GERMANY
THE TOWN OF BREISACH, Germany, during a heavy artillery shelling.
GERMANY
NEUF BRISACH, FRANCE. On 20 January 1945 U. S. and French troops of the 6th Army Group began an offensive converging in the direction of Breisach, Germany, on the eastern bank of the Rhine. This operation was aimed at the total reduction of the Colmar pocket west of the Rhine. On 1 February the U. S. forces had advanced to within three miles of Neuf Brisach while on the same day the French troops closed up to the Rhine. By 9 February the Colmar pocket had been eliminated.
GERMANY
THE ROER RIVER AT JUELICH, GERMANY. The U. S. Ninth Army’s assault northeast from Juelich was to be the first of a series of U. S. drives to the Rhine. This attack was to begin on 10 February 1945. On 9 February the Germans blew open the discharge valves of the dams in the Schmidt area and although the area was cleared of enemy troops by the evening of 10 February, it was too late to stop the flooding of the area. The Roer River attained a width of 400-1,200 yards, a high water condition which was to last for two weeks, and prevented the scheduled U. S. attack.
FRANCE