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bigpigeon.us webpage WWII Germany > The ETO > Rhineland, 1944 > V Corps at the West Wall, © 2025 by Robert A. Christiansen, updated 19 Jun 2025

The US First Army's V Corps penetrated Germany's defensive Siegfried Line in several locations in mid-September. Enemy resistance soon stiffened and most gains were relinquished by 22 September.
V Corps at the West Wall - Narrative
Following behind retreating German forces, V Corps raced through southeastern Belgium and Luxembourg and arrived at the German border across from the Eifel region around 11 September. Patrols approached the Siegfried Line and found German positions unoccupied. 

Around 14 September, major components of V Corps' three divisions advanced into the Siegfried Line. As they advanced, they began encountering enemy resistance, which soon stiffened. 

On 18 September, the V Corps offensive was cancelled. By 22 September, most US units had withdrawn to the west of the Siegfried Line.

No substantial activity ensued in the Eifel sector until 16 December, when massive enemy units attacked, precipitating the Battle of the Bulge.
The Eifel Region
The Eifel Region in Germany's Rhineland
Enlarge further
In mid-September, V Corps had three divisions facing the Siegfried Line, from north to south:
  • 4th Infantry Division, farcing the SchneeEifel Ridge east of St. Vith, Belgium and NW of Prüm, Germany. (See below.)
  • 28th Infantry Division, in a rural area SW of Prüm. Its 110th and 109th Infantry regiments each penetrated into the Siegfried Line, but neither achieve a breakthrough. (The third regiment was on loan to the 5th Armored Division.) Elements of the German 2nd Armored Division repelled the 28th Division advances.
  • 5th Armored Division, in the Vianden-Diekirch area of eastern Luxembourg. (See below.)

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V Corps Hits the West Wall
V Corps Hits the West Wall, 11-19 September 1944
The 4th Infantry Division at the Schnee Eifel
Around 14 September, the 12th, and 22nd Infantry Regiments  occupied the weak Siegfried Line defenses on the SchneeEifel ridge. On the 15th, the 8th Infantry attempted a motorized advance through the Losheim Gap to the north, but were turned back.  Further 4th Division advances were repelled by the German 2nd SS Armored Division. However, the SchneeEifel crest remained in US hands until the German Ardennes counteroffensive in December.
Fourth Infantry Division Setting
4th Infantry Division Setting, Battle of the Schnee Eifel, September 1944
Battle of the Schnee Eifel
4th Infantry Division, Battle of the Schnee Eifel
The 5th Armored Division in the Southern Eifel
The 5th Armored Division's Combat Command R forded the Sauer river at Wallendorf just downstream from its junction with the Our River and crossed into Germany. On 16 September, Combat Command B also crossed and the first German counterattacks occurred. US units penetrated half way to Bitburg, before retreating back across the Sauer on the 21st.
5th Arrmored Division Setting, September 1944
5th Armored Division Setting, Advance toward Bitburg, September 1944
5th Armored Division, September 1944
5th Armored Division, Advance toward Bitburg, September 1944
Sources for Big Pigeon's WWII Germany > The ETO > Rhineland, 1944 > V Corps at the West Wall webpage​:
Major Sources:  Sources for webpage images:
Pottawattamie Area WWII Dead - WWII Germany > The ETO > Rhineland, 1944 > V Corps at the West Wall: 03-03 - WWII Germany > The ETO > Rhineland, 1944 > V Corps at the West Wall: (two dead, updated 30 Jun 2025)
† Jester, Milan Edgar, SN 37-126-889, US Army, Marshall Co., KS & Cass Co.
  • ​22nd Inf. Regt., 4th Inf. Div., V Corps, First Army; KIA 15 Sep 1944 in the Schnee Eifel, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany around 25 miles east of St. Vith, Belgium.
  • WWII Germany > The ETO > Rhineland, 1944 > V Corps at the West Wall @ Battle of the Schnee Eifel
† Leonard, Stanley William, SN 37-260-819, US Army, Cass Co.
  • Co. A, 12th Inf. Regt., 4th Inf. Div., V Corps, First Army; KIA 16 Sep 1944 in the Schnee Eifel, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany around 25 miles east of St. Vith, Belgium.
  • WWII Germany > The ETO > Rhineland, 1944 > V Corps at the West Wall @ Battle of the Schnee Eifel