Patton's ghost corps : cracking the Siegfried Line / Nathan N. Prefer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Prefer, Nathan.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Western Front.

World War, 1939-1945.

Siegfried Line (Germany).

Patton, George S. (George Smith), 1885-1945.

Patton, George S.

Physical Description:

xiii, 243 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Novato, CA : Presidio, [1998]

Summary:

In December, Hitler launched an ambitious offensive through the Ardennes aimed at splitting the Allied armies and reaching the port of Antwerp. To counter this massive attack, all available troop units were rushed to the area, with Third Army counterattacking the "Bulge" from the south. Except for Maj. Gen. Walton Walker's XX Corps, "The Ghost Corps", Patton advanced north against the Germans, taking all the tanks with him. XX Corps was left behind to defend the entire Third Army frontline. Walker's primary combat force was the 94th Infantry Division, a "draftee" unit, new to the area. Facing them in the fighting in December and January were combat-seasoned and well-equipped German troops. When the Ghost Corps finally went on the offensive, it was the 94th Division that was called on to attack across the Saar River, dislodge the enemy from their excellent defensive positions, and open the Siegfried Line to other Third Army forces. The draftees of the 94th proved their mettle in a series of bloody and hazardous small-unit actions. Author Nathan N. Prefer, through indefatigable research in primary sources, takes the reader down to squad level and many times to individuals who distinguished themselves with heroic acts. In a situation in which the deck had been stacked against them, Prefer shows that the American draftees outfought their German foes even when outnumbered and outgunned.

Contents:

1. Starting a Catastrophe 6

2. The Ghost Corps 13

3. The American Soldiers 17

4. The Triangle 24

5. First Breach 36

6. More Nibbling 43

7. Ghost Versus Ghost 50

8. Tornado Arrives 57

9. Counterattack 69

10. Forty-Eight Hours 79

11. Holding the Line 90

12. Reconnaissance in Force 96

13. Field Order Number 10 103

14. Deadly Woods 113

15. Shoot the Works 121

16. Breakthrough! 132

17. Take Trier! 140

18. Across the Saar 149

19. "You Can't be Here!" 155

20. The Tiger Strikes 166

21. Trier Taken! 177

22. Lampaden to the Rhine 188.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 229-233) and index.

ISBN:

0891416463

OCLC:

37640575