,a i} ý o' \ (/1 ý, ; .,.ý . ,. ,ý/ .ý. , U' ... " ý ný?y. FINAL REPORT G-3 SECTION Headquarters, 6T" Army Group / WORLD WAR II 4 17 ".. Y ! 7, EJ.. D^CWaJ. CROUP L71ýIý5 OTH G-3 S, -;cti,, " .:`p0 23 , U. S. lic7. C:,:ZbC1'ý>> GLr:.i^ýýy. :i 'Tz?l ýr ?; Lý"j. »UBJ-'CT: Fiza1 Ro-n:rt. TO T'ik*; Ch.icýf of Staff. 1. T? ttcc" ýecl c? is ttccl Rc: ia -ýo ý ocLüý.ýý_t su'c.:ii. us c+Filýcl ::ýrt, . ýürý. as" ýý t iý_ ?_crrcti ýo I, ý::ý1' s.,,:_o t. r.i-: rý ir.l; rtý. ý. ý.ctiýYitios O ýýýýicýý ý.; 1 ý) . this `1 ýý ý)ri{ý-ýnr;ý i_a "' }, fi "'t ry ý. :nc.aü^rtcrs -ifficc ý ý.ý t^. .:ý. Tw'.: 6t'1 j; ri: ýy G-rý)ul)from its ýjrrc»izatit ýr- to 30 c: 1ý45. NO offc)rt 1no n `, M, ILý.. ýýG tr- C:; VGi "' ' rfCt. nil :r Gv^rýý C: ý.: `', ý ""t, i1ý._ boC;:. ..:. _ historical lui. X1iwiCr ; °;^turcý CSn:;. ci^11yT if they ?-,ü. Ve rC. n.l TT:: ',. cý,vcr rL:ýst itor.,.n-s of .]ajcýr i--t orest; ýýhich. ?, 'listorica1 .' t. v-1u0, .ý.. 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Cry. ist Ci11(: ý+l StC,ý ý ýä+. aýý"ii 1 ;J1 :. 1, tý, "'j. ý Final Report of G-3 Section HEriDQQUARTS 6TH rRII'Y GROUP 1 July 1945 CM": TEl`; T5 CHr_PiER PxGES __ý O1dE BIRTH OF 6TH hI'Iff GROUP 1-4 5-c T '!0 SEVEhTH ARMY CONTROLSDR-GOO IT, FORCES THREE HEnDQURTaMS 6TH aFMY GROUPA SSUL::i CO1:1iý"ND 10-18 19-27 FOUR i41EURTHETO THE RHI1E FIVE THE GEl",.' h COUidTE -OFFEi 3IVE 2 -36 SIX REDUCTION OF THE COU,,ý-MFR POCKET 37-41 SEVEN BREACHINGTHE SIEGFRIED LINE aND OV.ýRRL'N11IIVTG 42-48 OF THE SAý-ýý FIGHT CROSSINGTHE RHINE hND xDt J11 IüCINGEýM4dl-. RD 49-52 NINE EXPLOITti.T10N TO, THE SOUTH " 53-60 TEN REDUCINGTHE G'ý?r: ý,T N,xTIOFJxL REDOUBT 61-78 ELEVEN POST-HOSTILITIES ACTIVITIES 79-82 T4ELVE OCC'UPxiION OF GER;ii;rJ.lY- 83-88 THIRTEEN EFFECT Oll+' ORTILLýtiY fiIý,lý`::UIýTTION SUPPLY 89-108 F'OUF,T:E; Er',1 A.LE,CooPEl,nTIOIýT . 109-113 1. 1LJ; jo 11L1V 1 L":1-) CHAPTER,ONE RRTH OFýI`rTiI rýRýY rýoUP At the r,uadrant Confere_, ce, ý,, in AuE,,ust 1943 the Com--, tebec, the bi ri.ed C'Diefs of Staff decided that a landing should r.e inac'e on south coast of rrance, to assist a? ýlain assault aý;einst tue Frech west coast by holding German formations in the south and s:Ut3:7ýct:isz additional format-ions to the area from I:orthern and Central Frar.-ice. This operation was ,,co oe i:lounuedý,,. in the .;ecaterrean Theaterýr a.ror:i res 'irces- available and, in addition to a linaited nxýi;:?er of r^v-_rit:riCan ilab-le divisions, was to be composed of all Prench troops avs. under the French Rearmament ProZralm. General Dwight D. Eisenho-:,,er, -U. S. A. then Supreme 1":.1lied Co.il:iander Theater of Operations, was requested to --resent his vievTs _?i:iediterranean concerning this operation to the Combined Chiefs of äta "'f with the least possible delay. Accordir_ý; l;yr, a strate ,i_c study was prepared at Allied Force Headquarters, Algiers e embodying11*General Ei_sen.hos-er's vi. ez^,ýs reUarcýýý,ý; v', e feasibility and CesiralýilitýT of tlý.is operation from t'ýe viewpoint of operations in the 7edite. rrai? ean Theater, from the viewpoint of future operations in northwest Europe, and from. the of the c-):. Allied plans for the complete des-, viewpoint German :ü_Lned truction of the ý-,Tar ý.ýachine, Tý,.is study was tr^-n s-^,itted to tile Co_'z'_iI-edChiefs of "ta _f7f on 30 October l9!:3 by cable dd on 31 October 1;943 by officer courier. Poth' the U.;'-3. Joint C'J_efs-'-.-,,.of -nd tl,. e ??ri_-tish. C'iefs of Staff in the by Ge11er. .,isenhoti^aer. s,greed principle with vien:.rs expressed al , These views formed the "Lases for later discussions by the Combined Chiefs of Staff the SextantConference held in Cairo in late, rToverzber 1943. At tI-. i_s- conference the Combined C'niefs of Staff confirmed their former posit-Lon -tl:z.,.t an assault against the south coast of France should he undertc-_:'ýen from the _ editerranean T:ýeý.ter and presented their views to President Roosevelt end Prime ý.'inister Churchill, who agreed, Äolloz°: ing 1odiý: t ly upon the heels of tr. Cextant Conforc. Co was the Teheran Conference of ?Uhe Big Three", President P,oos,etr lt, Prime: "mister Churchill Stalin. At this conference end _ arsh, °ýl , º,The Dig Treeº, sgr, ed that ty,,o-pronged by the A1.liý; s against Fortress Furopo was theys soundest methodassault of opening second front. - The a. -reed strategic plan of !'"Ch Pig Three', called afor main assault aainst T''estcrn France launched from in a iTl. s 'strengththe pritish Isles and. s co:. dary effort of xe lli11 possible}gas SOUthcrn in the 1 ed tsrranoan against , Frence laui. chod from bases Theater ,.,as this southern force, composed initia: l.ly of the infantry Seventh Amy, consisting of one U.,--). corps of three (laterdivisions and one provisional airborne division, and French Army redesir ated as First French Army) of two corps of seven divisions, that was destined to become the 6th Army Group, freo-iently referred to in dispatches as the, Southern Group of RESTRICTED ; ý.. ý.... ý..... _... traceable Hence the ' origin ' of the . 6th Army Group is directly" to the three conferences which probably, more. than any others,, the German had the greatest influence upon the final destruction of liberation Europe the ru, di-_. war machine and upon the of -- ." nt Conference at Quebec, the ; yet^nt Conference at Cairo, and the - To icr n Conference of "The Big" Three". Initial planning for the invasion of Southern France began at Allied Force Headquarters, Algiers, in December 1943 Headquarters Seventh Army, then at Palermo, Sicily, was nominated to command the invasion force0 It was. moved to Algiers early in 1944 to facili- Alexander M. tate planning of the operation. Lieutenant General Patch (then Major General) was subsequently announced as commanding in Algiers, general and joined his new command soon after its arrival General Jacob L. De"vers, USA, (then? Lieutenant General) joined. Deputy Supreme Allied AFHQ in -January 1944 in the dual capacity of. Commander and Commanding General of North African Theater of Operations, , S. Army. He influenced the planning and _U.