U.S. 11th Armored Division
Encyclopedia
The US 11th Armored Division (11-AD) was a division
of the United States Army
in World War II
. It was activated on 15 August 1942 at Camp Polk
, Louisiana
and moved on 24 June 1943 for the Louisiana Maneuvers
. Transferred then to Camp Barkeley
, Texas on 5 September 1943, the 11-AD participated, 29 October 1943, in the California Maneuvers
and arrived at Camp Cooke
California on 11 February 1944, staged at Camp Kilmer
New Jersey
16 September 1944 until departed New York Port of Embarkation
on 29 September 1944 and arrived in England on 11 October 1944.
The 11-AD landed in France on 17 December 1944, crossed into Belgium
on 29 December 1944 and entered Germany on 5 March 1945. The 11th Armored Division was deactivated on August 1945.
. The division landed in Normandy
, 16 December 1944, assigned to contain the enemy in the Lorient Pocket, but the Von Rundstedt offensive resulted in a forced march to the Meuse
and the defense of a 30-mile sector from Givet
to Sedan
, 23 December. Launching an attack from Neufchâteau, Belgium, 30 December, the 11th defended the highway to Bastogne
against fierce assault. An eyewitness account by John Fague of B Company, 21st Armored Infantry Battalion of the 11th Armored Division, describes the killing of Waffen-SS prisoners by American soldiers at the Chenogne massacre
"Some of the boys had some prisoners line up. Machine guns were being set up. These boys were to be machine gunned and murdered. We were committing the same crimes we were now accusing the Japs and Germans of doing".
The division acted as spearhead of a wedge into the enemy line, and its junction with the First Army at Houffalize
, 16 January 1945, created a huge trap. After the liquidation of the Bulge
, the Siegfried Line
was pierced, Lützkampen
falling 7 February, Grosskampenberg on the 17th, and the key point, Roscheid
, 20 February.
After a brief rest, the division crossed the Prum
and Kyll Rivers, taking Gerolstein
and Nieder Bettingen against violent opposition. Andernach
and Brohl
fell 9 March, in the sweep to the Rhine. In the swing southward to clear the Saar
-Moselle
-Rhine pocket, the Moselle River was crossed at Bullay
and the Worms Airport captured, 21 March.
After rest and maintenance, the division drove across the Rhine at Oppenheim
, took Hanau
and Fulda
, and headed for the Thuringian Forest
, reaching Oberhof
, 3 April. The offensive raced through Bavaria
, Coburg falling on the 10th, Bayreuth on the 14th.
In the final drive, the division crossed the Regen river
, 24 April, overran Grafenau
and Freyung
, and plunged toward the Danube
, seizing Rohrbach
, Neufelden
, and Zwettl
. The enemy put up its last fanatical resistance along the approaches to Linz
, Austria, but the 11th entered that city, 5 May. Pushing onward, elements contacted Soviet forces, 8 May, the first unit of the Third Army, to meet the Russian armies.
On May 5, 1945, elements of the US 11th Armored Division liberated the Mauthausen concentration camp
.
The war in Europe officially ended 9 May, and the division was placed on occupational duty until inactivation on 31 August.
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It was activated on 15 August 1942 at Camp Polk
Fort Polk
Fort Polk is a United States Army installation located in Vernon Parish, approximately 7 miles east of Leesville, Louisiana and 20 miles north of DeRidder, Louisiana....
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
and moved on 24 June 1943 for the Louisiana Maneuvers
Louisiana Maneuvers
The Louisiana Maneuvers were a series of military exercises held all over north and west-central Louisiana, including Fort Polk, Camp Claiborne and Camp Livingston, in August and September 1941...
. Transferred then to Camp Barkeley
Camp Barkeley
Camp Barkeley was a large United States Army training installation during World War II. The base was located eleven miles southwest of Abilene, Texas near what is now Dyess Air Force Base. The base was named after David B. Barkley, a Medal of Honor recipient during World War I...
, Texas on 5 September 1943, the 11-AD participated, 29 October 1943, in the California Maneuvers
Desert Training Center
The Desert Training Center was a World War II training facility established in the Mojave Desert; largely in Southern California and Western Arizona in 1942....
and arrived at Camp Cooke
Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northwest of Lompoc, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command ....
California on 11 February 1944, staged at Camp Kilmer
Camp Kilmer
Camp Kilmer, New Jersey is a former United States Army camp that was activated in June 1942 as a staging area and part of an installation of the New York Port of Embarkation. The camp was organized as part of the Army Service Forces Transportation Corps. Troops were quartered at Camp Kilmer in...
New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
16 September 1944 until departed New York Port of Embarkation
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is a bi-state port district, established in 1921 through an interstate compact, that runs most of the regional transportation infrastructure, including the bridges, tunnels, airports, and seaports, within the Port of New York and New Jersey...
on 29 September 1944 and arrived in England on 11 October 1944.
The 11-AD landed in France on 17 December 1944, crossed into Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
on 29 December 1944 and entered Germany on 5 March 1945. The 11th Armored Division was deactivated on August 1945.
History
The division was activated on 15 August 1942. It arrived in England 12 November 1944 and prepared for combat with two months' training on the Salisbury PlainSalisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in central southern England covering . It is part of the Southern England Chalk Formation and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, with a little in Hampshire. The plain is famous for its rich archaeology, including Stonehenge, one of England's best known...
. The division landed in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, 16 December 1944, assigned to contain the enemy in the Lorient Pocket, but the Von Rundstedt offensive resulted in a forced march to the Meuse
Meuse
Meuse is a department in northeast France, named after the River Meuse.-History:Meuse is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
and the defense of a 30-mile sector from Givet
Givet
Givet is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France very close to the Belgian border. It lies on the river Meuse where Emperor Charles V built the fortress of Charlemont....
to Sedan
Sedan, France
Sedan is a commune in France, a sub-prefecture of the Ardennes department in northern France.-Geography:The historic centre is built on a peninsula formed by an arc of the Meuse River. It is around from the Belgian border.-History:...
, 23 December. Launching an attack from Neufchâteau, Belgium, 30 December, the 11th defended the highway to Bastogne
Bastogne
Bastogne Luxembourgish: Baaschtnech) is a Walloon municipality of Belgium located in the province of Luxembourg in the Ardennes. The municipality of Bastogne includes the old communes of Longvilly, Noville, Villers-la-Bonne-Eau, and Wardin...
against fierce assault. An eyewitness account by John Fague of B Company, 21st Armored Infantry Battalion of the 11th Armored Division, describes the killing of Waffen-SS prisoners by American soldiers at the Chenogne massacre
Chenogne massacre
The Chenogne massacre refers to the alleged war crime committed on New Year's Day, January 1, 1945 where several dozen German prisoners of war were allegedly killed by American forces near the village of Chenogne , Belgium, thought to be in retaliation for the Malmedy massacre.- Accounts of the...
"Some of the boys had some prisoners line up. Machine guns were being set up. These boys were to be machine gunned and murdered. We were committing the same crimes we were now accusing the Japs and Germans of doing".
The division acted as spearhead of a wedge into the enemy line, and its junction with the First Army at Houffalize
Houffalize
Houffalize is a Walloon municipality of Belgium located in the province of Luxembourg.-History:On 1 January 2007 the municipality, which covers 166.58 km², had 4,802 inhabitants, giving a population density of 28.8 inhabitants per km²....
, 16 January 1945, created a huge trap. After the liquidation of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
, the Siegfried Line
Siegfried Line
The original Siegfried line was a line of defensive forts and tank defences built by Germany as a section of the Hindenburg Line 1916–1917 in northern France during World War I...
was pierced, Lützkampen
Lützkampen
Lützkampen is a municipality in the district of Bitburg-Prüm, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany....
falling 7 February, Grosskampenberg on the 17th, and the key point, Roscheid
Roscheid
Roscheid is a municipality in the district of Bitburg-Prüm, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany....
, 20 February.
After a brief rest, the division crossed the Prum
Prüm
Prüm is a town in the Westeifel , Germany. Formerly a district capital, today it is the administrative seat of the Verbandsgemeinde Prüm.-Geography:...
and Kyll Rivers, taking Gerolstein
Gerolstein
Gerolstein is a town in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde. Gerolstein is headquarters to a large mineral water firm, Gerolsteiner Brunnen...
and Nieder Bettingen against violent opposition. Andernach
Andernach
Andernach is a town in the district of Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, of currently about 30,000 inhabitants. It is situated towards the end of the Neuwied basin on the left bank of the Rhine between the former tiny fishing village of Fornich in the north and the mouth of the...
and Brohl
Brohl
Brohl is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Treis-Karden, whose seat is in the like-named municipality.- Location :Brohl is a small...
fell 9 March, in the sweep to the Rhine. In the swing southward to clear the Saar
Saarland
Saarland is one of the sixteen states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest state in Germany other than the city-states...
-Moselle
Moselle
Moselle is a department in the east of France named after the river Moselle.- History :Moselle is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
-Rhine pocket, the Moselle River was crossed at Bullay
Bullay
Bullay is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
and the Worms Airport captured, 21 March.
Oppenheim
Oppenheim is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The town is well known as a wine town, the site of the German Winegrowing Museum and particularly for the wines from the Oppenheimer Krötenbrunnen vineyards.- Location :...
, took Hanau
Hanau
Hanau is a town in the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is located 25 km east of Frankfurt am Main. Its station is a major railway junction.- Geography :...
and Fulda
Fulda
Fulda is a city in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district .- Early Middle Ages :...
, and headed for the Thuringian Forest
Thuringian Forest
The Thuringian Forest running northwest to southeast, forms a continuous stretch of ancient rounded mountains posing ample difficulties in transit routing save through a few navigable passes in the southern reaches of the German state of Thuringia. It is about long and wide...
, reaching Oberhof
Oberhof, Germany
Oberhof is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district of Thuringia, Germany. It is a winter sports center and health resort. It is visited by tenfold as many tourists every year...
, 3 April. The offensive raced through Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, Coburg falling on the 10th, Bayreuth on the 14th.
In the final drive, the division crossed the Regen river
Regen River
The Regen is a river in Bavaria, Germany, and a left tributary of the Danube, at Regensburg, Germany. The source of its main headstream, the Großer Regen , is located in the Bohemian Forest on the territory of the Czech Republic, near Železná Ruda. The river crosses the border after a few...
, 24 April, overran Grafenau
Grafenau, Bavaria
Grafenau is a town in the Freyung-Grafenau district, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated in the Bavarian Forest, 32 km north of Passau.-Location:...
and Freyung
Freyung, Bavaria
Freyung is a town in Bavaria, Germany, capital of the Freyung-Grafenau district. It is situated in the Bavarian Forest, 27 km north of Passau....
, and plunged toward the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
, seizing Rohrbach
Rohrbach
Rohrbach can refer to:* Heidelberg-Rohrbach, a district of the city of Heidelberg in Germany* Rohrbach, Switzerland, in the canton of Bern*municipalities in Germany:**Rohrbach, Bavaria, in the district of Pfaffenhofen, Bavaria...
, Neufelden
Neufelden
Neufelden is a municipality in the district of Rohrbach in Upper Austria, Austria....
, and Zwettl
Zwettl
Zwettl is a town and district capital in Lower Austria. It is chiefly known as the location of Zwettl Abbey, first mentioned in October 1139.- Geography :...
. The enemy put up its last fanatical resistance along the approaches to Linz
Linz
Linz is the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria . It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately south of the Czech border, on both sides of the river Danube. The population of the city is , and that of the Greater Linz conurbation is about...
, Austria, but the 11th entered that city, 5 May. Pushing onward, elements contacted Soviet forces, 8 May, the first unit of the Third Army, to meet the Russian armies.
On May 5, 1945, elements of the US 11th Armored Division liberated the Mauthausen concentration camp
Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp
Mauthausen Concentration Camp grew to become a large group of Nazi concentration camps that was built around the villages of Mauthausen and Gusen in Upper Austria, roughly east of the city of Linz.Initially a single camp at Mauthausen, it expanded over time and by the summer of 1940, the...
.
The war in Europe officially ended 9 May, and the division was placed on occupational duty until inactivation on 31 August.
External links
- European Center of Military History Order of Battle 11th Armd Division
- Thunderbolt: The Story of the 11th Armored Division (WWII unit history booklet)
- The 11th Armored Division Association
- Fact Sheet of the 11th Armored Division from http://www.battleofthebulge.org