September 13, 1944 – After only 29 days the US heroes had moved over 400 miles into France
September 13, 2024September 15, 1944 – The life expectancy of the front-line men was getting ready to plummet to 21 days
September 15, 2024September 14, 1944 – The toughest nut in the Nazi’s long defensive line from the North Sea to the Swiss border lay just ahead of Dad and his men
There could be no question that the Seventh Army’s advance northwards from the Riveria in the summer and early fall of 1944 had been brilliantly executed. At the same time, there was no escaping the fact that both the Americans and French had not encountered anything like the stiff resistance expected in the coming months.[1]
It was not until the mid to late September that the Allied advance began to meet an organized foe, strongly entrenched behind a prepared defensive line.
The Germans now had the advantage of considerably shorter lines of supply and communication than the Allies; they were continuing to receive substantial reinforcements, and they held ground highly favorable for defensive action.
The Vosges Mountains that lay ahead of the GIs were divided into two chains, the High and Low Vosges, with the Saverne Gap separating the two.
At the southern end of the High Vosges is the Belfort Gap, the main avenue of approach to the Plain of Alsace.
There was evidence of German resistance all along the Belfort-Vosges line; every barracks in Alsace and Baden was crammed to overflowing with troops, and strong concentrations of artillery were being assembled at Épinal and other garrisons in north-eastern France.
The Germans were breaking their backs to throw up fortifications along the whole crest of the Vosges and building up stockpiles of arms and ammunition at strategic points.
By mid to late September, VI Corps realized all too well that there was a stiff fight ahead of it.
The Vosges, backed by the Siegfied Line, would be the toughest nut in the enemy’s long defensive line from the North Sea to the Swiss border.[1]
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[1] Turner, 76-77.
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2 Comments
I have very much enjoyed reading your posts as part of my research into a new book on German General Hermann Balck. Would you mind if I quoted you ?
Mr. Kay-Bujak,
I’d be honored to be quoted; however, the citation on the quote you referenced, as indicated at the bottom of the quote, was, “Turner, 66-67.” According to my Bibliography in my book At First Light: A True World War II Story of a Hero, His Bravery, and an Amazing Horse (https://amzn.to/3Lp0MCw), that citation is: Turner, John Frayn and Jackson, Robert. Destination Berchtesgaden: The Story of the United States Seventh Army in World War II. Charles Scribner’s Sons. New York. 1975.
I came across Stephen Robinson’s book, Panzer Commander Hermann Balck: Germany’s Master Tactician in my research but was not able to use it as a citation.
All the best on your book. I know how much work goes into something like this.
Walt Larimore, MD