The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945 (163 page)

Montgomery later asserted
: OH, BLM, Oct. 1, 1966, John S. D. Eisenhower, CBM, MHI, box 6, 7; Bolger, “Zero Defects: Command Climate in First U.S. Army, 1944–1945,”
Military Review
(May 1991): 61
+
(
preferred the more conservative route
); Sylvan, 241 (“
Hodges has had enough
”).

Delayed by fog, snowbanks, and further reports
: Hamilton,
Monty: Final Years of the Field-Marshal, 1944–1976
, 259–63; Eisenhower,
Crusade in Europe
, 360;
TT
, 609 (
Montgomery sketched the plan
).

Yet the field marshal was vague
: Hamilton,
Monty: Final Years of the Field-Marshal, 1944–1976
, 222 (“
gallopers
”), 259–63 (
a
“
master plan
”); Wilmot,
The Struggle for Europe
, 605 (“
one more full-blooded attack
”);
TSC
, 385n.

With this ancient theme again resurrected
:
TSC
, 385. Eisenhower glosses over this episode in his memoir (Eisenhower,
Crusade in Europe
, 360–61).

“
definitely in a somewhat humble frame of mind
”: Hamilton,
Monty: Final Years of the Field-Marshal, 1944–1976
, 265, 246–48 (“
such a decent fellow
” and “
You are far better informed
”); Hastings,
Armageddon
, 223 (“
We have tidied up the mess
”).

“
We have had one very definite failure
”: Chandler, 2387.

“
I put this matter up to you again
”: corr, BLM to DDE, Dec. 29, 1944, DDE Lib, PP-pres, box 83.

“
Under no circumstances make any concessions
”: corr, GCM to DDE, Dec. 30, 1944, Eyes Only Message, Walter B. Smith collection, DDE Lib, WWII documents, box 27;
TSC
, 385–86.

“
They are all mad at Monty
”: diary, Kay Summersby, Dec. 29 and 31, 1944, DDE Lib, PP-pres, box 140.

“
knowing Monty, the last thing he would do
”: notes, James Robb, SHAEF, Dec. 31, 1944, NARA RG 319,
SC
background files, 2-3.7 CB 8.

“
All right, Beetle
”: OH, DDE, n.d., CJR, box 43, file 7, 33.

Now fully alive to Montgomery’s peril
: Chandler, 2387n.

“
All right, Freddie
”: OH, DDE, n.d., CJR, box 43, file 7, 34.

“
I do not agree that one army group commander
”: corr, DDE to BLM, Dec. 31, 1944, DDE Lib, PP-pres, box 83.

Already in fragile health
: OH, Alan Moorehead, Jan. 21, 1947, FCP, MHI (“
one of you will have to go
”);
AAAD
, 425 (
Mareth
); Ambrose,
Eisenhower: Soldier, General of the Army, President-Elect, 1890–1952
, vol. 1, 376 (“
What shall I do
”).

“
Dear Ike … Whatever your decision
”: corr, BLM to DDE, Dec. 31, 1944, DDE Lib, PP-pres, box 83.

“
The general tendency at SHAEF
”: Hamilton,
Monty: Final Years of the Field-Marshal, 1944–1976
, 288–89; Chandler, 2389 (“
very fine telegram
”), xxiii (“
He’s just a little man
”); OH, John Whiteley, May 15, 1963, CR, box 44, folder 3 (
kept him awake
).

Although he commanded ten French and eight American divisions
:
RR
, 462–63, 482–83, 492; Garland,
Unknown Soldiers
, 346 (“
Shit on Hitler’s Home
”).

The Colmar Pocket, as wide as the Bulge
: OH, Paul D. Adams, 1975, Irving Monclova and Marlin Lang, SOOHP, MHI; diary, Dec. 12, 1944, John E. Dahlquist papers, MHI, box 3 (“
enemy attacked on three fronts
”); corr, J. E. Dahlquist to Homer Case, June 5, 1945, John E. Dahlquist papers, MHI, box 1 (“
holding the bag
”); corr, JLD to DDE, Dec. 18, 1944, NARA RG 319,
RR
background files, FRC 5; diary, JLD, Dec. 15, 1944, MHI; Franklin L. Gurley, “The Relationship Between Jean de Lattre de Tassigny and Jacob L. Devers,” March 26, 1994, Sorbonne, NARA RG 319,
RR
background files, FRC 4 (“
two problem children
”).

At Verdun on December 19
:
RR
, 486–89, 495–97, 511, 533; notes, Dec. 26, 1944, SHAEF main, James M. Robb corr, DDE Lib, PP-pres, box 98 (
brought Devers a map
); Gurley, “Policy Versus Strategy: The Defense of Strasbourg in Dec. 1944,” NARA RG 319,
RR
background files, FRC 5 (
abandoning Strasbourg and the Alsatian plain
); memo, DDE to JLD, Dec. 28, 1944, 1024 hrs, NARA RG 498, ETOUSA HD, UD 584 (
SHAEF reserve west of the Vosges
).

“
The Germans undoubtedly will attack me
”: diary, JLD, Dec. 26, 28, 29, 1944, MHI.

De Gaulle thought so too
:
DOB
, 401 (
left-handed salute
); Gurley, “Policy Versus Strategy,” NARA RG 319,
RR
background files, FRC 5 (“
They are up to something
”).

While Smith prevaricated
: John W. Price, “The Strasbourg Incident,” 1967, OCMH, NARA RG 319,
RR
background files, FRC 5, 3–5 (
fallback positions
); OH, Russell L. Vittrup, 1989, Henry E. Fitzgerald, SOOHP, MHI, 125–26 (“
Ain’t going to do it
”); De Lattre de Tassigny,
The History of the French First Army
, 303–4 (“
psychosis of retreat
”); Gurley, “Policy Versus Strategy,” NARA RG 319,
RR
background files, FRC 5 (“
integrity of the present front
”).

“
Call up Devers and tell him
”: notes, Jan. 1, 1945, SHAEF main, James M. Robb corr, DDE Lib, PP-pres, box 98.

“
I won’t go to him with that story
”: Gurley, “Policy Versus Strategy,” NARA RG 319,
RR
background files, FRC 5.

“
The political pressure to retain French soil
”: corr, DDE to JLD, Jan. 1, 1945, JLD papers, MHI.

Devers capitulated
: diary, JLD, Jan. 1, 1945, MHI (“
no alternative
”); Franklin L. Gurley, “The Relationship Between Jean de Lattre de Tassigny and Jacob L. Devers,” March 26, 1994, Sorbonne, NARA RG 319,
RR
background files, FRC 4; Gurley, “Policy Versus Strategy,”
JMH
(July 1994): 481
+
.

“
You can kill a willing horse
”: diary, JLD, Dec. 30, 1944, MHI.

“
make it a Stalingrad
”: diary, JLD, Jan. 1, 1945, MHI.

The final day of the year ticked by
: war diary, Seventh Army, Dec. 31, 1944, MHI; Cochran, “Protecting the Ultimate Advantage,”
Military History
(June 1985): 45
+
; Bradley,
A Soldier’s Story
, 483 (“
Never was the world plagued
”); diary, JLD, Dec. 31, 1944, MHI (“
Patch called me
”).

The attack indeed fell that night
:
RR
, 493–97, 499–500 (
Seventh Army was overextended
); Bonn,
When the Odds Were Even
, 181–83; Rickard,
Advance and Destroy
, 173, 241 (
force Patton to withdraw
).

The Americans were also alert and entrenched
: Cochran, “Protecting the Ultimate Advantage,”
Military History
(June 1985): 45
+
; Donald S. Bussey, “Ultra and the U.S. Seventh Army,” May 12, 1945, SRH-022, and “Reports by U.S. Army Ultra Representatives,” 6th Army Group, n.d., SRH-023, NARA RG 457, E 022 (
Patch had little doubt
).

“
German offensive began
”: Wyant,
Sandy Patch
, 9–11 (“
Murdered them
”); Bonn,
When the Odds Were Even
, 197, 200, 203–4 (“
Gained only insignificant ground
”);
RR
, 504–5; Yeide and Stout,
First to the Rhine
, 275 (“
Morgue Valley
”).

The most flamboyant German sally
:
TT
, 608 (
Hangover Raid
); Miller,
Masters of the Air
, 374 (
white gloves
);
VW
, vol. 2 190. Richard G. Davis puts the tally of destroyed Allied planes at nearly two hundred, including three dozen American aircraft (
Carl A. Spaatz and the Air War in Europe
, 535).

But German losses approached 300 planes
:
Germany VII
, 693–94; Miller,
Masters of the Air
, 374 (“
our last substance
”). Miller puts Allied losses at more than 450 planes and German losses at over 400.

Even as
NORDWIND
collapsed
:
RR
, 505–9; “The Psychological Warfare Division,” 1945, CMH, 8-3.6 BA, 78–79 (
Radio Stuttgart
): Gurley, “Policy Versus Strategy,” NARA RG 319,
RR
background files, FRC 5 (“
caused a general panic
”).

Lowered tricolors and the sight of official sedans
: Gurley, “Policy Versus Strategy,” NARA RG 319,
RR
background files, FRC 5; memo, “Misleading Briefing Data,” Frank A. Allen, Jr., to JLD, Jan. 16, 1945, and memo, 6th Army Group, Jan. 21, 1945, NARA RG 331, E 240P, SHAEF public relations section, box 38 (“
women pushing baby carriages
”); Fussell,
Doing Battle
, 129 (
inverted dinner plates
).

Charles de Gaulle, once again referring to himself
: De Gaulle,
The Complete War Memoirs of Charles de Gaulle
, 834. De Gaulle’s message, written on January 1, took twenty-seven hours to reach De Lattre (OH, Philippe de Camas, asst G-3, French First Army, Oct.–Dec. 1948, Miguel Vigneras, Paris, NARA RG 319,
RR
background files, FRC 5).

“
a bomb-like effect
”: OH, Philippe de Camas, asst G-3, French First Army, Oct.–Dec. 1948, Miguel Vigneras, Paris, NARA RG 319,
RR
background files, FRC 5; Salisbury-Jones,
So Full a Glory
, 171 (“Ça, non!”); Gurley, “Policy Versus Strategy,” NARA RG 319,
RR
background files, FRC 5 (“
problem of conscience
”).

De Gaulle saw no dilemma
: De Gaulle,
The Complete War Memoirs of Charles de Gaulle
, 834–37; Gurley, “Policy Versus Strategy,” NARA RG 319,
RR
background files, FRC 5 (
snubbed Madame De Lattre
); De Lattre de Tassigny,
The History of the French First Army
, 311 (“
our last hope
”).

At nine
P.M.
on Tuesday, General Juin
: Gurley, “Policy Versus Strategy,” NARA RG 319,
RR
background files, FRC 5 (“
extremely grave consequences
” and “
they are dependent on us
”); corr, David G. Barr to JLD, Aug. 15, 1967, NARA RG 319,
RR
background files, FRC 5 (
pulled from his pocket
).

“
Juin said things to me last night
”: notes, Jan. 3, 1945, DDE office and W. B. Smith office, James M. Robb corr, DDE Lib, PP-pres, box 98; “Summary of Directions in Chronological Order Concerning Holding Strasbourg or Not Holding Strasbourg,” Jan. 3, 1945, JLD papers, MHI (“
forget Strasbourg
”); John W. Price, “The Strasbourg Incident,” 1967, OCMH, NARA RG 319,
RR
background files, FRC 5, 26 (“
ineradicable shame
”); Seventh Army war diary, Jan. 3, 1945, MHI (“
terrible reprisals
”); Gurley, “Policy Versus Strategy,” NARA RG 319,
RR
background files, FRC 5 (
Evacuation plans
); memo, “Misleading Briefing Data,” Frank A. Allen, Jr., to JLD, Jan. 16, 1945, and memo, 6th Army Group, Jan. 21, 1945, NARA RG 331, E 240P, SHAEF public relations section, box 38 (
only two hundred rail cars
).

“
Next to the weather
”: Chandler, 2491.

Smith phoned Devers to ask
: “Summary of Directions in Chronological Order Concerning Holding Strasbourg or Not Holding Strasbourg,” Jan. 3, 1945, JLD papers, MHI.

The crowded stage in this melodrama
: John W. Price, “The Strasbourg Incident,” 1967, OCMH, NARA RG 319,
RR
background files, FRC 5, 21–22; Danchev, 642 (
Eisenhower whisked them
); Chandler, 2396n (
a copy of his letter
).

Eisenhower gestured to the map
: De Gaulle,
The Complete War Memoirs of Charles de Gaulle
, 834–37 (“
In Alsace, where the enemy
”).

“
a state bordering on anarchy
”: memo, DDE to GCM, Jan. 6, 1945, NARA RG 319,
RR
background files, FRC 5.

“All my life,” Churchill said
: De Gaulle,
The Complete War Memoirs of Charles de Gaulle
, 837–39; Porch,
The Path to Victory
, 603 (
asked for a total of fifty
).

By now the supreme commander’s face
: Gurley, “Policy Versus Strategy,” NARA RG 319,
RR
background files, FRC 5 (“
If you carry out the withdrawal
”); De Gaulle,
The Complete War Memoirs of Charles de Gaulle
, 837–39 (“
I am having a lot of trouble
”).

“
I think you’ve done the wise and proper
”: Eisenhower,
Crusade in Europe
, 384.