On 13 December the advance began with the American khaki crossing the Rhine into advanced positions. The four bridges available for crossing the river within the Coblenz bridgehead were the pontoon bridge and railroad bridge at Coblenz, the railroad bridges at Engers and Remagen. With three divisions, the 1st, 2d, and 32d, the III Corps occupied the American sector of the Coblenz bridgehead, the movement of the troops into position beginning at the scheduled hour, 13 December. The southern (right) boundary was as has been previously mentioned.īefore the advance the 1st Division passed to the command of the III Corps. The northern (left) boundary remained unchanged. 11 issued, directed the Third Army to occupy the northern sector of the Coblenz bridgehead, with the advance elements to cross the Rhine river at seven o'clock, 13 December. 'This old castle perched on a hilltop above the Moselle River and the town of Cochem, Germany, is headquarters of the U.S. The strength of the Third Army as of 19 December, the date the bridgehead occupation was completed, was 9,638 officers and 221,070 enlisted men. Troops, upon crossing the Rhine and reaching their assigned areas, were billeted preparatory to occupying selected positions for defense. The crossing of the Rhine by the front line divisions was effected in good time and without confusion. In the occupied area, both food and coal supplies were sufficient. Third Army troops had encountered no hostile act of any sort. Two days later, on 17 December 1918, the Coblenz bridgehead, consisting of a pontoon bridge and three railroad bridges across the Rhine, had been established. By 15 December the Third Army Headquarters at Mayen opened at Coblenz.

The march into Germany for occupation duty was begun on 17 November 1918. Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Forces. He was to disarm and disband German forces as ordered by General John J. On 15 November 1918, Major General Dickman was given the mission to move quickly and by any means into Central Germany on occupation duties. The third Army consisted of three corps ( III, Maj.

Dickman assumed command and issued Third Army General Order No. The Third United States Army was first activated as a formation during the First World War on 7 November 1918, at Chaumont, France, when the General Headquarters of the American Expeditionary Forces issued General Order 198 organizing the Third Army and announcing its headquarters staff. 2 Reactivation and the inter-War period.

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