Fifteenth United States Army
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Fifteenth United States Army |
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|---|---|
 Fifteenth Army shoulder badge |
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| active | August 21, 1944 to January 31, 1946 |
| Country |
 United States
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| Armed forces | United States Armed Forces |
| Armed forces |
.svg){kind=small} United States Army
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| Type | army |
| Wars | Second World War |
| Supreme command | |
| Important commanders |
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The Fifteenth United States Army ( German 15th US Army ) was the last Allied army that was used against Germany in World War II .
history
The 15th Army Command was formed on August 21, 1944 at Fort Sam Houston , Texas, from parts of the 4th US Army . At that time, the designated commander in chief was John P. Lucas , commander in chief of the 4th Army. The order had already been issued to form an advance command for later use in Europe. This left New York at the beginning of November for Scotland and a little later took up quarters in Doddington Hall, Cheshire. In preparation for the deployment on the Western Front , the headquarters in the Chateau d'Ardennes near Dinant , Belgium, was moved in mid-December . Due to the threat posed by the German Ardennes offensive , it had to be vacated a short time later and new quarters in Cerfontaine , Belgium, and another relocation to Fme. de Suippes in France followed. On December 28, the actual headquarters with 208 officers and 624 crews on board the Empire Javelin left Southampton , on the way across the English Channel an explosion occurred, which was probably caused by a mine or a torpedo. The French frigate L'Escarmouche and smaller ships were able to save the passengers up to 13 missing persons before the ship went down.
At the beginning of January 1945 Major General Ray E. Porter took command of the army in Suippes. On January 6, the Army achieved operational status as part of the 12th Army Group . A little later, on January 16, Lieutenant General Leonard T. Gerow took over the army, who had previously distinguished himself as Commanding General of the V Corps in the defense of the Battle of the Bulge. Until March 1945, the 15th Army was busy training, re-equipping and rehabilitating US troops in the hinterland of the front. Furthermore, planning in connection with the future occupation of Germany belonged to her tasks.
On March 31, the 15th Army took over the management of the operations against the German " Atlantic fortresses " St. Nazaire and Lorient . On April 1, she was also given the task of securing the western front along the Rhine between Bonn and Neuss (later extended to Homberg ). It should also prepare to take over the tasks of the military government in the Rhine Province , Saarland , Palatinate and Rheinhessen . These tasks should be carried out by the XXII and XXIII Corps . For this purpose, the new army headquarters were moved into on April 16 in Bad Neuenahr .
After the end of the war in Europe, in accordance with the agreements on the zones of occupation, the Rhine Province was handed over to the British in June and the remaining areas to the French in July. The headquarters of the 15th Army continued in Bad Nauheim in a purely administrative function until January 1946 .
literature
- Fifteenth United States Army: History of the Fifteenth United States Army, 21 August 1944 to 11 July 1945, 1946.
