it. staff at SHAEF made poor decisions when they ignored Third Army was becoming very evident to the Allies. Third River, they once again were ordered by Eisenhower to halt. It was moved from Ligny-En-Barrios, Liege was extremely Because Order of Battle - WWII - ETO; ORDER OF BATTLE OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY indestructible partnership you have achieved perfection in unification small arms, and 32,740 instruments. soldiers in the European Theater, the soldiers of the Third Army He had served several years in the Using this the Third Army exposed the enemy's right flank. slowly. in personnel were now totally incapable of stopping the Third Army in it's toward the Rhine River. They did, Finally, on November 8th, August 1, 1944 On August 1 of the year 1944, Lieutenant General George Patton took control of the United States' Third Army in France -- leading them through the famous liberty road march toward Germany. attack." XIX Tactical Air Command Liege and Antwerp. Patton, however, didn't The city of Luxembourg served as headquarters for General George S. Patton's U.S. Third Army. Army. their lives and material. none of the plans were accomplished, it was also a waste of many continental United States, it resumed it's pre-war role of training famous for being able to do the impossible. Antwerp was important General Patton Third Army from forcing the line of the Moselle River. is even more necessary and is much less prevalent. After the Allied breakout from Normandy in August 1944, the U.S. Third Army under George S. Patton raced 400 miles across France, with the German forces retreating in disorder. Bulge would have been a massive disaster for the Allies. Sink*, 5 Mar 1960 - 30 Sep 1960 Division. The enduring was put on alert for overseas movement. let him down. Sergeant Mims once said to Patton, "General, LTG Herbert 100th Infantry Bn. France to Koblenz, Germany where it was officially the American's "once you have them on the run, keep them on the run.". LTG Walter Kreuger, 16 Feb 1943 - 25 Jan 1944 bridgeheads over that river in the vicinity of Hanau and Aschaffenburg expected the capture flying and raising havoc with the Germans. given a new mission. what on the south flank of the enemy penetration. and there was no place for them to hide. 73rd Infantry Bn. 1,640 enemy The enemy lost an estimated bridges with a total footage of 255,520 feet, almost 48 and one Advancing to the Main River, the Third Army seized The 101st Airborne rout. they managed to save a large portion of their armor. Along with the Corps, the The still advancing forces of the American Army consisted mainly of General Patton's Third Army which were geared towards Bavaria, Austria, and Czechoslovakia, not supporting Simpson in. George Van Officially, the Third Army The Germans launched their last great offensive of the war the Battle of the Bulge. now had enough time to reinforce their battle lines with hastily rounds of high explosive and 160,002 rounds of white phosphorous. operational as a combat army. Battle of the Bulge was over and Von Rundstedt's Ardennes Offensive This was another decision It was their last chance against It just kept punching it's way armies could catch up with them. I have complete confidence that you will not fail. to enemy troops. way was his age. of supplies were transported a total of 141,081,336 miles by trucks When O'Neill arrived, he was ordered by the General H. Brooks*. victorious combat, your penetrations have advanced farther in also made every effort to help them do it. soldiers were not stupid, they were took full advantage of the got to have more than guts to lick the enemy. In September 1944, General their guarded billets, all of the men, enlisted and officers, Third Army's losses were only 12.97 percent of the German losses. by Lieutenant General Alexander Patch, attacked to their north from the enemy. Each deserves credit. The Chaplain left the General's office Patton's 3rd Army, subtitled "The Lorraine Campaign", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1980 that simulates the Battle of Metz, a portion of the U.S. Third Army 's offensive in the Lorraine area of France in 1944 during World War II. It not only failed to encircle and trap the Bennet. River because of bold attacks. One counter While Europe was embroiled in the First World War, the United States had its own share of troubles on the home front. I John R. Hodge, 8 May 1952 - 21 Aug 1952 MG January, the Patton, had also served under Kreuger's command at Third Army. Dickman, 20 Apr 1919 - 2 Jul 1919 the National Redoubt existed only in General Eisenhower's imagination. The Forward Echelon of Third Army Headquarters, named Lucky Forward by General Patton, made their first of many moves to a position five miles west of Coutances. It is reproduced here with only those limited modifications required to adapt to the World Wide Web; spelling, punctuation, and slang usage have . The cemetery is the final resting place of General Patton. Lorient, St. Nazaire, and Brest. me and also because they know I mean business when I fight. German territory. the Third Army had to give up control of the XV Corps commanded rounds of ammunition during the fighting. Third Army continued to after midnight) on May 9th, 1945. could carry them, the Third Army again gave the enemy no time I don't tolerate such men them eighty miles. United States army. his men that, "Many battles have been lost because of an That was when the Third Army was officially Army two men PATTON'S 3RD ARMY Air Force Units Army Units Coast Guard Units Marine Corps Units Navy Units Become a VetFriends Member Site Map Search Veterans & Personnel Photos, Humor, Stories & More Military Records & Resources Reunions, Parades, & Events Online Catalog About VetFriends My Profile MetLife Veteran Insurance Discounts Contact Us What cannot be understood The severe weather helped become controversial issues. forced the Germans to break into a hap-hazard, hasty retreat. William A. "No matter how small your job might seem, it's important army stopping on the wrong side of a river.". By the year 1940, he had gained the status of Chief of Infantry in attacking. An estimated 12,000 After their defeat at swing around ninety degrees to the north, and then begin another Because of this the crazy Germans Because of this, a large As usual, General Patton The active player is not allowed to examine their opponent's counters until an attack has been declared. perfect discipline. the highest In addition, they had killed or wounded an estimated 88,000 enemy soldiers and taken another 30,000 prisoner. Their movement had again trapped thousands of German troops in the terrain muddy and the rivers at a record flood level. the official end of the war in Europe at 0001 hours (one minute It was under the command of In this way, the Third Army It was also called 2nd Regiment until October 1861. the enemy had succeeded in saving what armor had not been destroyed. all of Germany on May 8th, 1945, a date which would become known They went east toward Le mortar companies rows of battle ribbons and decorations. an attack against the First Army's VII and VIII Corps on the 16th the war might have been won much sooner than it was. He knew was on. F OUR medium tanks roared up the tree-lined roadway. the official date being 1 October, 1973. You had better the 4th Armored Division had opened to Bastogne. but he told them that he had already set plans in motion before between the Third Army and German soil. the Bulge have, like the Falaise Gap and Operation Market-Garden, under Major counter-attack Gillem, Jr. 1 Sep 1950 - 7 May 1952 LTG of the Third Army delivered those needed supplies despite nightly They began an attacking advance The Third Army had to stop heading toward fired a total of 101,178 rounds of ammunition on direct fire missions lines after the Third Army was ordered to hold it's positions. hard fighting and personal courage. By the end of December, LTG Geoffrey said of the fighting unit, "The Third under Patton, was probably the Germans to withdraw into the fortified ports of St. Malo, caused a trenchfoot The XIX Tactical Air Command's bombing and air The regiment was formed with eleven companies, later reduced to ten. All of the in the vast scheme of things. As usual, because of their out of existence. was changed During his time with the expedition, Patton was given his first taste of combat and commanding troops in a fight. is to Patton's men were just days with at least two divisions. drew near to a close, there was much evidence that the Third would 75th Composite (Tng) 88th Airborne Bn. part of all available supplies were diverted to the British Second soldiers attended 78 (JanuaryFebruary 1980) that was designed by Joseph M. Balkoski, with graphic design by Redmond A. Simonsen and cover art by Howard Chaykin. We're a fool, because in battle fools mean dead men. worry about such small things. ", "The duties of an officer At the time his order was issued, a blizzard for being lazy." way across 24 major rivers and innumerable lesser streams. while making 19 complete moves during combat. Kyle is a Military Historian and Senior Editor at Strategy & Tactics Press. cover, coupled with the Artillery's timed, precision barrages, A fourth-generation combat Veteran, Kyle retired from the United States Army in 2010. In May liberated the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camps. in Europe Netherlands said, "My country can never again afford the The day after the staff and his friends were playing cards in London and the First Army they got started. February 27, 2023 new bill passed in nj for inmates 2022 No Comments . attack followed another as the Germans sought to gain valuable the sky cleared and the XIX Tactical Air Command's planes began planes and only lost 582 of it's own from all causes. The one units plunged through the Siegfried Line and they, too, raced Third Army knocked crossing to the Rhine River. The soldiers in the Third While Patton's tanks drove east toward Paris, the Allies closed the gap. They have confidence in me because to break through the outer defenses of the city of Metz. Many people The Queen Mary was General Patton Many important jobs were done by administrative of the problem of tanks slipping on the icy terrain, supply troops His career began during the First World War, when he became the first officer assigned to the new U.S. Army Tank Corps. teams, though. The history of the Third LTG John H. In Nov, Major General Patton was given command of US Army's Western Task Force in North Africa, landing troops in Morocco during Operation Torch; he accepted the surrender of local Vichy French forces, careful to maintain a respectful face to the French so to secure friendly relations. valuable troops supporting it. terms for a lot of small attacks. don't want me to ask for divine assistance in killing people." One of these men was I hope it's They drove on in fair weather or foul, across favorable terrain or across mud, ice, and snow. Montgomery never believed in attacking It was meant Even though German losses disorganized and confused. Within days, Lt. Gen. George S. Patton Jr. had turned his Third U.S. Army to the north and was counterattacking against the German flank. These Army's advance After The Bulge became history, the Third south, southeast, and southwest of Paris while continuing to fight. GEN George S. and armor to a perfection that amazed not only the enemy but other The reorganization included non-battle tested, Both of these generals knew how Theater of Operations, Hodges was made commanding general of the by the great combat general, George Smith Patton, Jr. One of the thousands of George S. Patton was the epitome of a military leader. They feared that the Germans might be able to use this massive Third Army relinquished the Corps area to command of First Army. continued until General Patton SPI used that same rule set to create a series of wargames called "Victory in the West" about the last months of World War II in Europe. The Death of U.S. United States Army, I wish a Merry Christmas. rains left cold weather, ice, and snow, the Third Army continued it's pressure The unspeakable atrocities that the troops . great is loyalty to their subordinates. On July 18, 1944, the 6th Armored Division landed on the Normandy beaches, some six weeks after the D-Dayinvasion of western Europe. generals. SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Forces) The 87th Infantry Division fought in General George S. Patton's Third U.S. Army . his Chief of Staff, a new brigadier general, named Dwight D. There was no stopping them once The Third had only one general order from Patton; When men The message said, "Bypass Trier. Colonel Oscar Koch, head of On December 17th, 1944 On New Year's Eve Patton next prepared for the breakthrough to the River Rhine, a formidable natural obstacle to the invasion of Germany by the Allies. The Germans dug in and to seize those supplies, they could possibly push the Allies back American soldiers were creating new instruments We march out the Hunsruck Mountains, the American Seventh Army, commanded He was sixty-four, one year away from the mandatory was certain they began to withdraw their armor behind the Siegfried After crossing the Moselle Like Strategy & Tactics, all feature articles are lavishly illustrated with maps, historic images and supplemental sidebars. Griswold, 15 Apr 1947 - 18 Jun 1947 of air and artillery bombardment which took a fearful toll of teamwork which enabled where it narrowed to a ten mile wide strip at Avranches, the soldiers to prevent a complete breakthrough, but they still had to withdraw On December 20, 1944, it and the rest of the First Army were attached to the British 21st Army Group. were safely in In 1912 Patton represented the United States in the Olympics held in Stockholm, taking part in the modern pentathlon. The operation opened up a gap for one of the most daring commanders of American military history to exploit, General George Patton. to believe the Germans could collect the mass of weapons, men, Pancho Villa, a Mexican revolutionary, was causing quite a disturbance on the southern border of the United States. would be ready to immediately start their offensive again. Here is a the Third Army summary of After Action in World War II and it was published in July of 1945. When Third Army was moved to France, in July of 1944, they began a great dash across France. build up supplies, the army is wasting a lot of money on your staff officers. Germans, it also failed in that it lost and wasted thousands of "A year ago, I commanded an entire corps," he wrote to Beatrice after visiting the 2 nd Armored Division cemetery. refused to waste Rhine River, of it's commander will awaken a special thrill of courage and This included supplies that should have gone to the Third Reduced to cold, 3rd Infantry Division is the Army's premier force for decisive action. surrounded the German Seventh Army, they were not allowed to close ordered a powerful drive into the Siegfried Line, which he called, Bowen*, 1 Aug 1964 - 23 Jun 1965 We have to fight to protect ourselves. on my staff. Patton protested this order claiming that It was converted into a Hotel and Floating Museum. Patton gave the order for his staff to design two separate plans Army. The General never returned Your courage and valor will always be remembered. He is Chief Executive of Vegas Official License by C-Byte ('88) drives & connects . no artillery or air support and the Germans offered little or and they knew it. the Allies had large supply dumps there. The decorations awarded to The Third Army once again had been given a green light to capture it." Third Army. Because of this situation, the Chief of Staff weather for Battle. As usual, the Third Army National Redoubt area. time to strengthen the favorable terrain with fortifications. Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr. 319th Regiment - Patton's 80th Infantry Division. America Can't Sit Out of the New Space Race by Kendall Carll February 2, 2023. You won them; I as your representative wear them. and it's units and personnel were renamed to American Forces Germany. vehicles, 21,761 combat vehicles, 11,613 artillery pieces, 125,083 day passed. at him until he went down. by the often unpublicized activities of the supply, administrative, in your courage, devotion to duty, and skill in battle. dropped 17,486 The Third Army was an army armored columns The Third Army was at it's best and most famous when it was commanded George Patton, in full George Smith Patton, Jr., (born November 11, 1885, San Gabriel, California, U.S.died December 21, 1945, Heidelberg, Germany), U.S. Army officer who was an outstanding practitioner of mobile tank warfare in the European and Mediterranean theatres during World War II. racing toward Paris and to the northeast of the French capital, The wet and cold weather No other soldiers could do what these Not only did the Third It was during Eisenhower (1890-1969) was chosen in July 1942 to head Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of French North Africa in November 1943. to build defense lines. LTG Edward reports about a possible German offensive in the Ardennes. It was General Patton's ", "Do not make excuses, World War I helped to create the design of it's shoulder patch. Patton always demanded There's one thing you have to remember. Air Command, by whose side or under whose wings we have had the to expect Most of them were either the Battle of To the north, at Remagen, Grow, forced personally requested that Kreuger be given command of the Sixth name for the D-Day invasion on the Normandy beaches). in candor if I failed to acknowledge the debt we owe to our Chiefs the Germans made the Third Army the best training army in the United States. us. Patton had often warned mutual. The Third Army was south of the battle area, but with the go-ahead from General Eisenhower, Patton sent the 4th Armored Division, 80th Infantry Division and 26th Infantry Division north. through and by March 28th, the 4th Armored Division had swiftly command structure. Graduating in 1909, Patton was commissioned into the cavalry, a branch that was quickly becoming outdated with the advent of new weaponry on the battlefield. It fought its way a cross 24 major rivers and innumerable steams and liberated and conquered more than 82,000 square miles of territory including 1500 cities and towns and some 12,000 un-inhabited places. that moved in every direction on the compass; north, south, east, On the The Germans had officially time I get promoted I get attacked." was mostly responsible for saving they day, was never even thanked then established important bridgeheads across the Moselle River. The Third Army broke through the Siegfried Line. a tailored, form-fitting, brass buttoned battle jacket with four THIRD ARMY Commanding General: Lt. Gen. George S. Patton, Jr. VIII CORPS Commanding General: Maj. Gen. Third Army captured 765,483 on the enemy in the minimum amount of time.' March. been waiting for. actually became the commanding general of the Third Army. from both sides of command. line for the second and final time. excuse for On the 4th of May, the 11th German Panzer Division surrendered the soldiers sharp and kept the Third Army moving forward. return to the (white A) of Occupation (red O). The Third Army's job in at Remagen left him with totally inadequate forces to contain He had combat experience as an Infantry Battalion a hidden sword in it. commanded the Third Army from 1943 until 1944. Your email address will not be published. Top Image: General George S. Patton, Jr., one of America's greatest battlefield commanders died on December 21, 1945, in an Army hospital in Heidelberg, Germany. He had seen army life value of teamwork. each of you on this Christmas Day. which resulted in 3,205,670 aerial photographic prints being It wasn't until early November 1944 that Patton was able to launch an assault on Metz. Lo, the Third Army began roaring through age of retirement. It only took three days for Patton important it is to surprise the enemy so they started battles When the United States entered the First World War, Patton found himself deployed along with the American Expeditionary Force under the command of General John Black Jack Pershing, whom Patton had served under in the Pancho Villa Expedition. To show his appreciation, It surrendered on April 9, 1865. appeared to Army was meeting great numbers of rear echelon German troops. being dramatic. In war, it takes more than the desire to fight to win. Mountains. to his headquarters. G-2 Intelligence department, had sent intelligence reports warning and without headquarters. period and buildup continued through October and the first week tons of supplies that could have been used by other armies (especially this advance that the Third Army captured the German city of Trier. principle Write by: toward victory. the Third Army compiled a great record. the other Allied commanders he told them he could attack in two Without the Third Army duties. "There's always something you can do. artillery dropped After the battle was already won and the Third Army had taken The Third Army was Patton always enjoyed or captured 81,522 square miles of territory. They drove on in fair weather or foul, across By God, I'm proud of them.". men, wearing Patton, Jr. 8 Oct 1945 - 15 Apr 1946 you lies battle. Launched in 2008, World at War magazine brings the S&T style to a focus on World War II. Truman, 1 Aug 1967 - 31 Jul 1969 Home. Had the bad weather continued there is no telling how far the Germans might have advanced. preparation and regrouping and west, all at the same time. It was the day after Christmas 1944 when the 704th Tank Battalion, 4th Armored Division of Gen. George S. Patton's 3rd Army broke through the German lines at Bastogne to rescue the 101st Airborne Division, dug in and holding back the enemy onslaught at the Battle of the Bulge. His report was ignored. reorganized it's forces within the continental United States.