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Endnotes
1 NUSA Ltr of Instrs 7, 4 Nov, and various other ltrs of instrs found in NUSA G-3 Jnl file, 1-16 Nov 44. See also NUSA Opns, IV, 1-9, and Conquer—The Story of Ninth Army, pp. 71-78, 81-83. Ninth Army journals for the planning period are of little value.
2 NUSA Opns, IV, 9, citing Rpt of Detachment "ZP," 21st Weather Sq, 4 Jan 45.
3 NUSA Opns, IV, 7; Conquer—The Story of Ninth Army, p. 100; The Armored School, Hell on Wheels in the Drive to the Roer, App. VII. p. iii. The latter is a detailed study of the 2d Armored Division’s part in the Roer offensive, prepared at Fort Knox in 1949. Copy in OCMH. Most track connector extensions were procured locally. See Thompson, Local Procurement in the ETO.
4 NUSA Opns, IV, 58; Conquer—The Story of Ninth Army, pp. 85-86.
5 NUSA Opns, IV, p. 6; XIX Corps AAR, Nov 44.
6 See Heichler, The German Situation in Mid-November 1944.
7 Strength Rpts, 1 Nov 44, LXVII Pz Corps 0. Qu., KTB Anlagen, Einzelbefehle, 17.X.18-XI-44.
8 Kampf um Aachen: Maps.
9 Strength Rpts, 15 Nov 44, LXXXI Corps, Ha/b KTB Anlagen, 20.X-30-XI-44; Kampf um Aachen: Maps.
10 Kampf um Aachen: Maps; MS B-290, The XII SS Corp, 20 Oct 44-31 Jan 45 (Blumentritt).
11 MS # B-290 (Blumentritt) and MS A-994, untitled (Koechling).
12 Although many Americans assumed that the solid cellars had been constructed with an eye toward support positions for the West Wall, this type of construction is characteristic of German cellars and no evidence supporting the thesis can be found.
13 NUSA Opns, IV, 6; XIX Corps AAR, Nov 44. See also Intel Annex, dtd 10 Nov, to 29th Div FO 47, 7 Nov 44. German sources confirm this defensive arrangement.
14 NUSA G-4 AAR, Nov 44. Details on many facets of the supply situation are conveniently available in Conquer—The Story of Ninth Army. See also XIX Corps AAR, Nov 44, and NUSA Opns, IV, 7, 8, and 37.
15 XIX Corps AAR, Nov 44.
16 Conquer—The Story of Ninth Army provides lucid details on these problems.
17 2d Armd Div G-3 Jnl, 11 Nov 44.
18 29th Div G-2–G-3 Jnl, 4 Nov 44.
19 NUSA Opns, IV, 2.
20 Ibid., pp. 6, 8; Combat Interv with McLain.
21 XIX Corps FO 28, 5 Nov, XIX Corps FO and Ltrs of Instrs file, Nov 44. Unless otherwise noted, other sources for the XIX Corps story are as follows: Conquer—The Story of Ninth Army, pp. 89-93; NUSA Opns, IV, 1-89, 112-73; XIX Corps AAR, Nov 44; XIX Corps G-2 and G-3 Jnl files, Nov 44; Ferriss Notes (cited in Ch. X, above); and official records of the 2d Armd and 29th Divs. Both these divisions recorded a number of telephone messages which are valuable in reconstructing the story of their engagements.
22 NUSA Opns, IV, 34; Ewing, 29 Let’s Go!, p. 169; 29th Div and 175th Inf AARs, Nov 44.
23 XIX Corps FO 28. Italics supplied.
24 2d Armd Div G-3 Jnl, 7 Nov 44, passim.
25 No copy of the artillery annex to XIX Corps FO 28 can be found. This information is gleaned from the following sources: NUSA Opns, IV, 11; Conquer-The Story of Ninth Army, p. 71; 2d Armd Div AAR, Nov 44; and 29th Div FO 47, 7 Nov.
26 OB WEST KTB, 16 Nov 44.
27 NUSA Opns, IV, 39, citing Capt Carl Wheeldryer, PW interrogator, 2d Armd Div, to Maj Walter H. Mytinger, G-3 Air, 2d Armd Div.
28 XIX Corps AAR, Nov 44.
29 Specific figures vary; those given are an average from several sources.
30 2d Armd Div G-3 Jnl, 16 Nov 44; 29th Div G-2–G-3 Jnl, 16 Nov 44.
31 XIX Corps AAR, Nov 44.
32 XIX Corps AAR, Nov 44; Ferriss Notes.
33 2d Armd Div G-3 Jnl, 16 Nov 44.
34 After nightfall, a freakish accident put another tank out of action. A sliver of metal from a German shellburst wedged a round so securely in the barrel of one of the tank guns that ordnance crews subsequently had to replace the piece.
35 NUSA Opns, IV, 41, quoting 1st Lt Joseph D. Blalock, Co C.
36 Ibid.
37 175th Inf AAR, Nov 44.
38 2d Armd Div G-3 Jnl, 16 Nov 44.
39 29th Div G-2-G-3 Jnl, 16 Nov 44.
40 Ibid.
41 A German estimate of 18 U.S. tanks destroyed was conservative. See Order, Gruppe von Manteuffel to XII SS and LXXXI Corps, 2225, 16 Nov 44, LXXXI Corps KTB, Bef. H. Gr. u. Armee. A breakdown of CCB’s tank losses on 16 November follows: to antitank guns-10; to mines-14; to panzerfausts-1; to mines and antitank guns-1; to mortar fire-1; to mud-6; to artillery fire-1; to mechanical failure-1. Total: 35. Of these, 2 tanks which mired were returned to action before the end of the day, and 8 lost to mud and mines were returned within twenty-four hours.
42 OB WEST KTB, 16 Nov 44.
43 Order, Gruppe von Manteuffel to XII SS and LXXXI Corps, 2225, 16 Nov 44, LXXXI Corps KTB, Bef. H. Gr. u. Armee.
44 See CCA, 2d Armd Div, Opus Plan, 7 Nov, CCA Rpts, Nov 44. General McLain authorized commitment of CCA late on 16 November. XIX Corps Ltr of Instrs 71, 16 Nov, XIII Corps G-3 Jul file, 14-17 Nov 44.
45 2d Armd Div G-3 Jnl, 17 Nov 44.
46 Ibid.; NUSA Opns, IV, 74.
47 2d Armd Div G-3 Jnl, 17 Nov 44.
48 29th Div G-2-G-3 Jnl, 17 Nov 44.
49 2d Armd Div G-3 Jnl, 17 Nov 44.
50 29th Div G-2-G-3 Jnl, 17 Nov 44.
51 See 29th Div G-2-G-3 Jnl; 116th Inf Jnl, 16-17 Nov 44.
52 29th Div G-2-G-3 Jnl, 17 Nov 44.
53 A few days before D Day, Gerhardt had relieved the former 116th Infantry commander, in a dispute over the handling of a subordinate. See 29th Div G-2–G-3 Jnl, 13 Nov 44.
54 NUSA Opns, IV, 86.
55 See Ltr, Gerhardt to OCMH, 31 May 56.
56 29th Div G-2–G-3 Jnl, 16-21 Nov 44.
57 Although air support was available on 19 November, it was not used at Schleiden because "there was little need for it and it was too close for safety." NUSA Opns, IV, 120, citing 2d Lt William T. Callery, Co K.
58 LXXXI Corps Gefechtsbericht, AAR for 16-21 Nov 44.
59 Ibid.; TWX, Gruppe von Manteuffel to LXXXI Corps, 2345, 19 Nov 44, LXXXI Corps KTB, Bef. H. Gr. u. Armee.
60 OB WEST KTB, 18 Nov 44.
61 The 2d Armored Division still had considerable tank strength. On 19 November the division had 154 medium and 119 light tanks. Rpt of Liaison Office in 102d Div G-3 Jnl, 1215, 19 Nov 44.
62 CCB S-3 Per Rpt, Nov 44.
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