Their mission was to support the Armys assault across the river for the operation codenamed Plunder. Commander, Naval Forces in Europe (COMNAVEU) also supplied 4,000 Navy pontoon units and a construction battalion (Seabees) to assemble them. On 30 June, Foch and Pershing conferred in regard to American troops to be left on the Rhine. Now, at least, he will know what he is fighting against.. George S. Patton as a lieutenant general. Seeking to drive to the coast of the English Channel and split the Allied armies as they had done in May 1940, the Germans struck in the Ardennes Forest, a 75-mile stretch of the front characterized by dense woods and few roads, held by four inexperienced and battle-worn American divisions stationed there for rest and seasoning. The Third Army executed three more crossings at Boppard, Oberwesel, and Mainz. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. Morison, Samuel E. History of United States Naval Operations, Volume XI: The Invasion of France and Germany, 19441945. At the critical road junctions of St. Vith and Bastogne, American tankers and paratroopers fought off repeated attacks, and when the acting commander of the 101st Airborne Division in Bastogne was summoned by his German adversary to surrender, he simply responded, "Nuts!". By the night of 14 December, Third Army troops had occupied their positions on the perimeter of the Coblenz bridgehead. The plan was vigorously opposed by the two ranking generals who would oversee the assault, who saw only a waste of men and material with little chance of success. On 23 June, the Germans signified their intention to sign the peace treaty and contemplated operations were suspended. On the western front Patton was one of the first American leaders to understand the importance of armored warfare, a military strategy that would follow him through his military career. How did the inmates of Buchenwald, now free, start to act again as free individuals? Since the invasion of Normandy on 6 June, the Allies had been bogged down on this narrow strip of land on the French coast. The 6th Armored was deactivated September 18, 1945 at Camp Shanks, New York. Murrow estimated there were 500 corpses piled there. Only one major obstacle stood in the path of their advance: the Rhine River. [6] The Army moved all its bases and equipment to Qatar in 2003.[7]. Police in Paris enforced an all-night curfew. Although none of Montgomerys crossings were contested, German resistance on the far left of the Allied front did briefly hold up the advance. 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. Gus Widhelm of Scouting Eight. Resources, differing geography, religious influences, and historical conflict have shaped this region for centuries and continue to do so today. Oral History: Lieutenant Commander William Leide. In the sequel to this article, I consider these questions. Deployed to the Western Front in the summer of 1944, Third Army executed an impressive offensive drive across France, and during the Battle of the Bulge that winter elements of Third Army disengaged from an existing fight, pivoted northward, and relieved the besieged garrison at the . The German salient was reduced by the end of January 1945, and the remainder of the process of closing up to the Rhine could be completed. Following the end of the First World War Patton continued to press for innovation in armored warfare, and when the United States entered the Second World War in 1941, Patton was given the opportunity to exploit his expertise once again on the battlefield. On 22 May, the Third Army issued its plan of advance, effective 30 May, in view of the impending emergency. After a day of hard fighting, the Germans broke through the American front, surrounding most of an infantry division, seizing key crossroads, and advancing their spearheads toward the Meuse River, creating the projection that gave the battle its name. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., 1986. Analytical Services; Analytical Method Development and Validation See Samuel E. Morison, History of United States Naval Operations, Volume XI: The Invasion of France and Germany, 19441945. On one raid, Patton and troops of the 6th Infantry regiment ambushed a Villista outpost and killed Julio Carednas and two of his guards. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1960. MacDonald, Charles B. See for Allied and German Orders of Battle: December 1944 & January 1945: (Tucker-Jones pp 263-287), Oberbefehlshaber WestGeneralfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt[a], Heeresgruppe B The first ten LCVPs took to the water on the morning of 11 March at Bad Neuenahr, followed by the remainder over the next three days. After the inspection, Eisenhower, it must always be remembered, declared, We are told that the American soldier does not know what he is fighting for. On 9 August of that year, in a reorganisation of field forces in the United States, four field armies, Third Army amongst them, were activated, to control the formations of the U.S. Army stationed on home soil. Installations were set up throughout the Army area to facilitate command. On 16 June, Marshal Foch notified General Pershing that allied armies must be ready after 20 June to resume offensive operations and that preliminary movements were to begin 17 June. Units involved in the initial assault 16 Dec, SS-Gruppenfhrer Hermann Prie Vicious fighting took place, but by April there was but one great natural the Rhine River. The supreme Allied commander, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower rushed reinforcements to hold the shoulders of the German penetration. The northern (left) boundary remained unchanged. Plans for the ambitious river crossing had begun almost six months previously. The unit ran on a non-stop schedule for the next 72 hours. King Abdul Aziz Air Base, Dhahran, King Fahd Air Base, Taif, King Khalid Air Base, Khamis Mushayt, Eskan Village Air Base, and Riyadh Air Base. Home; Service. In the next two days the German attacks became more and more fierce. In February, military schools were opened through the Third Army area; a quartermaster depot was organized; 2,000 officers and enlisted men left to take courses in British and French universities; better leave facilities were created; and plans for sending American divisions to the United States were made. The deployment of the LCVPs and LCMs facilitated the massing of Allied forces on the Rhines eastern bank and enabled the rapid exploitation of the established bridgeheads. Yet what he witnessed on the grounds of that place of horror, between April 28 and May 11, 1945, seared his memory and challenged his comprehension. The speeches were intended to motivate the inexperienced Third Army for its pending combat duty. By the end of August, Patton's divisions were closing in on the German frontier. On 27 May, Marshal Foch informed General John J. Pershing, Commander-in-Chief, AEF, that the Supreme War Council desired allied armies be made ready immediately to resume active operations against the Germans. Within this strategically important region lay the historical crossroads of three continents, the majority of the world's oil and natural gas reserves, and the primary maritime link between Europe and Asia. Naval Academy, The Sullivan Brothers and the Assignment of Family Members, Historic Former U.S. Navy Bases and Stations, The African American Experience in the U.S. Navy, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. Navy, Contributions of Native Americans to the U.S. Navy, The World Cruise of the Great White Fleet, Navy Underwater Archaeology Return Program, Annual Navy History and Heritage Awards - Main, Research Permits for Sunken & Terrestrial Military Craft, Scanning, Copyright & Citation Information, Obtain Duplications of Records and Photos, Impact on American Public and Broader War, Extraordinary Heroism and Conspicuous Courage, Operation Torch: Invasion of North Africa, African Americans in General Service, 1942, "USS Robin": When the CNO Needed a Royal Navy Carrier, Landings at Salerno, Italy: Operation Avalanche, Naval Air Strikes Against German Shipping: Operation Leader, Operation Shingle: Landing at Anzio, Italy, Gamble at Los Negros: The Admiralty Islands Campaign, Evacuation by Submarine: USS Angler in the Philippines, Securing New Guinea: Operations Reckless and Persecution, Exercise Tiger: Disaster at Slapton Sands, Defeating the Sharks: The Capture of U-505, Pearl Harbor Ablaze Again: The West Loch Disaster, Operation Neptune: The U.S. Navy on D-Day, U.S. Navy Vessels in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, Port Chicago Disaster: Leadership Lessons Learned, Operation Forager Continued: Landings on Guam and Tinian, Operation Dragoon: The Invasion of Southern France, Operation Stalemate II: The Battle of Peleliu, "Calmness, Courage, and Efficiency": Remembering the Battle of Leyte Gulf, The Battle off Samar: The Sacrifice of "Taffy 3", "Taffy 3" Presidential Unit Citation and Other Awards, United States Navy War Instructions, 1944, The Japanese Hell Ships of World War II, Battle of Iwo Jima Medal of Honor Recipients, Navy Nurses Behind Enemy Lines in the Philippines, Battle of Okinawa: Historic Overview & Importance, A Kamikaze Attack on New Mexico, Fifth Fleet Flag: A Photo Essay, A Ceremony for the Fallen: Aftermath of a Kamikaze Attack, Admiral Spruance Recounts Kamikaze Attack on His Flagship, New Mexico (BB-40), On the Verge of Breaking Down Completely: Combat Fatigue off Okinawa and the Destruction of USS Longshaw, Investigating Okinawa: The Story Behind A Kamikaze Pilots Scarf, The Most Difficult Antiaircraft Problem Yet Faced By the Fleet, Victory in Europe: Germany's Surrender and Aftermath, Homeward Bound World War II Ends in the Pacific, ENS Allen W. Bain and Minneapolis (CA-36), LCDR Joseph W. Callahan and Ralph Talbot (DD-390), LT Albert P. Scoofer Coffin of Torpedo Ten, MAtt1/c Leonard R. Harmon and CDR Mark H. Crouter of San Francisco (CA-38), CDR Frank A. EricksonFirst Helicoptar SAR, LCDR Bernard F. McMahon and Drum (SS-228), LTJG Melvin C. Roach, Guadalcanal Fighter Pilot, CDR Joseph J. Rochefort and "Station Hypo", Chief Machinist William A. Smith and Enterprise (CV-6), LCDR William J. The smell of death emanating from the camp alone refuted such assertions. It had not cut the Caen-Bayeux highway or linked up with the Americans from Omaha Beach, but it had made an impressive start. Liberation had come at a high cost: more than 200,000 dead, wounded, and missing from the Allied armies, more than 300,000 from the German. Third Army was shipped from the U.S. to the United Kingdom. Still, the Normandy campaign had been a stunning success. In order to mislead any Allied intelligence personnel who might discover the plan, it was given the defensive sounding name Wacht am Rhein, meaning "watch on the Rhine". Having overcome the Rhine with the Navys assistance, the Army expressed its sincere gratitude. [Washington, DC: U.S. Army Center of Military History, 1992], 4-5). In April, the exodus of American divisions from Third Army to the United States began. Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. The Germans did not notice the adjusted position for several hours and their hurried artillery attacks did not hit a single boat. The tanks and tank destroyers attached to the 28th Division were no match for the German Mark IV and V . Washington, DC: U.S. Army Center of Military History, 1993. Patton Township is a township in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States.It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.The population was 15,801 at the 2020 census, which is a 3.2% increase from the 2010 census.. Patton Township is served by the Patton Township Police Department and Alpha Fire Company.Alpha Fire Company maintains one of its two substations in . The boat landed on the eastern bank unopposed, and the crossing recommenced at the new position with six LCVPs provided from Oppenheim. Until the buildup of American forces prior to its entry into World War II, Third Army remained largely a paper formation. The greatest shock he experienced was the confrontation with two rows of bodies stacked like cordwood, a phrase that would become, for better or worse, an expression almost ritually verbalized when discussing the Nazi camps. To the GIs, it seemed like they would be in Berlin by October. United States Army in World War IIEuropean Theater of Operations: The Last Offensive. Operation Cobra, scheduled for July 25, opened with a devastating air attack (some of which fell on the waiting GIs). The Germans launched their last great offensive of the war the Battle of the Bulge. But this was not 1940. An admiring British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill stated, "This is undoubtedly the greatest American battle of the war and will, I believe, be regarded as an ever-famous American victory." American flag over Festung Ehrenbreitstein after the occupation of Koblenz by the 3rd Army, 1945. Patton's armoured units were not operational until August 1, almost two months after D-Day, but by the end of the month, they had . 3rd Signals Battalion 246th Volksgrenadier Division Oberst Peter Krte 352nd, 404th, and 689th VG Regiments 246th Artillery Regiment 246th Antitank Battalion 246th Engineer Battalion 246th Signals Battalion 272nd Volksgrenadier Division Generalmajor Eugen Knig 980th, 981st, and 982nd Volksgrenadier Regiments 272nd Artillery Regiment 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. They left behind some 21,000 human beings. The SS soon incarcerated Romaand Jehovahs Witnesses there. On Dec. 16, with the onset of winter, the German army launched a counteroffensive that was intended to cut through the Allied forces in a manner that would turn the tide of the war in Hitler's favor. Required fields are marked *. The courage and fortitude of the American Soldier was tested against great adversity. A letter of instruction was circulated to lower commanders prescribing a plan of action in case hostilities were resumed. Functionaries were ordered to continue their tasks and discipline demanded of everyone. (Right) Three members, of an American patrol, Sgt. The U.S., British, and Canadian forces had occupied Belgium and part of the Netherlands and had reached the German frontier. During that time the Third Army suffered . In one of the great moves of the war, Patton turned Third Armys axis of advance through ninety degrees and set it upon the south of the German forces. Compounding the hunger, outbreaks of disease, especially typhus and dysentery, had been devastating. DANFS - Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Permitting Policy and Resource Management, The 9/11 Terrorist Attacks: 20 Years Later, "Ex Scientia Tridens": The U.S. Eisenhower decided that several simultaneous crossings would have the greatest chance of success of sustaining the drive into the Ruhr in order to encircle a large part of the German Army in advance of the final drive toward Berlin. White bedsheets camouflage them in the snow. Oral History: Vice Admiral Alan G. Kirk. Elements of the 4th AD would enter the city of Bastogne, where the 101st Airborne and elements of the 10th Armored Divisions were once surrounded and under . Patton's Speech to the Third Army was a series of speeches given by General George S. Patton to troops of the United States Third Army in 1944, prior to the Allied invasion of France. The U.S. Third Army gained fame during World War II while under the command of Lt. Gen. George S. Patton, Jr. Commanded by Major General Robert W. Grow, the "Super Sixth," as it was nicknamed, had been in the field since mid-July 1944. In keeping with US national security strategy, Third Army supports U.S. Central Command through a theater security cooperation strategy that encompasses the four fundamentals of the National Military Strategy. Lieutenant Commander Willard T. Patricks Boat Unit 3 (TU 122.5.3) assisted the crossings just north of the town, starting at 0100. (Left) American engineers emerge from the woods and move out of defensive positions after fighting in the vicinity of Bastogne, Belgium. On 14 May, Marshal Ferdinand Foch, General-in-Chief of the Allied Armies, submitted plans of operations to the Third Army commander to be used in the event that Germany should refuse to sign the peace treaty. On December 26, General George S. Patton employs an audacious strategy to relieve the besieged Allied defenders of Bastogne, Belgium, during the brutal Battle of the Bulge. This strategy provides the President with a wide range of options to deter aggression and coercion from a forward presence posture, and to decisively defeat any adversary if deterrence fails across the full spectrum of conflict.[8]. Generaloberst Alfred Jodl signed the articles of unconditional surrender at SHAEF headquarters at Reims, France, on 7 May 1945.2. Fox, of Wilmington, Del., and Cpl. In May liberated the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camps. The news that many had expected came in December 1943. Six more boats from Unit 2 supported the 89th Division at Oberwesel on 26 March. This OOB specifically, at a point near the end of the battle, which lasted from 16 December 1944 until 25 January 1945. On August 25, 1944, the 4 th Infantry Division, a lead element of Patton's Third Army, arrived at the outskirts of Paris. 1. The Nazis chose the serene setting for one of the most infamous meetings in world history, where they discussed their plans for the Final Solution.. Once there, the 45th acted with urgency and dedication. The original plans called for Lt. Gen. George Patton, Jr.'s newly formed Third Army to turn westward to clear the Brittany ports while Lt. Gen. Omar Bradley and British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery pushed the Germans eastward across the Seine. In order to maintain the element of surprise, there was no preparatory artillery fire. General Patton was one of the U.S. Armys and Americas greatest commanding Generals . However, Ultra interceptions of German cipher traffic alerted the Americans to the danger, and, when Lttich opened on August 7, heavy antitank defenses were in place. 3rd army spent 281 days of incessant victorious combat, penetrations have advanced further in less time than any other army in history. With the camp secured, American personnel had the opportunity to observe and understand the manifold terrors the Nazis implemented. The 133d Engineer Combat Battalion was part of this massive drive north. Worth 5 minutes of your time. The river assault began at 1800, when 5,500 artillery pieces bombarded the eastern bank of the Rhine. The recently arrived Free French 2nd Armoured Division was ordered to liberate the city. When back in the United States, its duties were much the same as those of the 1930s, acting as a command and training force for units in the United States. On 19 June, General Pershing notified Marshal Foch that beginning 23 June the Third Army would occupy the towns of Limburg, Westerburg, Hachenburg, and Altenkirchen and that III Corps would seize the railroad connecting these towns. On 1 July, General Pershing notified the War Department that upon Germany's compliance with military conditions imposed upon her (probably within three months after German ratification of the treaty), the American forces in Europe would be reduced to a single regiment of infantry supplemented by necessary auxiliaries. On 1 June, the advance GHQ, AEF, at Trier was discontinued. Both the city and its surrounding defenses blocked his path to the Saar and could not be bypassed. Third Army did not take part in the initial stages of Operation Overlord. Bradleys decision to call on the bluejackets proved prudent when the Allied forces reached the Rhine in early March 1945 and found just about every span across the river already destroyed. In the adjacent woods, inmates now armed captured more than 70 SS men. Units of the Canadian First Army, British Second Army, and the U.S. Ninth Army were to receive support from the First Allied Airborne Armys parachute drop on 24 March (Operation Varsity). Dave Weakleydwweakley@yahoo.comInd., Ky., Tenn., Ill., Wis.Deutschland Regiment 2nd SS 3rd Regiment Panzergrenadierhttp://www.deutschlandregiment.combarry.kemballcook@ubs.comTexas Based1st Battalion of the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division.http://ablecompany502pir.org/index.htmlinfo@ablecompany502pir.orgTexas6th Cavalry Historical Associationhttp://www.6thcav.netTexas167th Volksgrenadier Divisionhttp://167thvolksgrenadierdivision.com/wordpress/Unit Commander : Thomas Pachalostpachalos@austin.rr.comTexasE Company 2 Battalion 505th PIR {Parachute Infantry Regiment}Unit CO Dave Weakleydwweakley@yahoo.comCo 1st SGT Brian Hartballs2n@yahoo.comUnit email iseco505thpir82ndab@yahoo.comInd., Ky., Tenn., Ill., Wis.Co.F, 36th Armored Infantry Regiment, 3rd Armored Division.Contact Alan jones atj53@att.netInd., Ky., Tenn., Ill., WisTroop B 6th Cavalry GroupTate Mowrey tate.mowrey@gmail.comTexas, General Patton and his Dodge Command Cars, Pattons Mobile Headquarters 3rd Army HQ in Europe, Pattons beloved English Bull Terrier Willie, Booking General Pattons History Comes Alive, General Pattons Lucky Forward Movie Props, Patton Hidden In Plain Sight : The Images Uncovered (Book), http://167thvolksgrenadierdivision.com/wordpress/. French civilian losses numbered more than 12,000. It stretches from the Central Asian States to the Horn of Africa. Kirk was Commander, United States Naval Forces, France, in 1944 and 1945, and tells of the Navys part in the Rhine River crossing and of the capture of the Atlantic ports occupied by the German military. 1st Ind Div2nd Inf Div4th Inf Div5th Inf Div8th Inf Div26th Inf Div28th Inf Div29th Inf Div35th Inf Div42th Inf Div65th Inf Div69th Inf Div70th Inf Div71st Inf Div76th Inf Div79th Inf Div80th Inf Div83rd Inf Div86th Inf Div87th Inf Div89th Inf Div90th Inf Div94th Inf Div97th Inf Div99th Inf Div, 4th Armd Div5th Armd Div6th Armd Div7th Armd Div8th Armd Div9th Armd Div10th Armd Div11th Armd Div12th Armd Div13th Armd Div14th Armd Div16th Armd Div20th Armd Div, III CorpsV CorpsVIII CorpsXII CorpsXV CorpsXX Corps. New York: Articles with unsourced statements from September 2014, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, United States Army Service Component Commands, Military units and formations established in 1918, http://www.arcent.army.mil/hidden/usarcent-history/third-army-command-biographies/cg/ltg-vincent-k-brooks-(2011---present).aspx, http://www.globemaster.de/cgi-bin/bases/db.cgi?db=default&uid=default&view_records=1&so=ascend&keyword=Saudi+Arabia&submit=Search, "U.S. to move operations from Saudi base", http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/04/29/sprj.irq.saudi.us/, "Third Army Commanding General's Welcome Letter", http://www.arcent.army.mil/welcome/index.asp, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, [Source: "Crossing the Rhine," History of the American Third Army, 14 November 1918 to 2 July 1919, Third Army, A.E.F., 2 July 1919. As with any large army organization in extended combat, forces and their assignments shifted over the course of the battle. American engineers emerge from the woods and move out of defensive positions after fighting in the vicinity of Bastogne, Belgium. Two days of hard fighting, however, saw the Allies successfully break through and begin to drive across northern Germany. Two days later, on 17 December 1918, the Coblenz bridgehead, consisting of a pontoon bridge and three railroad bridges across the Rhine, had been established. Corps and Divisions of. You couldnt grasp it all, said Andrew Kiniry when asked about his time in the recently liberated Buchenwald concentration camp in the spring of 1945. A Combat Engineer with Patton's Army is the untold story of Frank Lembo, one of Patton . On April 11, 17 days before Kiniry set foot there, the 6th Armored Division of Patton's Third Army reached Buchenwald. 1 The four boat units were Task Unit (TU) 122.5.1, TU 122.5.2, TU 122.5.3, and TU 122.5.4. However, the bridgehead was won, and Third Army embarked on another great eastward dash. Their own logistical problems surfaced, and they ground to a halt. Kiniry recalled all the bodies, human beings totally bereft of life, piled in trenches or on carts. As with the 9 th and 10 th armored divisions, the 7 th and 8 th were right where they needed to be to help halt the great German counteroffensive of December 1944. Nevertheless, the quality of his response ultimately meant the victory of freedom over tyranny. A week earlier, on April 4, troops from the 89th Infantry Division, 4th Armored Division, and the 602nd Tank Destroyer Battalion overran Ohrdruf, a recently established subcamp of Buchenwald. The colossal tasks of documenting and communicating what had occurred in Buchenwald had only just begun for American investigators. "Armageddon: The Battle for Germany, 1944-1945". rdAssigned to Patton's 3 Army, the 761st saw heavy combat as they moved across France and Germany. Troops, upon crossing the Rhine and reaching their assigned areas, were billeted preparatory to occupying selected positions for defense. The attack on Pearl Harbor was decades in the making, but still came as a shock. 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. To this day, Patton is remembered as an exceptional General. In the early hours of 28 March, the 80th Infantry Division set out in Army assault boats and ran headlong into heavy German artillery fire. During January 1919, the Third Army was engaged in training and preparing the troops under its command for any contingency. 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. The attack of the 26th of December would become the last offensive aimed at Bastogne by Kokott. On 20 April 1919, Third Army command changed from Maj. Gen. Dickman to Lt. Gen. Hunter Liggett. With three divisions, the 1st, 2d, and 32d, the III Corps occupied the American sector of the Coblenz bridgehead, the movement of the troops into position beginning at the scheduled hour, 13 December. Under Patton's brilliant leadership, elements of the Third Army raced 150 miles in 19 hours to attack the southern flank of the German forces during the Battle of the Bulge. He assigned Montgomerys 21st Army Group as the main effort and set the date to cross the Rhine for 23 March at Wesel. He made up for lost time. The projected Allied advance across the Rhine, coordinated by General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Commander, Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF), was to consist of two major operations in March 1945. Nearly 50 members. ", - Megan Moloney, Department of Veterans Affairs, The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge by Hugh M. Cole, Bastogne: The First Eight Days by Col. S.L.A. Unlike in 1918, the crossing of the Rhine was opposed. Lieutenant General George Patton was one of the U.S. Army's greatest exponents of armored warfare. These units were further bolstered by an additional 45 reserve LCMs (landing craft, mechanized). With three divisions, the 1st, 2d, and 32d, the III Corps occupied the American sector of the Coblenz bridgehead, the movement of the troops into position beginning at the scheduled hour, 13 December.