Rhine Crossings 1945 Rhine Crossing Op Varsity Op Plunder Montgomery 21St Army G

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RHINE CROSSINGS 1945 RHINE CROSSING OP VARSITY OP PLUNDER MONTGOMERY 21ST ARMY G. This was part of a coordinated set of Rhine crossings. OPERATION PLUNDER. Joseph Goebbels was well aware of Plunder’s potential impact from the beginning. On 24 March, he began his diary entry with, "The situation in the West has entered an extraordinarily critical, ostensibly almost deadly, phase.". Payment | Shipping RHINE CROSSINGS 1945 RHINE CROSSING OP VARSITY OP PLUNDER MONTGOMERY 21ST ARMY G RHINE CROSSINGS 1945 RHINE CROSSING OP VARSITY OP PLUNDER MONTGOMERY 21ST ARMY GROUP OSPREY CAMPAIGN SERIES No.219 SOFTBOUND BOOK TO SEIZE A BRIDGEHEAD - OPERATION MARKET GARDEN (BRIDGE TOO FAR) HITLER STRIKES BACK - ARDENNES OFFENSIVE / BASTOGNE REICHSWALD TO THE RHINE LUDENDORF REMAGEN BRIDGE “TELL THE WORLD WERE ACROSS” OPERATION PLUNDER OPERATION VARSITY - FIRST ALLIED AIRBORNE ARMY FOR THE HONOUR OF FRANCE ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Additional Information from Internet Encyclopedia Beginning on the night of 23 March 1945, Operation Plunder was the crossing of the River Rhine at Rees, Wesel and south of the Lippe River by the British 2nd Army, under Lieutenant-General Miles Dempsey (Operations Turnscrew, Widgeon, and Torchlight), and the U.S. Ninth Army (Operation Flashpoint), under Lieutenant General William Simpson. XVIII U.S. Airborne Corps, consisting of the British 6th Airborne Division and the U.S. 17th Airborne Division, conducted Operation Varsity, parachute landings on the east bank in support of the operation. All of these formations were part of the 21st Army Group under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. This was part of a coordinated set of Rhine crossings. Preparations (accumulation of supplies, road construction and the transport of 36 Royal Navy landing craft) were hidden by a massive smoke screen from 16 March. The operation commenced on the night of 23 March 1945. It included the Varsity parachute and glider landings near Wesel, and Operation Archway, by the Special Air Service. The landing areas were flooded, deserted farmland rising to woodland. 4,000 guns fired for four hours during the opening bombardment. British bombers contributed with attacks on Wesel during the day and night of 23 March. Three Allied formations made the initial assault: the British XXX and XII British Corps and the U.S. XVI Corps. One unit, the British 79th Armoured Division under Major-General Percy Hobart had been at the front of the Normandy landings and provided invaluable help in subsequent operations with specially adapted armoured vehicles (referred to as Hobart's Funnies). One "funny" was the "Buffalo", an armed and armored amphibious tracked personnel or cargo transporter able to cross soft and flooded ground. These were the transports for the spearhead infantry. The first part of Plunder was initiated by the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division, led by the 7th Black Watch at 21:00 on 23 March, near Rees, followed by the 7th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. At 02:00 on 24 March, the 15th (Scottish) Division landed between Wesel and Rees. At first, there was no opposition, but later they ran into determined resistance from machine-gun nests. The British 1st Commando Brigade entered Wesel. The U.S. 30th Division landed south of Wesel. The local resistance had been broken by artillery and air bombardment. Subsequently, the 79th Division also landed. U.S. casualties were minimal. German resistance to the Scottish landings continued with some effect, and there were armoured counter-attacks. Landings continued, however, including tanks and other heavy equipment. The U.S. forces had a bridge across by the evening of 24 March. Operation Varsity started at 10:00 on 24 March, to disrupt enemy communications. Despite heavy resistance to the airdrops and afterward, the airborne troops made progress and repelled counterattacks. The hard lessons of Operation Market Garden were applied. In the afternoon, 15th Scottish Division linked up with both airborne divisions. Fierce German resistance continued around Bienen, north of Rees, where the entire 9th Canadian Brigade was needed to relieve the Black Watch. The bridgehead was firmly established, however, and Allied advantages in numbers and equipment were applied. By 27 March, the bridgehead was 35 mi (56 km) wide and 20 mi (32 km) deep. The Allied operation was opposed by the German 1st Parachute Army, commanded by General Alfred Schlemm, a part of Army Group H. Although this formation was considered to be the most effective German force in the area, it was severely depleted from its previous action in the Reichswald (Battle of the Reichswald). Unable to withstand Allied pressure, the 1st Parachute Army withdrew northeast toward Hamburg and Bremen, leaving a gap between it and the German 15th Army in the Ruhr. Joseph Goebbels was well aware of Plunder’s potential impact from the beginning. On 24 March, he began his diary entry with, "The situation in the West has entered an extraordinarily critical, ostensibly almost deadly, phase." He went on to note the crossing of the Rhine on a broad front, and foresaw Allied attempts to encircle the Ruhr industrial heartland. On 27 March, command of the 1st Parachute Army was passed to General G¨¹nther Blumentritt, because Schlemm had been wounded. Blumentritt and his superior, Generaloberst (Colonel General) Johannes Blaskowitz, both recognised that the situation was lost. The army's front was incomplete, there were no reserves, weak artillery, no air support and few tanks. Communications were weak, indeed, one corps was never contacted. The reinforcements were so poor that the generals decided against using them, to avoid needless casualties. Although Blumentritt had strict orders from Supreme Command to hold and fight, from 1 April, he managed a withdrawal with minimal casualties, eventually withdrawing beyond the Dortmund-Ems Canal to the Teutoburg Forest. Within a week of the start of Plunder, the Allies had taken 30,000 prisoners of war north of the Ruhr. 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