Siegfried Line:  Order of Battle, 26 Jan '45     Blackcock     First US Effort     Roer River Dams     Seventh Army  
                           Feb '45 Third Army "probing attacks" - VIII Corps to Prüm     XII Corps to Bitburg     XX Corps to Trier​    
     –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
bigpigeon.us webpage WWII Germany > The ETO > Siegfried Line, 1945 > ETO, 26 January 1945, © 2025 by Robert A. Christiansen, updated by RAC 24 Jun 2025

​Herein is a brief ETO order of battle for 26 January 1945, the first day of the 1945 portion of the official US Army WWII Rhineland Campaign.
The situation, 26 January 1945:
  • In the northern Rhineland, Operation Blackcock, the British XII Corps operation to seize the Maas-Roer triangle was nearing completion.
  • In the mid-Rhineland, the Wehrmacht had been driven from most of the territory gained in the Ardennes counteroffensive of 16 December 1944.
  • In northern Alsace, the Wehrmacht Nordwind counteroffensive of 1 January had ceased, but Germany retained most of its gains.
  • In southern Alsace, the joint French/US operation to eliminate the Colmar Pocket was underway.
ETO Order of Battle 26 January 1945 (not finished)
(units are generally listed from clockwise from northwest)
 21st Army Group – (Montgomery)
Canadian 1st Army (Crerar)
  • Canadian I Corps
  • Canadian II Corps - preparing for advance eastward from Nijmegen.
  • British I Corps - COMMZ duties around Antwerp. (can't find on following situation map)
British 2nd Army (Dempsey) 
  • British VIII Corps 
  • British XII Corps - winding up Operation Blackcock, freeing the Maas-Roer triangle south of Roermond.
  • British XXX Corps - preparing to join Canadian forces advancing eastward from Nijmegen; situation map shows HQ still in the Ardennes.
​US Ninth Army (Simpson)
  • XIII Corps (Gillem) 
  • XIX Corps (McLain)
  • XVI Corps (Anderson)

​12th Army Group – (Bradley)
US First Army (Hodges) 21st Army Group --> 12th Army Group ~16 January 1945.
  • V Corps (Huebner) 
  • XVIII Airborne Corps (Ridgway)
  • VII Corps (Collins) 
US Third Army (Patton)​
  • VIII Corps (Middleton) 
  • III Corps (Millikin) --> First Army 11 February 1945.
  • XII Corps (Eddy) ​​​
  • XX Corps (Walker) 

6th Army Group – (Devers)
US Seventh Army (Patch)​
  • XXI Corps (Milburn), in combat 17 January, attached to French First Army 25 January - 16 February.
  • XV Corps (Haislip)
  •  VI Corps (Brooks)
French First Army (de Lattre)
  • French Second Corps (Monsabert)
  • French First Corps (Bethouart)
Situation Map for 26 January 1945
The accompanying map is the 12th Army Group's situation map for 26 January 1945.

At this time, all ETO armies were active, except for the Canadian First Army and the US Ninth Army, who were both preparing the clear the west bank of the lower Rhine River in preparation for a major Rhine crossing.

About the ETO situation maps:
  • It's not likely that a situation map will interest the casual Big Pigeon visitor.
  • The 12th Army Group's situation maps generally include the other ETO army groups.
  • These situation maps are courtesy of the Library of Congress and are scalable.
ETO, 26 January 1945
ETO Situation Map, 26 January 1945
Scalable Map
Sources for Big Pigeon's The ETO > Siegfried Line 1945 > ETO, 26 January 1945 webpage:​Sources specific to this webpage: