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Researching
World War II
Unit
Histories, Documents
Monographs, Books and Reports on CD
PDF Remastered and Keyword Searchable
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Order
of Battle
Headquarters
and Headquarters Company
325th Glider Infantry Regiment
504th Parachute Infantry Regiment
505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
307th Airborne Engineer Battalion
82nd Airborne Division Artillery
Headquarters and Headquarters
Battery
319th Glider Field Artillery
Battalion (75mm Pack Howitzer)
320th Glider Field Artillery
Battalion (75mm Pack Howitzer)
80th Airborne Antiaircraft
Battalion
307th Airborne Medical Battalion
782nd Airborne Ordnance Maintenance
Company
407th Airborne Quartermaster
Company
82nd Airborne Signal Company
Military Police Platoon
Attached
Units
1st Ranger Battalion
3rd Ranger Battalion
4th Ranger Battalion
1st Battalion, 143rd Infantry
Regiment
Detachment, 813th Tank Destroyer
Battalion
A Battery, 133rd Field Artillery
Battalion (105mm Howitzer)
A Battery, 155th Field Artillery
Battalion (155mm Howitzer)
C Battery, 155th Field Artillery
Battalion (155mm Howitzer)
F Company, 540th Engineer
Shore Regiment
C Company, 83rd Chemical Battalion
(Motorized)
D Company, 83rd Chemical Battalion
(Motorized)
405th Medical Collecting Company
2nd Platoon, 602nd Medical
Clearing Company
1st Platoon, 90th Quartermaster
Company (Railhead)
H Company, 36th Engineer Combat
Regiment
Detachment, 63rd Signal Battalion
C Detachment, 72nd Signal
Company (Special)
Detachment, 180th Signal Repair
Company
Detachment, 286th Signal Company
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Casualties
|
1,619 - Killed in action
6,560 - Wounded in action
332 - Died of wounds
|
Commanders
MG
Omar N. Bradley
23 Mar - 25 Jun 42
MG Matthew
B. Ridgeway
26 Jun 42 - 27 Aug 44 |
Campaigns
| Sicily |
9
Jul - 17 Aug 43
|
Naples-Foggia
|
9
Sep 43 - 21 Jan 44 |
Normandy
|
6
Jun - 24 Jul 44 |
| Rhineland |
15
Sep 44 - 21 Mar 45 |
| Ardennes-Alsace |
16
Dec 44 - 25 Jan 45 |
| Central Europe |
22
Mar - 11 May 45 |
Operations
Operation
Husky
|
Operation
Avalanche |
Operation
Overlord |
Operation
Market Garden |
Battle
of the Bulge |
Medals
|
Medal of Honor
- 3
Distinguished Service Cross
- 41
Legion of Merit - 24
Silver Star - 759
Soldiers Medal - 41
Bronze Star - 1,873
Air Medal - 15 |
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1942 |
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Mar
25- |
Reorganized
at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana. |
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Aug
15- |
The
82nd Infantry Division became the
first airborne division in the U.S.
Army and was redesignated the 82nd
Airborne Division. At the same time,
82nd personnel also were used in the
formation of a second airborne unit
- the "Screaming Eagles"
of the 101st Airborne Division. |
|
Oct-
|
The
82nd was dispatched to Fort Bragg,
North Carolina, to pursue its new
airborne training. |
|
Oct
14- |
The
82nd absorbed the 504th Parachute
Infantry Regiment, which had formed
on May 1 at Fort Benning, Georgia.
By the time that they went overseas,
the 82nd would consist of the 325th
Glider Infantry Regiment and the 504th
and 505th Parachute Infantry Regiments. |
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1943
|
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Apr-
|
Paratroopers
of the 82nd Airborne Division left
via troop ships from New England to
North Africa to participate in the
campaign to invade Italy and became
the first airborne division sent overseas.
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May
10- |
Division
landed in Casablanca, North Africa
on May 10, 1943 they moved by rail
to Oujda and then by truck to Kairouan,
Tunisia. |
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Jul
9- |
The
505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
and the 3rd Battalion of the 504th
parachuted to take the high ground
near Ponte Olivo airfield northeast
of Gela, Sicily on July 9, 1943. |
|
Jul
11- |
The
remaining Battalions of the 504th
PIR were dropped in the vicinity of
Gela with heavy losses. |
|
Jul
12- |
The
Division was moved up to the front
by motor and reinforced by the 39th
Infantry Regiment of the 9th Infantry
Division on July 12, 1943. |
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Jul
18- |
The
crossings of Fiume delle Canno were
secured on July 18, 1943. |
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Jul
23- |
The
Division pushed along the coastal
highway, seizing the Marsala-Trapani
area of Sicily's western coast by
July 23rd. |
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Sep
13- |
The
Division's second combat operation
was a night parachute drop onto the
Salerno beachhead on September 13,
1943 in support of General Mark Clark's
5th Army which was in danger of being
pushed back into the sea. |
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Sep
13- |
The
504th PIR was parachuted south of
the Sele River near Salerno on September
13, 1943. |
|
Sep
15- |
The
325th Glider Infantry Regiment (GIR)
was brought into the beachhead amphibiously
to join the rest of the Division. |
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Sep
16- |
The
504th PIR & the 376th PFAB began
an attack to recover Altavilla on
September 16, 1943. |
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Oct
1- |
The
division fought towards Naples which
it reached on October 1, 1943. The
504th PIR & the 376th PFAB were
detached from the 82nd Airborne temporarily
and fought in southern Italy as part
of the 36th Infantry Division. |
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Oct
29- |
Gallo
captured. |
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Nov-
|
The
82nd was pulled out of Italy and moved
to the United Kingdom to prepare for
the liberation of Europe. |
|
1944 |
|
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Jan-
|
The
504th Parachute Infantry Regiment,
which was temporarily detached from
the Division to fight at Anzio, adopted
the nickname "Devils in Baggy
Pants. |
|
Early |
Units
of the Division were moved to England
as the allies were preparing for the
D-Day assault on Western Europe. Two
new parachute infantry regiments,
the 507th and the 508th, joined the
Division. However, due to its depleted
state following the fighting in Italy,
the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment
did not take part in the invasion. |
|
Jun
5- |
The
paratroopers of the 82nd's three parachute
infantry regiments and reinforced
glider infantryregiment boarded hundreds
of transport planes and gliders and,
began the largest airborne assault
in history. They were among the first
soldiers to fight in Normandy, France. |
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Jun
6- |
The
Division dropped behind Utah Beach,
Normandy, France between Ste Mere-Eglise
and Carentan on June 6th, 1944. |
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Jun
12- |
The
505th PIR captured Montebourg Station
and on June 12th. |
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Jun
19- |
They
established a bridgehead at Pont l'Abbe
on June 19th. |
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Jul
3- |
The
Division attacked down the west coast
of the Cotentin Peninsula and captured
Hill 131 on July 3rd. |
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Jul
3- |
The
82nd seized Hill 95 overlooking La
Haye-du-Puits. |
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Jul
13- |
Division
was pulled back to England on July
13, 1944. |
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Sep-
|
The
82nd began planning for Operation
Market Garden in Holland. The operation
called for three-plus airborne divisions
to seize and hold key bridges and
roads deep behind German lines. The
504th now back at full strength rejoined
the 82nd, while the 507th went to
the 17th Airborne Division. |
|
Sep
11- |
The
82nd conducted its fourth combat assault
of World War II into the Netherlands
and captured the Maas Bridge at Grave,
the Maas-Waal Canal Bridge at Heumen
and the Nijmegen-Groesbeek Ridge.
The next day attempts to take Nijmegen
Highway Bridge failed. |
|
Sep
12- |
The
82nd was ordered back to France. |
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Sep
20- |
The
504th crossed the Waal. |
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Dec
16- |
The
Germans launched a surprise offensive
through the Ardennes Forest which
caught the Allies completely by surprise.
|
|
Dec
17- |
In
reponse to the German's Ardennes Counteroffensive
and blunted General Von Runstedt's
northern penetration in the American
lines the 82nd moved into action. |
|
Dec
20- |
The
82nd attacked in the Vielsalm-St.
Vith region and the 504th PIR took
Monceau. This fierce attac forced
the German units back across the Ambleve
River the next day. |
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Dec
22- |
Further
German assaults along the Salm hit
the 505th PIR in the Trois Ponts |
|
Dec
24- |
The
Division lost Manhay. |
|
Dec
25- |
The
Division withdrew from the Vielsalm
Salient. |
|
Dec
27- |
Attacked
northeast of Bra. |
|
1945 |
|
|
Jan
4- |
The
division reached Salm. |
|
Jan
7- |
The
508th PIR Red Devil's launched an
attack with the 504th in the vicinity
of Thier-du-Mont where it suffered
heavy casualties. |
|
Jan
21- |
The
508th was then withdrawn from the
line and placed in reserve until January
21st when it replaced elements of
the 2d Infantry Division. |
|
Feb
7- |
The
division attacked Bergstein, a town
on the Roer River. |
|
Feb
17- |
The
82nd crossed the Roer River on February
17th. |
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Apr-
|
During
April, 1945 the Division performed
security duty in Cologne until they
attacked in the Bleckede area and
pushed toward the Elbe River. |
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May
2- |
As
the 504th PIR drove toward Forst Carrenzien,
the German 21st Army surrendered to
the division on May 2, 1945. |
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82nd
Airborne Division
CD
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82nd Airborne Division
History
| The
82nd Division was redesignated on
13 February 1942 as Division Headquarters,
82nd Division. It was recalled to
active service on 25 March 1942,
and reorganized at Camp Claiborne,
Louisiana, under the command of
Major General Omar N. Bradley.
During this training period, the division brought together four
officers who would ultimately
steer the US Army during the following
two decades: Matthew B. Ridgway,
Matthew D. Query, James M. Gavin,
and Maxwell D. Taylor who became
the commander of the 101st airborne
division in 1944. This was following
Bill Lee's heart attack. Under
General Bradley, the 82nd Division's
Chief of Staff was George Van
Pope. The Allied invasion of Sicily
was originally to be kept a secret.
On 15 August 1942,
the 82nd Infantry Division became
the Army's first airborne division,
and was redesignated the 82nd
Airborne Division. In April 1943,
its paratroopers deployed to North
Africa under the command of Major
General Matthew B. Ridgway to
participate in the campaign to
invade Italy. The division's first
two combat operations were parachute
assaults into Sicily on 9 July
and Salerno on 13 September. The
initial assault on Sicily, by
the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment,
was the first regimental-sized
combat parachute assault conducted
by the United States Army. The
first glider assault did not occur
until Operation Neptune as part
of D-Day. Glider troopers of the
319th and 320th Glider Field Artillery
and the 325th Glider Infantry
instead arrived in Italy by landing
craft at Maiori (319th) and Salerno
(320th, 325th).
In January 1944,
the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment,
which was temporarily detached
to fight at Anzio, adopted the
nickname "Devils in Baggy
Pants", taken from an entry
in a German officer's diary. While
the 504th was detached, the remainder
of the 82nd moved to the United
Kingdom in November 1943 to prepare
for the liberation of Europe.
See RAF North Witham and RAF Folkingham.
Normandy
With two combat
assaults under its belt, the 82nd
Airborne Division was now ready
for the most ambitious airborne
operation of the war so far, as
part of Operation Neptune, the
invasion of Normandy. The division
conducted Operation Boston, part
of the airborne assault phase
of the Operation Overlord plan.
In preparation
for the operation, the division
was reorganized. To ease the integration
of replacement troops, rest, and
refitting following the fighting
in Italy, the 504th did not rejoin
the division for the invasion.
Two new parachute infantry regiments
(PIRs), the 507th and the 508th,
provided it, along with the 505th,
a three-parachute infantry regiment
punch. On 5 and 6 June, these
paratroopers, parachute artillery
elements, and the 319th and 320th,
boarded hundreds of transport
planes and gliders to begin history's
largest airborne assault at the
time (only Operation Market Garden
later that year would be larger).
During the June 6th assault, a
508th platoon leader, Lt. Robert
P. Mathias, would be the first
American officer killed by German
fire on D-Day.[citation needed]
On June 7, after this first wave
of attack, the 325th Glider Infantry
Regiment would arrive by glider
to provide a division reserve.
By the time the
All-American Division was pulled
back to England, it had seen 33
days of bloody combat and suffered
5,245 troopers killed, wounded,
or missing. Ridgway's post-battle
report stated in part, "...33
days of action without relief,
without replacements. Every mission
accomplished. No ground gained
was ever relinquished."
Following Normandy,
the 82nd became part of the newly
organized XVIII Airborne Corps,
which consisted of the U.S. 17th,
82nd, and 101st Airborne Divisions.
Ridgway was given command, but
was not promoted to lieutenant
general until 1945. His recommendation
for succession as commander was
Brigadier General James M. Gavin.
Ridgway's recommendation met with
approval, and upon promotion Gavin
became the youngest general since
the Civil War to command a US
Army division.
Market Garden
On 2 August 1944
the division became part of the
First Allied Airborne Army. In
September, the 82nd began planning
for Operation Market Garden in
the Netherlands. The operation
called for three-plus airborne
divisions to seize and hold key
bridges and roads deep behind
German lines. The 504th, now back
at full strength, was reassigned
to the 82nd, while the 507th was
assigned to the 17th Airborne.
On 17 September, the 82nd conducted
its fourth World War II combat
assault. Fighting off German counterattacks,
the 82nd captured its objectives
between Grave, and Nijmegen. Its
success, however, was short-lived
because the defeat of other Allied
units at the Battle of Arnhem.
After a period of duty on the
Arnhem front, the 82nd was relieved
by Canadian troops, and sent to
France.
The
Bulge
On 16 December,
the Germans launched a surprise
offensive through the Ardennes
Forest which became known as the
Battle of the Bulge. Two days
later the 82nd joined the fighting
and blunted General Gerd von Rundstedt's
northern penetration of American
lines. During this campaign, PFC
Martin, 325th Glider Infantry
Regiment, told a sergeant in a
retreating tank destroyer to,
"...pull your vehicle behind
me—I'm the 82nd Airborne,
and this is as far as the bastards
are going!"
After helping
to secure the Ruhr, the division
ended the war at Ludwigslust past
the Elbe River, accepting the
surrender of over 150,000 of Lieutenant
General Kurt von Tippelskirch's
21st Army. General Bradley stated
in a 1975 interview with Gavin
that Montgomery told him German
opposition was too great to cross
the Elbe. When Gavin's division
crossed the river, the division
moved 36 miles in one day and
captured over 100,000 troops,
causing great laughter in Bradley's
12th Army Group headquarters.
Following Germany's
surrender, the 82nd entered Berlin
for occupation duty, lasting from
April until December 1945. In
Berlin General George Patton was
so impressed with the 82nd's honor
guard he said, "In all my
years in the Army and all the
honor guards I have ever seen,
the 82nd's honor guard is undoubtedly
the best." Hence the "All-American"
became also known as "America's
Guard of Honor".[14] The
war ended before their scheduled
participation in the invasion
of Japan. During the invasion
of Italy in World War II, Ridgway
considered Will Lang Jr. of TIME
magazine an honorary member of
the division.
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Medal of Honor
Recepients
|
John R. Towle
21 September 1944
Near Oosterhout, Holland
Rank
and Organization: Private,
Company C, 504th Parachute Infantry,
82d Airborne Division.
Place and Date: Near
Oosterhout, Holland, 21 September
1944.
Entered Service at:
Cleveland, Ohio.
Birth: Cleveland,
Ohio.
Citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and
intrepidity at the risk of life
above and beyond the call of
duty on 21 September 1944, near
Oosterhout, Holland. The rifle
company in which Pvt. Towle
served as rocket launcher gunner
was occupying a defensive position
in the west sector of the recently
established Nijmegen bridgehead
when a strong enemy force of
approximately 100 infantry supported
by 2 tanks and a half-track
formed for a counterattack.
With full knowledge of the disastrous
consequences resulting not only
to his company but to the entire
bridgehead by an enemy breakthrough,
Pvt. Towle immediately and without
orders left his foxhole and
moved 200 yards in the face
of Intense small-arms fire to
a position on an exposed dike
roadbed. From this precarious
position Pvt. Towle fired his
rocket launcher at and hit both
tanks to his immediate front.
Armored skirting on both tanks
prevented penetration by the
projectiles, but both vehicles
withdrew slightly damaged. Still
under intense fire and fully
exposed to the enemy, Pvt. Towle
then engaged a nearby house
which 9 Germans had entered
and were using as a strongpoint
and with 1 round killed all
9. Hurriedly replenishing his
supply of ammunition, Pvt. Towle,
motivated only by his high conception
of duty which called for the
destruction of the enemy at
any cost, then rushed approximately
125 yards through grazing enemy
fire to an exposed position
from which he could engage the
enemy half-track with his rocket
launcher. While in a kneeling
position preparatory to firing
on the enemy vehicle, Pvt. Towle
was mortally wounded by a mortar
shell. By his heroic tenacity,
at the price of his life, Pvt.
Towle saved the lives of many
of his comrades and was directly
instrumental in breaking up
the enemy counterattack.
Charles N. Deglopper
9
June 1944
Merderet River at la Fiere,
France
Rank
and organization: Private
First Class, Co. C, 325th Glider
Infantry, 82d Airborne Division.
Place and date: Merderet
River at la Fiere, France, 9
June 1944.
Entered service at: Grand
Island, N.Y.
Birth: Grand Island,
N.Y.
Citation:
He was a member of Company C,
325th Glider Infantry, on 9
June 1944 advancing with the
forward platoon to secure a
bridgehead across the Merderet
River at La Fiere, France. At
dawn the platoon had penetrated
an outer line of machineguns
and riflemen, but in so doing
had become cut off from the
rest of the company. Vastly
superior forces began a decimation
of the stricken unit and put
in motion a flanking maneuver
which would have completely
exposed the American platoon
in a shallow roadside ditch
where it had taken cover. Detecting
this danger, Pfc. DeGlopper
volunteered to support his comrades
by fire from his automatic rifle
while they attempted a withdrawal
through a break in a hedgerow
40 yards to the rear. Scorning
a concentration of enemy automatic
weapons and rifle fire, he walked
from the ditch onto the road
in full view of the Germans,
and sprayed the hostile positions
with assault fire. He was wounded,
but he continued firing. Struck
again, he started to fall; and
yet his grim determination and
valiant fighting spirit could
not be broken. Kneeling in the
roadway, weakened by his grievous
wounds, he leveled his heavy
weapon against the enemy and
fired burst after burst until
killed outright. He was successful
in drawing the enemy action
away from his fellow soldiers,
who continued the fight from
a more advantageous position
and established the first bridgehead
over the Merderet. In the area
where he made his intrepid stand
his comrades later found the
ground strewn with dead Germans
and many machineguns and automatic
weapons which he had knocked
out of action. Pfc. DeGlopper's
gallant sacrifice and unflinching
heroism while facing unsurmountable
odds were in great measure responsible
for a highly important tactical
victory in the Normandy Campaign.
Leonard
A. Funk, Jr.
29 January 1945
Holzheim, Belgium
Rank
and organization: First
Sergeant, Company C, 508th Parachute
Infantry, 82d Airborne Division.
Place and date: Holzheim,
Belgium, 29 January 1945.
Entered service at:
Wilkinsburg, Pa.
Birth: Braddock
Township, Pa.
Citation:
He distinguished himself by
gallant, intrepid actions against
the enemy. After advancing 15
miles in a driving snowstorm,
the American force prepared
to attack through waist-deep
drifts. The company executive
officer became a casualty, and
1st Sgt. Funk immediately assumed
his duties, forming headquarters
soldiers into a combat unit
for an assault in the face of
direct artillery shelling and
harassing fire from the right
flank. Under his skillful and
courageous leadership, this
miscellaneous group and the
3d Platoon attacked 15 houses,
cleared them, and took 30 prisoners
without suffering a casualty.
The fierce drive of Company
C quickly overran Holzheim,
netting some 80 prisoners, who
were placed under a 4-man guard,
all that could be spared, while
the rest of the understrength
unit went about mopping up isolated
points of resistance. An enemy
patrol, by means of a ruse,
succeeded in capturing the guards
and freeing the prisoners, and
had begun preparations to attack
Company C from the rear when
1st Sgt. Funk walked around
the building and into their
midst. He was ordered to surrender
by a German officer who pushed
a machine pistol into his stomach.
Although overwhelmingly outnumbered
and facing almost certain death,
1st Sgt. Funk, pretending to
comply with the order, began
slowly to unsling his submachine
gun from his shoulder and then,
with lightning motion, brought
the muzzle into line and riddled
the German officer. He turned
upon the other Germans, firing
and shouting to the other Americans
to seize the enemy's weapons.
In the ensuing fight 21 Germans
were killed, many wounded, and
the remainder captured. 1st
Sgt. Funk's bold action and
heroic disregard for his own
safety were directly responsible
for the recapture of a vastly
superior enemy force, which,
if allowed to remain free, could
have taken the widespread units
of Company C by surprise and
endangered the entire attack
plan.
|
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Campaigns
of World War II
| Sicily |
9
Jul - 17 Aug 43
|
Naples-Foggia
|
9
Sep 43 - 21 Jan 44 |
Normandy
|
6
Jun - 24 Jul 44 |
| Rhineland |
15
Sep 44 - 21 Mar 45 |
| Ardennes-Alsace |
16
Dec 44 - 25 Jan 45 |
| Central
Europe |
22
Mar - 11 May 45 |
Sicily
Campaign
9 Jul - 17 Aug 43
On the night of
9–10 July 1943, an Allied
armada of 2,590 vessels launched
one of the largest combined operations
of World War II—the invasion
of Sicily. Over the next thirty-eight
days, half a million Allied soldiers,
sailors, and airmen grappled with
their German and Italian counterparts
for control of this rocky outwork
of Hitler’s “Fortress
Europe.” When the struggle
was over, Sicily became the first
piece of the Axis homeland to
fall to Allied forces during World
War II. More important, it served
as both a base for the invasion
of Italy and as a training ground
for many of the officers and enlisted
men who eleven months later landed
on the beaches of Normandy.
Naples-Foggia
Campaign
9 Sep 43 - 21 Jan 44
After Allied bombardment
of communications and airfields
in Italy, Montgomery crossed the
Strait of Messina on 3 September
1943 and started northward. Five
days later Eisenhower announced
that the Italian Government had
surrendered. Fifth Army, under
Clark, landed at Salerno on g
September and managed to stay
despite furious counterattacks.
By 18 September the Germans were
withdrawing northward. On 27 September
Eighth Army occupied the important
airfields of Foggia, and on I
October Fifth Army took Naples.
As the Allies pushed up the peninsula,
the enemy slowed the advance and
brought it to a halt at the Gustav
Line.
Normandy
6 Jun - 24 Jul 44
A great invasion
force stood off the Normandy coast
of France as dawn broke on 6 June
1944: 9 battleships, 23 cruisers,
104 destroyers, and 71 large landing
craft of various descriptions
as well as troop transports, mine
sweepers, and merchantmen—in
all, nearly 5,000 ships of every
type, the largest armada ever
assembled. The naval bombardment
that began at 0550 that morning
detonated large minefields along
the shoreline and destroyed a
number of the enemy’s defensive
positions. To one correspondent,
reporting from the deck of the
cruiser HMS Hillary, it sounded
like “the rhythmic beating
of a gigantic drum” all
along the coast. In the hours
following the bombardment, more
than 100,000 fighting men swept
ashore to begin one of the epic
assaults of history, a “mighty
endeavor,” as President
Franklin D. Roosevelt described
it to the American people, “to
preserve. . . our civilization
and to set free a suffering humanity.”
Rhineland
15 Sep 44 - 21 Mar 45
The Rhineland
Campaign, although costly for
the Allies, had clearly been ruinous
for the Germans. The Germans suffered
some 300,000 casualties and lost
vast amounts of irreplaceable
equipment. Hitler, having demanded
the defense of all of the German
homeland, enabled the Allies to
destroy the Wehrmacht in the West
between the Siegfried Line and
the Rhine River. Now, the Third
Reich lay virtually prostrate
before Eisenhower’s massed
armies.
Ardennes-Alsace
16 Dec 44 - 25 Jan 45
In August 1944,
while his armies were being destroyed
in Normandy, Hitler secretly put
in motion actions to build a large
reserve force, forbidding its
use to bolster Germany’s
beleaguered defenses. To provide
the needed manpower, he trimmed
existing military forces and conscripted
youths, the unfit, and old men
previously untouched for military
service during World War II.
In September Hitler
named the port of Antwerp, Belgium,
as the objective. Selecting the
Eifel region as a staging area,
Hitler intended to mass twenty-five
divisions for an attack through
the thinly held Ardennes Forest
area of southern Belgium and Luxembourg.
Once the Meuse River was reached
and crossed, these forces would
swing northwest some 60 miles
to envelop the port of Antwerp.
The maneuver was designed to sever
the already stretched Allied supply
lines in the north and to encircle
and destroy a third of the Allies’
ground forces. If successful,
Hitler believed that the offensive
could smash the Allied coalition,
or at least greatly cripple its
ground combat capabilities, leaving
him free to focus on the Russians
at his back door.
Central
Europe
22 Mar - 11 May 45
By the beginning
of the Central Europe Campaign
of World War II, Allied victory
in Europe was inevitable. Having
gambled his future ability to
defend Germany on the Ardennes
offensive and lost, Hitler had
no real strength left to stop
the powerful Allied armies. Yet
Hitler forced the Allies to fight,
often bitterly, for final victory.
Even when the hopelessness of
the German situation became obvious
to his most loyal subordinates,
Hitler refused to admit defeat.
Only when Soviet artillery was
falling around his Berlin headquarters
bunker did the German Fuehrer
begin to perceive the final outcome
of his megalomaniacal crusade.
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