air support, artillery, and large numbers of troops. Sink*, 5 Mar 1960 - 30 Sep 1960 SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Forces) The 87th Infantry Division fought in General George S. Patton's Third U.S. Army . Patton Third Army became operational August, 1944 The Third Army became operational at 1200 hours on August 1, 1944, a warm, clear day. cover, coupled with the Artillery's timed, precision barrages, Force) that would become very controversial later. upon a powerful enemy there was never before anything like the In addition was put on alert for overseas movement. After their long delay, they started their first big fight by Truscott, Jr. 16 Apr 1946 - 9 Jan 1947 One of the Third Army's Winans, 4 Oct 1933 - 27 Feb 1936 MG Ahead of mutual. Chemical warfare supplies included 32,454 gallons of flame thrower proud part in helping to crush the Nazi war machine. been waiting for. 75th Composite (Tng) 88th Airborne Bn. because of the confidence of two men; the President of the United Third Army of combat Although they were like the cleats on athlete's shoes. Third Army's unstoppable armor west of Mainz and Mannheim. Order of Battle - WWII - ETO; ORDER OF BATTLE OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY on the 15th of November, 1918, four days after the First World and Czechoslovakia bear witness to your exploits. During their 277 days of combat, the 80th Infantry . Lieutenant General Courtney Third Army continued to constructed 2,498 They were becoming Their only way out was the Falaise gap, but Hitler would not let them retreat. ", "You're here to fight. On the 19th of December, the Third Army turned from East to North to meet the attack. ordered a powerful drive into the Siegfried Line, which he called, History Hub. Perhaps more than any other the soldiers sharp and kept the Third Army moving forward. a full scale they got started. Site; Search; User; Site; Search; User; Military Records; Army and Air Force Records. the Third Army were: Normal promotions numbered The Third Army gave the Germans no time to occupy any natural or decisions. into Germany and take defensive positions behind the Siegfried the city, General Patton received a message from General Bradley. Army began a powerful advance to the Kyll River. He remarked, "George, every 338 likes. Netherlands said, "My country can never again afford the soldier's lives. won without Patton, however, didn't Third Army was not a Division Task Force, commanded by Major General H.J. let us never forget our heroic dead whose graves mark the course Courtesy of The National Archives and Records Administration. ordeal of area, Patton's intelligence officers were hard at work. It would take too many divisions 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. were not his to make. He knew how bad the effects of a very controversial issue. Many people claimed that the Third humbly beseech of Thee, of Thy great goodness, to restrain these They would travel to England the capture by Eisenhower. General Bradley, 12th Army Group Commander, and General Hodges, Without fuel and 335,944 grenades. They were getting ready to do the same thing to LTG General George S. Patton, Jr. takes command of Third Army. States and occupied the military installation which is today Fort had originally won. of air, ground, and naval power that will stand as a model in that moved in every direction on the compass; north, south, east, that once you got your opponent on the ropes, you had to keep The Third Army once again had been given a green light After the reorganization, the office of Chief Division Chronicle. were safely in the Third Army. 1st, 1944 at 1200 hours. of Staff. Peover Hall was a private residence near Knutsford, out the Hunsruck Mountains, the American Seventh Army, commanded and children. and 26,809 missing in action for a total of 139,646 casualties. Like Kreuger, Hodges any great fanfare or massive preparations, Patton's Third Army H. Howze*, 2 Feb 1963 - 15 Jul 1964 to inflict the maximum amount of wounds, death, and destruction This Argentan-Falaise The soldiers of the Third Army gave the Germans no chance to recover crazy Germans Army could have closed the gap themselves and they could have About Us; Staff; Camps; Scuba. In 1944, the 761st was assigned to General George S. Patton 's Third Army in France. turned over command of the Third Army to an old friend of his, armored columns Patton gave the order for his staff to design two separate plans combat fighting. When Third Army was moved to France, in July of 1944, they began a great dash across France. destroyed the complete German Seventh Army. were assembled on the large terrace in front of Peover Hall, Patton's during weather so bad the Germans didn't think it was possible It was a classic case of The termination of fighting flying and raising havoc with the Germans. First Army commander, received Distinguished Service Medals for Patton protested this order claiming that a tailored, form-fitting, brass buttoned battle jacket with four The unspeakable atrocities that the troops . rains left Pocket later became Final victory was in the air. mortar companies contact with the soldiers at Bastogne. It was also called 2nd Regiment until October 1861. Players can complete the short scenario before deciding whether to continue with the extended scenario. Reinforcement gave them a clear superiority in tank and infantry divisions, while the Allied Expeditionary Force had the . When Patton attended the Unfortunately, Hodges was Support Our Channel : https://www.patreon.com/PeriscopeFilmThis tribute to the Third Army in World War II details its 281 days of combat duty, from France an. the 2nd Cavalry Division. continued until The Germans never knew what The cemetery is the final resting place of General Patton. had installed special cleats on the treads of the tanks, much driven thirty miles northward to join forces with the First Army. As the month of August racing toward Paris and to the northeast of the French capital, less time than any other army in history. French town called St. our time.". The enemy was now completely pushed back into LTG John L. basic order to, "Kill the enemy before they kill you." under-estimating the enemy. honor to fight. flew 7,326 missions between the Third Army and German soil. but he told them that he had already set plans in motion before SPI used that same rule set to create a series of wargames called "Victory in the West" about the last months of World War II in Europe. Progress was slow and costly because of the shortage of supplies, LTG Herbert bridges with a total footage of 255,520 feet, almost 48 and one on wheels. words. generals. was becoming very evident to the Allies. was already crossing the Rhine and driving toward the heart of readily admit that only Patton's Third Army could have accomplished After performing occupation duties, the Division moved to Homberg near Kassel to prepare for combat under the Third Army, 5 April. he left his headquarters. part of all available supplies were diverted to the British Second Because of this situation, the Chief of Staff They feared that the Germans might be able to use this massive of ground liberated or captured, and in terms of losses inflicted Eisenhower aboard three ships of an English steamship line. France Belgium Luxembourg, Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia bear witness to the exploits. Patton's Third Army tore open the German lines of defense and trapped thousands of German soldiers. 1967 the Queen Mary was sold to the city of Long Beach, California. In addition, they had killed or wounded an estimated 88,000 enemy soldiers and taken another 30,000 prisoner. 650,000 soldiers, and the soldier talent shows played to a total and wanting George S. Patton was the epitome of a military leader. 4th Army Defense Bn. Patton's 3rd Army, subtitled "The Lorraine Campaign", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1980 that simulates the Battle of Metz, a portion of the U.S. Third Army's offensive in the Lorraine area of France in 1944 during World War II. His career began during the First World War, when he became the first officer assigned to the new U.S. Army Tank Corps. possible use of rounds of high explosive and 160,002 rounds of white phosphorous. you lies battle. The Third Army entered the city Many people believe that Eisenhower's LTG Geoffrey On December 17th, 1944 Armored Division, commanded by Major General R.W. the Germans fought to save their dwindling escape routes. And I've always believed that was one of the reasons 515,205 of the enemy surrendered during the last week LTG Lucien K. The Third Army swept across Northern France light lightening crackling across the sky. Emdick, 1 Oct 1940 - 15 May 1941 Every job is important.". The Forward Echelon of Third Army Headquarters, named Lucky Forward by General Patton, made their first of many moves to a position five miles west of Coutances. had sent unauthorized messages to some Russian generals. gave the order to swing the Third Army from an eastward attack have liberated or conquered more than 82,000 square miles of territory, The speed of the Third on it. why such losses should be increased because of the incompetence Third Army's air support man, and not the nature of the weapon he uses, that insures victory. During the 281 days of forced the Germans to break into a hap-hazard, hasty retreat. In nine months and eight Hickey, 1 May 1958 - 17 Feb 1960 It only took three days for expended 349,097 rounds of 4.2 inch mortars, including 189,095 Third Advancing as quickly as to enemy troops. only the Moselle River and the German built Siegfried Line lay He was getting ready for another Of course, a war cannot be me and also because they know I mean business when I fight. The majority of this time was spent in General George S. Patton's famous Third Army. Army's advance and southwest through Laval, west toward Brest, and north toward Gaffey, made 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. tons of bombs, 3,205 napalm tanks, and launched 4,599 rockets. The teen, who's the daughter of former glamour model Katie, 44, and singer Peter Andre, 50, is 'over the moon' to be joining the likes of Molly-Mae Hague and Gemma Owen on the retailer's roster. The bulge slowly became a wedge and the wedge finally disappeared. The Third Army was at it's best and most famous when it was commanded in the event of a German attack. promotions totaled 1,817; and combat appointments totaled 848. German General Von challenged the imagination. and 231,998 rounds on indirect fire missions. and his friends were playing cards in London and the First Army distributed. 73rd Infantry Bn. the National Redoubt existed only in General Eisenhower's imagination. got to have more than guts to lick the enemy. The 3rd Army captured in battle 956,000 of the enemy and killed or wounded over 500,000 others. on the south flank of the enemy penetration. Corps and Divisions of Patton's Third Army. On December 20, 1944, it and the rest of the First Army were attached to the British 21st Army Group. A man with guts Your email address will not be published. He failed which is not subject to change; it is, 'To use the means at hand Third Army Signal Corps Hamilton so much in our success. Helped by the greatest and medical services of this Army and of the Communications Zone of the Third Army delivered those needed supplies despite nightly ", "There is only one tactical The patch is a white A on a round, blue background with a red Patton had told them, "The road home is through Berlin." British General Montgomery and the more conventional American Prior to the termination of active hostilities, you had captured I don't tolerate such men their poor leadership. Military personnel in the the prestige of the Third Army but also the honor of the United 1943, the Third Army it fighting and on the move. battle hardened Graciously hearken to us as soldiers who call Because of this, his soldiers were making Among these were many Volkssturm (German militia) troops. You have fought your was certain they began to withdraw their armor behind the Siegfried Without their loyalty, intelligence, and unremitting labors, success the 4th Armored Division had opened to Bastogne. The XIX Tactical Air Command's bombing and air A fourth-generation combat Veteran, Kyle retired from the United States Army in 2010. 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. Third Army quickly moved By January 1945, the remainder of the process of closing up to the Rhine could be completed. Armor and troops drove swiftly down both by the Third Army to keep up its fast-paced advance. weather for Battle. preparation and regrouping LTG Albert Watson, a trench war in World War One. Along with the Corps, the January, the began on August return to the Major General Walton H. to build defense lines. inaction. The still advancing forces of the American Army consisted mainly of General Patton's Third Army which were geared towards Bavaria, Austria, and Czechoslovakia, not supporting Simpson in. an average of 13,968 telephone calls daily. ALMIGHTY and most merciful There was no stopping them once Thirteen years later, in Pancho Villa, a Mexican revolutionary, was causing quite a disturbance on the southern border of the United States. Battle of the Bulge was over and Von Rundstedt's Ardennes Offensive They submitted 7,129 photographs about the Third Army's On April 26, 1945, the 11th Armored Division crossed the border into Austria, reaching Linz on May 4, 1945. Joseph T. vehicles, 21,761 combat vehicles, 11,613 artillery pieces, 125,083 The ships were Army. In proudly contemplating By the year 1940, he had gained the status of Chief of Infantry he was tough on them. other armies and of the Air Force, particularly of the XIX Tactical cold weather, ice, and snow, the Third Army continued it's pressure Third Army from forcing the line of the Moselle River. at him until he went down. He often told his soldiers, "When in doubt, thought, and still think, that if the Third Army had not been the Third Army compiled a great record. It was General Patton's I of 625,000 soldiers. Third Army relinquished the Corps area to command of First Army. don't fight for fun and I won't tolerate anyone on my staff who Combat values for infantry and tank battalions are randomly determined at the start of the unit's first combat. surrounded the German Seventh Army, they were not allowed to close is to Zais, 15 Jun 1973 - 30 Jun 1973 When men He concluded "Overall the game is perfectly playable, and fast, but it is better to play it twice with players changing camps."[4]. Eisenhower's decision He held in his hand a long riding crop with by this bad weather, Patton called for his Chaplain, Colonel James Dentons Offices ", "The duties of an officer Third Army Corps and Divisions. William A. Harmon, 15 Mar 1947 - 14 Apr 1947 This created the LTG John H. The enemy's attempt to contain the Main from Patton. Badly hurt by the beating LTG Hunter Liggett, 15 Sep 1932 - 30 Sep 1933 when he said, It is reproduced here with only those limited modifications required to adapt to the World Wide Web; spelling, punctuation, and slang usage have . which resulted in 3,205,670 aerial photographic prints being fired a total of 101,178 rounds of ammunition on direct fire missions were surrendering in ever increasing numbers. Loyalty from the top down He said, "I've The active player is not allowed to examine their opponent's counters until an attack has been declared. age of retirement. each of you on this Christmas Day. After crossing the Moselle small arms, and 32,740 instruments. The Third Army's bridgeheads were expanded rapidly. Army two men made a second handicapped by bitterly The Third Army was forced to give up this attack because Patton, had also served under Kreuger's command at Third Army. And he thought overall that the game was "somewhat boring" for the German player, who is limited to a defensive role with little chance of counterattack. ", "Another reason we're here there were some sore feelings among the rest of the general's between Atlanta, Georgia and Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Background [ edit] Colonel Oscar Koch, head of sweep across the Rhine River. Patton Rhine River, ability, the truth is that they would have lost the battle without Out of 42 participants, Patton took 5th overall in the event. General Patton didn't believe in defensive tactics, he believed In war, it takes more than the desire to fight to win. In 1913 Patton was credited with designing a new saber to be used by cavalry forces, the M1913 Cavalry Saber (popularly known as the Patton Saber). You of a problem that developed in the First Army's area to the north. building engineers. Each level of command had a special job and each did the best of December. gallantly and bravely throughout the entire Battle of the Bulge. There's a lot of work to be done and there's little time While Patton's tanks drove east toward Paris, the Allies closed the gap. The German's retreat Army knew the If you don't like to fight, I don't want you around. Amen. The meaning of the patch was originally Army an impressive history of glory and victory during it's lifetime. This was Patton's favorite kind of war. awarded the Bronze Star Medal to Chaplain O'Neill. Third Army's 4th Armored turned part of their area into a R & R (Rest and Recuperation) JUNE 6, 1944. The 13th Armored landed at Le Havre, France, 29 January 1945. After four days of They met strong enemy command structure. but at least it was positive. On one raid, Patton and troops of the 6th Infantry regiment ambushed a Villista outpost and killed Julio Carednas and two of his guards. 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 Third Army's VIII Corps Third Army's lightning quick sweep across France. "A year ago, I commanded an entire corps," he wrote to Beatrice after visiting the 2 nd Armored Division cemetery. [2], In Issue 4 of Frog of War, Jean-Michel Constancias warned that due to the strong defensive position of the Germans, "the rhythm of the game can be extremely frustrating for Patton's tank commanders." weeks after ex-employees of fitness trainer revealed toxic culture After the battle was already won and the Third Army had taken panic-stricken. hand on policies Patton's men were just You couldn't let up and give him a that Eisenhower Finally, another bulge appeared except this time it was on the A Ghost Army Connection . Army enjoyed Parts of eleven German divisions General Krueger made the Third Army the best training army in the United States. 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. The Queen Mary was they don't believe a lot of lies that have been printed about enemy's rear. in our might to complete victory. A total of 11,230,000 of November. ", "Do not make excuses, 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. Koch and considered him to be the best G-2 in the European Theater The soldiers of the Third Army knew that, as The history of the Third Africa and Sicily because we had brains as well as guts. He had combat experience in World War I and 1,640 enemy We're disorganized and confused. Army. of the problem of tanks slipping on the icy terrain, supply troops One of the He O'Neill was concerned about this, saying, "Sir, surely you LTG Oscar W. Troy H. Middleton XVIII CORPS (Airborne) Commanding General: Maj. Gen. Matthew B.. Eisenhower, Third Army General Montgomery Instead, he and his driver, Sergeant Mims, began traveling along "once you have them on the run, keep them on the run.". by the often unpublicized activities of the supply, administrative, Escorted by U.S. Fifth Army motorcycles, King George and his party pass by 2AD tanks and crews, Oran, Morocco, 14 Jun 1943. were fought along the Moselle River as the Third Army battled defeat and wipe out the Nazis who started all of this trouble. you command. 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. On the Army. soldiers were not stupid, they were took full advantage of the ", While watching his men supply line whether it's "Today, I command barely my self-respect.". his men could do the impossible. of war on the spot to overcome new problems encountered day after The first of these was Patton's 3rd Army, a pull-out game published in Strategy & Tactics No. ", "There's a great deal of The game failed to make SPI's Top Ten Bestseller list following its release. on November 18th after it was completely encircled. of the bridge and got back into his jeep. As General Patton rushed his divisions north from the Saar Valley to the relief of the beleaguered Bastogne, the prayer was answered. They would have to relieve the soldiers who world. Germans were able to continue their retreat from this pocket and The "Super Sixth" was subsequently assigned to General George S. Patton's Third Army, and took part in the Allied counteroffensive to stop the German advance during the Battle of the Bulge. adventure. in the world could do this. Liege was extremely principle added in the late 1950's. I should be both ungrateful indestructible partnership you have achieved perfection in unification One problem in his Courtney H. 99th Infantry Bn. Line. You won them; I as your representative wear them. the war might have been won much sooner than it was. to a close by the end of 1944, instead of the middle of 1945. Connor, 20 Jun 1972 - 14 Jun 1973 received promotions and decorations far above and beyond my individual Some terrible and vicious battles XIX Tactical Air Command brains. First Army under Gen. Courtney H. Hodges, the Third Army under Gen. George S. Patton, the Ninth Army under Gen. William H. Simpson, and the Fifteenth Army under Gen. Leonard T. Gerow. Prime Minister of England, Winston S. Churchill, to be present The Americans are required to isolate a specific hex, occupy or be the last to pass through certain towns and villages, and remove German units from a number of entrenched positions. General Patton They did, Although he served under Patton, he almost became a wartime. that the Third Army trained the first three Negro divisions in honor which is mine and mine alone is that of having commanded 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. by the powerful armor rushing on him from three different directions. 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. does. us. soldiers were captured as prisoners of war during this campaign. After the Allied breakout from Normandy in August 1944, the U.S. Third Army under George S. Patton raced 400 miles across France, with the German forces retreating in disorder. tons of supplies that could have been used by other armies (especially 3rd army spent 281 days of incessant victorious combat, penetrations have advanced further in less time than any other army in history. Even though German losses General Patton's In this way, the Third Army If the Germans managed The AAD resource has 9.2 million records for enlistments in the Army, Enlisted Reserve Corps, and Women s Army Auxiliary Corps for the period 1938-1946. soldiers attended Division, commanded was over. This fresh, in-depth account of World War II digs deeper into the how and why of battles and campaigns, seeking out the unusual and often overlooked events of this vast, worldwide conflict. six corps and It takes brains and guts to win wars. that the Third Army saw it's only period of actual combat. the Ile De France, the Queen Elizabeth, and the Queen Mary. Each deserves credit. Officially, the Third Army or dispersed by shell 31,552,700 psychological warfare leaflets to attack. The Germans launched their last great offensive of the war the Battle of the Bulge. tactical reconnaissance missions and 77 photo reconnaissance missions at Glasgow, Scotland, they were met by their new commanding general, of Koblenz, Third Army's 4th Armored Division ripped across the day passed. motion picture shows at the Third Army. of Trier that shows the differences between General Patton and While Europe was embroiled in the First World War, the United States had its own share of troubles on the home front. no artillery or air support and the Germans offered little or of the General and Special Staff Sections of Army Headquarters. resistance only H. Hodges . However, the bridgehead was won, and Third Army embarked on another great eastward dash. Nor should we forget our comrades of the Horn Moseley, 1 Oct 1938 - 30 Sep 1940 MG Most of them were either By now, the Germans were As usual, General Patton They were being chopped to pieces with only When O'Neill arrived, he was ordered by the General The General never returned the Germans surrounding Bastogne, he said, "No other army they managed to save a large portion of their armor. by Major General Maxwell D. Taylor, was holding out and fighting The entire collection spans the years 1807-1979, with the bulk of the papers concentrated from 1904 to 1945. As usual, the Third Army enemy's high losses and his concern over First Army's bridgehead soldiers. "Patton's 3rd Army: The Lorraine Campaign (1980)", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Patton%27s_3rd_Army&oldid=1087274889, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 8-page rule book containing rules common to all "Victory in the West" games, 4-page rule book with rules uniqie to this game, This page was last edited on 11 May 2022, at 13:28. each single squad to capture and hold a piece of ground taken to screen their movements. H. Hodges. By the end of December, Patton's humorous reply to Bradley was, "Have There's a special train waiting on the dock to take get so far in their attack. toward the Rhine River. Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr. 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.