Patton's Tanks Breached the Siegfried Line in WWII
General George S. Patton's Third Army, using M4 Sherman, M4A3 Sherman, and M26 Pershing tanks, broke through Germany's Siegfried Line in 1944–1945. The Siegfried Line, built from 1936 under Fritz Todt, stretched 630 km from Switzerland to the Netherlands with over 20,000 bunkers and dragon's teeth. Patton's tanks achieved decisive victories at Arracourt (destroying ~200 German tanks) and Metz after 80 days of urban combat. The campaign enabled the crossing of the Rhine in March 1945 and the liberation of concentration camps including Buchenwald and Ohrdruf. Patton died on December 21, 1945 from injuries sustained in a car accident and is buried in Hamm, Luxembourg.
Key facts
- Patton's Third Army used M4 Sherman, M4A3 Sherman, and M26 Pershing tanks.
- The Siegfried Line was 630 km long and 30 km deep, built 1936–1944.
- Over 20,000 bunkers and pillboxes were part of the Siegfried Line.
- At Arracourt, American forces destroyed ~200 German tanks, losing 48 tanks and 7 anti-tank vehicles.
- The Battle of Metz lasted nearly 80 days, ending in December 1944.
- Patton's tanks crossed the Rhine River in March 1945.
- Patton's army liberated Buchenwald and Ohrdruf concentration camps.
- Patton died on December 21, 1945 after a car accident on December 9.
Entities
Artists
- George S. Patton
- Adolf Hitler
- Fritz Todt
- Beatrice Patton
- Geoffrey Keyes
Institutions
- Third Army
- Seventh Army
- Fifteenth Army
- American Cemetery in Hamm
- Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor
- Fort Knox
- National Portrait Gallery
- Smithsonian Institution
- Library of Congress
Locations
- Siegfried Line
- Germany
- Switzerland
- Netherlands
- Normandy
- France
- Paris
- Sicily
- Italy
- North Africa
- Atlantic Ocean
- Arracourt
- Metz
- Aachen
- Bastogne
- Battle of the Bulge
- Rhine River
- Austria
- Buchenwald
- Ohrdruf
- Hamm
- Luxembourg
- Ettelbruck
- Fort Knox
- Kentucky
- United States
- Pearl Harbor
- Berlin