Between the Lippe River and Lippe Canal Germany

Posted on by Thor

I stayed in this camper in Froliche Nachtigal in Shermbeck Germany. This little camper park is between the Lippe Canal and the Lippe River to the north west of Dorsten Germany. I am not yet able go conform the exact location where the 75th Infantry Division crossed the Lippe Canal heading south east towards Dorsten.

The Lippe Canal ran right next to the camping site. Since the distance between the river and the canal is just about 500 feet, there would he a very good chance that my father and the C-Company men he was leading would have passed right through here 0n their way to  The gap between the Lippe Fiver and the Lippe Canal at this site is just 50 yards. If the 75th Infantry was still clearing the gap between the waterways to this pint then They most certainly walked right through this site that is now set up with campers. I was camping right where they passed or perhaps set ip camp themselves. The Lippe Rover was to the right of thr camper I was staying in just a gew yeards away and there was a sign that let campers know that swimming was encouraged.

American engineer battalions we hard at work creating temporary bridges to make the canal crossing easier. 1st Lieutenant Arhtur Thorspecken was actually an engineer himself in civilian life. Arthur had attended NYU Engineering School but he dropped out af6er 2 years so he could join the army which needed boots on the ground.

Crossing the Lippe Canal left the troops exposed to enemy fire.

March 26, 1945: Gahlen Germany

Posted on by Thor

After crossing the Rhine River, and expanding the bridgehead on the opposite side of the river, American forces  including the 75th Infantry Division, crossed the Lippe Canal around March 30th, leading to rapid advances eastwards as German defenses crumbled.

Gahlen Germany is between Hünxe and Dorsten Germany on the Lippe Canal. My father 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken advanced with his C-Company, in the 75th Infantry Division through this small hamlet. German troops were offering stiff resistance to slow the advance into Dorsten.

On the push to Dorsten, , the Americans encountered resistance from the remnants of German 116th Panzer-Division and 15th Panzer Grenadier-Division. The US troops of XVICorps, including the 75th Infantry Division, the 30th Infantry Division and 8th Armored Division forced the units of German 116th Panzer-Division to withdraw to Gahlen, east of Hünxe, on March 26, 1945.

On March 27, 1945 the bridgehead on the opposite side of the Rhine River had been expanded and the crossing site sectors had been united. This site became a safe zone where command posts could plan the advance into Germany and supplies could be moved east for the advancing army.

Gahlen was heavily bombed and suffered greatly from the heavy fighting at the end of March 1945. An air raid siren sounded and all the residents of Gahlen rushed to bomb shelters. School children ran from their school to join their parents in the shelters.

While I was sketching, school children were wandering the street in groups. I think they were searching for items in a scavenger hunt. There was plenty of laughter as they searched. One boy shouted for joy when he found me sketching. I don’t know everything he said. But I said “Danke” and gave him a thumbs up. He shouted to his teacher to take a look. At another moment, a little girl and her mom wanted to see what I was doing. The little girl said something in German and I said “Danke.” As she was leaning forward, she dropped a small glass bead into my art bag by mistake. She was afraid to take it out. I reached in and found it and gave it back. Her mom smiled, and they walked away, happy to have seen an artist at work.

In 1945 the residents of a Gahlen huddled in the dark listening to the explosions above. Then it grew quiet. The air raid siren cut off and people slowly emerged from their shelter. Many of the children wandered back to school. They found an UXB (unexploded American artillery shell) stuck in the ground in front of the school. Curious, the children slowly got closer to see the dud. It glinted in the sun. One student backed away and then ran. At that moment, the shell blew up killing several of the children.

March 26, 1945: Duisburg Germany

Posted on by Thor


My notes showed that the 75th Infantry Division was in Duisburg Germany on March 26, 1945. It is 22 miles south of the front lines up at Hunxe Germany. Duisburg is a much larger city than the smaller town the troops were moving through up near the Lippe River and canal. Now that I am sitting down and doing more research, I think that I made a mistake. German troops still had control of Duisburg Germany on March 26. Duisburg is on the Rhine River and now I think that in my early research I must have read that Duisburg was an objective after the Rhine crossings but it is much further south than where the 75th a infantry troops crossed the river. The 75th was assigned to the XVI Corps during OPERATION PLUNDER. I realize now that the XIX Corps would have overtaken Duisburg. That is the advantage of actually traveling to the place. Such mistakes become obvious with boots on the ground.

When in Duisburg I decided to sketch in the Ehren Friedhof German Military Cemetery in Kriesarberg Park . I focused my attention on this statue of a half naked German soldier unsheathing his sword. The sexual innuendo is pretty obvious. There were hundreds of headstones for World War II soldiers but I preferred to focus on how sexy it is to die for your country.The statue is considered controversial by some Germans because it is unclear weather the soldier is unscheathing the sword or putting it away.

Duisburg is considered by some historians to have been the most heavily bombed city by the allies during WWII, with more than 80% of the city buildings destroyed. Between 1939 and 1945 the Royal Air Force flew 299 sorties dropping bombs on Duisburg.  Being in the heart of the Ruhr Industrial area and on the Rhine River, made the city vital for German war production and logistics. The city is also a hub for railroad traffic which I noticed as I hiked into the city center. The city was the location of many chemical, steel and iron industries. To stop the German war effort, the Ruhr had to be defeated. As a major port and industrial center, Duisburg was a crucial target for capture after the initial Rhine River crossings. 

The 79th Infantry Division rather than the 75th Infantry Division played a key role in clearing Duisburg during the final push into Germany in April 1945, crossing the Rhine near the city and participating in the Ruhr Pocket battles alongside other units like the 95th Infantry Division and 8th Armored Division, with elements securing the suburb of Bruckhausen before the main city fell. 

Taking the heavily damaged city of Duisburg meant that the Allies had broken the back of the German resistance and were ready to drive into the heart of Germany.

March 26, 1945: Lippe Canal

Posted on by Thor

 

My father 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken was leading the 75th Infantry Division, 1st Platoon, C-Company after crossing the Rhine River as they cleared the gap between the Lippe Canal and the Lippe River. The Lippe Canal is a made waterway with long straight stretches which is ideal for large barges to transport coal and other war time materials. The more natural winding Lippe River runs just to the north of the canal. I decided my first task should be to sketch the canal. I had already drawn the canal when I drew the Frederichfeld Lock, but I wanted to see what the distance was like between the canal and the river, so I decided to sketch each on the same day.

I am certain that this bridge near Gahlen Germany, southeast of Wesel,  had been destroyed by the retreating Germans. At some point as my father’s Division got closer to Dorsten Germany, moving east between the Lippe C1anal and River they would have appreciated having a bridge to get south across the canal. The water is certainly too deep to fjord across while holding a rifle over your head.

The Lippe Canal, was a significant barrier and objective for the advancing Allied forces in March of 1945. The 9th Army was moving east on the south of the Lippe a river while the British forces were advancing to the north of the Lippe River as part of OPERATION PLUNDER and OPERATION VARSITY.  Swift construction of temporary bridges both Bailey & Tread way by engineers was needed to overcome the destroyed German bridges, allowing a rapid advance into Germany.

Operation Plunder had allied forces including my fathers 75th Infantry Division crossing the  River in landing craft as well as temporary bridges build by engineers. Operation Varsity involved more than 16,000 paratroopers and several thousand aircraft, it is the largest airborne operation ever conducted on a single day and in one location. The parachute forces dropped north of Wesel on the eastern side of the Rhine River. They attacked south into the demolished city of Wesel and met up with the British forces crossing the Rhine in landing craft and then bridges.

Ninty seven percent of Wesel buildings were destroyed by Alied bombings and artillery fire. Despite this, German forces cut down the paratroopers who were dropped in broad daylight as part of Operation Varsity. The 6th Airborne Division had suffered around 1,400 casualties killed, wounded or missing in action out of the 7,220 personnel who were landed in the operation. The 17th Airborne Division suffered a similar casualty rate, reporting around 1,300 casualties out of 9,650 personnel who took part in the operation between March 24th and 29th. 56 aircraft were lost on March 24, 1945.

Friedrichfeld Germany: Haus Kretchmer

Posted on by Thor

Friedrichfeld is the first city in Germany that my father 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken who was leading C-Company of the 75th Infantry Division, would have passed through. The troops were in the thin strip of land between the Lippe River and the Lippe Canal. The canal had been destroyed by allied artillery fire and I have no doubt that Friedrichfeld was equally leveled. The allied had fired an intense volley of artillery fire before crossing the Rhine River and Friedrichfeld was in the line of fire.

For the first month of this trip, Seacoast Bank had cut me off from the money I had saved in my checking account because a hacker had attempted to buy a plane ticket to Amsterdam using my card information. A new card was shipped to my distant cousin in Koblenz Germany and I had just picked the card up from her. Since I now had some control over expenses, I decided to treat myself to a good lunch. This was a small victory celebration in my war with the bank.

Another reason for the binge was that it was raining outside so a sketch outdoors would be impossible. I was shocked at how crowded it was in Haus Kretchmer. A very large group was occupying three tables. The conversations in German were lively. I was proud that I was starting to pick up snippets of what was being said. I even managed to order my lunch in German, although, I used my Google translate camera to scan the menu.

I ordered a Schnitzel which was good but on the dry side. I asked for a water to drink but it came in a small bottle and it was seltzer water which I found odd. I was thirsty, so the water was gone long before I finished eating. Folks who ordered beer had huge mugs full of beer. I realized I might have to start ordering beer if I was to avoid going thirsty when I eat out.

In March of 1945, the Americans established a POW camp in, Friedrichsfeld for all the German soldiers who were surrendering. The camp could hold up to 35,000 men.

March 17, 1945: Wallach Germany

Posted on by Thor

On March 10, 1945 Task Force Murray and the 137th Infantry Division advanced and seized Borch and Wallach Germany with light resistance.Task Force Murray was formed under the command of the 35th Infantry Division and included elements of Combat Command B (CCB) of the 8th Armored Division and the 137th Infantry Division. Specifically the 3rd Battalion of the 137th Infantry including Company K, captured the town of Wallach.

On the night of March 10, 1945, the 75th Infantry Division relieved Task Force Murray in the area around Kaldenkirchen, Germany. By March 11, 1945 the Allies had cleared the entire area West of the Rhine River. The plan was to gain a foothold on the eastern bank of the Rhine to then advance into Germany.

Between March 12 and 17th the 772nd Tank Destroyer Battalion was attached to the 75th Infantry Division. They were -repaired for direct fire on the West Bank of the Rhine River.

On March 17, 1945 Anti Tank guns were brought forward to a position south of Wallach Germany. The heavy artillery moved into Wallach was critical for the success of the crossing of the Rhine River. The gins fired until they were too hot to handle, barrels had to be replaced and entire artillery guns replaced.

On March 18, 1945 a squad from the 2nd Battalion of the 75th Infantry Division crossed the Rhine River and discovered defensive positions with 2-4 Germans. The squad made a detailed terrain study of the area noting roads through the German sector.

On March 21, 1945 a boat full of 5 man Germans was sighted near Company G of the 75th an infantry Division. Four Germans were killed and an officer captured. The goal of the 75th Infantry Division was to keep the Germans from gaining any intelligence about the impending Rhine River crossing.

On March 24, 1945 the Americans began the heavy artillery fire. There were 55 divisions of artillery. It would have been hell on earth on the opposite bank of the Rhine River. A-Company of the 772nd Tank Destroyer Division attached to the 75th Infantry Division fired 193 rounds and C-Company fired 23 interdiction rounds, 22 harassing rounds and 770 Normal rounds. 


Interdiction and Harassing rounds were a military tactic, especially associated with artillery and mortars, where standard High Explosive (HE) or other general-purpose shells were fired at suspected enemy areas, movement routes, or assembly points at random intervals, often throughout the night. The most common “normal” round for artillery was the High Explosive (HE) shell, which could be fitted with various fuzes (impact, graze, or time) to detonate at different times or upon impact. 

Aachen Germany: Siegfried Line

Posted on by Thor

The Siegfried Line known in Germany as the Westwall, was a German defensive line built during the late 1930s. Started in 1936, opposite the French Maginot Line, it stretched more than 390 miles from Kleve Germany on the border with the Netherlands, along the western border of Nazi Germany, to the town of Weil am Rhein Germany on the border with Switzerland. The line featured more than 18,000 bunkers, tunnels and tank traps.

German propaganda promoted the WestwWall as an impenetrable line. To counter this propaganda, a British song writer wrote a song titled: Hang Out the Washing on the Siegfried Line.

Finding these Dragon’s Teeth involved a long hike deep into the woods. It was a lovely hike to start. There were a few other people on the trail and then, as I got ready to sketch the sky once again threatened rain. When the rain hits, it comes in like a sheet of grey, darkening the woods. I worked fast knowing that I had a decent sketch from the previous day, of dragon’s teeth. These teeth were taller and more imposing and I suspect they had been cleaned off since there was far less moss growing on them.

From September 17-25 1945, Operation Market Garden, conceived by British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery was a bold, single-thrust strategy designed to outflank the Siegfried Line from the north. The goal was to seize key bridges in the Netherlands with airborne troops and then have ground forces advance rapidly to link up with them, crossing the Rhine and pushing into Germany. The operation failed due to German resistance, a captured operational plan, and a slow ground advance down a single congested roadway, resulting in heavy losses for the airborne troops at Arnhem Netherlands.

After the failure of Market Garden, Supreme Commander Dwight D. General Eisenhower preferred a broad front approach to advance through the Siegfried line and into Germany. The American forces launched a slow advance, attacking strongpoints and bunkers directly all along the line. The 30th Infantry Division led an attack along a 14-mile front to clear areas and reduce the defenses. Other units, like the 1st and 28th Infantry Divisions, also engaged in hard-fought battles to breach the line. This method was a “grinding and bloody” approach that made slow, costly progress against the heavily fortified German positions. The Siegfried line was breached in October of 1944. By the time the 75th Infantry Division was crossing the Siegfried line in March of 1945, the hardest battles to push through the defenses had been fought. The next line was to cross the Rhine River.

The Siegfried Line

Posted on by Thor

West of the Roer River the 75th Infantry Division would have faced the Siegfried Line which is a a fortified area meant to stop an allied advance. There is not much of the Siegfried line still in existence today. After the war, many sections of the Siegfried Line were removed using explosives, but I found these “Dragon’s Teeth” in a forest in Aachen Germany.

The bunkers consisted mainly of unarmed shelters, which were built of concrete. The bunkers were often placed near agricultural farms for reasons of camouflage. Thinking a man Mande fortification might stop an army in World War II was rather medieval. Any modern mechanized army would find ways to move over or through such fortifications.

Since 1997, with the motto “The value of the unpleasant as a memorial”, an effort has been made to preserve the remains of the Siegfried Line as a historical monument. It was intended to stop reactionary fascist groups from using the Siegfried Line for propaganda purposes.

The Siegfried line in the area that the 75th Infantry Division moved through west of the Roer River was known as the Geldernstellung referring to the fortifications of the Westwall, in particular to the unarmed but massively built concrete bunkers from the Second World War. These bunkers were often referred to as “standard buildings” and were originally intended to camouflage the agricultural landscape, as they were built near farms.

The bunkers consisted mainly of unarmed shelters, which were built of concrete. The bunkers were often placed near agricultural farms for reasons of camouflage. Thinking a man made fortification might stop an army in World War II was a rather medieval  fantasy. Any modern mechanized army would find ways to move over or through such fortifications.

March 7, 1945: Heidhausen Germany

Posted on by Thor

On March 7, 1945bas part of OPERATION GRENADE, the 1st Battalion of the 75th Infantry Division assembled in Heidhausen Germany, south of Venlo Netherlands. The 2nd Battalion assembled in Bruch Germany and the 3rd a battalion assembled in Hulst Germany. I kept my focus on 1st Battalion since my father 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thospecken was in charge of C-Company in the 1st Battalion. They were assembling to prepare to clear Venlo, Roermund and Leutherheide Germany.

OPERATION GRENADE involved crossing the flooded Roer River and driving the Germans back across the Rhine River to the east. The Rhine River was the last natural barrier keeping American troops from sweeping towards Berlin Germany.Rhine

Troops were billeted in the finest homes in town. For 3 days they screened the surrounding towns for prisoners of war, weapons and to clear any remaining pill boxes. Once this area was cleared they would push east to the Rhine River.

Today, Heidhausen is very much a small rural community. I parked the rental car on a small suburban street and then hiked out onto the long expanses of farming dirt roads. The community church in Bruch Germany can be seen in the distance.

March 7, 1945: Leutherheide Germany

Posted on by Thor

The 75th Infantry Division Command Post was in Leutherheide Germany on March 7, 1945. The troops were in Kaldenkirchen Germany a 10 minute drive to the west. During World War II Kaldenkirchen was located near the Siegfried line which was a critical German defensive position along the Western front. Allied forces encountered the Siegfried line in the final months of the war. The Rhineland campaign which involved allies clearing the area west of the Rhine and then crossing the Rhine River involved significant fighting in this area.

About 65 German soldiers marched into Leutherheide Germany. An allied patrol spotted the troops and reported their position back to the 135th Infantry Division headquarters. A convoy was assembles of anti tank guns, assorted vehicles and 7 jeeps carrying troops from Company’s K and L. When the American troops rolled into town the German troops were completely surprised. About 40 surrendered and the others fled. There were no casualties.

The saying on the large headstone with the German helmet on top, translated says…”We remember our hero’s.”

What I sketched was the Peter and Paul German War Graves in Leutherheide Germany. After completing the sketch I was getting back in the rental car when an old woman drive her motorized scooter up to my drivers door window. She asked me a question in German and I didn’t understand. She sounded upset or annoyed, soI decided to just show her my sketch. Then she pointed at the gate to the cemetery and I understood enough words to realize she wanted me to let her into the cemetery. I flipped open the squeaky iron latch and swung the gate open for her. She thanked me and motored inside. When I left the gate swung closed. Now I am wondering how she got back out of the cemetery. If she couldn’t open the gate going in, then she wouldn’t be able to open the gate to get back out.