World War II Third Army After Action Reports USB Drive

Description: World War II Third Army After Action Reports USB Drive 8,227 pages of U.S. Army Third Army after action reports covering activity from July 1944 to May 1945, archived on USB Drive. The Third United States Army was first activated as a formation during the First World War on November 7, 1918, at Chaumont, France, when the General Headquarters of the American Expeditionary Forces issued General Order 198 organizing the Third Army and announcing its headquarters staff.From May 1941 until February 1943, the Third Army was commanded by Lieutenant General Walter Krueger. General Krueger made the Third Army the best training army in the United States by some accounts. From February 1943 until end of 1943, Third Army was commanded by Lt. Gen. Courtney H. Hodges. During this period, it was primarily a gigantic training army comprised of hundreds of units from small detachments to full corps. Movement of troops overseas started slowly. But in July and August of 1943, the alert orders flooded the Headquarters in increasing numbers. By 30 December 1943, Third Army had moved to ports, for direct shipment overseas, a grand total of 208,566 officers and men, including five divisions.On 31 December 1943, the Third Army was transferred to combat army status and at 0830 the next morning came the telephone call for which they had waited so long. Third Army's readiness date was 15 February. It was to leave at authorized strength plus a CIC detachment of three officers and 13 enlisted men. By 15 January the entire headquarters was POM (prepared for overseas movement) to the last man and the advance detachment comprised of 13 officers and 26 enlisted men, left for the port. Upon disembarking from the Ile de France, they were met by their new commander.Under the command of Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr., the Third Army participated in eight major operations and gave new meaning to "hard charging, hard hitting, mobile warfare." The Third Army's swift and tenacious drive into and through France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Austria contributed immeasurably to the destruction of the Nazi war machine of Adolph Hitler's Germany.The Third Army liberated or captured 81,522 square miles of territory. An estimated 12,000 cities, towns, and communities were liberated or captured, including 27 cities of more than 50,000 in population. Third Army captured 765,483 prisoners of war. 515,205 of the enemy surrendered during the last week of the war to make a total of 1,280,688 POW's processed. The enemy lost an estimated 1,280,688 captured, 144,500 killed, and 386,200 wounded, adding up to 1,811,388. By comparison, the Third Army suffered 16,596 killed, 96,241 wounded, and 26,809 missing in action for a total of 139,646 casualties.DOCUMENTS IN COLLECTION: Crossing of the Rhine By Third ArmyCrossing of the Rhine River by Third US Army was prepared by the 3rd Army Engineers, 22 March 1945. This 38-page report is a narrative of the crossing of the 3rd Army from the perspective of the Army Corps of Engineers elements within the 3rd Army. 0n 22 March 1945, assault boats carrying men of the 11th Infantry Regiment of the 5th Infantry Division and operated by the 204th Engineer Combat Battalion, silently shoved off from the west bank of the Rhine River at Nierstein, Germany, and the first assault crossing of the Rhine in modern history had begun. Before darkness of the following night, a bridge had spanned the river. Such a firm bridge head had been established on the east bank of the river that there was no longer any question of the success of the operation. Within the next five days, three more crossings were successfully executed and all resistance along the Rhine on the Third Army front had collapsed. This was the most intensive period of engineer planning that had been engaged since the D-day operation of Normandy.Twelve-Thousand Fighter-Bomber Sorties Twelve-Thousand Fighter-Bomber Sorties: XIX Tactical Air Command's First Month Operations in Support of Third US Army in France, a 59-page report, dated September 30, 1944. In the report's introduction O.P. Weyland, Brigadier General, Commanding, wrote, "Within one month of the day when the Third US Army and XIX Tactical Air Command of the Ninth Air Force began operations together in France, the armored and infantry divisions and covering fighter-bombers of this new ground-air team had broken out of Normandy into Brittany, conquered all of that peninsula except three stubborn ports, firmly secured the line of the Loire, and swept 140 miles beyond liberated Paris to within 60 miles of the German border. While the events are still warm, these notes and historical record are written, with the hope that some of the many lessons in teamwork and technique which were learned in that eventful month may be of tactical value."After Action Report, Third Us Army, 1 August 1944 - 9 May 1945 Vol. I OperationsCopied from a microfiche copy of one of the 182 copies of the formally classified history of the Third Army produced by General and Special Staff Sections of Third US Army Headquarters and the XIX Tactical Command. This copy only contains the 306 pages covering action in 1944. The reports contain a day by day narrative account from August 1, 1944 to December 31 1944. After Action Report Third U.S. Army Staff Section Reports3,595 pages of Third Army after action section reports copied from microfiche copies. A compilation of 25 section reports of action dating from 1 August 1944 to 9 May 1945.The twenty-five sections include: Command, G-1, G-2, G-3, G-4, G-5, Adjutant General, Anti-Aircraft Artillery, Artillery, Chaplain, Chemical Warfare, Engineer, Finance, Headquarters Commandant, Inspector General, Judge Advocate, Medical, Ordnance, Provost Marshal, Public Relations, Quartermaster, Signal, Special Services, Tank Destroyer, and Air.From the forward, "The section reports in this volume of the after-action report of Third United States Army operations in World War II contain only material out of the mass of detail which is considered pertinent from the viewpoint of experiences in the field of an operating army headquarters. Although insufficiently detailed to cover all operations, they should, in the future, serve as a guide to the highlights of each section - its plans, its experiences, its changes of method of operation, and its functions, as considered important by the chief of section. "Summary from the Channel to the AlpsA 17-page summary copied from a microfiche copy, covering activity from August 1944 to May 1945. Contains an incomplete narrative and an appendix of charts and grafts dealing with subjects such as troop levels and reinforcements. Twelfth Us Army Group Directives66 pages of directives copied from a microfiche copy of 68 directives dating from July 29, 1944 to May 5, 1945. Third Us Army Directives105 pages of directives copied from a microfiche copy of 127 directives dating from August 4, 1944 to May 7, 1945. George S. Patton's The Probable Characteristics of the Next War and the Organization, Tactics, And Equipment Necessary To Meet Them.An 80-page memorandum for the assistant commandant, the Army War College, prepared on February 29, 1932, by G.S. Patton Jr. Major Calvary, titled. "The Probable Characteristics of the Next War and the Organization, Tactics, and Equipment Necessary to Meet Them."Summary: "In view of the facts stated there is a strong probability that the next war will be based on maneuver. Consequently, the force best suited to its successful prosecution will be of the professional type." Third Army Maneuvers, Section I, C&GS School Observer’s Comments on Maneuvers, Feb. 1943.Abstract: The following report contains the information and impressions gained during the observation of the Third Army maneuvers in Louisiana Feb. 16-26, by Lt. Colonels Britten and Lodoen, Majors Prescott and Kilpatrick. Sections include observers and their itinerary; comments on maneuvers; phases of the maneuver period; air ground support; report on visit to 103d Infantry Division, Camp Claiborne, La.; report on training inspection conducted by III Armd. Corps and 11th Armored Division on completion of 13 weeks basic training; report on visit to Port of Embarkation, New Orleans; and standing operating procedure obtained from organizations (77th Inf. Div., 90th Mtz. Div., 7th Armd. Div., 11th Armd. Div.).Traffic Circulation Diagram December 12, 1944.Traffic Circulation Diagram, prepared by Engineer, Third Army, to accompany Administrative Order No. 22, December 12, 1944 T.A.L.O. Notes April 1945Abstract: "TALO Notes" are a compilation of experience gained during our eight months of combat in cooperation with the Third United States Army. They can and should be used as a reference when questions of procedure arise, but it is absolutely necessary in your job that you make a continuing study to increase the efficiency of our already excellent air-ground cooperation team. Recommendations for methods to improve our system will always be appreciated.Consumption Rates of US Forces in the Final Advance to the Rhine (Period 24 February to 23 March 1945)The period covered by this report is 24 February to 23 March for the First, Third and Ninth Armies, 25 February to 24 March for the Armies of Sixth Army Group Consumption Rates U.S. Forces from the Rhine to the Elbe, 23 March – 25 April 1945.The following summary was prepared during the final stages of the European campaign and was intended as a normal re-check on existing maintenance factors. Sections include: the tactical situation, crossing of the Rhine and envelopment of the Ruhr; operations of the Elbe River and the elimination of the Ruhr pocket; and consumption rates of all classes of supply.Administrative Instructions Number 3: Third U.S. Army, 1 May 1945Abstract: The administrative procedure as prescribed in these instructions applies to all units assigned or attached to Third U.S. Army. Modifications of a permanent nature will be incorporated in changes to be published as required. Current administrative information will be published in administrative Orders. This publication supersedes administrative Instructions No. 2, 19 November 1941, together with changes thereto and all publications of this headquarters in conflict herewith.Critique Of Third U.S. Army (1945)An analysis by William Freidman of the intelligence failures of the Third Army before the German Ardennes Offensive (Battle of the Bulge). William Frederick Friedman was a US Army cryptographer who ran the research division of the Army's Signal Intelligence Service (SIS) in the 1930s, In 1940, subordinates of his led by Frank Rowlett broke Japan's PURPLE cipher, thus disclosing Japanese diplomatic secrets before America's entrance into World War II.Exploitation of a Breach of Security (1945)A report on how Third Army intelligence used information gain from German prisoners of war to aid XIX Tactical Air Command in target selection. Also meant show why a PW (prisoner of war) should only provide name, rank an serial number.Abstract: This is a true, unembellished story from the official files of the THIRD U.S. ARMY and XIX Tactical Air Command. Each incident is presented in chronological sequence as it occurred. These are cold, hard facts presented to illustrate the inter-relation of staff sections and air coordination.Tactical Air Operations in Europe - A Report on Employment of Fighter-Bomber, Reconnaissance and Night Fighter Aircraft by XIX Tactical Air Command, Ninth Air Force, in Connection with the Third US Army Campaign from 1 August 1944 to VE Day, S May 1945 (1945)Abstract: "A report on employment of fighter-bomber, reconnaissance and night fighter aircraft by XIX Tactical Air Command, Ninth Air Force, in connection with the Third US Army campaign from 1 August 1944 to VE Day, 9 May 1945. During the nine months and eight days which began with the drive into Brittany on 1 August 1944, and ended with the unconditional surrender of all German forces on 9 May 1945, the XIX Tactical Air Command and Third US Army operated under widely varying conditions which required corresponding changes in the manner of employment of our aircraft.The highly mobile warfare of the campaign across France in August and the first half of September was followed by the relatively static buildup before Metz, which presented wholly different problems. The offensive of 8 November, which reduced Metz and entered the Siegfried Line defenses in the Saar Valley of Germany, was interrupted by the German breakthrough into the Ardennes sector of the First Army front, with the result that Third Army and XIX TAC were suddenly thrust into an emergency counter-attack role.The bitter winter battle of the "Bastogne Bulge", and the penetration of the powerful pillbox and river defenses along the German border, were in marked contrast to the subsequent dash through the Eifel to the Rhine, the springing of the Saar-Moselle-Rhine trap, in which two German armies were virtually destroyed, the swift surprise crossing of the Rhine, the eastward drive which disemboweled and bisected Germany, and the final thrust to the southeast through Bavaria into Austria and Czechoslovakia. Between the long clear days of August and the foggy, cloudy days of the wettest fall and most severe winter seen in this part of Europe for many years, an equally sharp contrast existed, adding to the range of experience on which are based the comments and conclusions contained in this report."84th Infantry Division in the Battle of the Ardennes, December 1944 - January 1945 (1946)The 84th Infantry Division landed on Omaha Beach in Normandy in early November 1944, five months after D-Day (June 6, 1944). From France, the unit moved quickly into the Netherlands in preparation for an offensive into Nazi Germany. During the Battle of the Bulge, the 84th was diverted to Belgium to stop the German offensive.Sections detailing the Battle of the Bulge include the big picture, life in the Ardennes, the turning point, the capture of Laroche, from Les Tailles to Dinez, Beho to Gouvy to Ourthe, and a conclusion.Patton and his Third Army (1946)The biography Patton and his Third Army by Colonel Brenton G. Wallace.History of the Third Army. Army Ground Forces Study No. 17. (1946)Completed by the Historical Section of the Army Ground Forces in September 1945.Table of contents: period of planning and training; pre-war expansion and Army maneuvers; first period of war (7 December 1941 – 16 February 1943); and second period of war (16 February 1943 – 1 October 1943), maneuvers 1943, training procedures, personnel problems, leadership, service and trade school, special duties of the Third Army, strength, relationship with other headquarters, and goal and accomplishments. XII Corps Spearhead of Patton's Third Army (1947)The XII Corps fought from northern France to Austria in World War II. Constituted in the Organized Reserves in 1933, it was activated on 29 August 1942 at Columbia, South Carolina. XII Corps became operational in France as part of Lieutenant General George S. Patton's Third Army on 1 August 1944.The following topics are discussed: completion of training in the U.S., Camp Forrest to Ft. Slocum, Transatlantic, England (Camp Bewdley, Birmingham, and Braemore), prelude to operations, the campaign in France, first Moselle, attack against the Saar, Battle of the Bulge, Siegfried Line to Rhine, second Moselle, first assault crossing of the Rhine, from the Rhine to Czechoslovakia, Austria- and VE-Day, reorientation and Regensburg, occupation to and after VJ-Day, and return from the wars.Mission Accomplished Third United States Army Occupation of Germany, 9 May 1945 – 15 February 1947 (1947)Abstract: Third United States Army passed from the operational stage in Germany with the same efficiency for which it was known both in combat and in occupation... Contents: transition; occupation in miniature; security-intelligence-political development; people; administration and personnel; Army operational services; and Army welfare. Super Sixth in exploitation, Operation Cobra, St. Lo, France, 25 Jul 44 (1949)Abstract: The 6th Armored Division was one of General George S. Patton's famous Third Army divisions during World War II in Europe. Analyzes the contributions of armor in Operation Cobra, which took place on the continent of Europe in July 1944. Looks at the 6th Armored Division as an example of (then) contemporary teaching regarding the use of an armored division to seize a key objective.Foret de Parroy: Offensive deliberate Attack, 79th Infantry Division, 25 September-24 October 1944. (1984) A battlebook prepared by students of the U.S Army College. As part of Third US Army's attack in Lorraine, XV Corps had cleared the Foret de Mondon by 25 September 1944. XV Corps then was to size and cleat the Foret de Parroy (vic. LUNEVILLE). 79th Infantry Division was to make the main attack after a large-scale bombing attack; 2d (Fr) Armored Division was to protect the Corps south flank and support 79th ID by fire. After two postponements, bombers finally hit the Forest in a poorly conducted strike on 28 September, and the 79th ID attacked with two regiments abreast. At 29 0001 Sept, XV Corps was reassigned to Seventh US Array, 6th Army Group, but its mission remained unchanged. Strong enemy resistance forced the 79th ID to employ all of its regiments on 1 October, and the Division attacked alternately with two or three regiments abreast until all division objectives were taken on 14 October. On 17 October, the new 44th (US) Infantry Division began to relieve the 79th ID in place and continued to clear the Forest. The Foret de Parroy was finally cleared of enemy forces on 21 October.Rhine River Crossing Conducted by the Third U.S. Army and the Fifth Infantry Division, 22-24 March 1945: Offensive, Deliberate Assault, River Crossing (1985)A battlebook prepared by students of the U.S Army College under the supervision of Combat Studies Institute as part of the Battle Analysis program. Abstract: General George S. Patton Jr., Commander of the Third Army, was anxious, in March 1945, for his forces to cross the Rhine River. He wanted the crossing in order to push into Germany, and he wanted it in order to beat Field Marshall Montgomery across the river. On 21 March 1945 the Fifth Infantry Division, conqueror of twenty-two rivers in the ETO, was alerted to prepare to launch a surprise night crossing of the Rhine at Oppenheim. Despite the haste involved in the assault timing, engineers made elaborate preparations for supporting the infantry and bridging the river .War Against Germany: Europe and Adjacent Areas Pictorial Record (1989)Abstract: This book deals with the European Theater of Operations, covering the period from the build-up in the United Kingdom through V-E Day. Its seven sections are arranged chronologically. During World War II the photographers of the United States armed forces created on film a pictorial record of immeasurable value.The Lorraine Campaign: An Overview - September-December 1944 (1993)Abstract: On 6 June 1944, Allied troops landed in Normandy, and the liberation of German-occupied France was underway. Throughout June and July, Allied soldiers expanded their beachhead against stiff resistance while building up strength for the breakout. On 25 July, American forces under the command of LTG Omar Bradley ruptured the German defenses on the western end of the beachhead and broke into the clear. The U.S. Third Army, under the command of LT. George S. Patton, Jr., became operational on 1 August and poured through the gap. The Collection and Processing of Combat Intelligence as Performed By The U.S Army During Operations In Northern Europe (1999)This paper presents an analysis of the functions of collection and processing information into combat intelligence as performed by the U.S. Army in northern Europe during World War II, from January 1944 to May 1945. Emphasis is on the collection effort I First, Third, and Ninth Armies. A case study of the information known and interpreted before the German Ardennes counteroffensive on 16 December is made. The study considers functions and problems of intelligence rather than the interrelationships of events and persons. It is not a comparative study of the armies' intelligence operations, but rather an examination of the strengths and weaknesses of those operations. The 80th Infantry Division in World War II: Education, Training, and the Application of Operational Art (2018)On 5 August 1944, the 80th landed at Utah Beach. The division was destined to become the "work horse" of General Patton's Third Army and to play a key role in the breakthrough at Avranches. The Division then attacked Argentan, taking it, 20 August, and creating the Falaise Pocket. After mopping up in the area, the 80th took part in the Third Army dash across France, cutting through Saint-Mihiel, Châlons, and Commercy in pursuit of the retreating Germans until stopped by the lack of gasoline and other supplies at the river Seille.From 25 September to 7 November, the division maintained an aggressive defense of positions west of the Seille and prepared for the Third Army sweep into the industrially vital Saar Basin. The attack jumped off on 8 November, the 80th advancing through Delme Ridge, Faulquemont, and St. Avold to within 5 miles (8.0 km) of Saarbrücken, when it was relieved by the 6th Armored Division, 7 December 1944.After 10 days rest, the division returned to combat, moving southeast to take part in an attack on the Siegfried Line at Zweibrücken when the Germans launched their winter offensive in the Ardennes.[Abstract: "The military history of the 80th Infantry Division in World War II provides important insights for modern US Army leaders as they prepare for combat with a peer or near-peer adversary. The 80th Infantry Division entered combat operations in Europe following two years of maneuver training under the same key leaders, all educated at the US Army’s premier schools during the interwar period. Schooling and training exposed 80th Infantry Division’s leaders to modern operational art in all but name.Despite this unusually stable, robust, and lengthy period of training time prior to entering combat, the 80th Infantry Division struggled to apply phasing and transitions to maintain tempo and manage risk to prevent culmination at Argentan and while crossing the Moselle River. The 80th Infantry Division’s initial struggles and subsequent successes in both battles provide insights for modern US Army leaders with respect to the writing, application, and training of Army tactical doctrine, and the risks associated with modularity as a mindset. As a finding aid for this title, all convertible text in the documents have been transcribed and embedded under the page image as text. All text capable of being converted can be searched. USB Drive works with Windows or MAC

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