Sixth United States Army Group
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| Sixth United States Army Group | |
|---|---|
 6th Army Group Shoulder Insignia |
|
| Active | 1 August 1944 – 1945 |
| Country | United States of America |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Type | Army Group |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Jacob L. Devers |
The Sixth United States Army Group was an Army Group of the Allies during World War II, and as contained armies from both the United States Army and the French Army it is also referred to as the Southern Group of Armies.
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[edit] History
The Sixth Army Group was created in Corsica, France (specifically activated on 1 August 1944) to consolidate the combined French and American forces that were planning to invade southern France in Operation Dragoon. The Army Group was commanded by Lieutenant General Jacob L. Devers. It consisted of the French First Army (before 25 September 1944 it was called French Army B) commanded by Général Jean de Lattre de Tassigny and the US Seventh Army commanded by Lt. Gen. Alexander Patch.
The 6th Army Group remained subordinate to AFHQ in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations under Henry Maitland Wilson during the invasion and in the weeks immediately afterwards. At about the time the 6th Army Group met the Twelfth United States Army Group, which had broken out of the Normandy bridgehead, near Dijon, France, in mid-September, the 6th Army Group was assigned to the command of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Forces).
Its area of operation extended from the southern coast of France, progressing up the Rhone Valley where, at Montelimar, a hastily put together American armored command Task Force Butler and elements of the 36th Infantry Division over several days of hard fighting came close to cutting off the retreat of the entire German 19th Army.[1]
In late 1944 and early 1945 the 6th Army Group was involved in fierce fighting in the Alsace repelling the German advance during Operation Nordwind and subsequent pitched engagements closing off the Colmar Pocket.
The Army Group later advanced along the Swiss Border, then through Bavaria, and eventually into western Austria. The 63rd Infantry Division was the first Seventh Army unit to cross the Siegfried Line, and the first to get an entire division through it. The 3rd Infantry Division suffered the highest casualty count of all US divisions with over 27,000 casualties. In the Brenner Pass, the 6th Army Group linked up with the 5th US Army coming up from Italy on 5 May 1945.
After the end of the war, part of the 6th Army Group, the U.S. Seventh Army, remained as an occupation and defensive force in southern Germany for many decades. It also occupied part of Austria until that country was released from occupation in the mid 1950s.
[edit] See also
[edit] Citations and notes
[edit] References
- Toomey, Denis W. (2005). "Montelimar: Slaughterhouse on the Rhone". dogfacesoldiers.org website. Tansy Publishing. http://www.dogfacesoldiers.org/montelimar/.
[edit] Further reading
- Harry Yeide, Mark Stout, First to the Rhine: The 6th Army Group in World War II, Zenith Press, 2007 ISBN 0-7603-3146-4
- Decision at Strasbourg by David Colley. In November 1944, the 6th Army Group reached the Rhine river at Strasbourg, France. Lt. General Jacob Devers wanted to cross the Rhine into Germany but the plan was nixed by General Eisenhower. http://www.armchairgeneral.com/decision-at-strasbourg-book-review.htm
- How World War II Wasn’t Won – Op Ed NY Times, David Colley http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/23/opinion/23colley.html
