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A Brief History of the Thunderbolt
Division
The 11th Armored Division was activated on August 15, 1942 at Camp Polk, Louisiana. From
that date until June, 1944, the Division underwent combat training at Polk and Camp
Barkeley Texas, desert maneuvers at Camp Ibis, California, and combat readiness training
at Camp Cooke, California.
In July 1944, preparations began for overseas deployment. On September 27th, the division
embarked from Staten Island, New York, aboard the troop ships HMS Samaria and USS
Hermitage to join the largest Atlantic convoy of WWII. On October 12th the troops
disembarked on English soil, moving into training quarters on and near the Salisbury Plain
in Wiltshire.
In early December, the Division was deployed to continental Europe, landing in Normandy,
and moving south to a marshaling area at Rennes. The intended mission was to reduce
remaining pockets of enemy resistance along the French coast at Lorient and Saint
Nazaire.
The German attack through the Ardennes caused an abrupt change of orders. The Division
embarked on one of the most grueling forced marches in American military history, covering
over 350 miles across France in four days. By December 23rd, the division had joined General George S.
Pattons US Third Army, and was deployed defensively along a 30 mile reach of the
Meuse River, extending from Sedan to Givet. Shortly afterward, orders came to advance
another 85 miles northeasterly into Belgium, assuming attack positions in the vicinity of
Neufchateau.
The first combat occurred on December 30th, when the Division engaged head-on the
fanatical Füher Begleit Brigade and the Panzer Lehr Division south of Remagne. Over the
next several days, a furious battle raged, as these enemy forces along with the 3rd
Panzergrenadier Division and the 26th Volksgrenadier Division sought to close the relief corridor into Bastogne from the
south. The 11th Armored and adjacent units fought them to a standstill. During this
period, the Division suffered heavy casualties from enemy action, as well as from the
bitter cold. However, the enemy paid a heavier price, and the vital supply line into
Bastogne remained open.
On January 13th, the Division mounted a two pronged spearhead attack from the Bastogne
enclave,
moving from Longchamps northwesterly through Bertogne, and northeasterly through Foy and
Noville to high ground south of Houffalize. Contact was made with the 2nd Armored Division
of the First Army on January 16th, ending the Nazi ill fated attempt to reach Antwerp, to
divide the allied forces, and to retake Luxembourg and Belgium. The enemy suffered huge
losses in men and materiel, and the way was opened for an all out assault on the vaunted
Siegfried line, and on Germany itself.
On January 20th, the Division attacked northeasterly through Bourcy and Buret, and by the
22nd had reached its objective north of Troisvierges. Moving on across northern
Luxembourg, the Siegfried line was assaulted in force on February 6th. Intensive attacks
continued until February 18th, by which time the line had been breached, and the way
opened for armor led attacks on the Rhineland.
As the Division advanced into Germany in early March, fanatical resistance was put up by
the elite German 5th Parachute Division . In freezing weather with snow flurries, the
towns of Fleringen, Wallersheim and Budesheim were captured, as the Division relentlessly
advanced on the Kyll River, the last major barrier west of the Rhine River. On March 7th,
a surprise attack was made across the Kyll, and by nightfall the town of Kelberg was
captured, with heavy enemy losses.
With the fall of Kelberg, major enemy resistance was shattered, and the Division made a
quick dash to the Rhine. On March 9th, the west bank of the river was reached at Brohl and
Andernach. The drive netted thousands of prisoners, vital enemy ordnance and supplies.
From a strategic standpoint, it effected a link up with the US First Army, closing the
mouth of a huge pocket, and isolating six German divisions west of the Rhine.
On March 16th, the Division withdrew to the west, and attacked southeasterly , crossing
the Moselle River in the vicinity of Bullay. After pushing 70 miles against scattered
resistance, the Rhine was again reached in the vicinity of Worms. This drive netted more
than 20,000 prisoners from disorganized and demoralized German units.
After spending several days in defensive positions along the west bank, the Division
crossed the Rhine on the Third Armys pontoon bridge at Nierstein on March 28th, and
immediately attacked northeasterly toward Hanau and Fulda. On March 30th, a stubborn
battle developed in the vicinity of Gelnhausen. The key communications center of Fulda was
contained by artillery fire, and left for supporting infantry units to clear out.
Leaving Fulda, the Thunderbolt drove on, blazing a fiery spearhead deep into the very
heart of Germany. So swift was the advance that the enemy was completely disorganized.
Supporting infantry units were often left 50 to 70 miles behind. On April 2nd, bridges
across the Werra River were captured intact, and hundreds of allied captives, military and
political prisoners, were freed from a prison compound and hospital at
Grimmenthal.
Moving into Thuringia, on April 3rd considerable resistance was encountered at Suhl and
Oberhof. The towns were overwhelmed after preparatory artillery attacks. On April 4th one
of the largest ordnance materiel hauls was made at Zella Mehlis, where four Walther Arms
plants were captured
Between April 6th and April 10th, the Divisions axis of attack shifted
southeasterly, paralleling the Czechoslovak border, and driving into Bavaria, leaving
supporting infantry units far behind. Some elements of the Division suffered casualties
from bypassed pockets of SS troops. On April 7th, at Schleusingen, cavalry and engineer
units were ambushed, with resulting casualties and equipment loss. A counterattack crushed
enemy resistance and recaptured some of the men and equipment.
In rapid succession, many towns, including Themar, Oberlauter, Coburg, Kronach, Kulmbach
and Bayreuth fell to the 11th, in spite of increased presence of German military aircraft.
Continuing the attack, the 11th captured Grafenwohr, with military facilities including
the largest reported German chemical warfare dump in existence. Over 3,000,000 rounds of
chemical filled ammunition was taken, along with enormous quantities of other ordnance
materiel and food stores.
On April 22nd, 1722 allied prisoners were released from captivity at Weiden. Further on,
approaching Cham, roadsides were littered with bodies of political prisoners who had been
executed by their SS guards in order to prevent their release. An airdrome, source of much
recent harassment by enemy aircraft, as well as Marshall Kesselrings private train,
were also seized in the Cham area.
Proceeding on toward the Austrian border, enemy pockets of resistance were overcome in
sharp engagements at Regen and Wegesheid. On April 26th Thunderbolt patrols crossed the
border into Austria, and some task force units patrolled northeasterly into
Czechoslovakia. Overcoming resistance, blown bridges, and roadblocks at Neufelden and
Rottenegg, the Division forced surrender of Linz on May 4th. The heavily mined Adolph
Hitler Bridge across the Danube River at Linz was captured intact. Engineer units promptly
defused and removed tons of explosives from that bridge and the adjacent railroad bridge.
On May 5th, a cavalry patrol unexpectedly encountered German forces guarding the death
camp complexes of Gusen and Mauthausen. The patrol returned with 1800 prisoners, to the
great surprise of their commanders. Action was immediately taken to restore and maintain
order in the camps, to provide medical assistance to the starving inmates, and to provide
for burial of thousands of victims of Nazi brutality.
Cavalry patrols linked up with Russian forces advancing from the east at Amstetten on May
8th,
the day following the German surrender. Thus ended the combat record of the Thunderbolt
Division
In 5 months of combat, the Division took a total of 76,229 prisoners, not including 10,000
who were turned over to supporting infantry units, and 34,125 who were returned to Soviet
jurisdiction under the terms of surrender.
Following termination of hostilities, and until it was disbanded in September 1945, the
Division engaged in occupation duties. These included providing medical and other aid to
freed prisoners from the death camps, processing and returning displaced persons,
processing and returning prisoners of war, and supporting local authorities in maintaining
order in the civilian population.
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