BATTLES AT GERMANY’S GATE 201
Dec 9 The French 1st Army and
US 7th Army squeeze the German
19th Army in the so-called
“Colmar Pocket.”
Nov 22 The
French 1st Army
enters Mulhouse.Nov 18
The US 3rd Army
enters Metz; the
Germans make an
orderly retreat.Dec 4 The US 3rd
Army establishes
bridgeheads over
the Saar River.SEP 1944 OCT NOV DEC JAN 19452
3
4
5
61TIMELINEBREAKING INTO GERMANY
From September to December 1944, the Allies
made slow progress in breaking Germany’s border
defenses. Working on several fronts, they
eventually reached the southern Rhine River and
opened the way to Antwerp, but suffered huge
losses at Aachen and the Hürtgen Forest.KEY
Allied-held territory, Sep 30Allied gains by Dec 15German territory, Dec 15The WestwallAllied forcesAxis forcesWalcheren
IslandThe^Eifel A r d e n n e s BlackForestALSACE- LO
RRAINENorthSeaL
U
X
EM
B
O
U
R
GGerman
15th ArmyS
W
I T
Z E
R L A N D
F R A N C E
B E L G I U M
NETHERLANDSDyleMaasWaalRhineRhineRhineIjsselLippeSaarSeilleMoselleRuhrOurtheMoselleScheldt
EstuaryHürtgen
ForestBelfort GapScheldtR
hi
neRo
erCalais
DunkirkOstend
BrugesBreskensThe HagueRotterdam ArnhemNijmegenGochVenloOverloonAltdorfAachenWeselEssenDortmundMaastrichtLiegeCologneBonnRemagenCoblenzMannheimWormsSaarbruckenStrasbourgBaden-BadenBaselColmarMulhouseBelfortNeufchâteauChaumontSt.-DizierÉpinalMonsBrusselsAntwerpEindhovenRoermondTilburg‘s-HertogenboschLuxembourgTriersMetzUckangeThionvilleMallingNancy
LunevilleVerdunBastogneCanadian
1st ArmyBritish
2nd ArmyG R E A T E R
US
9th ArmyGerman 1st
Parachute ArmyGerman
7th ArmyGerman
Army Group GGerman
1st ArmyGerman
5th ArmyGerman
19th ArmyGerman Army
Command WestUS
1st ArmyUS
3rd ArmyUS 7th ArmyFrench
1st ArmyUS 12th
Army GroupGerman
Army Group BG E R M A N Y
RUHRSAARLANDOct 2–21, 1944THE BATTLE OF AACHEN
OCTOBER 2–DECEMBER 9, 1944
In their push toward the Rhine and the industrial
Ruhr Valley, the Allies had hoped to bypass what they
thought was a small German garrison at Aachen.
However, Hitler had ordered the city to be held at all
costs and reinforced its defenses. The Allied assault on
Aachen began on October 2 and ended with German
surrender on October 21. Thousands died on both
sides in brutal street-to-street fighting. By December
9, US forces had advanced as far as the Roer River.5
Battle of AachenRuhr Valley industrial regionAllied advance
to Roer RiverSECURING THE SOUTHERN NETHERLANDS
OCTOBER 12–DECEMBER 15, 1944
While the Canadians took the Scheldt Estuary, the
British 2nd Army secured other areas in the southern
Netherlands. Their attempt to clear the Peel Marshes
(October 12–17) was abandoned in the face of German
resistance, but by mid-November they had pushed the
front to the Maas River and the border with Germany.
By December, the British had also secured the areas
around ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Tilburg.6
British 2nd Army movementsTHE BELFORT GAP
OCTOBER 1– NOVEMBER 22, 1944
The French 1st Army moved east to take the Belfort
Gap—a strategically vital route to the Rhine. However,
low supplies and adverse weather conditions during
October halted their advance. Believing the French
were digging in for the winter, the Germans were
taken completely by surprise when the French
launched Operation Independence on November 13.
The Germans were quickly overrun, and by
November 22, French tanks had reached the Rhine.4
French 1st Army advanceUS_200-201_Grinding_german_defences.indd 201 16/04/19 11:21 AM