 By the first week in October 1944, Allied forces had liberated most of Western Europe from German occupation and had established a continuous front from the North Sea to Switzerland. The 9th Army was assigned positions north and east of Aachen on the extreme left frags of the American forces. At this point, the 9th Army consisted of the 19th Corps only, composed of the 29th Infantry, 2nd Armored, and 30th Infantry Division. After fighting north of Aachen, these divisions began the preparations for the Allied Offensive to penetrate the Siegfried Line in mid-November. A rest camp was established at Kerkod near the German border in Holland, approximately five miles behind the front line. The 30th Division arrived at this camp during the first week in November to rest before the start of the new offensive. Originally assigned to the 1st Army, this unit landed in Normandy, participated in the drive across France and Belgium, and took part in the fighting around Aachen. This was their first rest period. A recreation program was provided, but the men were free to spend their time in any way they wished. Most units were assigned to the camps for 48 hours. After this brief but welcome relief, the men returned directly to the front. On 10 November, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, inspected 9th Army troops accompanied by Generals Bradley, Simpson, and McLean. General Eisenhower first visited the 29th Infantry Division at Eigelchofen in Holland. With Major General Charles Gehrhardt, the Division Commander, General Eisenhower talked to his listed men from the front lines, complimenting them on their work. On the same day, General Eisenhower visited the 30th Division at Herzoggenracht in Germany just over the Netherlands border. The Division Commander, Major General Leland S. Hobbs, Supreme General Eisenhower and Lieutenant General William H. Simpson, commanding General of the 9th Army. By 8 November, the 84th and 7th Armored Divisions had assembled in the 9th Army area and with the 102nd Infantry Division became a new corps, the 13th. On 16 November, the 1st and 9th United States Armies crossed Eastward in a coordinated attack from Aachen to the Rohr River. The final objectives were the Cologne Plain and the industrial area of the Rohr. In preparation for the attack, 9th Army troops destroyed secret line pillboxes and similar fortifications captured during the fighting for Aachen. Lead wires and an electric detonator were used instead of a fuse. This pillbox west of Aachen was blown by the 246th Engineers. Other preparations included converting a muddy field into an alternate route through the town of Uba. The road net throughout the area was thus improved for military traffic. A Class 1 supply dump was established in the area at Maastricht Holland. When completed, it would contain enough rations to feed 1 million men for a week. Ammunition was carried by train to Herlin in Holland, a railhead 10 miles northwest of Aachen, and unloaded there directly onto Army cargo trucks. These transported the ammunition to a forward dump along the Aachen road. Captured Dutch collaborationists unloaded the trucks. In Uba, a field artillery battalion laid telephone lines from its battery to headquarters. Wire was strung off the ground because of weather and traffic conditions in forward areas. A German plow drawn by a GI truck provided an improvised method of digging a ditch in which a multi-strand cable was buried. This was used for a more permanent communication system. The area confronting the 9th Army and over which it would have to fight was flat, airable farmland with little natural cover except for scattered clumps of trees. The countryside was dotted with small towns and villages, frequently not more than a mile or two apart, and consisting of old, solemnly built stone houses. The enemy had evacuated civilians from the area and entrenched himself in these villages, which constituted excellent defensive positions. Field fortifications included the pillboxes and earthworks found throughout the depth of the west wall. Knocked out enemy tanks, bomb and shell craters were evidence of the heavy bombing that had already occurred in this area. During the preparatory period, action on the 9th Army Front was limited to artillery fire and small-scale attacks and counter attacks. An observation plane of the 29th Division prepared to take off from Schindfeld in Holland. The plane directed fire on target near Geilenkirchen, Germany. A battery of 105mm howitzers fired is directed by the plane. At Ubach to the south, a field artillery battalion of the 2nd Armored Division softened up the enemy. This barrage included smoke shells, which marked the targets for our aircraft. The 9th Army's mission was to clear the area in its zone between Aachen and the Rohr River and protect the 1st Army's left flank. Objectives included 1st Aldenhoven and then Ullecht. The 30th Division, reinforced by a regiment of the 84th Division, advanced in a general southeasterly direction to the Army border and then became core reserve. The 2nd Armored Division, supported by a regiment of the 102nd Division, seized the Gurianfiler area with one combat command. The rest of the Division advanced to an assembly area northwest of Ullecht. Starting at 1100 hours on 16 November, 12 squadrons of fighter bombers of the 9th Tactical Air Command attacked the initial objective of the 19th Corps. In addition, medium and heavy bombers of the 8th Air Force made successful runs over the communication centers of Lürken, Aldenhoven, Lene and Ullecht. Shortly after the cessation of bombing, the three divisions of the 19th Corps took off on 16 November on their drive east toward the Rohr. On 15 November, the three divisions of the 19th Corps began assembling for the attack. Men of the 29th Division, supported by the 2nd Armored Division, moved through and out of Ubach toward their rendezvous at Begendorf. Begendorf was the jump-off point for the general drive to the Rohr. Tanks were assembled a mile west of Begendorf in a shallow valley to avoid enemy observation. Following the air and artillery bombardment, they came out of concealment to begin the attack on 16 November. The tank deployed over open territory as they advanced. They moved through Begendorf toward their initial objective, Loverex. Supporting infantry of the 2nd Armored Division followed after the tank. Although it had been in our hands for some weeks, Begendorf was under heavy mortar fire. As tanks and men moved out from Begendorf, they had to advance over bare fields with little cover and under constant artillery and small arms fire. Early in this attack, prisoners were taken and marched to a field behind the lines for examination. The Germans were sent back to Begendorf which served as a gathering point for many of the prisoners taken during this action. The 2nd Armored Division, supported by a regiment of the 102nd Division, took Loverex in the first two hours of the action on 16 November. The town was still under heavy mortar and artillery fire the day after its capture as troops and equipment passed through. Beyond Loverex lay more open fields and more difficult fighting. Troops of the 29th Division brought up to Loverex for an attack on Satterich, about two and a half miles to the southeast, moved out toward their objective on 18 November. Meanwhile to the south, the main strength of the 29th Division was battling for the town of Baseveiler, which had to be cleared before Satterich could be attacked from that direction. The troops used small arms and mortars in house to house fighting. Wounded men were given first aid before being evacuated to the rear. Breaking from the cover of houses on the fringe of Baseveiler, a battalion of the 29th Division deployed for its attack on Satterich to the northeast. A barrage consisting of white phosphorus and smoke screen shells was laid down by mortars to cover the advance launched shortly after noon on 16 November. Heavy artillery fire was encountered by troops that had almost no cover. First aid men moved out to pick up the wounded and bring them into Baseveiler for treatment. Tanks of the Second Armored supported the 29th Infantry Division as they moved out of Baseveiler toward Satterich. More prisoners were taken during this new action and were brought into Baseveiler as soon as possible. After examination, the prisoners were herded into trucks and transported farther to the rear. Enemy mines delayed our armor on the Baseveiler Satterich road. Satterich had been severely damaged by artillery fire and air bombardment. Infantry and vehicles moved ahead toward Satterich. On 18 November, our troops entered Satterich and by the end of the day had cleared two-thirds of the town. Units from all three divisions of the 19th Corps were in Satterich at the same time. In addition to the 29th and 2nd Armored Divisions who had fought for the town, men of the 30th Division moved through Satterich to assist the 2nd Armored in its attack on Frieldoven, next town to the east. These troops left Satterich on 19 November. They advanced over open fields toward Frieldoven, the outskirts of which they reached the same day. Frieldoven, shown here from the air, was overrun and occupied by our troops on 20 November. Meanwhile, due south of Satterich, the 29th Division launched a parallel drive eastward. Infantry utilized captured enemy trenches in their advance toward Bettendorf. Bettendorf was entered by our troops on 18 November and the town fell the same day. It immediately became a base of fire against strong enemy resistance. Prisoners taken in and around Bettendorf seemed stunned by the 9th Army Drive. 1034 prisoners were taken during the first three days of attack. Searsdorf, about a mile northeast of Bettendorf, was captured on 18 November. These air views of Searsdorf suggest the damage suffered by the town. Aldenhoven, taken 21 November, was equally hard hit. Aldenhoven was the first important objective reached by the 29th Division, marking the halfway point on the road to Yulek. Here, two medics of the 29th Division look over the remains of a church, in front of which men of the 81st Tank Destroyer set up a 3-inch anti-tank gun. A wire liaison team laid communication lines along the street in Aldenhoven. While the 2nd Armored and the 29th Infantry Division were battling eastward, the 30th Division, reinforced by a regiment of the 84th Division, cleared Vursalin, a town to the rear on 19 November. Vursalin had been the scene of bitter street fighting in a local engagement several weeks prior to the 9th Army's general attack. Men of the 84th Division followed during a mine clearing detail to eat their noon meal. Every object suspected of concealing a mine had to be carefully checked before the area was considered clear. Medics gave first aid in plasma to a German civilian whose leg had been blown off by a mine left by the Nazis in a backyard. While probing the ground where the civilian was hit, one of our engineers stepped on a second mine. The engineer who set off the mine lost his foot. By 18 November, a regiment of the 84th Division and the British 43rd Division was poised for a joint attack from two directions against the German city of Geilenkirchen. Led by flail tanks, the British bore down on Geilenkirchen from the northwest, through an area evacuated by enemy troops and civilians. The British Division was equipped with both American and English armor. Sherman tanks, manned by British personnel, participated in the attack. The 43rd Division passed through the German town of Gangelk just across the Netherlands border. Outside Gangelk, the tanks and accompanying infantry deployed to continue the advance over more open terrain. The British action developed into an encircling movement. Troops fanned out to cut off the approaches to Geilenkirchen and again the advantage of high ground to the north. Both vehicles and men took advantage of what scattered cover the terrain afforded. Beyond Gilroth, only slightly more than a mile from their objective, Geilenkirchen, self-propelled artillery and massed Sherman tanks laid down a barrage. Men of the 8th Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment threw in a harassing fire to support American infantry attacking from the southeast. Men of the 84th Division under British command and covered by British fire closed in on Geilenkirchen. In this area, some 700 yards southeast of the town, about 300 enemy mines were found. Infantry advanced past deactivated mines. The Americans fought their way forward to the approaches of the town. Having overcome initial enemy resistance, they marched on Geilenkirchen. Meanwhile, British units had resumed their progress toward Geilenkirchen from the northwest. They passed through the broken town of Bauchem, a suburb of Geilenkirchen. American infantry and tanks of the British division entered Geilenkirchen at dawn on 19 November. Moving through the town, the advancing troops experienced sporadic enemy fire. The use of loudspeakers to urge enemy troops to surrender, one form of psychological warfare, was used by the 9th Army for the first time at Geilenkirchen. Some 300 Germans surrendered in response to the broadcast message. The prisoners attended to their own wounded. Many other Germans were ferreted out of buildings and taken prisoner. Geilenkirchen was captured by 1200 hours and finally secured by 1400 hours on 19 November. In cleaning up activities, engineers deactivated an enemy demolition charge placed under a bridge by the Germans before withdrawal. Communications were established as soon as the town was secured. After some of the most severe bombing and artillery attacks of the war, Geilenkirchen presented a scene of devastation that followed the pattern of Aachen. An Allied military government was established and notices posted in English and German. The weather deteriorated on the 20th, the day after Geilenkirchen fell. This bad weather continued for the next five days and hampered operations all along the front. Despite the weather, British troops and armor moved out of Geilenkirchen on 21 November and advanced northeast towards Worm. The British used flail tanks with much success to discover and detonate mines in this area. The column included tanks of the British 79th Armored Corps. On 19 November, American troops of the 84th Division, also moving northeast, entered Sugarov, jumping off-place for the joint attack on Worm. By the 28th, however, all towns west of the roar and in-day rivers, with the exception of Western Nulik, had been captured. On the 29th, with the southern two-thirds of the 9th Army Front parallel and close to the roar, the 13th Corps attacked in the direction of Linderen. Beck and Worm were in the line of attack. On 29 November, United States troops of the 84th Division moved out of Sugarov to take up positions facing Worm. They established a line of mortars 100 yards behind the front. Armaments, ammunition and supplies were all carried forward by hand through the mud. Slings were used to pack the mortar shells. Sniping was common and troops advanced cautiously. Mortars were placed in deflated positions. The mud made evacuation of the wounded even more hazardous than usual. Jeeps rigged to carry litters proved helpful. Meanwhile, in the advance on Beck from Oppveiler, the mud was equally treacherous. Maintenance of communications became a major problem. Water, rations and mail were carried by hand to men of the 84th Division entrenched north of Oppveiler. These men were an advanced element in the drive on Beck. This sector was under artillery fire, making it difficult to get the wounded back to a point where proper medical attention could be given them. Just south of Beck, a field artillery battalion of the 84th Division utilized large concrete pipes found in the area to improvise shelters. These afforded protection against German shelling of the reverse side of hills. The 102nd Division pressed on toward Lenich, Rordorf and Flossdorf. The 7th Armored Division supported the advancing troops as needed. To support the 102nd Division's attack on Lenich, tanks of the 7th Armored Division moved out from the vicinity of Gareon's Filer. The 102nd Division and the 7th Armored Division entered Lenich late on 1 December and by 2400 hours held two-thirds of the town. The following day, the entire town was cleared with the exception of a small number of snipers. Men of the 102nd Division moved on the double away from a church steeple that was drawing enemy fire. Moving through Lenich, troops of the 102nd Division on 2 December captured and cleared Rordorf south of Lenich on the Rora River. On the same day, Flossdorf, another river town further south, was also entered. The capture of Rordorf and Flossdorf allowed the 13th Corps to capture the Rora River and to achieve its objective of clearing the West Bank of enemy troops. Heading east from Coesler, the 29th Division and tanks of the 2nd Armored Division struck out for Hassenfeldt-Gut. Hassenfeldt-Gut lay a mile north of Eulich which can be seen in the distance being shelled by artillery. The fighting for the Gut was so prolonged that the infantry regiment assigned to capture it had to be relieved after six days of constant effort without obtaining its objective. This man lay in a field for more than five days after being wounded by artillery before he was found by our first-aid men. When the isolated buildings of the Hassenfeldt-Gut were cleared, the defenders proved to be of mixed quality. Many of the German casualties and prisoners were mere boys. The 115th Regiment of the 29th Division finally cleared the territory the 8th of December. While resistance at the Hassenfeldt-Gut was being neutralized, a parallel and equally bitter campaign was waged for the Eulich sports plots on 8th December. This also fell to the 115th Regiment. On the day after its capture, the sports plots consisting of two football fields and a nearby swimming pool was inspected by officers of the 29th Division. In crossing the broad expanse of the sports plots, our men had not only faced the defending garrison, but heavy enemy artillery fire from locations across the river. By 14 December, the 30th Division, coordinating with the 1st Army, cleaned out the Inlay Roar Triangle. Swollen to three times its normal width by rain, the Roar presented a formidable barrier to both men and equipment of the 9th Army. However, on 15 December, all territory west of the Roar was under allied control, thus completing another phase in their drive to the final objective, the defeat of Germany.