dictation issues

Could someone here give me a hand with the dictation issues?

==> YouTube - (7/11) Battlefield The West Wall 7 of 11 World War II
I wrote down its transcript but missed some words/phrases at some spots.

I just cannot catch the narrator's voices at those spots no matter how hard I struggle.
I believe my inquiry is something more about English than military.
Any native English speaker is qualified to help.
So if you could, please help me. Thank you in advance.

 

If you could post what you have of the transcript, I or someone else could certainly try to help you fill in the spaces

 

Yes please post that and I'll gladly help you out again.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdKmH27CWYk&NR=1


(0:00)In 1945, tests showed the weapon was now able to fire over the distances up to 5,600 yds. The development continued into 1951 at which time the chemical mortar ____(?) one expert as a legitimate infantry weapon.

The pillbox in the West Wall was strong point, arsenal, and under ground shelter combined.

The reinforced concrete roofs were up to 7.5 feet thick, and the walls more than 6.5 feet thick. The roof rested on steel beams up to a foot think and there were two 1.1" steel doors.

(00:44)The regular pillboxes in the West Wall were interspersed with large multi-story structures, like the cast head(?) armored fort near the village E... in the south Eifel.

(1:15)Its foundation was dug to a depth of 118 feet and the fort contained 3 stories with reversible turret cannons(?), automatic flame throwers and machine guns. The rooms were air conditioned providing plenty of comfort for at least 48 men crew who could remain in the cast head(?) for 6 weeks at a time.

http://7grad.org/Exkursionen/Westwall/132_Pano_aussen.jpg

(1:59)The typical West Wall pillbox was more compact. There were 2 entrances with large gas proof chamber between them. On the right it shows the stair case led up to the arms room with ammunition bunker attached and another 37 feet square beyond that. The 2nd arms room leading(?) 99 feet square was sited in the rear.

The approaches to the pillbox were protected by mine fields, booby traps, and barbed wire. The remainder of the accommodation consisted of troop quarters. The first one was 196 feet square and the 2nd measuring 81 feet square had a locker attached.

These pillboxes were like miniature fortresses in their own right. And in March 1945, one of them managed to hold up a division 15,000 strong for several hours. Explosive charges laid against the steel doors blew a few holes but the door failed to yield. It was only when grenades were tossed inside through the holes in the doors, the stubborn strong point was finally overcome.


(3:28)The Battle of the West Wall　　

Colonel Charles "Buck" Lanham was the commander of the 22nd Regiment, the 4th division of General Patton's 3rd Army, stationed in the Eifel Plateau region in the west Germany.

On the 13th of September 1944, Lanham informed his battalion officers of a plan for assaulting the West Wall. It was simple, straightforward, and he felt confident it was going to work.

3 battalions would attack the West Wall pillboxes sited on the Black Man, the highest above the hamlet B... then moved on to the pillboxes at the village Brandscheid. The 3rd battalion was to go in first, break through the wall, open the way for 2 other battalions to follow and complete the attack.

After that, the entire 4th division could surge through the wall and head for the Rhine.

è Here I am not sure if Teig is the exact last name of the 3rd battlion’s commander. ç
(4:16)The 3rd battalion, led by the Lieutenant colonel Teig(?), advanced towards the Black Man heights, carefully using the terrain to keep out of the sight of the West Wall's defenders.

Some of the Americans were carrying flame throwers. Meanwhile the American artillery was blasting the German positions.

At first there was no reaction from the West Wall. The Germans were evidently waiting for the right moment. When it came, it was devastating.

Mortar fire plunged down on the 3rd Battalion and the Germens' MG42s began to clatter loud, streams of bullets. Americans tilted over one after the other until they lay in a pattern of patches on the hill side.

Before long the wounded would be dragged down the hill and back to the regiment's positions. All around the cry went up for medics. At length Colonel Lanham realized that his men were on the brink of losing the battle.

He drew his pistol and fired a couple of shots in the air, yelling at his reserves to get up and go. Eventually they went, picking their way around the bodies still lying on the slopes.

Lanham's plan proceeded despite the ferocity of German's fight back. The 3rd battalion moved south to Brandscheid but it was no sleepy little village. Unknown to Lanham or Teig(?), the place was spiked all around with pillboxes.

(5:39)A tough German ba...(?) Kampfgruppe Colonel was there, together with SS troops to dismiss American efforts with furor(?) fire.

Teig decided to dig in and try again the next day. The 3rd battalion went on trying for another 2 weeks but they got no where.

(5:58)The 22nd Regiment meanwhile attempted another approach, reducing the German bunkers one by one. This was no small enterprise. At first the Americans tried to get the Germans to surrender. When they refused, tank destroyers were driven up to the steel doors and blast them in a point blank range.

It was a dangerous maneuver for the attackers, but it worked. The survivors emerged. Most of them badly injured. The dead were piled up inside.

(6:27)Before long, American casualties had mounted to 800 men. Some of them were killed when the Germans launched counterattacks out of their pillboxes. Half of the 1st battalion were killed or injured and only 2 of their　officers survived. Many casualties were physically uninjured but developed combat fatigue.

Eventually Colonel Lanham was forced to call off the attack as the weather worsened and the Germans' defenses showed no signs of lessening.

Nothing had been gained and the vital roads leading out of the Eifel region to the Rhine remained under German control. The wall remained intact.




(7:15)The 'Bloody Bucket' Division

The next attempt to the West Wall was made from D... at Luxemburg by the US 28th infantry D., 'bloody bucket' Division, belonging to Courtney Hodge's 1st Army.

The division's reputation for recorded casualties was furthered at the West Wall where they were facing a crack force, the 2nd SS Division.

As the Americans advanced across the minefields, the Germans saturated the battlefield with mortar and machine gun fire. Within a week, American casualties had reached 1,500 killed or injured.

One entire company, F company, disappeared so completely that no trace was ever found of them.

Despite this fearsome defense, the Bloody Bucket D. pushed forward along a narrow front and captured several high points.

But these were little use to them when the 2nd SS D. still held the low ground. Even so, on the 16th of September, the Bloody Bucket scored a notable first.

In what official history described as a pencil like penetration, they had breached the West Wall. In practical terms, it meant little.

The disappearance of F Company had taken the heart out of the American's efforts, and they were ordered to wind up operations.

A further attempt to the West Wall made soon afterwards by the 5th Armored 'victory' D. managed to get through the fortifications to a positions 6 miles inside the German territory.


But this initiative led to a mammoth German counterattack, overseen by the field marshal von Rundstedt himself.

(8:50)Outnumbered, assaulted on both flanks by German infantry and armor, denied air cover when the weather turned nasty, the Victory D. began to falter. On the 19th and 20th of September, they were ordered to pull back.

(9:10)Pencil thin penetrations were no interest to General George Patton, commander of the 3rd Army. As he told the newspaper reporters: 'I'm going to go through the wall like a ... through a goose(?).'

By the fifth of September, Patton's enforced halt by the R. Mosel came to an end as the supplies of fuel to the 3rd Army began to flow again. Patton ordered the 12th and 20th Corps to seize the city of Nancy, the capital of Lorraine, as a prelude of breaking the West Wall and crossing the Rhine.

(9:39)Patton’s in position no(?) serious difficulty. The section of West Wall immediate facing the 3rd Army was manned by 7 weak infantry divisions and a Panzer brigade of the German 1st Army.
Also in the vicinity, there were 7 under-strength divisions of the German's 19th Army, hardly an impressive opposition.


However, even with this poor showing defended parts of the West Wall


=============================
Hi, my dear friends:

The sentences with blue time stamps are the ones bothering me. Hope to get assistances from you. Thank you for your kind attentions.

Regards,
Discovery

 

I think I got everything. It seems unfinished, though. Is there a second video that follows?



(0:00)In 1945, tests showed the weapon was now able to fire over the distances up to 5,600 yds. The development continued into 1951 at which time the chemical mortar had won its spurs a legitimate infantry weapon.

The pillboxes of the West Wall were strong points, arsenals, and underground shelters combined.

The reinforced concrete roofs were up to 7.5 feet thick, and the walls more than 6.5 feet thick. The roof rested on steel beams up to a foot thick and there were two 1.1" steel doors.

(00:44)The regular pillboxes in the West Wall were interspersed with larger multi-story structures, like the cat's head armored fort near the village E... in the south Eifel.

(1:15)Its foundations were dug to a depth of 118 feet and the fort contained 3 stories with reversible turret cannon, automatic flame throwers and machine guns. The rooms were air conditioned providing plenty of comfort for its 84 man crew who could remain at the cat's head for 6 weeks at a time.

http://7grad.org/Exkursionen/Westwal...ano_aussen.jpg

(1:59)The typical West Wall pillbox was more compact. There were 2 entrances with a large gas proof chamber between them. On the right a short staircase led up to the arms room with an ammunition bunker attached and another 37 feet square beyond that. The 2nd arms room nearly 99 feet square was sited at the rear.

The approaches to the pillbox were protected by mine fields, booby traps, and barbed wire. The remainder of the accommodation consisted of troop quarters. The first of them was 190 feet square and the 2nd measuring 81 feet square had a locker attached.

These pillboxes were like miniature fortresses in their own right. And in March 1945, one of them managed to hold up a division 15,000 strong for several hours. Explosive charges laid against the steel door blew a few holes but the door failed to yield. It was only when grenades were tossed inside through the holes in the door, that the stubborn strong point was finally overcome.


(3:28)The Battle of the West Wall　　

Colonel Charles "Buck" Lanham was the commander of the 22nd Regiment, the 4th division of General Patton's 3rd Army, stationed in the Eifel Plateau region of western Germany.

On the 13th of September 1944, Lanham informed his battalion officers of a plan for assaulting the West Wall. It was simple, straightforward, and, he felt confident, was going to work.

3 battalions would attack the West Wall pillboxes sited on the Black Man, the heights above the hamlet B... then moved on to the pillboxes at the village of Brandscheid. The 3rd battalion was to go in first, break through the wall, open the way for 2 furhter battalions to follow and complete the attack.

After that, the entire 4th division could surge through the wall and head for the Rhine.

è Here I am not sure if Teig is the exact last name of the 3rd battlion’s commander. ç
(4:16)The 3rd battalion, led by the Lieutenant colonel Teig(?), advanced towards the Black Man heights, carefully using the terrain to keep out of the sight of the West Wall's defenders.

Some of the Americans were carrying flame throwers. Meanwhile the American artillery was blasting the German positions.

At first there was no reaction from the West Wall. The Germans were evidently waiting for the right moment. When it came, it was devastating.

Mortar fire plunged down on the 3rd Battalion and the Germans' MG42s began to clatter out streams of bullets. Americans keeled over one after the other until they lay in a pattern of patches on the hill side.

Before long the wounded were being dragged down the hill and back to the regiment's positions. All around the cry went up for the medics. At length Colonel Lanham realized that his men were on the brink of losing the battle.

He drew his pistol and fired a couple of shots in the air, yelling at his reserves to get up and go. Eventually they went, picking their way around the bodies still lying on the slopes.

Lanham's plan proceeded despite the ferocity of German fightback. The 3rd battalion moved south to Brandscheid but it was no sleepy little village. Unknown to Lanham or Teig(?), the place was spiked all around with pillboxes.

(5:39)A tough German Battle group Kampfgruppe Colonel was there, together with SS troops to dismiss American efforts with a furor of fire.

Teig decided to dig in and try again the next day. The 3rd battalion went on trying for another 2 weeks but they got nowhere.

(5:58)The 22nd Regiment meanwhile attempted another approach, reducing the German bunkers one by one. This was no small enterprise, and at first the Americans tried to get the Germans to surrender. When they refused, tank destroyers were driven up to the steel doors and blasted them in a point blank range.

It was a dangerous maneuver for the attackers, but it worked. The survivors emerged, most of them badly injured. The dead were piled up inside.

(6:27)Before long, American casualties had mounted to 800 men, some of them killed when the Germans launched a counterattack out of their pillboxes. Half of the 1st battalion were killed or injured and only 2 of their officers survived. Many casualties were physically uninjured but developed combat fatigue.

Eventually Colonel Lanham was forced to call off the attack as the weather worsened and the German defenses showed no signs of lessening.

Nothing had been gained and the vital roads leading out of the Eifel region to the Rhine remained under German control. The wall remained intact.




(7:15)The 'Bloody Bucket' Division

The next attempt to the West Wall was made from the Duchy of Luxembourg by the US 28th infantry 'bloody bucket' Division, belonging to Courtney Hodge's 1st Army.

The division's reputation for record casualties was furthered at the West Wall where they were facing a crack force, the 2nd SS Division.

As the Americans advanced across the minefields, the Germans saturated the battlefield with mortar and machine gun fire. Within a week, American casualties had reached 1,500 killed and injured.

One entire company, F company, disappeared so completely that no trace was ever found of them.

Despite this fearsome defense, the Bloody Bucket D. pushed forward on a narrow front and captured several high points.

But these were little use to them when the 2nd SS D. still held the low ground. Even so, on the 16th of September, the Bloody Bucket scored a notable first.

In what official history described as a pencil-like penetration, they had breached the West Wall. In practical terms, it meant little.

The disappearance of F Company had taken the heart out of the American's efforts, and they were ordered to wind up operations.

A further attempt to the West Wall made soon afterwords by the 5th Armored 'victory' D. managed to get through the fortifications to a positions 6 miles inside the German territory.


But this initiative led to a mammoth German counterattack, overseen by the field marshal von Rundstedt himself.

(8:50)Outnumbered, assaulted on both flanks by German infantry and armor, denied air cover when the weather turned nasty, the Victory D. began to falter. On the 19th and 20th of September, they were ordered to pull back.

(9:10)Pencil thin penetrations were no interest to General George Patton, commander of the 3rd Army. As he told the newspaper reporters: 'I'm going to go through the wall like **** through a goose.'

By the fifth of September, Patton's enforced halt at the River Mosel came to an end as the supplies of fuel to the 3rd Army began to flow again. Patton ordered the 12th and 20th Corps to seize the city of Nancy, the capital of Lorraine, as a prelude to breaking through the West Wall and crossing the Rhine.

(9:39)Patton envisaged no serious difficulty. The section of West Wall immediate facing the 3rd Army was manned by 7 weak infantry divisions and a Panzer brigade of the German 1st Army.
Also in the vicinity, were 7 under-strength divisions of the German's 19th Army, hardly an impressive opposition.


However, even with this poor showing defended parts of the West Wall

 

part #9: YouTube - (9/11) Battlefield The West Wall 9 of 11 World War II
part #10: YouTube - (10/11) Battlefield The West Wall 10 of 11 World War II
part #11: YouTube - (11/11) Battlefield The West Wall 11 of 11 World War II
===================================


Hi, Merk:

Here are the links to the rest of the episode.
When you watch them, you can easily find the other segments from the same episode on the right of the youtube screen.

So, you want me to post #9~#11 of my transcripts too?
If so, I certainly can do it no problem.

Thanks and regards,
Discovery

 

Sure why not, if I can help.

 

Good job merk, beat me to it I'll try to held if I can get in their fast enough! :lol:

 

Hi, Merk:

the chemical mortar had won its spurs ç
Thank you very much for this.

(1:15)cat's headç
Thank you very much for this too.
I am just kind of curious, wondering what it looks like. …
Like a tower protruding out of the ground?
Or just like a bunker, most of it buried underground with only a low profile cloche above the ground?
The web does not have much info on this.


(1:15)reversible turret cannonç
Seems we have agreement on this as far as the video’s sounds go.

Can it be an error of ‘retractable’ instead?
Again, I am wondering how a cannon can be reversible at its turret?
The picture below shows a retractable gun, and that makes more sense to me.



(9:10)…'I'm going to go through the wall like **** through a goose.’ ç

Because of they are bad words you don’t want to write them down,
or you cannot catch the blur voices either?

envisaged no serious difficulty ç
Thank you very much for this.

========================
I am terribly sorry about my manner yesterday morning. I just answered you questions but forgot to say thank you.

Then in the evening when I re-read your responses, I found out you just humbly blended your corrections for me into my transcript, even without highlighting them.

I learned from you not only the knowledge but humble.

Regards,
Discovery

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSeSSIAtJko&NR=1


defended parts of the West Wall, and field marshal Model, Hitler's fireman, as in overall charge.

Elements of the 3rd Army set out for the Moselle R. close to Nancy on the 11th of September. The Americans crossed the river and although there were some heavy German resistances, it did not seriously impede their progress. Nancy was duly occupied on the 15th of September.

(0:25)At this junction, the Americans had to halt for 4 days through the lack of supplies and provisions, and the onset of the bad weather. The delay gave the Germans the opportunity to regroup and concentrate their reserves from their 1st Army and had shutter some …(?) while they blocked the main route to the Rhine.

This made the Americans lost the initiatives and the 5th Panzer hit them with a serious major strike at the Patton's 4th Armored D.

(0:52)The contest continued for 10 days and took on a regular pattern. The Germans attacked under the cover of fog, and ...(?) with vigorous engagement with the Americans. The Americans were aided by the aircraft by the 18th Tactical Air Command outmaneuvered the panzers and forced them to withdraw.

Finally wrecked panzers littered the battle area and the Germans were down to only 25 tanks. Wisely they withdrew. In all, they lost around 280 tanks and suffered 3,000 casualties with the same number taken prisoner.

(1:32)American losses were few, 626 casualties, but almost non-stop fighting over the past 2 months had exhaustion. They were retired from the Lorraine area on the 12th for rest, recruit and refit. The West Wall remained untouched.

9 days later, to his chagrin, Patton lost the honor of making the 1st permanent breach in the fortifications. It happened at Aachen, the historical city on the German border with Belgium and Netherlands.

(2:13)Aachen was fortified but its defense was not unusual strong. Although it formed part of the West Wall, its positions was no strategic significance. Nevertheless the capture of Aachen, the 1st appreciable city the Allies encountered on German soil, could prove the important boost of morale.

Dealing with Aachen fell to Hodge's 1st Army. Hodges plan was to break through the West Wall north and south of the city, surrounded and neutralized it while the bulk of his forces pushed on eastwards towards the Rhine.

However German's resistance was so ferocious then it became impossible for the 1st Army to perform these 2 tasks at once. Hodges had to choose and he chose to assault Aachen.

The units originally intended for the Rhine were playing a backup role and prevent the Germans from relieving the city.

(3:13)Adolph Hitler fully realized the importance of Aachen and issued his usual orders to the 5,000 German defenders. Fight to the last man. Never retreat and die if necessary.

The casualties which resulted from such fanatic defense had already proved so high and Hodges attempted to cut short of the proceedings. He issued the surrender ultimatum on the 10th of October as he no doubt expected it was refused. Hodges now ordered his forces to attack.
They would demarcate the battle area by artillery and mortar fire, dominate the main thoroughfare and intersections with machine guns and move infantry, tanks and tank destroyers along the side streets.

(3:56)All the while they would maintain the maximum fire to ensure no German could escape while the defenders were being held and enthralled(?) in this fashion. Buildings would be collapsing all around them and it would bury them in the ruins.

The initial bombardment at Aachen was delivered by 12 artillery battalions which blast the city with 10,000 rounds in 2 days.

Meanwhile fighter bombers of the 9th Tactical Artillery Command dropped over 160 tons of bombs on the target in the same period.

(4:40)By noon, heavy fighting was taking place inside Aachen. Nevertheless by the end of the day the Americans already blasted their way through the city center. It was not that easy. For the next week, Aachen saw a ferocious struggle as Americans tanks and tank destroyers hammered their way with heavy caliber fire, using the powerful 155mm artillery pieces to blow entire buildings apart.

(5:08)The 155mm worked on the Germans like a terror weapon. Later the German commander in Aachen, Colonel Gerhard Wilck, condemned it as "barbarous and c...fully banged(?)". Lieutenant Colonel Derrill Daniel, commander of the 2nd battalion, had quite another description to the 155mm "quite spectacular and satisfying."

By the afternoon of the 21st of October, Daniel's 2nd battalion had secured the business areas of Aachen while pushing westwards and learned the fight was over.

Contrary to the Hitler's orders, the garrisons of Aachen had surrendered. The Americans captured 1,000 prisoners. According to their own reports, the Germans had suffered around 5,000 casualties, quite probably a lot of more men were killed. The Americans lost about 10th of that number, most of them among the assault troops. After the battle, only around 20% of Aachen's buildings were left standing.

Even before the capture of Aachen, the 9th infantry D. of Hodges 1st Army was ordered into the Hurtgen forest, southeast of the city to clear the security for the right flank of another effort of against the West Wall, a major assault across the open country and penetrating the fortifications.

(6:37)The Hurtgen was a man made forest around 200 square miles. There were few roads. It was a difficult fighting country, certainly for tanks and armor vehicles. And the Americans expected only light resistances. They were wrong.

Although the German 7th Army was not well prepared to defend the forest, once the Americans entered, they fought with their customary ferocity to keep them back. By October, the 9th Airborne D. had suffered 4.5 thousand casualties for an advance less than 2 miles.

(7:14)The battle in the forest now took on the proportions of the major struggle and one which the Germans always seemed to be one jump ahead. In November, Hodges ordered the 28th 'Bloody Bucket' infantry D. to advance through the forest to seize the high ground at Schmidt. Schmidt lay in also the important dams on the R. Roer.

Rain and fog intervene caused the delays, giving the Germans time to target the invasion.

During the subsequent fighting, the Americans lost 6,000 casualties, in one of the most costly actions in any they fought in the world. An action initially intended to be an easy ride had quickly turned into a nightmare.

The forest floor was thickly sewn with anti-personnel mines. Shells burst high in the tree tops fell down in showers of deadly metal fragments on the soldiers picking their way through the massive broken branches and slippery leaves.

As the winter wore on, there was rain, wind, sleet and snow. It was all too easy to get lost in the tangle of trees and stumble into ambushes.

(8:26)The German defense ferocious as always had an extra specific purpose. The top secret 'Watch on the Reich' had deliberately misnamed offensive due to take place in the Arden in December could be jeopardized if the Americans managed to cross the R. Roer which meant through the forest.

The Roer itself was of great importance to the Germans. If the Americans crossed the river, now or in the future, they could be isolated by floods caused by opening the Roer dams. Ideally the flooding might prevent them from crossing at all.

The cost on both sides was very high. By mid October, the Germans lost around 2,000 killed or injured, and 1,200 taken prisoners. The American losses were even greater, 4.5 thousand men killed, wounded or missing.

(9:26)November 1944 went on as September and October began. Massive American assaults accompanied by fighter bomber attacks did nothing to break down the German resistance which was so powerful that the Bloody Bucket D. lost 40% of its strength in 7 days.

On the 15th of November, 1,200 flying fortresses of the US Army 8th Air Force flew from The Netherlands to soften up the enemy for the US 84th D. at Geilenkirchen north of Aachen.

But the result was ...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vr5Dpsr6Q8o&NR=1


(0:00)fearful battle of ...(?) which infantry suffered so many losses that they were unable to continue.

By December 1944, the Americans had being dashed themselves against the West Wall for 3 months and despite the victory at Aachen, they were getting no where.

The Hurtgen forest became a microcosm of this failure. After the Bloody Bucket D. withdrew, another armored division and 4 more infantry divisions were sent in, only to be shredded in their turn. None of them lasted more than 2 weeks before they were replaced by the next.

(0:48)The ultimate responsibility for breaking this unpass(?) lay with General Eisenhower. After such a long time, so many losses and so many failures, he might well afraid that his job was on the line.

Even worse, the outcome of the war could be in the balance. Inside their defenses, the Germans proved too strong to shift. Instead, Eisenhower thought to allure them out of their fortifications, so the Americans could meet them on open ground where they had better chance to prevail.

Eisenhower laid a trap, the so called Ghost Front, in the Ardennes where the American's defenses were thin and the Germans might fancy their chances of success. In fact, Eisenhower had 14 armored divisions waiting in the wings to fall on them once they emerged.

(1:38)In the mean time, the frontal attack on the wall continued. There was no major break through but there were some gains. The Americans captured the important crossroad leading to the defenses in the Hurtgen forest, Wahlerscheid, crossroad north of Monschau.

The West Wall itself was penetrated to a depth of 1200yds.

(2:00)On the 16th of December 1944, the Germans appeared to fall for Eisenhower's trap. They came out of their fortifications but not to assault Americans with their under-strength manpower.

(2:09)In one of the worst cases of bad luck coincidence in military history, Eisenhower's trap was pre-empted by the Ardennes offensive. A last gust...(?) initiative by 24 German divisions to throw back the Allies and possibly win the war.

The Allies never imagined at this late stage in the war, the Germans were capable of mustering such a force. But the Ardennes offensive did not last long. After initial successes, fuel supplies ran out. And in early January 1945, it was all over.

On the 16th of January 1945, 8 days after the end of Ardennes offensive, British forces under Bernard Montgomery, now a field marshal, took their turn and were cracking the West Wall.

(3:02)Their target was Heinsberg salient, around 20 miles long which was defended by 3 lines of fortifications continuous trench and weapon pits covered by barbed wire and liberally(?) sewn with mines.

The Germans had 2 infantry divisions in the salient with 156 guns and 18 assault guns. All of them were spread over muddy terrain. It was difficult and dangerous to traverse.

Montgomery's forces consisted of 2 divisions, the 43rd and 52nd low land divisions, and very tough, very hardy 1st Commando Brigade. US General Patton was not at happy about the prospect of Montgomery, his hated rival, gaining the honor of being the 1st to reach the Rhine.

(3:48)At the end of January 1945, Patton with help from General Bradley persuaded Eisenhower to agreed to an armor reconnaissance in the Eifel region. It would take his forces to cross the rivers Roer or Saar to close in on the West Wall.

The term armor reconnaissance was somewhat vague but Patton preferred it that way. To him, it was means to an end. Patton was not planning reconnaissance at all. He aimed to get his 3rd Army so committed to the battle of West Wall that Eisenhower would have to agree to their participation.

The guns of Patton's 3rd Army opened up on the morning of 29th January 1945 and began pounding the fortifications. The weather was foul. It began to snow as the assault battalions of the 4th infantry began to advance.

http://www.90thdivisionassoc.org/90thdivisionfolders/mervinbooks/345/34504.pdf 90th Division

They slip to cross the frozen Roer River and blast their way through Brandscheid with artillery, tank fire and flame throwers.

(4:51)The Germans fought back. But in a ferocious hand to hand fighting that ensued, they were pushed back. Although they managed to win back the village of Brandscheid, there had been a partial break through of the West Wall near the town of Prum. By this time Patton had expected confirmation from Eisenhower to proceed towards Mosel.

(5:11)When contact eventually made, Patton was enfuried(?) to be told the 3rd Army must stay put to go on defensive and wait for further orders. Orders when they came through were not much comfort to Patton.

The hated Montgomery had received sanction for 14 British divisions to begin a fresh attack against Model's positions on the West Wall, starting on the 10th of February. All Patton was allowed to do was continue operation in the Eifel region until that day.

(5:40)After Montgomery's attack went in, Patton turned making preparations for a separate assault by his 3rd Army on the center of the West Wall.

But the attempts to preserve the elements of surprises suffered setbacks. The Germans suspected something big was afoot and was certain of it when the 3rd Army suddenly imposed radio silence.

At 0100 hours on the 7th of February 1945, Patton's artillery including 155mm guns began rolling out shells towards German's positions across the R. Saar. Under covers of this bombardment, men of the 3rd Army's 12th Corps set out to cross the river in 36 rubber boats formally belonging to the German Luftwaffe.

They ran into a massive blast of German fire .which only one of the boats survived. For the sufficient number of American managed to reach the other side of the river to form up and mount attacks on the West Wall pillboxes.

This time the Americans attacked them from the rear, the only way of attacking them of the real chance of success. The result was a series of blackened and blasted back doors and the crew so shocked the suddenness of onslaught. Many of them panicked and surrendered.

For the next week, the Americans continued destroying pillboxes, 40 of them to a square mile. But the breaching of the West Wall in the Eifel region was only a local success. The fortifications running from Trier on the Mosel down to the Swiss border was still intact.

Patton unwilling to lose the momentum wanted to continue his attack to cross the river Mosel and assault Trier then drive on through the Rhine.

The 3rd Army did in fact capture Trier on the 1st of March after very stiff fight lasting 3 days. But the rest of Patton's plan did not accord with the official strategy.

(7:41)Montgomery's assault in the Reichswald forest still had priority. Unfortunately his campaign had generated into a grim slogging match.

Although his British and Canadian forces had succeeded in breaking through the West Wall to the north, more than 15,600 men had been lost, and the end of February arrived. The whole of the struggle showed signs of ending.
If eventually Montgomery's forces were to attack across the Rhine into the industrial region of Ruhr, it would have to be on a narrow front.

This enabled General Bradley, with interest so much the same as Patton's, to propose a back up position for the American forces. The 1st and 3rd Armies would advance to the Rhine before Montgomery made his attempt of crossing.

(8:28)What Bradley was really doing was seem to let the American troops when(?) have the position to be the 1st to cross the Rhine and 1st to spread out into the rest of Germany.


(8:52)Cross the Rhine
During the assault on the R. Saar, the 4th Armored D. of Patton's 3rd Army advanced on Bitburg which they meant to use as a spring board for their own drive to the Rhine.

By the 5th of March, the Allied assaults on the West Wall during the previous few days had opened the way for them. They left Bitburg and 2 days later, on the 7th of March, the division's lead tanks reached the Rhine.

On the same morning, the US 9th Armored D. of Hodges' 1st Army arrived at the Ludendorff railway bridge Remagen just as the German engineers were preparing to blow it up.

The Germans exploded some of their charges but the bridge survived long enough for the American infantry to cross the Rhine and established the 1st Allied bridgehead on the other side. 10 days later, the bridge Remagen collapsed into the river.

Although much of the West Wall remained in German hands, it failed its prime purpose, to keep the Allies out of Germany.

The Allies' drive to the Rhine had effectively bypassed the fortifications and made them redundant once again.





==============================
Hi, Merk:

Above are the transcripts for #9 and #10. Hope you can still help me with them. Thanks and regards.

Discovery

 

I actually have no idea whatsoever what this is, and I can't find any information about it either. Maybe it is a German word and I have it wrong. It just sounded like that to me on the recording.

It really sounded like "reversible" to me, not retractable. Someone else may have a better explanation, but I would guess it just means that the turret rotates, so the gun can face in 360 degrees of rotation.

Actually I wrote it, but the forum won't let one post bad language, so it asterisked it out.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSeSSIAtJko&NR=1

I believe I got everything right in this one. The reason I didn't highlight corrections wasn't actually, as you suggested, because I was being humble, but because it was easier not to.
Also, I found several small errors, usually like "to" instead of "for" and things like that, which i also corrected, so it would have looked silly had I highlighted every change I made.

. . .defended parts of the West Wall, and field marshal Model, Hitler's fireman, was in overall charge.

Elements of the 3rd Army set out for the Moselle R. close to Nancy on the 11th of September. The Americans crossed the river and though there were some heavy German resistances, it did not seriously impede their progress. Nancy was duly occupied on the 15th of September.

(0:25)At this juncture, the Americans had to halt for 4 days through the lack of supplies and provisions, and the onset of bad weather. The delay gave the Germans the opportunity to regroup and concentrate reserves from their 1st Army at Chateau- Salins where they blocked one of the main routes to the Rhine.

This meant the Americans had lost the initiative and the 5th Panzer hit them with a series of major strikes at Patton's 4th Armored D.

(0:52)The contest continued for 10 days and took on a regular pattern. The Germans attacked under cover of fog, and fought a series of vigorous engagements with the Americans. The Americans who were aided, weather permitting, by aircraft of the 18th Tactical Air Command outmaneuvered the panzers and forced them to withdraw.

Finally wrecked panzers littered the battle area and the Germans were down to only 25 tanks. Wisely they withdrew. In all, they lost around 280 tanks and suffered 3,000 casualties with the same number taken prisoner.

(1:32)American losses were few, 626 casualties, but almost non-stop fighting over the past 2 months had exhausted them. They were retired from the Lorraine area on the 12th for rest, recoup and refit. The West Wall remained untouched.

9 days later, to his chagrin, Patton lost the honor of making the 1st permanent breach in the fortifications. It happened at Aachen, a historic city on the German border with Belgium and the Netherlands.

(2:13)Aachen was fortified but its defenses were not unusually strong. And though it formed part of the West Wall, its position was of no strategic significance. Nevertheless the capture of Aachen, the 1st appreciable city the Allies had encountered on German soil, could prove an important boost to morale.

Dealing with Aachen fell to Courtney Hodge's 1st Army. Hodges plan was to break through the West Wall north and south of the city, surround and neutralize it while the bulk of his forces pushed on eastwards towards the Rhine.

However German resistance was so ferocious that it became impossible for the 1st Army to perform these 2 tasks at once. Hodges had to choose and he chose to assault Aachen.

The units originally intended for the Rhine were playing a backup role and prevent the Germans from relieving the city.

(3:13)Adolph Hitler fully realized the importance of Aachen and issued his usual orders to the 5,000 German defenders. Fight to the last man, never retreat and die if necessary.

The casualties that resulted from such fanatic defense had already proved so high that Hodges attempted to cut short the proceedings. He issued a surrender ultimatum on the 10th of October. As he no doubt expected, it was refused. Hodges now ordered his forces to attack.
They would demarcate the battle area by artillery and mortar fire, dominate the main thoroughfares and intersections with machine guns and move infantry, tanks, and tank destroyers along the side streets.

(3:56)All the while they would maintain maximum fire to ensure that no German could escape. While the defenders were being held in thrall in this fashion, buildings would be collapsing all around them and it would bury them in the ruins.

The initial bombardment of Aachen was delivered by 12 artillery battalions which plastered the city with 10,000 rounds in 2 days.

Meanwhile fighter-bombers of the 9th Tactical Artillery Command dropped over 160 tons of bombs on the target in the same period.

(4:40)By noon, heavy fighting was taking place inside Aachen. Nevertheless by the end of the day the Americans were ready to blast their way through to the city center. It was not that easy. For the next week, Aachen saw a ferocious struggle as the Americans tanks and tank destroyers hammered away with heavy caliber fire, using the powerful 155mm artillery pieces to blow entire buildings apart.

(5:08)The 155mm worked on the Germans like a terror weapon. Later the German commander in Aachen, Colonel Gerhard Wilck, condemned it as "barbarous" and called for it to be banned. Lieutenant Colonel Derrill Daniel, commander of the 2nd battalion, had quite another description for the 155mm "quite spectacular and satisfying."

By the afternoon of the 21st of October, Daniel's 2nd battalion had secured the business areas of Aachen and were pushing westwards when they learned the fight was over.

Contrary to the Hitler's orders, the garrisons of Aachen had surrendered. The Americans captured 1,000 prisoners. According to their own reports, the Germans had suffered around 5,000 casualties, quite probably a lot more men were killed. The Americans lost about 10th of that number, most of them among the assault troops. After the battle, only around 20% of Aachen's buildings were left standing.

Even before the capture of Aachen, the 9th infantry D. of Hodges 1st Army was ordered into the Hurtgen forest, southeast of the city to clear as security for the right flank of another effort against the West Wall, a major assault across the open country aimed at penetrating the fortifications.

(6:37)The Hurtgen was a man made forest around 200 square miles. There were few roads. It was difficult fighting country certainly for tanks and armor vehicles. And the Americans expected only light resistances. They were wrong.

Although the German 7th Army was not well prepared to defend the forest, once the Americans entered, they fought with their customary ferocity to keep them back. By October, the 9th Airborne D. had suffered 4.5 thousand casualties for an advance less than 2 miles.

(7:14)The battle in the forest now took on the proportions of a major struggle and one which the Germans always seemed to be one jump ahead. In November, Hodges ordered the 28th 'Bloody Bucket' infantry D. to advance through the forest to seize the high ground at Schmidt. Schmidt lay north of the important dams on the R. Roer.

Rain and fog intervened to cause delays, giving the Germans time to target the invasion.

During the subsequent fighting, the Americans lost 6,000 casualties, in one of the most costly actions of any they fought in the war. An action initially intended to be an easy ride had quickly turned into a nightmare.

The forest floor was thickly sewn with anti-personnel mines. Shells bursting high in the tree tops fell down in showers of deadly metal fragments on the soldiers picking their way through the massive broken branches and slippery leaves.

As the winter wore on, there was rain, wind, sleet and snow. It was all too easy to get lost in the tangle of trees and stumble into ambushes.

(8:26)The German defense, ferocious as always, had an extra, specific purpose. The top secret 'Watch on the Rhine the deliberately misnamed offensive due to take place in the Arden in December, could have been jeopardized if the Americans managed to cross the R. Roer which ran through the forest.

The Roer itself was of great importance to the Germans. If the Americans crossed the river, now or in the future, they could be isolated by floods caused by opening the Roer dams. Ideally the flooding might prevent them crossing at all.

The cost on both sides was very high. By mid October, the Germans had lost around 2,000 killed or injured, and 1,200 taken prisoners. American losses were even greater, 4.5 thousand men killed, wounded or missing.

(9:26)November 1944 went on as September and October had begun. Massive American assaults accompanied by fighter-bomber attacks did nothing to break down the German resistance, which was so powerful that the Bloody Bucket D. lost 40% of its strength in 7 days.

On the 15th of November, 1,200 flying fortresses of the US Army 8th Air Force flew from The Netherlands to soften up the enemy for the US 84th D. at Geilenkirchen north of Aachen.

But the result was ...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vr5Dpsr6Q8o&NR=1


(0:00)fearful battle of attrition in which the infantry suffered so many losses that they were unable to continue.

By December 1944, the Americans had been dashing themselves against the West Wall for 3 months and despite the victory at Aachen, they were getting nowhere.

The Hurtgen forest became a microcosm of this failure. After the Bloody Bucket D. was withdrawn, another armored division and 4 more infantry divisions were sent in, only to be shredded in their turn. None of them lasted more than 2 weeks before they were replaced by the next.

(0:48)The ultimate responsibility for breaking this impasse lay with General Eisenhower. After such a long time, so many losses and so many failures, he might well have felt that his job was on the line.

Even worse, the outcome of the war could be in the balance. Inside their defenses, the Germans had proved too strong to shift. Instead, Eisenhower thought to lure them out of their fortifications, so the Americans could meet them on open ground where they had better chance to prevail.

Eisenhower laid a trap, the so called Ghost Front, in the Ardennes where the American defenses were thin and the Germans might fancy their chances of success. In fact, Eisenhower had 14 armored divisions waiting in the wings to fall on them once they emerged.

(1:38)In the mean time, the frontal attack on the wall continued. There was no major breakthrough but there were some gains. The Americans captured the important crossroads leading to the defenses in the Hurtgen forest, and the Wahlerscheid, crossroads north of Monschau.

The West Wall itself was penetrated to a depth of 1200yds.

(2:00)On the 16th of December 1944, the Germans appeared to fall for Eisenhower's trap. They came out of their fortifications but not to assault Americans with their under-strength manpower.

(2:09)In one of the worst cases of bad luck coincidence in military history, Eisenhower's trap was pre-empted by the Ardennes offensive, a last gasp initiative by 24 German divisions to throw back the Allies and possibly win the war.

The Allies never imagined that at this late stage in the war, the Germans were capable of mustering such a force. But the Ardennes offensive did not last long. After initial successes, fuel supplies ran out. And in early January 1945, it was all over.

On the 16th of January 1945, 8 days after the end of Ardennes offensive, British forces under Bernard Montgomery, now a field marshal, took their turn at cracking the West Wall.

(3:02)Their target was Heinsberg salient, around 20 miles long which was defended by 3 lines of fortifications, continuous trenches, and weapon pits covered by barbed wire and liberally sewn with mines.

The Germans had 2 infantry divisions in the salient with 156 guns and 18 assault guns, all of them spread over muddy terrain that was difficult and dangerous to traverse.

Montgomery's forces consisted of 2 infantry divisions, the 43rd and 52nd lowland divisions, and very tough, very hardy 1st Commando Brigade. US General Patton was not at all happy about the prospect of Montgomery, his hated rival, gaining the honor of being the 1st to reach the Rhine.

(3:48)At the end of January 1945, Patton, with help from General Bradley, persuaded Eisenhower to agreed to an armored reconnaissance in the Eifel region that would take his forces across the rivers Roer or Saar to close in on the West Wall.

The term armored reconnaissance was somewhat vague and Patton preferred it that way. To him, it was means to an end. Patton wasn't planning reconnaissance at all. He aimed to get his 3rd Army so committed to the battle of the West Wall that Eisenhower would have to agree to their participation.

The guns of Patton's 3rd Army opened up on the morning of 29th January 1945 and began pounding the fortifications. The weather was foul. It began to snow as the assault battalion of the 4th infantry began to advance.

http://www.90thdivisionassoc.org/90thdivisionfolders/mervinbooks/345/34504.pdf 90th Division

They slid across the frozen Roer River and blast their way through Brandscheid with artillery, tank fire and flame throwers.

(4:51)The Germans fought back. But in the ferocious hand to hand fighting that ensued, they were pushed back. Although they managed to win back the village of Brandscheid, there had been a partial breakthrough of the West Wall near the town of Prum. By this time Patton had expected confirmation from Eisenhower to proceed towards Mosel.

(5:11)When contact eventually made, Patton was infuriated to be told the 3rd Army must stay put to go on the defensive and await further orders. Orders when they came through were not much comfort to Patton.

The hated Montgomery had received sanction for 14 British divisions to begin a fresh attack against Model's positions on the West Wall, starting on the 10th of February. All Patton was allowed to do was continue operations in the Eifel region until that day.

(5:40)After Montgomery's attack went in, Patton turned to making preparations for a separate assault by his 3rd Army on the center of the West Wall.

But attempts at preserving the element of surprise suffered setbacks. The Germans suspected something big was afoot and they were certain of it when the 3rd Army suddenly imposed radio silence.

At 0100 hours on the 7th of February 1945, Patton's artillery including 155mm guns began roaring out shells towards the German positions across the R. Saar. Under cover of this bombardment, men of the 3rd Army's 12th Corps set out to cross the river in 36 rubber boats formerly belonging to the German Luftwaffe.

They ran into a massive blast of German fire which only one of the boats survived. But a sufficient number of American managed to reach the other side of the river to form up and mount attacks on the West Wall pillboxes.

This time the Americans attacked them from the rear, the only way of tackling them that offered a real chance of success. The result was a series of blackened, blasted back doors and crews so shocked at the suddenness of onslaught that many of them panicked and surrendered.

For the next week, the Americans continued destroying pillboxes, 40 of them to each square mile. But the breaching of the West Wall in the Eifel region was only a local success. The fortifications running from Trier on the Mosel down to the Swiss border were still intact.

Patton, unwilling to lose the momentum, wanted to continue his attack, cross the river Mosel and assault Trier then drive on through the Rhine.

The 3rd Army did in fact capture Trier on the 1st of March after a very stiff fight lasting 3 days. But the rest of Patton's plan did not accord with official strategy.

(7:41)Montgomery's assault in the Reichswald forest still had priority. Unfortunately his campaign had degenerated into a grim slogging match.

Although his British and Canadian forces had succeeded in breaking through the West Wall to the north, more than 15,600 men had been lost, and the end of February arrived before the struggle showed signs of ending.
If eventually Montgomery's forces were to attack across the Rhine into the industrial region of the Ruhr, it would have to be on a narrow front.

This enabled General Omar Bradley, whose interests were much the same as Patton's, to propose a back up position for the American forces. The 1st and 3rd Armies would advance to the Rhine before Montgomery made his attempt at a crossing.

(8:28)What Bradley was really doing was seeing to it that American troops were in a position to be the 1st to cross the Rhine and 1st to spread out into the rest of Germany.


(8:52)Cross the Rhine
During the assault on the R. Saar, the 4th Armored D. of Patton's 3rd Army advanced on Bitburg which they meant to use as a springboard for their own drive to the Rhine.

By the 5th of March, the Allied assaults on the West Wall during the previous few days had opened the way for them. They left Bitburg and 2 days later, on the 7th of March, the division's lead tanks reached the Rhine.

On the same morning, the US 9th Armored D. of Hodges' 1st Army arrived at the Ludendorff railway bridge at Remagen just as German engineers were preparing to blow it up.

The Germans exploded some of their charges but the bridge survived long enough for American infantry to cross the Rhine and establish the 1st Allied bridgehead on the other side. 10 days later, the bridge at Remagen collapsed into the river.

Although much of the West Wall remained in German hands, it had failed in its prime purpose, to keep the Allies out of Germany.

The Allies' drive to the Rhine had effectively bypassed the fortifications and made them redundant once again.

 

Hi, Merk:

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=70&t=169316

I made some inquiry about 'cat's head' and 'reversible turret cannon'.
The link above has some answers which I would like to share with you.


=================
I found one error from this video itself.

seg #8: YouTube - (8/11) Battlefield The West Wall 8 of 11 World War II

(3:30)Colonel Charles "Buck" Lanham was the commander of the 22nd Regiment,
the 4th division of General Patton's 3rd Army, stationed in the Eifel Plateau region of western Germany.

<== It should be: '...Hodge's 1st...'

Brandscheid is locatd near the border of Luxembourg, Belgium, and Germany. It is in Germany's territory.
From the 2nd map, it shows the demarkation line between Hodges(1st) and Patton(3d) just touches the southern tip of Luxembourg.
So the 4th Division, whose job was to seize Brandscheid, was under Hodge's command, belonging to the 5th Corps.
　　Brandscheid

map from West Point History Dept.:
http://www.dean.usma.edu/history/web03/atlases/ww2%20europe/EuropeanTheaterPDF/WWIIEurope66.pdf
/////////


(3:52)3 battalions would attack the West Wall pillboxes sited on the Black Man, the heights above the hamlet of B...(?) then moved on to the pillboxes at the small village of Brandscheid.

It's Buchet. I found it from this book:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?index=books&linkCode=qs&keywords=0306811480
Page 50, Buchet-Brandscheid sector

Also it can be found here:
http://1-22infantry.org/history2/regthistory.htm
22nd Infantry Regiment History World War II
/////////


If you ever wonder why I am doing this, below is part of my project.

#5:　　YouTube - (5/11) Battlefield The West Wall　（ä¸*）
#6:　　YouTube - (6/11) Battlefield The West Wall　（ä¸*）



I want to spread the knowledge, plus drill my English skills through nice people like you.

So could you please help me finish the one last segment #11?

Best regards,
Discovery
=======================================



segment 11: 　　http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HiuEnxtuDo&feature=related


It is March the 9th Armor D. made a final assault on the West Wall. The Americans approached wearily, expecting the pillarboxes to explode with fire. There was none. The pillarboxes were empty.

Most of the defenders had gone. Some remained at their posts surrendered. Other fled under the cover of darkness. A few ransacked the houses and ruins for clothes, assuming civilian guise and kept on running.

Once the Allied forces were across the Rhine, it was only a matter of time before the Reich collapsed. This did not prevent the Germans from fighting on and another 2 month passed after the crossing of Rhine at Remagen before their surrender on the 7th of May, 1945.

By then the West Wall had played its part in deciding the new shape of the Europe and the nature of the postwar politics.

For the way which it is finally overcome did not arise from purely military considerations.

The Lower Countries in northern Germany had come under Montgomery's overall command.

So taking this route to invade the 3rd Reich as envisaged before D-day would have brought American troops under British control.

(1:23)However the American Generals was too shaven too stick to stand for that. This applied particularly to General Patton whose name for Montgomery was unprintable and too ...(?) to stand to General Bradley.

To Patton, his hated rival might be the 1st to reach the Rhine was ...(?)

As for General Bradley he had his own secret agenda in Feb. 1945 when he suggested Hodges' 1st Army and Patton's 3rd Army should mass up the Rhine to cover Montgomery's narrow front thrust cross of the river.

This was an important insurance against Germans staging another Arden style offensive. But it was no coincidence that also made sure the Rhine crossing would be a bold American enterprise.

General Patton had made his own contribution to this state of affairs by turning his aggressive defense of West Wall war into an aggressive offense.

He drew the focus of American operations southwards. This was a no position for a speedy drive to Berlin.

And meanwhile Russian gained the time to move in from the east and reached the German capital first. Subsequently this enabled them to claim for communism a larger share in Europe than the British and Americans meant to let them have.

And for the next 45 years, until the Communism collapsed in Europe and Cold War came into an end, the world had to live with the consequences.

 

(1:23)However the American Generals was too shaven too stick to stand for that. This applied particularly to General Patton whose name for Montgomery was unprintable and too ...(?) to stand to General Bradley.

• It's not What you have, I believe it's some 1 word,that I have no idea what.​
• Montgomery was unprintable and too lesser extent(s)? to stand to General Bradley.​
• ​
• To Patton, his hated rival might be the 1st to reach the Rhine was Afnafiable something or Ineffable. I'm not the best speller. But I could clearly without an accent, speak it to you.​

 

"the American generals were too chivalrous to stand for that."

 

Hi, Chef des Todes:
Thanks for those hints.
Regards,
Discovery
===========================


Hi, Merk:
Could you run the grammar check on the one last segment #11 like before for me please? This one is just a short one. I really need your help again.

Thanks and regards,
Discovery

 

.. of March, the 9th Armor Division made a final assault on the West Wall.

The Americans approached warily, expecting the pillboxes to explode with fire. There was none. The pillboxes were empty.
Most of the defenders had gone. Some remained at their posts and surrendered. Others fled under the cover of darkness. A few ransacked the ruins of houses for clothes, assumed civilian guise and kept on running.

Once the Allied forces were across the Rhine, it was only a matter of time before the Third Reich collapsed. This did not prevent the Germans from fighting on and another 2 months passed after the crossing of Rhine at Remagen before their surrender on the 7th of May, 1945.

By then the West Wall had played its part in deciding the new shape of Europe and the nature of the postwar politics. For the way in which it was finally overcome did not arise from purely military considerations.

The Lower Countries in northern Germany had come under Montgomery's overall command. So that taking this route to invade the 3rd Reich as envisaged before D-day would have brought American forces under British control.
However the American Generals were too chauvinistic to stand for that. This applied particularly to General Patton, whose name for Montgomery was unprintable, and to a lesser extent to General Bradley.

To Patton, the idea that his hated rival might be the 1st to reach the Rhine was anathema.

As for General Bradley, he had his own secret agenda in Feb. 1945 when he suggested that Hodges' 1st Army and Patton's 3rd Army should mass at the Rhine to cover Montgomery's narrow front thrust across the river.

This was an important insurance against the Germans staging another Arden style offensive. But it was no coincidence that it also made sure the Rhine crossing would be an all-American enterprise.

General Patton had made his own contribution to this state of affairs by turning his aggressive defense at the West Wall war into an aggressive offense, he drew the focus of American operations southwards. This was the wrong position for a speedy drive to Berlin.

And meanwhile Russians gained the time to move in from the east and reach the German capital first. Subsequently this enabled them to claim for Communism a larger share in Europe than the British and Americans meant to let them have.

And for the next 45 years, until Communism collapsed in Europe and the Cold War came into an end, the world had to live with the consequences.

okay. I think I got it all. I mistook the word the first time through. "chauvinistic" not "chivalrous"

just out of curiosity, what is your first language?

 

Yes. 'chauvinistic' should be the answer. It makes more sense in the context and is closer to the sound from the video.

'anathema' seems a strong word. To me, I seldom see it used.
But it fits the context here too, well expressing Patton's feelings for Montgomery.

=====
My mother tongue is Mandarin Chinese.
Nowadays there are 2 different character fonts for my language though.
The one you saw in the closed caption made by me is called the traditional font.
It's squarer, more symmetric, prettier, and closer to the ancient font we have used it for thousands of years.
That means once you get familiarized with that kind of font, then it makes you easier to access the sea of our classic literature.
If you are interested in Mandarin Chinese and need help, I am more than happy to do whatever I can to help you with.

=====
The proofreading comes to an end.
And I think it's time for me to re-masticate you corrections in order not to make the same mistakes again.

I plan to do another episode a couple of months later, perhaps about either North Africa or Winter War.
If you get time then, can you still help me with that?
Thank you a thousand times for what you have done for me. I wish you have a terrific Labor Day weekend.


Best regards,
Discovery