zaloga (2007), 48–61
- ^ MacDonald (1993), pp. 390–392, 397–406, 546–547
- ^ MacDonald (1993), pp. 406–407
- ^ Zaloga (2007), p. 61
- ^ Zaloga (2007), pp. 28–30
- ^ MacDonald (1993), pp. 323–328
- ^ MacDonald (1993), pp. 397–404, 593–594
- ^ MacDonald (1993), pp. 392–397, 409–411
- ^ Zaloga (2007), pp. 16–18
- ^ MacDonald (1993), pp. 411–412
- ^ MacDonald (1993), pp. 413–414
- ^ MacDonald (1993), pp. 409–411
- ^ Andrews and Hurt (2022), pp. 197-229
- ^ Zaloga (2007), p. 64
- ^ MacDonald (1993), pp. 421–424
- ^ MacDonald (1993), pp. 492–488;476–477; 481
- ^ Zaloga (2007), p. 65
- ^ MacDonald (1993), pp. 506–510; 424–428
- ^ MacDonald (1993), pp. 510–515
- ^ Zaloga (2007), pp. 67–69
- ^ MacDonald (1993), pp. 428–429
- ^ MacDonald (1993), p. 440
- ^ MacDonald (1993), pp. 444–448; 463
- ^ Zaloga (2007), pp. 69–76
- ^ MacDonald (1993), pp. 473–474
- ^ Zaloga (2007), p. 76
- ^ a b Zaloga (2007), pp. 76–77
- ^ MacDonald (1993), pp. 516–518
- ^ Zaloga (2007), pp. 82–83
- ^ Mayo (1968), p. 324
- ^ MacDonald (1993), pp. 558–565
- ^ MacDonald (1993), p. 577
- ^ Zaloga (2007), pp. 86–88
- ^ MacDonald (1993), pp. 587–591
- ^ Zaloga (2007), pp. 88–89
- ^ Zaloga (2007), pp. 89–90
- ^ MacDonald (1993), pp. 597–602
- ^ a b MacDonald (1993), pp. 594–595
- ^ Zaloga (2007), pp. 91–92
Bibliography
- Andrews, Ernest A.; Hurt, David B. (2022). A Machine Gunner's War: From Normandy to Victory with the 1st Infantry Division in World War II. Philadelphia & Oxford: Casemate. ISBN 978-1636241043.
- Scheuer, Helmut (1985). Wie war das damals? Jülich 1944–1948. Verlag des Jülicher Geschichtsvereins. ISBN 978-3-9800914-4-2.
- Karmp, Hans (1981). Rurfront 1944/45. Verlag Fred Gatzen. ISBN 978-3-923219-00-1.
- Lida Mayo (1968). THE ORDNANCE DEPARTMENT: ON BEACHHEAD AND BATTLEFRONT. Center of Military History, United States Army. Archived from the original on 6 November 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- MacDonald, Charles B. (1993). The Siegfried Line campaign. Center of Military History, United States Army.
- Zaloga, Steven J. (27 March 2007). Siegfried Line 1944–45: Battles on the German frontier. Osprey Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-84603-121-2.