Ripples on the Pond ETO (id:#60250)

(Operations Special Issue #1 ID: S30)   [next]   [previous]

Apweiler, Germany 1944-11-16 (3 others)

Overview:

Operation Queen was the codename for the assault into the Roer River plain. The American XIX Corps was to cross the Roer and drive towards the Rhine. Most of the terrain was flat and dotted with villages and cultivated fields. The tankers of the 2nd Armored Division were concerned with the soggy soil conditions. For their part, the Germans had established a defensive pattern with the villages as integral parts of concentric arcs fanning outward from the major towns like ripples in a pond. The 2nd Armored Division had divided their attack into three Task Forces, each with a different objective and avenue of approach. Task Force 2 attacked in the center zone. Moving slowly in second gear because of the soggy ground, the tanks were unopposed until they reached a point about 500 yards from Apweiler. Then, undetected anti-tank guns opened up, having hidden in the orchards and fringe woods around the village.

Defender: German (176th Infantry Division)  

Errata (source)