"The Hammelburg Raid - General Patton's big mistake" Topic

"n March 1945 Lieutenant-General George S. Patton jr. was commanding general of Third US Army. He was the most popular general since Ulysses S. Grant, the Civil War hero. Many people thought that his tanks had won the war in Europe alone. One of his divisions crossed the Rhine river in assault boats in the night, 22 March 1945. Again Patton was faster then his rival the British Field-Marshal Berhard Law Montgomery. The divisions of the Third US Army spearheaded with high speed to the River Main line.

this situation, where the war in Europe was almost won, 4th US Armored Division received an strange order from XIIth US Corps to form a Task Force to liberate a prisoner of war camp at Hammelburg about 80 km behind the enemy lines. The so called "Operation Hammelburg" was a secret and controversial operation which was planned and realized during a running campaign. It was ordered by Patton personally and commanded by Captain Abraham J. Baum between 26 – 28 March of 1945. Captain Baum was given the mission of penetrating the German lines and liberating US-POWs in camp OFLAG XIII-B, near Hammelburg. Officially it was a rescue mission but the true reasons behind it was to liberate Patton's son-in-law, LTC John K. Waters, a POW who was captured 1943 at the Kasserine Pass in Tunisia.

Camp Hammelburg, located just outside the town on a hill, had been built 1895 as training installation for the Royal Bavarian Army. It had been a POW camp during World War One. After 1935 it was a training camp and military training area for the German Army again. In World War Two the German Army used parts of camp Hammelburg again for two POW camps…"
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Amicalement
Armand

Witnessing Patton's Failure; A Prisoner's View of the Task Force Baum Raid.

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Amicalement
Armand