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class="vector-body" aria-labelledby="firstHeading" data-mw-ve-target-container> <div class="vector-body-before-content"> <div class="mw-indicators"> </div> <div id="siteSub" class="noprint">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</div> </div> <div id="contentSub"><div id="mw-content-subtitle"></div></div> <div id="mw-content-text" class="mw-body-content"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><p class="mw-empty-elt"> </p> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r963460841">@media all and (min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .desktop-float-right{box-sizing:border-box;float:right;clear:right}}.mw-parser-output .infobox.vevent .status>p:first-child{margin:0}</style><table class="infobox vevent" style="width:25.5em;border-spacing:2px;"><tbody><tr><th class="summary" colspan="2" style="background-color:#C3D6EF;color:inherit;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;font-size:110%;">Battle of Heilbronn</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;">Part of the <a href="/wiki/Western_Allied_invasion_of_Germany" title="Western Allied invasion of Germany">Western Allied invasion of Germany</a> in the <a href="/wiki/Western_Front_(World_War_II)" title="Western Front (World War II)">Western Front</a> of the <a href="/wiki/European_theatre_of_World_War_II" title="European theatre of World War II">European theatre</a> of <a href="/wiki/World_War_II" title="World War II">World War II</a></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align:center;border-bottom:1px solid #aaa;line-height:1.5em;"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:SC_335304_-_A_7th_U.S._Army_soldier_of_the_100th_Division_looks_out_of_O.P._overlooking_the_German_city_of_Heilbronn._9_April,_1945._(52232171967).jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6e/SC_335304_-_A_7th_U.S._Army_soldier_of_the_100th_Division_looks_out_of_O.P._overlooking_the_German_city_of_Heilbronn._9_April%2C_1945._%2852232171967%29.jpg/250px-SC_335304_-_A_7th_U.S._Army_soldier_of_the_100th_Division_looks_out_of_O.P._overlooking_the_German_city_of_Heilbronn._9_April%2C_1945._%2852232171967%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="250" height="320" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6e/SC_335304_-_A_7th_U.S._Army_soldier_of_the_100th_Division_looks_out_of_O.P._overlooking_the_German_city_of_Heilbronn._9_April%2C_1945._%2852232171967%29.jpg/375px-SC_335304_-_A_7th_U.S._Army_soldier_of_the_100th_Division_looks_out_of_O.P._overlooking_the_German_city_of_Heilbronn._9_April%2C_1945._%2852232171967%29.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6e/SC_335304_-_A_7th_U.S._Army_soldier_of_the_100th_Division_looks_out_of_O.P._overlooking_the_German_city_of_Heilbronn._9_April%2C_1945._%2852232171967%29.jpg/500px-SC_335304_-_A_7th_U.S._Army_soldier_of_the_100th_Division_looks_out_of_O.P._overlooking_the_German_city_of_Heilbronn._9_April%2C_1945._%2852232171967%29.jpg 2x" data-file-width="4165" data-file-height="5332" /></a></span><br />A 7th U.S. Army soldier of the 100th Division looks out of a building overlooking the German city of Heilbronn. 9 April, 1945.</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><table style="width:100%;margin:0;padding:0;border:0;display:inline-table"><tbody><tr><th style="padding-right:1em">Date</th><td>4–12 April 1945</td></tr><tr><th style="padding-right:1em">Location</th><td><div class="location"><a href="/wiki/Heilbronn" title="Heilbronn">Heilbronn</a>, <a href="/wiki/Germany" title="Germany">Germany</a></div></td></tr><tr><th style="padding-right:1em">Result</th><td class="status"> American victory</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" style="background-color:#C3D6EF;color:inherit;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;font-size:110%;">Belligerents</th></tr><tr><td style="width:50%;border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"> <span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg/46px-Flag_of_the_United_States_%281912-1959%29.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1235" data-file-height="650" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/United_States" title="United States">United States</a></td><td style="width:50%;padding-left:0.25em"> <span data-sort-value="Germany"><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Flag_of_Germany_%281935%E2%80%931945%29.svg/23px-Flag_of_Germany_%281935%E2%80%931945%29.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="14" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Flag_of_Germany_%281935%E2%80%931945%29.svg/35px-Flag_of_Germany_%281935%E2%80%931945%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Flag_of_Germany_%281935%E2%80%931945%29.svg/46px-Flag_of_Germany_%281935%E2%80%931945%29.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1000" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Nazi_Germany" title="Nazi Germany">Germany</a></span></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" style="background-color:#C3D6EF;color:inherit;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;font-size:110%;">Commanders and leaders</th></tr><tr><td style="width:50%;border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"> <a href="/wiki/Withers_A._Burress" title="Withers A. Burress">Withers A. Burress</a></td><td style="width:50%;padding-left:0.25em"> <a href="/wiki/Georg_Bochmann" title="Georg Bochmann">Georg Bochmann</a></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" style="background-color:#C3D6EF;color:inherit;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;font-size:110%;">Units involved</th></tr><tr><td style="width:50%;border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"> <a href="/wiki/100th_Infantry_Division_(United_States)" title="100th Infantry Division (United States)">100th Infantry Division</a></td><td style="width:50%;padding-left:0.25em"> <a href="/wiki/17th_SS_Panzergrenadier_Division_G%C3%B6tz_von_Berlichingen" title="17th SS Panzergrenadier Division Götz von Berlichingen">17th SS Panzergrenadier Division</a><br /><i><a href="/wiki/Volksturm" class="mw-redirect" title="Volksturm">Volksturm</a></i> units</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" style="background-color:#C3D6EF;color:inherit;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;font-size:110%;">Casualties and losses</th></tr><tr><td style="width:50%;border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"> 60 killed<br />250 wounded<br />112 missing<br /><b>Total</b>:<br />422<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></td><td style="width:50%;padding-left:0.25em"> 1,500 captured</td></tr></tbody></table> <div class="navbox-styles"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374">.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt,.mw-parser-output .hlist li{margin:0;display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul 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aria-labelledby="Western_Allied_invasion_of_Germany" style="margin:0;float:right;clear:right;width:25.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;margin-left:1em;;padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks navbox-vertical mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2" style="background-color:#C3D6EF;color:inherit;"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239400231">.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:inline;font-size:88%;font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .navbar-collapse{float:left;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .navbar-boxtext{word-spacing:0}.mw-parser-output .navbar ul{display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;line-height:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::before{margin-right:-0.125em;content:"[ "}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::after{margin-left:-0.125em;content:" ]"}.mw-parser-output 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href="/wiki/Template_talk:Campaignbox_Western_Allied_invasion_of_Germany" title="Template talk:Campaignbox Western Allied invasion of Germany"><abbr title="Discuss this template" style="color:inherit">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Campaignbox_Western_Allied_invasion_of_Germany" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Campaignbox Western Allied invasion of Germany"><abbr title="Edit this template" style="color:inherit">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Western_Allied_invasion_of_Germany" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><span style="line-height:1.6em"><a href="/wiki/Western_Allied_invasion_of_Germany" title="Western Allied invasion of Germany"><span class="wrap"> Western Allied invasion of Germany </span></a></span></div></th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><i><a href="/wiki/Operation_Blackcock" title="Operation Blackcock">Blackcock</a></i></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rhineland_Offensive" title="Rhineland Offensive">Rhineland</a> <ul><li><i><a href="/wiki/Operation_Veritable" title="Operation Veritable">Veritable</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Operation_Grenade" title="Operation Grenade">Grenade</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Operation_Blockbuster" title="Operation Blockbuster">Blockbuster</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Operation_Plunder" title="Operation Plunder">Plunder</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Operation_Flashpoint_(March_1945)" title="Operation Flashpoint (March 1945)">Flashpoint</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Operation_Varsity" title="Operation Varsity">Varsity</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Operation_Archway" title="Operation Archway">Archway</a></i></li></ul></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Operation_Lumberjack" title="Operation Lumberjack">Lumberjack</a></i> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Remagen" title="Battle of Remagen">Remagen</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Cologne_(1945)" title="Battle of Cologne (1945)">Cologne</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Operation_Gisela" title="Operation Gisela"><i>Gisela</i></a></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Operation_Undertone" title="Operation Undertone">Undertone</a></i></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Aschaffenburg_(1945)" title="Battle of Aschaffenburg (1945)">Aschaffenburg</a></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Task_Force_Baum" title="Task Force Baum">TF Baum</a></i></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Frankfurt" title="Battle of Frankfurt">Frankfurt</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ruhr_pocket" title="Ruhr pocket">Ruhr</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Paderborn_(1945)" title="Battle of Paderborn (1945)">Paderborn</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_W%C3%BCrzburg_(1945)" title="Battle of Würzburg (1945)">Würzburg</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Kassel_(1945)" title="Battle of Kassel (1945)">Kassel</a></li> <li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Heilbronn</a></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Operation_Howard" title="Operation Howard">Howard</a></i></li> <li><a href="/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Dortmund&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Battle of Dortmund (page does not exist)">Dortmund</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Razing_of_Friesoythe" title="Razing of Friesoythe">Friesoythe</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Nuremberg_(1945)" title="Battle of Nuremberg (1945)">Nuremberg</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lippach_massacre" title="Lippach massacre">Lippach</a></li> <li><a href="/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_D%C3%BCsseldorf&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Battle of Düsseldorf (page does not exist)">Düsseldorf</a></li> <li><a href="/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Stuttgart&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Battle of Stuttgart (page does not exist)">Stuttgart</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Capture_of_Hamburg" title="Capture of Hamburg">Hamburg</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Castle_Itter" title="Battle of Castle Itter">Itter Castle</a></li></ul> <p><b>Logistics</b> </p> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/American_logistics_in_the_Western_Allied_invasion_of_Germany" title="American logistics in the Western Allied invasion of Germany">American</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/British_logistics_in_the_Western_Allied_invasion_of_Germany" title="British logistics in the Western Allied invasion of Germany">British</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238443738">.mw-parser-output .locmap .od{position:absolute}.mw-parser-output .locmap .id{position:absolute;line-height:0}.mw-parser-output .locmap .l0{font-size:0;position:absolute}.mw-parser-output .locmap .pv{line-height:110%;position:absolute;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .locmap .pl{line-height:110%;position:absolute;top:-0.75em;text-align:right}.mw-parser-output .locmap .pr{line-height:110%;position:absolute;top:-0.75em;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .locmap 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.pl>div,html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .od .pr>div{background:white!important;color:#000!important}html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data .locmap div{background:transparent!important}}</style><div class="locmap noviewer noresize thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:302px"><div style="position:relative;width:300px;border:1px solid lightgray"><span class="notpageimage" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:German_Empire_1937_adm_location_map.svg" class="mw-file-description" title="Battle of Heilbronn (1945) is located in Germany"><img alt="Battle of Heilbronn (1945) is located in Germany" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/German_Empire_1937_adm_location_map.svg/300px-German_Empire_1937_adm_location_map.svg.png" decoding="async" width="300" height="239" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/German_Empire_1937_adm_location_map.svg/450px-German_Empire_1937_adm_location_map.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/German_Empire_1937_adm_location_map.svg/600px-German_Empire_1937_adm_location_map.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1425" data-file-height="1133" /></a></span><div class="od notheme" style="top:77.841%;left:20.998%;font-size:86%"><div class="id" style="left:-9px;top:-9px"><span class="notpageimage" typeof="mw:File"><span title="Battle of Heilbronn"><img alt="Battle of Heilbronn" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/Battle_icon_active_%28crossed_swords%29.svg/18px-Battle_icon_active_%28crossed_swords%29.svg.png" decoding="async" width="18" height="18" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/Battle_icon_active_%28crossed_swords%29.svg/27px-Battle_icon_active_%28crossed_swords%29.svg.png 1.5x, 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class="pr" style="width:6em;left:4px"><div style="background-color:white"><small>Frankfurt am Main</small></div></div></div><div class="od notheme" style="top:89.394%;left:34.275%;font-size:91%"><div class="id" style="left:-3px;top:-3px"><span class="notpageimage" typeof="mw:File"><span title="Munich"><img alt="Munich" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9d/Yellow_pog.svg/5px-Yellow_pog.svg.png" decoding="async" width="5" height="5" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9d/Yellow_pog.svg/8px-Yellow_pog.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9d/Yellow_pog.svg/10px-Yellow_pog.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="64" data-file-height="64" /></span></span></div><div class="pr" style="width:6em;left:4px"><div style="background-color:white"><small>Munich</small></div></div></div><div class="od notheme" style="top:39.773%;left:44.633%;font-size:91%"><div class="id" style="left:-3px;top:-3px"><span class="notpageimage" typeof="mw:File"><span title="Berlin"><img alt="Berlin" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9d/Yellow_pog.svg/5px-Yellow_pog.svg.png" decoding="async" width="5" height="5" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9d/Yellow_pog.svg/8px-Yellow_pog.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9d/Yellow_pog.svg/10px-Yellow_pog.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="64" data-file-height="64" /></span></span></div><div class="pl" style="width:6em;right:4px"><div style="background-color:white"><small>Berlin</small></div></div></div></div><div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:German_Empire_1937_adm_location_map.svg" title="File:German Empire 1937 adm location map.svg">class=notpageimage| </a></div><div class="center" style="width:auto; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto;"><b>Location of the Battle of Heilbronn</b></div></div></div></div> <p>The <b>Battle of Heilbronn</b> was a nine-day battle in April 1945 during <a href="/wiki/World_War_II" title="World War II">World War II</a> between the <a href="/wiki/United_States_Army" title="United States Army">United States Army</a> and the <a href="/wiki/German_Army_(Wehrmacht)" class="mw-redirect" title="German Army (Wehrmacht)">German Army</a> for the control of <a href="/wiki/Heilbronn" title="Heilbronn">Heilbronn</a>, a mid-sized city on the <a href="/wiki/Neckar_River" class="mw-redirect" title="Neckar River">Neckar River</a> located between <a href="/wiki/Stuttgart" title="Stuttgart">Stuttgart</a> and <a href="/wiki/Heidelberg" title="Heidelberg">Heidelberg</a>. Despite the impending <a href="/wiki/End_of_World_War_II_in_Europe" title="End of World War II in Europe">end of World War II in Europe</a>, the battle was characterized by very firm German resistance and the presence of various <a href="/wiki/Nazi_Party" title="Nazi Party">Nazi Party</a> <a href="/wiki/Auxiliaries" title="Auxiliaries">auxiliaries</a> among the regular German troops. Following days of house-to-house combat, troops of the U.S. <a href="/wiki/100th_Infantry_Division_(United_States)" title="100th Infantry Division (United States)">100th Infantry Division</a> captured Heilbronn and the U.S. <a href="/wiki/VI_Corps_(United_States)" title="VI Corps (United States)">VI Corps</a> continued its march to the southeast. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="The_German_situation">The German situation</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Heilbronn_(1945)&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: The German situation"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The presence of the German <a href="/wiki/1st_Army_(Wehrmacht)" title="1st Army (Wehrmacht)">First Army</a>'s only remaining battleworthy division, the <a href="/wiki/17th_SS_Panzergrenadier_Division_G%C3%B6tz_von_Berlichingen" title="17th SS Panzergrenadier Division Götz von Berlichingen">17th SS Panzer Grenadier Division</a>, plus imposing river obstacles, gave real substance to the new German line along the <a href="/wiki/Jagst" title="Jagst">Jagst</a>-Neckar crescent. In addition, the First Army commander General <a href="/wiki/Hermann_Foertsch" title="Hermann Foertsch">Hermann Foertsch</a> had managed to accumulate a sizable conglomeration of other troops, two battalions of an engineer school, several regular engineer battalions, replacement artillery and antiaircraft units, <a href="/wiki/Volkssturm" title="Volkssturm">Volkssturm</a>, a few tanks and <a href="/wiki/Assault_gun" title="Assault gun">assault guns</a>, and a miscellany, including several hundred <a href="/wiki/Hitler_Youth" title="Hitler Youth">Hitler Youth</a>, belonging to the combat commander of Heilbronn. These troops and remnants of four divisions, plus the panzer grenadiers, were all subordinated to General Bork's<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <a href="/wiki/XIII_Army_Corps_(Germany)" title="XIII Army Corps (Germany)">XIII Corps</a>. Loose ends of two other divisions, including the <a href="/wiki/2nd_Mountain_Division_(Wehrmacht)" title="2nd Mountain Division (Wehrmacht)">2nd Mountain Division</a>, were positioned on the north wing of General <a href="/wiki/Franz_Beyer_(general)" title="Franz Beyer (general)">Franz Beyer</a>'s LXXX Corps and thus might be used to help defend Heilbronn. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="U.S._attack">U.S. attack</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Heilbronn_(1945)&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: U.S. attack"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Engineers_at_Heilbronn.png" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/Engineers_at_Heilbronn.png/220px-Engineers_at_Heilbronn.png" decoding="async" width="220" height="119" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/Engineers_at_Heilbronn.png/330px-Engineers_at_Heilbronn.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/Engineers_at_Heilbronn.png/440px-Engineers_at_Heilbronn.png 2x" data-file-width="662" data-file-height="358" /></a><figcaption>U.S. Engineers at Heilbronn, April 1945</figcaption></figure> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Heilbronn_1945_April_NARA_Reference_Number_342-FH-3A21599-3A21599_retouched.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Heilbronn_1945_April_NARA_Reference_Number_342-FH-3A21599-3A21599_retouched.jpg/220px-Heilbronn_1945_April_NARA_Reference_Number_342-FH-3A21599-3A21599_retouched.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="133" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Heilbronn_1945_April_NARA_Reference_Number_342-FH-3A21599-3A21599_retouched.jpg/330px-Heilbronn_1945_April_NARA_Reference_Number_342-FH-3A21599-3A21599_retouched.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Heilbronn_1945_April_NARA_Reference_Number_342-FH-3A21599-3A21599_retouched.jpg/440px-Heilbronn_1945_April_NARA_Reference_Number_342-FH-3A21599-3A21599_retouched.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1785" data-file-height="1080" /></a><figcaption>Heilbronn, April 1945</figcaption></figure> <p>Before daylight on 4 April, the third <a href="/wiki/Battalion" title="Battalion">battalion</a> of the 100th Division's <a href="/w/index.php?title=398th_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States)&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="398th Infantry Regiment (United States) (page does not exist)">398th Infantry Regiment</a> slipped silently across the Neckar in assault boats a mile or so north of Heilbronn, starting from the suburb of Neckargartach.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> As the men turned south toward the city after daybreak, a German battalion, using, in some cases, tunnels to emerge in the rear of the U.S. troops, counterattacked sharply. The ensuing fight forced the American infantrymen back to within a few hundred feet of the river. There they held, but not until another battalion of the 398th crossed under fire in late afternoon were they able to resume their advance. Even then they could penetrate no deeper than 1,000 yards (910 m), scarcely enough to rid the crossing site of small arms fire. Until the bridgehead could be expanded, engineers had no hope of building a bridge. Later on 4 April, General Burress of the 100th Division had the <a href="/w/index.php?title=397th_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States)&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="397th Infantry Regiment (United States) (page does not exist)">397th Infantry Regiment</a> cross the Neckar just south of the 398th's position. </p><p>Although three of the 100th Division's battalions eventually crossed into the little bridgehead north of the city to push south into a collection of factories on the northern outskirts, the going always was slow. Since the crossing site remained under German fire, engineers still had no hope of putting in a bridge. Without close fire support, the infantrymen depended upon artillery on the west bank of the Neckar, but fire was difficult to adjust in the confined factory district. Protected from shelling by sturdy buildings, the Germans seldom surrendered except at the point of a rifle, though many of the Hitler Youth had had enough after only a brief flurry of fanatic resistance. </p> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1244412712">.mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 32px}.mw-parser-output .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;margin-top:0}@media(min-width:500px){.mw-parser-output .templatequotecite{padding-left:1.6em}}</style><blockquote class="templatequote"><p>House to house, room to room, over dead Krauts, through rubbish, under barbed wire, over fences, in the windows and out of doors, sweating, cussing, firing, throwing grenades, charging into blazing houses, shooting through floors and closet doors.</p><div class="templatequotecite">— <cite>U.S. soldier of the 399th Infantry Regiment describing combat in Heilbronn<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></cite></div></blockquote> <p>At one point, in response to intense <a href="/wiki/Mortar_(weapon)" title="Mortar (weapon)">mortar</a> fire, a <a href="/wiki/Platoon" title="Platoon">platoon</a> of Hitler Youth soldiers ran screaming into American lines to surrender while their officers shot at them to make them stop. During the night of 5 April, a battalion of the 397th Infantry crossed the Neckar south of Heilbronn and found resistance at that point just as determined. There engineers had nearly completed a bridge during the afternoon of the 7th when German artillery, controlled by observers in the hills on the east edge of Heilbronn, found the range. Although the engineers at last succeeded early the next morning, less than a company of tanks and two platoons from the <a href="/wiki/824th_Tank_Destroyer_Battalion" title="824th Tank Destroyer Battalion">824th Tank Destroyer Battalion</a> had crossed before German shells again knocked out the bridge. Two days later much the same thing happened to a heavy <a href="/wiki/Pontoon_(boat)" class="mw-redirect" title="Pontoon (boat)">pontoon ferry</a> after it had transported only a few more tanks and tank destroyers across. On 8 April, the U.S. <a href="/w/index.php?title=399th_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States)&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="399th Infantry Regiment (United States) (page does not exist)">399th Infantry Regiment</a> crossed the Neckar to the south of Heilbronn, moving into southern industrial suburbs and the village of Sontheim. </p><p>Most of Heilbronn was under U.S. control by 9 April,<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> but not until 12 April was the rubble of Heilbronn cleared of Germans and a bridge built across the Neckar. On that day, the 397th Infantry took two hill summits to the east of the city, nicknamed "Tower Hill" and "Cloverleaf Hill". These actions, coupled with the general advance of all three U.S. regiments, signaled the end of organized German resistance in Heilbronn. </p><p>In nine days of fighting, the 100th Division lost 85 men killed and probably three times that number wounded. In the process, men of the 100th captured 1,500 Germans. The U.S. <a href="/wiki/63rd_Infantry_Division_(United_States)" title="63rd Infantry Division (United States)">63rd Division</a>, aided in later stages by tanks of the <a href="/wiki/10th_Armored_Division_(United_States)" title="10th Armored Division (United States)">10th Armored Division</a>, had in the meantime kept up constant pressure against the enemy's line along the Jagst River, driving southwestward from the vicinity of the Jagst-<a href="/wiki/Tauber_River" class="mw-redirect" title="Tauber River">Tauber</a> land bridge in hope of trapping the 17th SS Panzer Grenadier Division near the confluence of the Jagst and the Neckar. Although a contingent of armor at last established contact with the 100th Division near Heilbronn on 14 April, the panzer grenadiers had left. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Assessment">Assessment</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Heilbronn_(1945)&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Assessment"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>General Foertsch's hasty but surprisingly strong position along the Jagst-Neckar crescent had required eleven days of often heavy fighting to reduce. Despite the determined resistance, American casualties were relatively light, a daily average for the VI Corps of approximately 230. Yet that number was almost double the number of casualties the corps suffered in the pursuit up to the two rivers.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> While the German defense had delayed the advance of part of the U.S. VI Corps for almost two weeks, it did not materially impede the advance of the U.S. Army into southern Germany. </p><p>Heilbronn itself had been heavily damaged by <a href="/wiki/Bombings_of_Heilbronn_in_World_War_II" title="Bombings of Heilbronn in World War II">air raids</a> before the nine-day battle that resulted in the city's capture by U.S. forces, but the urban nature of the battle undoubtedly resulted in even more damage to the city. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Heilbronn_(1945)&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Buchhof_and_Stein_am_Kocher" title="Battle of Buchhof and Stein am Kocher">Battle of Buchhof and Stein am Kocher</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Heilbronn_(1945)&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.americainwwii.com/pdfs/stories/heilbronn-one-last-place-to-die.pdf">americainwwii.com</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Generalleutnant Max Hermann Ferdinand Bork, 1 January 1899 – 4 July 1973, served in various staff positions before commanding the 47. Volksgrenadierdivision in September 1944, and finally the <i>XIII. Armeekorps</i> on 31 March 1945. Captured near Salzburg and remained a POW until 1 May 1948.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.americainwwii.com/pdfs/stories/heilbronn-one-last-place-to-die.pdf">americainwwii.com, p. 30</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://www.americainwwii.com/pdfs/stories/heilbronn-one-last-place-to-die.pdf">http://www.americainwwii.com/pdfs/stories/heilbronn-one-last-place-to-die.pdf</a>, p. 31</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.americainwwii.com/pdfs/stories/heilbronn-one-last-place-to-die.pdf">americainwwii.com p. 35</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Much material in this article copied from <i>The Last Offensive</i>, pp. 415-418, a U.S. Government work in the public domain.</span> </li> </ol></div></div> <ul><li>Charles B. McDonald, <i>The Last Offensive</i>, Chapter XVIII, Washington: GPO, 1973</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Heilbronn_(1945)&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.100thww2.org/heilbronn.html">www.100thww2.org</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.100thww2.org/photo/engbridg.html">Engineers at Heilbronn</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130125195626/http://www.100thww2.org/photo/engbridg.html">Archived</a> 25 January 2013 at the <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.100thww2.org/photo/heilbr.html">Infantry in Heilbronn</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130127005229/http://www.100thww2.org/photo/heilbr.html">Archived</a> 27 January 2013 at the <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.americainwwii.com/pdfs/stories/heilbronn-one-last-place-to-die.pdf">Article on the Battle of Heilbronn</a></li></ul> <dl><dt>Attribution</dt></dl> <p><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="Public Domain" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/62/PD-icon.svg/12px-PD-icon.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/62/PD-icon.svg/18px-PD-icon.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/62/PD-icon.svg/24px-PD-icon.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="196" data-file-height="196" /></span></span> This article incorporates <a href="/wiki/Copyright_status_of_works_by_the_federal_government_of_the_United_States" title="Copyright status of works by the federal government of the United States">public domain material</a> from websites or documents of the <a href="/wiki/United_States_Government" class="mw-redirect" title="United States Government">United States Government</a>.: Charles B. McDonald, <i>The Last Offensive</i>, Chapter XVIII, Washington: GPO, 1973 </p><p><span class="metadata coord-missing"></span> </p>    </div><noscript><img src="https://login.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1&useformat=desktop" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none; position: absolute;"></noscript> <div class="printfooter" data-nosnippet="">Retrieved from "<a dir="ltr" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Heilbronn_(1945)&oldid=1244110599">https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Heilbronn_(1945)&oldid=1244110599</a>"</div></div> <div id="catlinks" class="catlinks" data-mw="interface"><div id="mw-normal-catlinks" class="mw-normal-catlinks"><a href="/wiki/Help:Category" title="Help:Category">Categories</a>: <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Western_Allied_invasion_of_Germany" title="Category:Western Allied invasion of Germany">Western Allied invasion of Germany</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Heilbronn" title="Category:Heilbronn">Heilbronn</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:April_1945_events_in_Europe" title="Category:April 1945 events in Europe">April 1945 events in Europe</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:1945_in_Germany" title="Category:1945 in Germany">1945 in Germany</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Conflicts_in_1945" title="Category:Conflicts in 1945">Conflicts in 1945</a></li></ul></div><div id="mw-hidden-catlinks" class="mw-hidden-catlinks mw-hidden-cats-hidden">Hidden categories: <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Use_dmy_dates_from_June_2020" title="Category:Use dmy dates from June 2020">Use dmy dates from June 2020</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Webarchive_template_wayback_links" title="Category:Webarchive template wayback links">Webarchive template wayback links</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_articles_incorporating_text_from_public_domain_works_of_the_United_States_Government" title="Category:Wikipedia articles incorporating text from public domain works of the United States Government">Wikipedia articles incorporating text from public domain works of the United States Government</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Germany_articles_missing_geocoordinate_data" title="Category:Germany articles missing geocoordinate data">Germany articles missing geocoordinate data</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:All_articles_needing_coordinates" title="Category:All articles needing coordinates">All articles needing coordinates</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Articles_missing_coordinates_without_coordinates_on_Wikidata" title="Category:Articles missing coordinates without coordinates on Wikidata">Articles missing coordinates without coordinates on Wikidata</a></li></ul></div></div> </div> </main> </div> <div class="mw-footer-container"> <footer id="footer" class="mw-footer" > <ul id="footer-info"> <li id="footer-info-lastmod"> This page was last edited on 5 September 2024, at 02:51<span class="anonymous-show"> (UTC)</span>.</li> <li id="footer-info-copyright">Text is available under the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_Creative_Commons_Attribution-ShareAlike_4.0_International_License" title="Wikipedia:Text of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License</a>; additional terms may apply. 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