Eisenhower Makes His Move
With the bulk of German attention turned towards the armor in Besancon, this opened up Eisenhower's western theatre to be exploited. Patton's strategy was that pushing northward towards Germany with Tenth Army would attract so much of the German attention, concerned about incursion into the Maginot Line the German High Command would pull many troops away from the southern areas, opening up opportunities for Fourth Army on the previous battlegrounds of Montpelier and Rodez. Places like Colmar were far more strategic and important to the German western defense than places in southwest France.
The early indications of Germany's reaction to this thrust north seemed to be bearing this fact out. As wave after wave ran into the meat grinder of Tenth Army in Besancon, and the Germans sent more troops to defend the northern sector, intelligence indeed showed very light defenses in the areas to the north and west of Eisenhower's Fourth Army. Army Group Commander Devers quickly wrote off on Eisenhower's two pronged attack plan. First he would send a four division strong corps westward into Montpelier. Once that was attained, the rest of Fourth Army would march northward to seize the hilly country around Rodez.
Montpelier was shown to have but one division defending it, and unlike when Stillwell marched on Lyon weeks before, with the German army currently occupied with Besancon, there appeared no immediate rush to redeploy troops to reinforce the defenses at Montpelier. On August 25, Eddy's force from Fourth Army descended upon Montpelier. In what proved to be a very rainy August in France, the skies cleared one day before the battle began, to the troops' great relief. But in addition to the change in weather, one other unlooked for thing came their way. To the ground troops' great boon, Gardner's air force joined in the attack, pestering the defenders from the air. Without the many enemy planes in the area, the Air General felt it was safe to take to the air and aid in the attack. Outnumbered four to one, Schubert's 521st Division was not long for the fight, and after taking enormous damage in the first hours of battle quickly evacuated the city. Montpelier was once again in American hands.
Phase Two
With a Corps now in control of Montpelier, the second phase could begin. Rodez was estimated to likewise be guarded by one division. Anticipating the Germans reinforcing the region to some extent, the remaining eight divisions of Fourth Army not included in the Montpelier battle were committed to the operation.
To supplement the drive into Rodez, the new force in Montpelier was deemed available for secondary operations.
Gen. Farrell, commander of the 50th Mountain wanted to head westwards into the undefended highlands in Tarbes, but Eisenhower overruled him. The entirety of the Montpelier strike force would turn north on Fourth Army's western flank to attack lightly defended Toulouse. After having been pushed back to the sea during the German spring offensive, the American forces had shown great resiliency, and were now attempting to regain much of the land that had been lost.
Fearful Skies over Lyon
While Tenth Army had great success in its defense, and Fourth Army was on the march, Stillwell's men of Eighth Army continued to come under the devastating aerial bombardment from Sperries Air Force. The damage caused from repeated attacks had accumulated to such an extent that Stillwell wrote Devers an urgent letter, "Nearly daily we lose more of our supplies, more of our vehicles, more of our men. There is only so much anti air emplacements can do against air attacks of this size. We are easy hunting for the Stukas, and in compilation it has taken a dreadful toll. The condition is so bad, that if the enemy was to attack with a full army, the outcome would be in great doubt. The continued bombardment by air must be stopped if Eighth Army is to become an offensive unit."
Dornier 17 - Primary tactical bomber of the Luftwaffe.
Ju 87 Stuka - The plane most feared by ground troops.
Seeing the latest reports on damage and casualties caused by the massive air raids, Gen. Devers finally overruled the Air General's caution, and ordered Gardner to send in the fighters over the skies of Lyon during the next large scale aerial attack by the enemy. In the predawn hours of August 26th, the two air forces met in battle over the skies of Lyon. The 12 air divisions so familiar and dreaded to the men of Eighth Army, poised to strike the ground troops at will, were cast a great surprise as seven wings of American fighters were poised high above waiting for them. The enemy force was made up entirely of bomber aircraft ill suited for air to air, and surprised as they were from the appearance of American fighter cover, lost quite a few planes in the morning dog fight. Many of the American fighters were torn up as well, but few were lost. While not a smashing victory, it was as Stillwell declared, a far more even outcome then men on the ground taking all of the fire.
Gardner's caution need not be brushed away as timidity. The American air force was by far the smallest of the three arms of the military, and he was wholly aware that the units he currently had to work with were all he would have for a considerable time. Better he should keep them out of a costly fight then to lose the majority of his planes. There were at the time no new fighters being built, at least until the P38 and Corsair wer finally off the drawing board and ready for production. So it would be several months before any new fighter wings would be available.
A smaller secondary raid was again driven off by Gardner's plane on the next morning, with much greater results, and on the third day as well. For the time being the American air force flexing its muscle had turned aside the nearly daily large scale raids on Eighth Army.
Phase Two
With Montpelier back in Allied hands, the second phase of the operation commenced, with the entirety of Fourth Army advancing northwards on two fronts. The left flank strike force was the first to reach its objective on September 1st in Toulouse. Since the fall of Montpelier there was much enemy traffic, and it was hard to get a definitive fix on the current enemy strength around Toulouse. By the time the four division strike force reached Toulouse, the Germans had been able to move in 2 Panzergrenadier divisions.
The heavy rains returned to the area the day before the fighting began, making the job for the Americans all the tougher. With no heavy armor on their side, the strike force found it very tough going against the defenders. The fight soon turned into one of futility, and it appeared the vast majority of casualties were on the American side. Despite a 2:1 superiority in numbers, there was very little the infantry could do against the armor. The order to pull back was given a day later, and the defeated strike force began their march back to Montpelier, fully awaiting a counterattack.
Attack on Rodez
Two days later, the main of Fourth Army hoped for better results as they descended upon Rodez. As with Toulouse, once Montpelier was taken the entire German army seemed suddenly to spring to life at this new threat, and it was very difficult for Army intelligence to get a firm grasp on which direction troops were headed in, and how many were headed to the defense of Rodez.
Along with fresh German troops, the heavy rains fell down upon the land, flooding bridges and washing out roads, hampering the timely advance of the attacking troops. Many an innovation or detour were required to get past the most troublesome spots in a timely fashion, and in most cases this merely delayed many of the key units. When Eisenhower's army finally made contact with the enemy, only four of the eight divisions were available. It would be several hours before the rest moved up to the lines.
The overall delay proved a costly one, as Gen. Bader was able to reinforce the area with six fresh divisions. The torrential rains and driving wind severely hampered the attack across the entire front. Being early September, one private from Florida noted that aside from the noise of German artillery and gunfire, he could have sworn he was standing in his own front yard in the middle of a typical south Florida hurricane.
With the abysmal weather conspiring against the attack, Eisenhower pressed on, despite the stubborn nature of the defenders. The next morning two more enemy divisions were reported moving in from the northwest. While the weather proved less dramatic on the second day, perhaps it was too late for even clear skies to have made a difference. The main of Fourth Army slugged it out, pressing diligently ahead for two more days. But as casualties continued to mount and the lines hardly advanced, it was becoming apparent to Eisenhower that this second phase of the operation was just not going to succeed.
As Fourth Army began its return to Nimes, Eisenhower began to ponder the overall outcome of the offensive. The attempts to seize Toulouse and Rodez had both ended in failure, and Rodez itself was a costly failure. But in the end, Montpelier had been gained, extending the front. In hindsight, Eisenhower wrote, based on the strong defensive mindset that recent defeats had dictated, he had not seized on the initial opportunity when it presented itself. Instead of sending a small four division thrust into Montpelier to start the offensive, he should have included the eight division drive on Rodez at the same time, before the Germans were fully alerted to the scope of the offensive.
The Fourth Army offensive came up far short of what it was capable of. With a total of three divisions surrounding them, it was felt far more should have been achieved, and that this was a wasted opportunity. The situation did however promise a weakness in the enemy troop allocation. With Eighth and Tenth Armies making noise up north, it had attracted so much enemy attention, it had severely lightened the defenses in the southern area, opening up areas to be exploited. Perhaps with Fourth Army now rustling the leaves, it was hoped this would likewise attract enough enemy attention that it might open up opportunities for the other Armies up north. Be that as it may, the two beaten forces of Fourth Army now returned to their respective defensive positions to await what appeared to be a large counterattack.
With the bulk of German attention turned towards the armor in Besancon, this opened up Eisenhower's western theatre to be exploited. Patton's strategy was that pushing northward towards Germany with Tenth Army would attract so much of the German attention, concerned about incursion into the Maginot Line the German High Command would pull many troops away from the southern areas, opening up opportunities for Fourth Army on the previous battlegrounds of Montpelier and Rodez. Places like Colmar were far more strategic and important to the German western defense than places in southwest France.
The early indications of Germany's reaction to this thrust north seemed to be bearing this fact out. As wave after wave ran into the meat grinder of Tenth Army in Besancon, and the Germans sent more troops to defend the northern sector, intelligence indeed showed very light defenses in the areas to the north and west of Eisenhower's Fourth Army. Army Group Commander Devers quickly wrote off on Eisenhower's two pronged attack plan. First he would send a four division strong corps westward into Montpelier. Once that was attained, the rest of Fourth Army would march northward to seize the hilly country around Rodez.
Montpelier was shown to have but one division defending it, and unlike when Stillwell marched on Lyon weeks before, with the German army currently occupied with Besancon, there appeared no immediate rush to redeploy troops to reinforce the defenses at Montpelier. On August 25, Eddy's force from Fourth Army descended upon Montpelier. In what proved to be a very rainy August in France, the skies cleared one day before the battle began, to the troops' great relief. But in addition to the change in weather, one other unlooked for thing came their way. To the ground troops' great boon, Gardner's air force joined in the attack, pestering the defenders from the air. Without the many enemy planes in the area, the Air General felt it was safe to take to the air and aid in the attack. Outnumbered four to one, Schubert's 521st Division was not long for the fight, and after taking enormous damage in the first hours of battle quickly evacuated the city. Montpelier was once again in American hands.
Phase Two
With a Corps now in control of Montpelier, the second phase could begin. Rodez was estimated to likewise be guarded by one division. Anticipating the Germans reinforcing the region to some extent, the remaining eight divisions of Fourth Army not included in the Montpelier battle were committed to the operation.
To supplement the drive into Rodez, the new force in Montpelier was deemed available for secondary operations.
Gen. Farrell, commander of the 50th Mountain wanted to head westwards into the undefended highlands in Tarbes, but Eisenhower overruled him. The entirety of the Montpelier strike force would turn north on Fourth Army's western flank to attack lightly defended Toulouse. After having been pushed back to the sea during the German spring offensive, the American forces had shown great resiliency, and were now attempting to regain much of the land that had been lost.
Fearful Skies over Lyon
While Tenth Army had great success in its defense, and Fourth Army was on the march, Stillwell's men of Eighth Army continued to come under the devastating aerial bombardment from Sperries Air Force. The damage caused from repeated attacks had accumulated to such an extent that Stillwell wrote Devers an urgent letter, "Nearly daily we lose more of our supplies, more of our vehicles, more of our men. There is only so much anti air emplacements can do against air attacks of this size. We are easy hunting for the Stukas, and in compilation it has taken a dreadful toll. The condition is so bad, that if the enemy was to attack with a full army, the outcome would be in great doubt. The continued bombardment by air must be stopped if Eighth Army is to become an offensive unit."
Dornier 17 - Primary tactical bomber of the Luftwaffe.
Ju 87 Stuka - The plane most feared by ground troops.
Seeing the latest reports on damage and casualties caused by the massive air raids, Gen. Devers finally overruled the Air General's caution, and ordered Gardner to send in the fighters over the skies of Lyon during the next large scale aerial attack by the enemy. In the predawn hours of August 26th, the two air forces met in battle over the skies of Lyon. The 12 air divisions so familiar and dreaded to the men of Eighth Army, poised to strike the ground troops at will, were cast a great surprise as seven wings of American fighters were poised high above waiting for them. The enemy force was made up entirely of bomber aircraft ill suited for air to air, and surprised as they were from the appearance of American fighter cover, lost quite a few planes in the morning dog fight. Many of the American fighters were torn up as well, but few were lost. While not a smashing victory, it was as Stillwell declared, a far more even outcome then men on the ground taking all of the fire.
Gardner's caution need not be brushed away as timidity. The American air force was by far the smallest of the three arms of the military, and he was wholly aware that the units he currently had to work with were all he would have for a considerable time. Better he should keep them out of a costly fight then to lose the majority of his planes. There were at the time no new fighters being built, at least until the P38 and Corsair wer finally off the drawing board and ready for production. So it would be several months before any new fighter wings would be available.
A smaller secondary raid was again driven off by Gardner's plane on the next morning, with much greater results, and on the third day as well. For the time being the American air force flexing its muscle had turned aside the nearly daily large scale raids on Eighth Army.
Phase Two
With Montpelier back in Allied hands, the second phase of the operation commenced, with the entirety of Fourth Army advancing northwards on two fronts. The left flank strike force was the first to reach its objective on September 1st in Toulouse. Since the fall of Montpelier there was much enemy traffic, and it was hard to get a definitive fix on the current enemy strength around Toulouse. By the time the four division strike force reached Toulouse, the Germans had been able to move in 2 Panzergrenadier divisions.
The heavy rains returned to the area the day before the fighting began, making the job for the Americans all the tougher. With no heavy armor on their side, the strike force found it very tough going against the defenders. The fight soon turned into one of futility, and it appeared the vast majority of casualties were on the American side. Despite a 2:1 superiority in numbers, there was very little the infantry could do against the armor. The order to pull back was given a day later, and the defeated strike force began their march back to Montpelier, fully awaiting a counterattack.
Attack on Rodez
Two days later, the main of Fourth Army hoped for better results as they descended upon Rodez. As with Toulouse, once Montpelier was taken the entire German army seemed suddenly to spring to life at this new threat, and it was very difficult for Army intelligence to get a firm grasp on which direction troops were headed in, and how many were headed to the defense of Rodez.
Along with fresh German troops, the heavy rains fell down upon the land, flooding bridges and washing out roads, hampering the timely advance of the attacking troops. Many an innovation or detour were required to get past the most troublesome spots in a timely fashion, and in most cases this merely delayed many of the key units. When Eisenhower's army finally made contact with the enemy, only four of the eight divisions were available. It would be several hours before the rest moved up to the lines.
The overall delay proved a costly one, as Gen. Bader was able to reinforce the area with six fresh divisions. The torrential rains and driving wind severely hampered the attack across the entire front. Being early September, one private from Florida noted that aside from the noise of German artillery and gunfire, he could have sworn he was standing in his own front yard in the middle of a typical south Florida hurricane.
With the abysmal weather conspiring against the attack, Eisenhower pressed on, despite the stubborn nature of the defenders. The next morning two more enemy divisions were reported moving in from the northwest. While the weather proved less dramatic on the second day, perhaps it was too late for even clear skies to have made a difference. The main of Fourth Army slugged it out, pressing diligently ahead for two more days. But as casualties continued to mount and the lines hardly advanced, it was becoming apparent to Eisenhower that this second phase of the operation was just not going to succeed.
As Fourth Army began its return to Nimes, Eisenhower began to ponder the overall outcome of the offensive. The attempts to seize Toulouse and Rodez had both ended in failure, and Rodez itself was a costly failure. But in the end, Montpelier had been gained, extending the front. In hindsight, Eisenhower wrote, based on the strong defensive mindset that recent defeats had dictated, he had not seized on the initial opportunity when it presented itself. Instead of sending a small four division thrust into Montpelier to start the offensive, he should have included the eight division drive on Rodez at the same time, before the Germans were fully alerted to the scope of the offensive.
The Fourth Army offensive came up far short of what it was capable of. With a total of three divisions surrounding them, it was felt far more should have been achieved, and that this was a wasted opportunity. The situation did however promise a weakness in the enemy troop allocation. With Eighth and Tenth Armies making noise up north, it had attracted so much enemy attention, it had severely lightened the defenses in the southern area, opening up areas to be exploited. Perhaps with Fourth Army now rustling the leaves, it was hoped this would likewise attract enough enemy attention that it might open up opportunities for the other Armies up north. Be that as it may, the two beaten forces of Fourth Army now returned to their respective defensive positions to await what appeared to be a large counterattack.
