Five months after D-Day, the 84th Infantry Division arrived on the shores of Omaha Beach
in occupied France.
It was mid-November 1944, and the Third Reich was about to launch a last strike in a desperate
attempt to turn the tides of the war.
But the Railsplitters were there to halt them.
Moving swiftly through France, the clandestine force was poised to launch a devastating attack
on Nazi Germany.
However, during the Battle of the Bulge, the Division was suddenly diverted to Belgium,
tasked with stopping the enemy's relentless offensive in its tracks.
In a few months, the Division would fight its way into the Rhineland, its movements
as stealthy as the pace of war allowed, and quickly advanced northward.
At last, by April 1945, the Division reached Hanover, and what they found in the war-stricken
city would forever mark the history of mankind…
Spread Thin
Following the successful operations during the breakout from Normandy and the landings
in southern France, the Allies were making swift progress toward the heart of Germany
- more so than anticipated.
Yet, by the summer of 1944, military leaders faced crucial logistics issues.
For one, the troops were exhausted from weeks of endless combat and incessant movement - not
to mention supply lines were stretched thin, and supplies were dangerously scarce.
As a result, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander on the Western
Front, decided to hold the Ardennes region as a rest area for the US First Army, thus
limiting operational objectives.
Notably, the Allies defended the Ardennes line with a thin presence, taking advantage
of the favorable defensive terrain of dense forests and deep river valleys.
Furthermore, intelligence indicated that German troops were also using the area across the
border to rest and refit.
As for the Germans, their situation remained dire.
Even though the Allies slowly pushed toward Berlin, they were still unable to achieve
a decisive breakthrough.
Nevertheless, there were 96 Allied divisions at or near the front, with more on the way
from the United Kingdom.
In turn, German numbers barely built up 55 weary divisions.
In the meantime, Adolf Hitler outlined his planned counteroffensive to his generals.
His goal was simple: to break through the lines of the US First Army, push through the
Ardennes, and reach the Meuse River within a matter of days.
Ultimately, the Nazi forces would seize Antwerp and the western bank of the Scheldt estuary.
The stage was set for a dramatic turn of events if it hadn't been for the brave Hatchet Men.
Enter The Hatchet
With the start of the Battle of the Bulge began a crucial chapter in the history of
World War 2.
Cornered, the Fuhrer planned to mimic the impressive German offensive during the Battle
of France in 1940, aiming to split the US and British lines with a Blitzkrieg attack
through the weakly-defended woods of the Ardennes.
But the Third Reich's days were numbered.
By late August, Hitler gave the order to renew construction on the Siegfried Line as a desperate
last measure to contain the Allied advance.
But fresh troops kept arriving from America.
Thus the 84th Infantry Division entered the war in mid-November.
The history of the Division dates back to World War 1 when it was known as the Lincoln
Division because it was primarily composed of National Guard Units from the so-called
Lincoln States: Illinois, Kentucky, and Indiana.
Also, its insignia was reminiscent of Abraham Lincoln's youthful use of the ax.
When World War 2 started, the Division began calling themselves the "Railsplitters," adding
a rail to the emblem, with the ax cutting through it.
But when the 84th first engaged the Germans, the enemy conferred them a new nickname: the
Hatchet Men.
After a brief stop in England for training, the 84th was rushed to the German defense
line - while a handful of men were detached to help speed supplies over the Red Ball Highway
instead.
Starting from November 18, savage fighting raged for two months.
One by one, the unit took 112 enemy pillboxes and bunkers along the line, helping to crush
the German hopes for a successful counteroffensive in the Ardennes.
The 84th was just getting started.
Pushing Through
During Operation Clipper, the 84th operated as part of the British Second Army, having
its sights set on Geilenkirchen, a key mining and transportation center with a sizable population.
The 334th Infantry Regiment led the charge, with the village of Prummern as its objective.
Despite losing armored support when their tanks got bogged down in the mud, the determined
infantrymen pushed forward.
When the 333rd Infantry Regiment joined the fight, Geilenkirchen fell shortly on November
19, followed by several major targets on the path to the heart of Germany.
Despite heavy enemy resistance, the Division still pushed forward and took Beeck and Lindern
within ten days.
The infantry would move confidently, 50 scarce yards behind their own artillery shells, demonstrating
impeccable teamwork.
The 84th Division continued its advance along the line until they reached Mullendorf, the
site of the Railsplitters' final operations in the sector.
It is said that the campaign fittingly concluded with a battalion commander puffing a cigar
and with a captured swastika slung over his shoulder, striding out of the taken Nazi headquarters.
Now into the merciless winter, the Division battled its way through snow, sleet, and rain,
fending off German attacks and claiming Verdenne for the Allies, and shortly after followed
Beffe and Rendeux, as well as La Roche.
By the start of the following year, amidst the height of the German counteroffensive
in the Ardennes, the 84th Division was rushed back to provide assistance.
The Railsplitters made a gallant stand south of Marche, holding their ground and repelling
fierce attacks without flank support.
Later, they were shifted to the north side of the German Bulge, now under the First Army,
and launched a counterattack with the 2nd Armored Division.
Though snow temporarily halted the tanks, the infantry pressed on.
In a bold move, the 1st Battalion of the 335th Infantry donned long white winter underwear
over their combat uniforms and snuck across the white fields, taking the enemy by complete
surprise.
Halfway through the month, the 84th had rolled into Houffalize.
On January 16, one of its units linked up with the 11th Armored Division, closing the
gap between the Allied frontline in the Ardennes salient.
Findings
After a brief respite to restore their forces, the infantrymen resumed the offensive, seizing
Gouvy and Beho.
By the first week of February, the unit was in charge of the Roer River zone from Linnich
to Himmerich.
Then, they prepared for the river crossing.
Operation Grenade was the mission to cross the Roer River between Roermond and Düren.
The 84th Division moved forward with ferocity, sweeping across the river and claiming Boisheim
and Dulken in their path.
With unrelenting force, the Hatchet Men charged ahead, showing little mercy to their enemies.
They overran an officers' replacement pool and captured an entire city's police force
without hesitation.
The Division's relentless momentum continued as they crossed the Niers and took Krefeld,
bringing them one step closer to their ultimate goal: the Rhine.
But seeing the relentless pace of the unstoppable 84th, the Wehrmacht had blown off the Krefeld-Uerdinger
Bridge one day before.
They attempted to cross to the other side via a tunnel connected to a mine shaft at
Homburg, but they found the tunnel to be mined.
Thus, the unit began training along the west bank of the river throughout the month.
Finally, the Railsplitters crossed the Rhine on April 1, driving from Lembeck all the way
to Bielefeld.
Afterward, they continued over the Weser River and captured Erbeck before taking a German
arms factory built a few hundred feet into the side of a cliff.
From there, they drove into Hanover on April 10 and came across two satellite camps of
the Neuengamme Concentration Camp: Ahlem and Salzwedel.
When the liberators first entered Ahlem, they discovered an undetermined number of starving
and ill prisoners, abandoned by their guards who had evacuated and taken around 600 prisoners
in better shape.
Three days later, they found another 3,000 female inmates and several hundred political
prisoners at Salzwedel.
Fortunately, the Hatchet Men were right on time to save thousands of lives.
Liberators
Once in Brunswick, the 84th consolidated forces with the 5th Armored Division.
Together, the two units joined the British in a last push to wipe out what remained of
the German resistance.
In this way, the Allies cleared an enemy pocket along the Elbe, south of Hamburg.
At last, the implacable force halted its advance.
They began patrol work along the river, but by then, Germany was on the verge of defeat.
After contacting Soviet troops and circumventing what was left of the Third Reich, the Railsplitters
established their headquarters at Hanover and, after VE-day, remained on occupation
duty in Germany for several weeks, helping displaced people restart their lives before
going home.
The 84th Infantry Division was subsequently recognized as a liberating unit by the US
Army's Center of Military History and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in
1993.
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