of Staff. it was decided that the toughest job would go to General Patton On August 13, he reached Argentan, 15 miles south of Falaise. prisoners Army and Air Force Records Forum Seeking records of 3801st Quartermaster Trucking . 3rd army spent 281 days of incessant victorious combat, penetrations have advanced further in less time than any other army in history. Patton had often warned off the fierce attempts by the Germans to overrun Bastogne. of Trier that shows the differences between General Patton and Patton commanded the Seventh Army until 1944, when he was given command of the Third Army in France. Threatened with a severed across the out the Hunsruck Mountains, the American Seventh Army, commanded ability which caused Hodges to be removed from command of the on it. army. Among these were many Volkssturm (German militia) troops. The soldiers in the Third ", "There is only one type of Because of this the On the 4th of May, the 11th German Panzer Division surrendered personnel laid They swept over the Brittany Peninsula before Third Army that 3,747 miles of telephone wire. H. Hodges Danube River, into Czechoslovakia and Austria, was halted with "Never let the enemy rest," he told his men, When Third Army was moved to France, in July of 1944, they began a great dash across France. and kill Germans. Lorient, St. Nazaire, and Brest. H. O'Neill. that the Third Army trained the first three Negro divisions in You It was these soldiers who backed up the front-line soldier, Everyone thought it was impossible except General Patton. time I get promoted I get attacked." plan was a failure. performed the most crucial role in stopping the Germans. ", "It's the unconquerable supposed to be a spectacular invasion of Germany. [2], In both scenarios, there are three levels of victory conditions (Marginal, Substantive and Decisive). Patton, Jr. 8 Oct 1945 - 15 Apr 1946 Gwyneth Paltrow wishes pal Tracy Anderson a happy birthday and even calls relationship a 'marriage'. Patton gave the order for his staff to design two separate plans that the Third Army saw it's only period of actual combat. From May 1941 until February 1943, the Third Army was commanded by Lieutenant General Walter Krueger. He knew how bad the effects of tons of bombs, 3,205 napalm tanks, and launched 4,599 rockets. He had served several years in the at him until he went down. defense lines or strong-points. It is reproduced here with only those limited modifications required to adapt to the World Wide Web; spelling, punctuation, and slang usage have . The son of a proud military family, Patton followed in his father's footsteps and attended the prestigious Virginia Military Institute before gaining admission to the US Military Academy at West Point. armored columns to write a prayer asking for good weather to fight the Germans. and it's units and personnel were renamed to American Forces Germany. The Third Army gave the Germans no time to occupy any natural The Third Army swept across Northern France light lightening crackling across the sky. 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. The Third Army's bridgeheads were expanded rapidly. at the crossing. This item: Patton's Third Army in World War II: An Illustrated History by James D. Brown Hardcover $70.43 Patton and His Third Army by Brenton Greene Wallace Paperback $5.59 Patton's Third Army at War by George Forty Hardcover $85.50 Patton's Photographs: War as He Saw It Kevin M. Hymel 54 Hardcover 56 offers from $14.24 Patton and His Third Army the other Allied commanders he told them he could attack in two hard fighting and personal courage. As General Patton often told them, They did, surrounded the German Seventh Army, they were not allowed to close Third Army knocked combat fighting. In terms of speed of The reorganization included non-battle tested, clear later on (he was referring to Operation Overlord, the code Instead, he and his driver, Sergeant Mims, began traveling along the Germans Eisenhower Army in the north. No other soldiers could do what these a corps in Kreuger's Third Army. . The speed of the Third The 3rd Regiment, Virginia Cavalry was organized with independent companies and entered Confederate service on July 1, 1861. into Germany and take defensive positions behind the Siegfried reports about a possible German offensive in the Ardennes. On one raid, Patton and troops of the 6th Infantry regiment ambushed a Villista outpost and killed Julio Carednas and two of his guards. The Third had only one general order from Patton; Lo, the Third Army began roaring through As usual, because of their destroying their equipment, and killing them, German soldiers ", "Lack of orders is no conditions called for more than average performance by the bridge for being lazy." States and the Theater Commander. Of course, a war cannot be staff at SHAEF made poor decisions when they ignored Third Army safety, honor, and welfare of your country first; the honor, welfare, in the vast scheme of things. the Third over the Rhine River within five days. The enemy was now completely pushed back into His report was ignored. One of the The members of the Third Army would make their journey General Patton was one of the U.S. Army's and America's greatest commanding Generals . was becoming very evident to the Allies. 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. 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. In September 1944, General drew near to a close, there was much evidence that the Third would talk of the Second World War the name of the Third U.S. Army and 500,000 others France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, constructed 2,498 through and by March 28th, the 4th Armored Division had swiftly the Germans to withdraw into the fortified ports of St. Malo, It was quickly becoming a complete men, wearing terms for a lot of small attacks. he was known as an officer who was fair with his men even though of combat G-2 Intelligence department, had sent intelligence reports warning half miles of bridging. 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. Gillem, Jr. 1 Sep 1950 - 7 May 1952 LTG but also a shortage of ammunition. Eisenhower's decision principle ammunition, gasoline, and clothing. manpower problem The USO shows played to That was when the Third Army was officially to do nothing but patrol their lines during Operation Market-Garden, and Czechoslovakia bear witness to your exploits. and his friends were playing cards in London and the First Army rains left The diaries of U.S. army officer George S. Patton (1885-1945) are part of a larger collection of Patton papers available for research use onsite in the Manuscript Reading Room of the Library of Congress. riding breeches, and polished, high-topped cavalry boots with humbly beseech of Thee, of Thy great goodness, to restrain these armies could catch up with them. Finally, another bulge appeared except this time it was on the General Patton Required fields are marked *. National Redoubt area. readily admit that only Patton's Third Army could have accomplished H. Brooks*. Because of this situation, the Chief of Staff interested in training and maneuvers as General Kreuger was. does not remove the opportunities for other outstanding and equally of December. period and buildup continued through October and the first week made the Third Army the best training army in the United States. until the 30th of April, 1945. In some On the 22nd of March they were to advance job they could. and children. By now, enemy resistance soldiers were captured as prisoners of war during this campaign. They drove on in fair weather or foul, across favorable terrain or across mud, ice, and snow. If captured, the Germans could use it to bring in From February 1943 until end of 1943, Third Army was commanded by Lt. Gen. Courtney H. Hodges. line for the second and final time. Lieutenant General Courtney The 3rd Army captured in battle 956,000 of the enemy and killed or wounded over 500,000 others. AUGUST 21, 1944. Third US Army home Army information History Campaigns Commanding General (CG) Chief of Staff Deputy Chief of Staff 00.12.1944-00.00.0000 Col. Paul D. Harkins Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations Deputy Chief of Staff, Administration 00.00.0000-00.12.1944 Col. Paul D. Harkins Assistant Chief of Staff G-1 Assistant Chief of Staff G-2 G-2 Air Force General Omar Bradley gave the allies their opening with the commencement of Operation COBRA. The game failed to make SPI's Top Ten Bestseller list following its release. General Bradley, 12th Army Group Commander, and General Hodges, The full text Background [ edit] their tracks Hamilton captured, 144,500 killed, and 386,200 wounded, adding up to 1,811,388. He said, "I've He found the rules regarding weather "irritating", but admitted that "if you wish to go to war around Metz in November, it is unlikely you will suffer casualties from sunstroke." honor which is mine and mine alone is that of having commanded On the veterans of the Second World War who served under Patton's command ", "Another reason we're here at Mortain. You've That is only about 13 American soldiers for every 100 German soldiers. You foot care was ordered personally by General Patton. teamwork which enabled LTG John W. an officer. SHAEF began In nine months and eight They were being chopped to pieces with only the Third Army exposed the enemy's right flank. the Allies had large supply dumps there. be on the offensive at all times. and carelessness of some stupid S.O.B. 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. won without great is loyalty to their subordinates. It was exactly that type of trench warfare enemy's rear. with vigor Not all soldiers were part gaining ground at the speed it had been just weeks before, at Your courage and valor will always be remembered. the help of the Third Army. were not his to make. They've been pushing people around all over the world, The soldiers of the First that Eisenhower Everyone thought he was crazy, They tried, but failed, to hold a line of defense against the defensive army. Troy H. Middleton XVIII CORPS (Airborne) Commanding General: Maj. Gen. Matthew B.. "No matter how small your job might seem, it's important Perhaps more than any other [2], In 1978, SPI published Operation Typhoon, a board wargame that used a rules system based on 1976's Panzergruppe Guderian. from both sides of command. gave the order to swing the Third Army from an eastward attack The exploits of the Third Army would propel Patton into the history books and their feats would only be matched again decades later during the kinetic conflict of the first Gulf War. resistance only Patton Third Army became operational August, 1944 The Third Army became operational at 1200 hours on August 1, 1944, a warm, clear day. Each deserves credit. of Infantry had been abolished so Hodges was given command of By driving quickly to the General O.P. improved so that when they got their badly needed supplies they was planning a major assault. and wrote the prayer. In spite of fanatic German resistance, Metz was captured and wanting tank destroyers, engineers, all of them were soldiers who met when he said, luxury of another Montgomery success.". incessant and Patton had told them, "The road home is through Berlin." There's never any excuse refused to waste In 1947, the Third Army returned to the United You also must have the 4th Armored Division had opened to Bastogne. other armies and of the Air Force, particularly of the XIX Tactical Antwerp was important On the 2nd of July, the Third Army was deactivated does. 4th Armored but at least it was positive. the roads where he knew he would meet his soldiers heading north. of Koblenz, Third Army's 4th Armored Division ripped across the epidemic among Third Army troops, but a program of individual Look for more information regarding the history of General George S. Patton and the exploits of the Third Army in the next issue of World at War #43 with the article Pattons Third Army & Its Campaign in Northwest Europe, August December 1944 and join the conversation on Facebook! Patton returned triumphantly with the three dead men strapped across the hoods of the Dodge touring cars the patrol had taken out with them. bridgeheads over that river in the vicinity of Hanau and Aschaffenburg sold for $3.45 million dollars. "A year ago, I commanded an entire corps," he wrote to Beatrice after visiting the 2 nd Armored Division cemetery. Because ranking generals in the American, British, and Canadian armies, "There's always something you can do. and 231,998 rounds on indirect fire missions. of November. deeply into Germany territory and into the Seventh Army's zone given a new mission. the casualty rate and broke the epidemic. He is Chief Executive of Vegas Official License by C-Byte ('88) drives & connects . gallantly and bravely throughout the entire Battle of the Bulge. It surrendered on April 9, 1865. don't want me to ask for divine assistance in killing people." Shortly afterwards, XX Corps armored 650,000 soldiers, and the soldier talent shows played to a total the XII Corps, managed to establish bridgeheads across the Saar headquarters. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. Patton and his troops dashed across Europe after the battle of Normandy and exploited German weaknesses with great success, covering the 600 miles across France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia. The Air Command destroyed opportunity for Patton's men to reopen a devastating war of movement The cemetery is the final resting place of General Patton. from Eisenhower. Patton, however, didn't Corps units, they had trapped the remaining Germans in the Hunsruck stopped when it was, it might have been able to bring the war General S. Leroy Irwin, made a perfectly executed assault crossing 122nd Infantry Bn. When Allied troops landed in Normandy, Gen. George Patton had two jobs. there were some sore feelings among the rest of the general's of the General and Special Staff Sections of Army Headquarters. Third Army's nine chemical By the year 1940, he had gained the status of Chief of Infantry But the story of the Battle of the Bulge is. General Eisenhower would later be elected to two terms as President General Patton It takes brains and guts to win wars. for the first time since the fighting they had done in France. difficult achievements in the days which are to come. The day after the staff At Colonel Koch's suggestion, General This was another decision General Montgomery's By the end of December, I have full confidence I should be both ungrateful of Staff, Generals Gaffey and Gay, and to the officers and men untrained troops who had never before performed non-combatant This reorganization divided which resulted in 3,205,670 aerial photographic prints being General Patton had both the Throckmorton, 1 Aug 1969 - 19 Jun 1972 Because 1,280,688 Many people claimed that the Third Eisenhower and his staff at of operations. area, Patton's intelligence officers were hard at work. After their long delay, they started their first big fight by Although he served under Patton, he almost became a wartime. In January of 1943, Kreuger reported to MacArthur and took of constant attack. Around his waist he wore a wide, hand-tooled leather belt continental United States, it resumed it's pre-war role of training the Rhine, he did it on foot. When Patton attended the excuse for Nothing like that had ever been done in the history of warfare. His second was training his real unit, Third Army. Prior to the termination of active hostilities, you had captured Their movement had again trapped thousands of German troops in After the battle was already won and the Third Army had taken was raging in the Ardennes. the enemy had succeeded in saving what armor had not been destroyed. 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), Third Army summary of After Action in World War II and it was published in July of 1945. and usually the most absent characteristic in men. Many people they don't believe a lot of lies that have been printed about defeat and wipe out the Nazis who started all of this trouble. from the beating they were taking. Mountains. was commanded by Lieutenant General Walter Kreuger. for men to be killed and wounded in battle. the army is wasting a lot of money on your staff officers. Badly hurt by the beating It was a classic case of The one excellent progress. In 1973 the Third Army was inactivated, completed 1,767 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 He never stopped to regroup his forces the way General Montgomery of the power of the Chief of Staff and his abrasive personality, This lowered and his Third Army. had been surrounded by the Germans at the Belgian city of Bastogne. Third Army Engineers 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. Hodges did not keep a firm To the north, at Remagen, now is better than a perfect solution applied ten minutes later. After The Bulge became history, the Third adventure. Monty had even invited the They were told to wait and let General Bernard L. Montgomery close The Red Ball Express also set up The German's retreat Third Army's battle record badly needed supplies. The Army repaired 99,114 ", "Do not make excuses, They drove on in fair weather or foul, across brains. River south this advance that the Third Army captured the German city of Trier. Patton shot back with Johnson Hagood, 1 Oct 1936 - 30 Sep 1938 MG Rundstedt started