March 29, 1945: Chemische Werke Huls in Marl Germany

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On March 31, 8th (holy Saturday) the 8th Armored Division occupied Chemische Werke Huls. The 75th Infantry Division which was assigned to the 8th Armored Division helped secure the facility. The chemical plant had suffered from Allied bombing prior to the attack. It was to be blown up and completely destroyed by the retreating Nazi’s because of Hitler’s (Nero Policy) but it was saved because Nazi leadership was convinced it was no longer operational anyway and they were in  a rush to flee.

I.G. Farben (which controlled the mine) was a German chemical and pharmaceutical conglomerate that was integral to the Nazi war machine and the atrocities of the Holocaust. The company conducted drug experiments on live inmates at concentration camps, including Auschwitz, Dachau, and Buchenwald. Bayer, a company within the I.G. Farben conglomerate, was particularly involved, paying an SS physician to test experimental drugs on deliberately infected prisoners.
 
I.G. Farben produced essential materials for the German military, including synthetic oil, rubber, explosives, and aviation fuel, making it critical to the German war effort and the invasion of other countries. The company seized and plundered factories and property in occupied territories during the war. 

As World War II ended, the giant chemical conglomerate I.G. Farben was broken up by the Allies, leading to the colliery being placed under Allied control. The company committed extensive war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the manufacturing of Zyklon B, the poison gas used in the gas chambers for the mass murder of millions of people in concentration camps, primarily Auschwitz-Birkenau.  

The chemical company also endorsed the brutal exploitation of massive amounts of slave labor from concentration camps, including Auschwitz.

After World War II, the Allies seized I.G. Farben’s assets. The subsequent I.G. Farben Trial (officially The United States of America v. Carl Krauch, et al.) took place from August 1947 to July 1948. Twenty-four directors were charged with crimes against peace, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and membership in the SS. 
 
Thirteen of the defendants were found guilty of charges such as plunder and spoliation of property, and imposing slave labor. Sentences ranged from one to eight years in prison, but all convicted individuals were released early by 1951, partly due to Cold War political considerations.
 
In the western zones of Germany, I.G. Farben was broken up into its constituent companies with the goal of preventing a future threat to world peace. These included industry giants like Bayer, BASF, and Hoechst (which later became part of Aventis, now part of Sanofi).

The successor companies eventually contributed to a $5.9 billion fund for compensating former slave laborers and concentration camp inmates. Thr Chemical Plant is still in operation today.

My father, 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken was leading C-Company in the attack of Marl. These are the C-Company soldiers who were killed in action on that advance…

Private First Class Dean Bergeron. Age 25, died March 29, 1945 on the advance to Marl 

Private First Class Alfred D. Stockwell Age 25, died March 29, 1945 on the advance to Marl.

Private First Class Ernie J. Guigar. Age 23, died April 2, 1945 in Marl Germany.

Marl Germany: Memorial at Saint Georges Church

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Marl, Germany, was a key industrial town centered around the Chemiche Werk Huls, a massive chemical plant built by IG Farben to produce a synthetic ribber and fuel for the Nazi war machine. Mark therefor became a major target for Allied bombing raids, especially in 1943, leading to heavy damage. The chemical plant used forced labor. The Allies captured Marl on March 31, 1945.

In Marl Germany, I went to the Saint George Church to sketch. On the back side of the church, I found this memorial for World War I, and World War II. A knight is seen stabbing the throat of a dragon.

After the 2nd Battalion of the 75th Infantry Division took Dorsten Germany on March 31, 1945, the 75th Infantry pushed east towards Marl Germany. Private Dean Bergeron of C-Company of the 75th Infantry Division was killed in action on that advance to Marl. Dean Bergeron died on March 29, 1945. Dean was the third soldier my father, 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken lost from his command of C-Company.

On April 1, 1945, the 290th Infantry Division was ordered to relieve the 8th Armored Division and attack through their lines toward the 75th Infantry objectives to the East. With the enemy in sight, two division objectives were taken in a few hours. Marl is about 7 miles East of Dorsten.

Throughout the entire action the German 116th Panzer Division employed its tanks piecemeal in support of infantry elements. By so doing, the 116 Panzer Division lost the ability to launch a formidable counter-attack, while the small groups of platoon size that were committed could hope to slow down the Allied advance only temporarily.

On April 1, 1945, the 290th Infantry Division was ordered to relieve the 8th Armored Division and attack through their lines toward the 75th Infantry objectives to the East. With the enemy in sight, two division objectives were taken in a few hours. Marl is about 7 miles East of Dorsten Germany.

March 29, 1945: Dorsten Germany

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I spent several days in Dorsten Germany since this city was so critical for my father’s C-Company of the 75th Infantry Division as they pushed east into the Ruhr pocket after they crossed the Rhine River. The most obvious landmark in each German city  I sketched would be the church steeple. I would locate a church steeple and that would be what I used to orient myself as I explored the city streets.

The medieval core of the city of Dorsten was significantly damaged by allied bombing. This sketch shows the oldest building in the Dorsten Market Square built in 1567, known as the City Weigh House. In 1935 the Local Dorsten Historical Society opened a museum in the former town hall rooms. In 1945 the building was miraculously only partially destroyed from allied air raids. After the war, the building served for a short time as a tavern.

The Saint Agatha’s Church was first built on the 13th century. The first church on the site was expanded into an opulent gothic hall church. A fire on 1719 severely damaged that church. The bells for the church were first cast this year. In 1945, that church was completely destroyed by allied bombs. The pews and the parish archives went up in flames. The rubble of the old church is now incorporated into the new concrete building which has a smaller and less opulent steeple.

As I was doing this sketch, a gentleman spoke to me for some time about cities in the area, he wondered why I was in Dorsten Germany, because there were far more popular cities for tourists to visit. One thing he said stuck with me. He said, “In America you don’t have much history. 200 years is nothing compared to the history you find in European cities.” Of course America hasn’t invaded neighboring countries sparking off a World War or sent citizens to concentration camps to be exterminated…..yet.

In March of 1945, the XVICorps which included the 75th and 30th Infantry Divisions along with a battalion of the 8th Armored Division had crossed the Rhine River on landing craft the day before. On route to Dorsten Germany the American combat group unexpectedly encountered resistance from the remnants of the German 116th Panzer-Division and the 15th Panzer Grenadier-Division.

The 9th Army Group General Willaim Simson originally planned to bypass Dorsten on his drive towards Berlin Germany. But then orders were received on the night of March 28, 1945 that Dorsten would be taken by 0800 hours the next morning. A new task force was created, under command of Lieutenant Colonel Harris, the 2nd Battalion Commander, 290th Infantry Division and consisting of the 2nd Battalion minus G Company. Another division moved into position 3 kilometers east of Dorsten. Task Force Pointer was told to hold in place at the forward advancing position because the main effort against the town would come from the east instead of the west.

The 75th Infantry Division had already by passed Dorsten to the south but were ordered to backtrack and help take the city which was needed to get allied supplies from the north to the south across the Lippe Canal. The division backtracked at night until they reached the railroad tracks that run south out of Dorsten. The tracks were an obvious place to stop and approach the city from the south. The infantry jumped off at 0600 hours on the morning of March  29, 1945 following a 15 minute artillery preparation by 15 battalions of artillery.

March 26, 1945: Gahlen Germany

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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 27, 1945: Gahlen Germany

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Gahlen Germany is half way between the Rhine River and Dorsten Germany. Gahlen was a scene of fierce fighting as Allied forces, particularly the XVICorps advanced across the Rhine River to the west and Lippe river to the north, with troops moving through Gahlen under heavy artillery and air attack, from German Messerschmitt Bf 109s. The German troops put up intense resistance resulting in heavy destruction typical of the final weeks of the war in the region.

On March 28, 1945 the Americans encountered resistance from the remnants of German 116th Panzer-Division and 15th Panzer Grenadier-Division. The XVICorps included the 290th Infantry, of which the 75th Infantry Division was a part along with the 30th Infantry Division and the 8th Armored Division (The Thundering Herd).

On March 28, 1945 the XVICorps attacked East along the Lippe River and Lippe Canal. On the push to Dorsten, the Americans encountered resistance from the remnants of German 116th Panzer-Division and 15th Panzer Grenadier-Division. 30 Mar 1945,

After crossing the Rhine River, the first goal of the XVICorps was to push west towards Berlin Germany. General William H. Simpson was leading the American 9th Army as they pushed east. Prior to this push he had worked under the British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. The British forces lacked the fire power to make the push on their own, so the American 9th Army assisted.

The Ruhr Pocket was encircled on April 1, 1945 trapping more than 300,000 German soldiers. Once trapped, they became more desperate as the pocket was tightened from the Americans attacking from the north. Old men and children were given weapons and told to fight for their fatherland.

Supreme Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower abandoned the idea of pushing to Berlin Germany on April 2, 1945. He decided to leave that prize to the Soviets since the Potsdam agreement had already established how the conquered German territories would be divided.

After Berlin was abandoned by the Americans, the goal became to sweep south right through the center of the Ruhr and crush the industrial area. This would involve prolonged and intense house to house combat in the industrial cities. Eisenhower thought that pushing to Berlin would have to high a price on American casualties, but the Ruhr Pocket was also a highly defended meat grinder.

The overall; movement of the Corps was from West to East along the Lippe Canal which runs West to East. After reaching Dorsten the XVI Corps then moved south, to seize and hold crossings over Rhein-Herne Canal at the junction with the Lippe River, and then continue south to the Ruhr River.

The Gahlen Memorial that I sketched was inaugurated on September 10, 1922. Six marble plaques are inset into the walls of the memorial containing the names of German soldiers who died in World War II. The massive obelisk in the center contains the names of soldiers who died in World War I. These names became severely weathered making them hard to read. In 2004 the weathered plaques were replaced with bronze plaques. The entire monument underwent a full restoration in 2022.

March 17, 1945: Wallach Germany

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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. 

March 1945: Kaldenkirchen Germany

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Gasthause Luthemuhle was the Inn I stayed in as I explored and sketched Kaldenkirchen Germany. It was a really nice place right on a lake and there were two horses who grazed right outside my window as the sun set. It was a quiet peaceful retreat which is the polar opposite of the 80 year old war zone I was trying to find evidence of.

The quick sketch is of the dining room. The Inn was far from the town of Kaldenkirchen, so I at here several times.

There was little resistance when 8th Armored Division first took Kaldenkirchen on March 1, 1945. My father, 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken and the men of C-Company of the 75th Infantry Division were in this area from March 8th to March 11, 1945 clearing isolated pockets of German resistance. They did the same in Venlo Netherlands and Roermund Netherlands which are both close to Kaldenkirchen Germany.

XVI Corps command post, was located in Kaldenkirchen Germany in early March 1945. The 75th Infantry Division was assigned to the XVI Corps for OPERATION GRENADE. That Operation had the troops advancing across the Ruhr River  which had been flooded by the retreating Germans, to the western side of the Rhine River. The British and Canadians were to the north as the troops advanced towards the Rhine River.

 

March 8, 1945: Kaldenkirchen Germany

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The 8th Armored Division passing through Kaldenkirchen Germany on March 3rd with little resistance. March 6, 1945 the 75th Infantry was ordered to move to an assembly area south of Kaldenkirchen Germany. That troop movement was completed by March 7, 1945. On March 7th there was small arms fire near the 75th Infantry Command Post. The Headquarters and Service Companies were alerted but no enemy troops were found in the area.

On March 9, 1945, a jeep patrol from the 75th Infantry division hit an anti-tank mine just east of Kaldenkirchen in farm country, resulting in several casualties, including one killed in action. The night of 10 March 1945, the 75th Infantry Division relieved Task Force Murray of the 35th Infantry Division working with the 8th Armored Division. The bridges to Wesel across the Rhine River had been blown by retreating Germans and the movement across the Rhine, halted.

From March 8-11 1945 the 75th Infantry Division was involved in clearing the area around Kaldenkirchen Germany as well as Venlo and Roermund Netherlands. The 35th Infantry Division had accomplished a breakthrough in this area but did not have time to completely eliminate all the enemy installations in the area. It fell to the 75th Infantry Division to take out each installation one at a time. German prisoners were taken, suspected were processed, mine fields were marked to keep troops from injury and for future clearing and large quantities of weapons and ammunition were confiscated.

From March 13 to March 23, the 75th patrolled a sector along the west bank of the Rhine from Wesel to Homburg.

 

The Rhine Crossing near Rhineberg Germany

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After visiting my distant cousins Nini Thorspecken in Koblenz Germany, I drove back up to the Rhineberg Germany area to get a sketch of the Rhine River where my father 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken might have crossed the river in March of 1945. I found a parking spot at the trailhead of a long hiking trail that followed the river northwards. The first mile of so of the trail the river wasn’t visible but then the trail went up a steep hill which might be man made to keep the floodwaters from getting to the fields and the town.

I was dreading the crossing. I imagined the industrial Ruhr area to be a wasteland of endless factories. When I stopped to  sketch that dread was reinforced. The nuclear facility I had sketched down river was still visible and surrounding it were a vast cluster of smoke stacks and cranes. There were train tracks right near the river’s edge and the cars were covered in graffiti. I noticed on the drive down to Koblenz Germany that graffiti is predominant along the autobahn. Rather than accepting the graffiti as a sign of artistic expression, I saw it as a song of cultural decay.

I am satisfied that this sketch site is straight west of Rheinberg Germany. I could have done another sketch further north along this trail, but there was a huge heard of sheep grazing and I decided I would not scatter the herd so I turned around. This sketch represents what might be the southern most of the three sites that the 75th Infantry Division might have crossed the river at. The middle site would have looked quite similar to this, so I was fine with focusing my attention on reaching the northern most site which was Buderich Germany.

As part of OPERATION PLUNDER, the 75th Infantry crossed the Rhine river between March 26th and March 31, 1945 under the cover of engineering smoke. The 75th was assigned to work along side the 8th Armored Division which was the first armored unit over the Rhine in the 9th Army sector. The crossings were proceeded with a huge artillery bombardment. 1st Lieutenant Dick Sassin said this of the crossing of the Rhine, “We were involved in a major attack across the Rhine, but the bridge at Remagen had been found intact, so troops could move across. It must have been hell to be on the receiving end as the concussion on our side was so great that it would lift the roof tiles  and they would fall back with a clatter of tiles that did not reconnect.”

Charleroi Belgium: Ibis Styles Aero 44

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I find the small pocket sized sketchbook is great for quick informal sketches at moments like waiting for the food to come at dinner. To my right there was a large table full of guys that seemed to be together on a business trip. It was a jovial scene with everyone sharing photos on their cell phones.

Of course in WWII no Infantry soldier was allowed to shoot photos or write anything about where they had been or where they were going. ‘Loose lops sink ships” was the propaganda slogan to encourage troops to keep their lips sealed. My father 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken never wrote or said anything about the war. He kept his lips leaked up until his dying day. As a child I thought I heard him say one that a bullet had hit a tank right next to his leg once. His C-Company platoon was  assigned to work with the 8th Armored Division when the 75th Infantry Division pushed into Germany. So the tank aspect of my vague memory holds up.

Two other 1st Lieuenants from the 75th Infantry did write about their experiences in the war, and I am using their writings as a way to get a sense of what a 1st Lieutenant would have gone through in WWII.

The scene I sketched in the hotel restaurant probably isn’t much different that a scene in an infantry mess hall except for the fact that there was a woman in the room at the far table. Belgium was liberated by February of 1945 when Arthur Thorspecken might have been in the city ready to join the 75th Infantry as they moved up to the Netherlands.

After this dinner, I went up to my room and discovered that my travel credit card was missing. I tore apart my luggage and could not find it anywhere. Then I remembered getting gas on the drive to Charleroi Belgium. The gas pump just wouldn’t work with my card. I got frustrated and finally went inside to pay in Euros. I must have left the card in the machine in my frustration. In the morning I decided to make the drive back to the gas station. It was a long shot, but I had to try. I pulled into the gas station and pulled up to the same gas pump. Of course the card was not in the machine. I went inside the store with a vague hope that some good Samaritan had turned the card in to the attendant. I don’t know how to speak Flemish, but with some German, English and some hand gestures I explained that I had lost my grey card. The color gray caused the attendants eyes to light up. He went in the back room and came out with the card. For once Lucy was on my side. I had a brief retreat but pressed forward to the next city. Now if I use the card in a machine, I keep a finger on it at all times.