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Patton's 3rd
Army Drives to the Rhine
On March 21, 1945, the "Mystery Division" of General
Patton's 3rd Army took the spotlight by reaching the Upper Rhine,
entering the important chemical city of Ludwigshafen,Germany.
Thousands of prisoners
and pieces of enemy equipment were captured. The Germans had
been succesfully pushed back.
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PATTON'S 3rd ARMY DRIVES TO
THE RHINE
March 21,
1945 "Mystery Division" of General Patton's 3rd Army took
the spotlight by reaching the Upper Rhine, entering the important
chemical city of Ludwigshafen, Germany.
The same armored division, which has played an anonymous role in the
drive from the Moselle River, continued its spectacular race that
has turned the German stand in the Saar Palatinate into a disastrous
debacle, smashed into the city of Ludwigshafen. Unnamed to the press
in Patton's pre-operational press conference and referred to only
as his "spearhead" armored division, the 12th Armored Division
was ordered to remove all shoulder patches and vehicle markings, becoming
the "Mystery Division" of the 3rd Army.
The "Mystery Division" jumped off from the Trier, Germany
vicinity on March 18 with orders to pass through the 94th Infantry
and race for the Rhine River, leaving enemy strong points for the
infantry to mop up, and secure river crossings near Worms, Germany.
From start to finish the drive across the Palatinate was a test of
human endurance. Progress was about 25 miles per day. Movement was
so rapid that prisoners were merely disarmed and sent back to the
west. Thousands of prisoners and pieces of enemy equipment were captured.
The route was littered with smashed small arms, panzerfausts, artillery,
and every type of German army vehicle from Volkswagen to Tiger tank.
On March 20, the "Mystery Division" was on the banks of
the Rhine River.
At noon, 24 March, the 12th Armored Division reverted from control
of XXI Corps and the 3rd Army to Seventh Army, it's days as Patton's
"Mystery Division" were at an end. Although efforts to secure
a bridge over the Rhine were unsuccessful, because the Germans had
blown out all spans between Ludwigshafen and Germersheim, all other
phases of the Saar breakthrough were outstanding achievements.
The 12th Armored Division had distinguished itself as Gen. George
Patton's "Mystery Division" spearheading his 3rd Army across
the Saar Palatinate to the banks of the Rhine River.
Written
by Ken Bradstreet - 494th Armored Field Artillery - Company A#####
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