Quote:
Originally Posted by Carl W Schwamberger
My only thought is if the US Leaders would have priority on taking Antwerp as they rush across Belgium in late August/early Spetember. Or, would they have also become enamoured with the idea of breaching the Rhine instead.
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Carl,
What precedents in the actual timeline do you base this on? In your opinion, would the US 12th Army Group have been more aggressive taking Walcheren Island and the Antwerp approaches and what you base this on? I'm not trying to be cantankerous or difficult, just wanting to explore this further.
As far as Patton's drive across Brittany and from Avranches to the Seine and on to just beyond the Meuse, this was more a pursuit of an almost non-existant enemy. This is not to detract from the accomplishment, the 3rd Army stayed in the saddle and drove hard nipping at German heels when some armies would very well have stopped. And this was in territory mostly not as conducisive to mobile warfare as existed on the North German Plain. It also didn't help the German cause that Herr Schinkelgruber insisted that the 5th Panzer Army put it's own head in the noose trying to pinch off the US 3rd Army and showed Bradley's faith in the US 30thID holding at Mortain.
So I guess the questions (for all of you) are, would US doctrine and practice, coupled with more wheeled vehicles, and resulted in a quicker run to the Lower Rhine for the 12th AG than did the 21st AG ? Would US Engineering assets be adequate to bridge the Lower Rhine branches before Oct 1944? Would the US 82nd, 101st and British 6th Airborne Division been utilized in a similar manner or would the 12th AG gotten close enough Arnhem to have resulted in more drops across the river?
I know, I know, I hate what ifs. Just bear with me.
edit I just noticed that this post 888 for me. If 666 is the Sign of the Beast, what is 888, the Sign of the Breasts?