- XX Corps (United States)
Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=XX Corps
caption=XX Corps shoulder sleeve insignia
dates=10 Oct 1943 -1 Mar 1946 20 Sep 1957 -5 Jun 1970
country=United States
allegiance=
branch=AUS in World War IIRegular Army postwar
type=Army Corps
role=
size=
command_structure=
current_commander=
garrison=
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=
patron=
motto=
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles=World War II
notable_commanders=Walton H. Walker
anniversaries=The XX Corps of the United States Army fought from northern
France toAustria inWorld War II . Constituted by redesignating the IV Armored Corps, which had been activated at Camp Young,California onSeptember 5 ,1942 , XX Corps became operational in France as part ofLieutenant General George S. Patton 'sU.S. Third Army onAugust 1 ,1944 .Northern France
Initially assigned to protect the south flank of the U.S. Third Army, XX Corps secured the bridgehead at
Le Mans and liberatedAngers onAugust 10 ,1944 . The corps fought a successful five day battle forChartres from August 15 - 19, and seized a bridgehead over the Aunay River. LiberatingFontainebleau onAugust 23 , the corps moved rapidly east against disorganized German resistance and seized bridgeheads over theSeine River atMelun andMontereau . Still pushing east at a rapid rate of advance, XX Corps liberatedChâteau-Thierry and captured a bridgehead across theMarne River onAugust 27 ,1944 . This feat was followed by the liberation ofReims two days later. The August succession of bridgehead captures culminated in the liberation ofVerdun and seizure of a bridgehead over theMeuse River onAugust 31 . Although the corps had conducted a brilliant pursuit of the Germans in August, a crippling shortage of gasoline caused by the unexpectedly rapid advance ofAllied armies across France practically immobilized XX Corps at the onset of September 1944.The tactical situation transforms
Movement of XX Corps units was practically nil for the first week of September, 1944, although corps units feinted in the direction of Sedan and the
U.S. 90th Infantry Division crossed the Meuse River to join the rest of the corps near theMoselle River . While the corps was at a standstill for a lack of gasoline, the Germans in and south of the fortress city ofMetz had been hurriedly reorganizing and establishing cohesive defensive lines. In Metz itself, the German "Ersatzheer" (Replacement Army) stood up the 462nd Division with odds and ends such as fortress infantry battalions and infantry leader schools. Despite its less than impressive heritage, the 462nd Division would prove to be a determined foe for no less than three months, significantly delaying XX Corps' push to the German frontier. When XX Corps advanced again, the tactical situation had transformed from a pursuit against a disorganized foe to a slogging advance against regrouped German forces. OnSeptember 7 ,1944 , elements of XX Corps, again refueled but still facing persistent shortages of gasoline and artillery munitions, moved out towards Metz and Thionville.Across the Moselle
On
September 8 ,1944 , the German 106th Panzer Brigade counterattacked the U.S. 90th Infantry Division near Mairy, but failed to route the U.S. infantrymen. In the ensuing battle, the "Tough Ombres" of the 90th Division destroyed the Panzer brigade, causing the Germans losses of 30 tanks, 60 halftracks, and almost 100 other vehicles. On the same day, theU.S. 5th Infantry Division forced a crossing of the Moselle at Dornot, but found German opposition intense and carved out a shallow bridgehead. Intense German counterattacks forced the abandonment of the Dornot bridgehead on the night of September 10 - 11, but the 5th Division had established another bridgehead at Arnaville onSeptember 10 . This crossing, and simultaneous advance toward Metz were met with desperate counterattacks by German forces, including the 17th S.S. Panzergrenadier Division. OnSeptember 12 , the U.S. 90th Infantry Division clearedThionville west of the Moselle River, and engineer bridges were completed at Arnaville, allowing armored fighting vehicles to cross into the bridgehead. Subsequently, artillery fire from Fort Driant (part of the Metz fortifications) made bridging and ferrying operations by the corps at Arnaville quite difficult. Finally, onSeptember 16 , armored elements of the corps (U.S. 7th Armored Division ) broke out of the Arnaville bridgehead and advanced toward theSeille River . Attacks by the U.S. 90th Infantry Division towards Metz during this period were handily repulsed by the Germans.Tentative moves against Metz
Concentrating its units near the Arnaville bridgehead, XX Corps found German resistance between the Moselle and the Seille very intense, with fire from the German bank of the Seille causing significant losses among units of the 7th Armored Division. Taking the village of Pournoy-la-Chétive on September 20, units of the 5th Division withstood German counterattacks for several days. During this period, the 7th Armored Division left the corps and was replaced by the
U.S. 6th Armored Division . Continuing supply difficulties forced the corps into a defensive stance onSeptember 24 , and resulted in some very hard-won ground having to be abandoned. In the final week of September, XX Corps made fruitless probing attacks toward Fort Driant. OnSeptember 28 ,1944 , grasping how difficult Metz would be to take, U.S. Third Army declared the seizure of Metz to be the army's priority mission. October 1944 proved to be a month of grinding, indecisive action for the corps. Reaching the outskirts of Maizières-lès-Metz onOctober 2 , the 90th Division commenced a lengthy struggle for the town that finally ended with the Americans taking the town onOctober 30 ,1944 . This was a significant victory because it opened a direct route for the corps to advance upon Metz from the north. The U.S. 11th Infantry Regiment (5th Division) attacked Fort Driant from October 3 - 12, but found its strength and weapons wanting against determined German resistance in the old fort. After bitter fighting marked by German raids that emerged from underground chambers, the 11th Infantry broke off the attack.Campaign Credits and Inactivation
XX Corps is credited with service in the Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe campaigns. Headquarters, XX Corps, was inactivated on
March 1 ,1946 in Germany. The corps was subsequently active as part of theRegular Army from 1957 until 1970 atFort Hayes ,Ohio .References
* Weigley, Russell F. (1981). "Eisenhower's Lieutenants". Bloomington: Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-13333-5.
* Williams, Mary H., compiler (1958). "U. S. Army in World War II, Chronology 1941-1945". Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office.
* Wilson, John B., compiler (1999). "Armies, Corps, Divisions, and Separate Brigades". Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office. ISBN 0-16-049994-1.
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