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Operation Veritable

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132-660: Logistics Operation Veritable (also known as the Battle of the Reichswald ) was the northern part of an Allied pincer movement that took place between 8 February and 11 March 1945 during the final stages of the Second World War . The operation was conducted by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery 's Anglo-Canadian 21st Army Group , primarily consisting of the First Canadian Army under Lieutenant-General Harry Crerar and

264-678: A Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold with palm by Belgium. He also received the Legion of Honor and the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 from France, the Soviet Union's Order of Kutuzov , and the Croix de Guerre 1940 with palm from Belgium. After the war ended, Simpson commanded the Memphis, Tennessee -based Second United States Army from 11 October to 14 November 1945. He then returned to Washington, D.C., working in

396-849: A common Anglo-American vision of the postwar world, as formalized by the Atlantic Charter . At the Second Inter-Allied Meeting in London in September 1941, the eight European governments in exile, together with the Soviet Union and representatives of the Free French Forces, unanimously adopted adherence to the common principles of policy set forth in the Atlantic Charter. In December, Japan attacked American and British territories in Asia and

528-788: A complete encirclement of the Ruhr , and on 11 April, it reached the Elbe . After the war ended, Simpson commanded the Second United States Army , and served in the Office of the Chief of Staff . He retired from the army in 1946. In retirement, he lived and worked in the San Antonio, Texas , area. He was a member of the board of directors of the Alamo National Bank, and succeeded General Walter Krueger as

660-430: A disastrous flood. Alternatively, through controlled demolition, they could release 7,100 cubic feet per second (202 m /s). This would put the river into a flood condition that would cause it to rise by 3 feet (0.91 m), increase the speed of the current by 10 feet per second (3.0 m/s) and increase the width to 1,200 feet (370 m). This would preclude a crossing attempt for ten to twelve days. Eisenhower

792-608: A domination of the world completely different from any known in world history. The domination at which the Nazis aim is not limited to the displacement of the balance of power and the imposition of the supremacy of one nation. It seeks the systematic and total destruction of those conquered by Hitler and it does not treaty with the nations which it has subdued. He destroys them. He takes from them their whole political and economic existence and seeks even to deprive them of their history and culture. He wishes only to consider them as vital space and

924-545: A drive to raise $ 750,000 for the construction of the Santa Rosa Children's Hospital. His wife Ruth died in 1971, and soon thereafter, Simpson moved into the Menger Hotel in downtown San Antonio, where he was very popular with the staff. He suffered from phlebitis and neuritis , and was generally confined to his room. In 1978, at the age of 90, he met Catherine Louise (Kay) Berman, a retired civil-service worker from

1056-560: A formalized group upon the Declaration by United Nations on 1 January 1942, which was signed by 26 nations around the world; these ranged from governments in exile from the Axis occupation to small nations far removed from the war. The Declaration officially recognized the Big Three and China as the "Four Powers", acknowledging their central role in prosecuting the war; they were also referred to as

1188-581: A good deal of fighting since I took command of the Eighth Army before Alamein in 1942; and the experience I have gained enables me to judge pretty well the military calibre of Armies. I can truthfully say that the operations of the Ninth Army, since 23 February last, have been up to the best standards. After Victory in Europe Day , the Ninth Army participated in the occupation of Germany . On 6 May, it took over

1320-512: A high rate of damage due to the natural conditions combined with the age of the tanks). The German defences had not anticipated such tactics, so these tanks, including Churchill Crocodile flame-throwers, had great shock value. Once the Reichswald had been taken, the Allied forces paused to regroup before continuing their advance towards the Hochwald (High Forest) ridge, plus Xanten to the east of it, and

1452-535: A key role in achieving victory. A series of conferences between Allied leaders, diplomats, and military officials gradually shaped the makeup of the alliance, the direction of the war, and ultimately the postwar international order. Relations between the United Kingdom and the United States were especially close , with their bilateral Atlantic Charter forming the groundwork of their alliance. The Allies became

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1584-640: A massive air attack on Germany, but Stalin kept wanting more. Although the U.S. had a strained relationship with the USSR in the 1920s, relations were normalized in 1933. The original terms of the Lend-Lease loan were amended towards the Soviets, to be put in line with British terms. The United States would now expect interest with the repayment from the Soviets, following the initiation of the Operation Barbarossa , at

1716-618: A member of the board of directors of the Chamber of Commerce of San Antonio. He died in the Brooke Army Medical Center on 15 August 1980, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery . William Hood Simpson was born on 18 May 1888, at Weatherford, Texas , the son of Edward J. Simpson, a rancher, and his wife Elizabeth née Hood, the daughter of Judge A. J. Hood, a prominent lawyer. His father and uncle had fought with

1848-748: A military career and attend the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York . He was friends with Fritz G. Lanham , the son of Samuel Lanham , the Governor of Texas (and a former law partner of Judge Hood). Through Lanham he was able to secure an appointment from his local Congressman , Oscar W. Gillespie . Competition was not fierce; only one other boy applied. As Simpson's academic credits were insufficient to qualify for automatic admission, Simpson had to sit an entrance examination at Fort Sam Houston in May 1905. A physical examination

1980-438: A mistake as an Army Commander, it never came to my attention. After the war I learned that he had for some years suffered from a serious stomach disorder, but I would never have suspected during hostilities. Alert, intelligent, and professionally capable, he was the type of leader that American soldiers deserve. In view of his brilliant service, it was unfortunate that shortly after the war ill-health forced his retirement before he

2112-633: A month after the American entry into World War I . He followed Bell on a tour of inspection of the British and French forces on the Western Front in September and October 1917. They then returned to Camp Logan, Texas , where the 33rd Division was activated, with Bell, now a major general , as its first commander. The 33rd Division arrived in France in May 1918 and Simpson became its Assistant Chief of Staff (G-3),

2244-416: A review of its own part in the forest phase of the battle, in order to highlight the experiences of the armoured units and learn lessons. After the war, Eisenhower commented this "was some of the fiercest fighting of the whole war" and "a bitter slugging match in which the enemy had to be forced back yard by yard". Montgomery wrote "the enemy parachute troops fought with a fanaticism un-excelled at any time in

2376-640: A separate colony. British Malaya covers the areas of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore , while British Borneo covers the area of Brunei , including Sabah and Sarawak of Malaysia. British Hong Kong consisted of Hong Kong Island , the Kowloon Peninsula , and the New Territories . Territories controlled by the Colonial Office , namely the Crown Colonies , were controlled politically by

2508-662: A training army (the Fourth) and a headquarters to be deployed overseas, the Eighth, which was activated on 5 May 1944. Simpson and most of his staff became part of the Eighth Army headquarters. An advance party of the headquarters flew to the UK on 11 May, and Simpson met with the commander of the European Theater of Operations, United States Army , General Dwight D. Eisenhower , an Army War College classmate. At Eisenhower's request, Simpson's command

2640-599: A vacant territory over which he has every right. The human beings who constitute these nations are for him only cattle. He orders their massacre or migration. He compels them to make room for their conquerors. He does not even take the trouble to impose any war tribute on them. He just takes all their wealth and, to prevent any revolt, he scientifically seeks the physical and moral degradation of those whose independence he has taken away. France experienced several major phases of action during World War II: In Africa these included: French West Africa , French Equatorial Africa ,

2772-464: Is a glacial remnant which, when wet, easily turns to mud. At the time of the operation, the ground had thawed and was largely unsuitable for wheeled and tracked vehicles. These conditions caused breakdowns to a significant number of tanks. Routes through the forest were a problem for the Allies, both during their advance through the forest and later for supply and reinforcements. The only main roads passed to

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2904-755: Is best known for being the commanding general of the Ninth United States Army in northwest Europe during World War II. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York , where he was ranked 101st out of 103 in the class of 1909, Simpson served in the Philippines, where he participated in suppression of the Moro Rebellion , and in Mexico with the Pancho Villa Expedition in 1916. During World War I he saw active service in

3036-567: The 2nd Infantry Division from 5 October 1940, to 4 April 1941, when Fred L. Walker succeeded him. From April to September 1941 he was the first commander of the country's largest Infantry Replacement Training Center , Camp Wolters , located in Mineral Wells, Texas . He received a promotion to temporary major general on 29 September 1941, and commanded the 35th Infantry Division , an Army National Guard formation, at Camp Robinson, Arkansas , from 15 October 1941, to 5 April 1942, for which he

3168-470: The 6th Parachute Division and armored detachments. Horrocks ordered the 43rd (Wessex) Division to advance past Kleve into the German rear. This resulted in the greatest traffic jam in the history of modern warfare . With only one road available, units of the 43rd, 15th and Canadian divisions became inextricably mixed in a column 10 miles (16 km) long. The 15th Division had orders to capture Kleve, but on

3300-782: The Ardennes in December, ( Battle of the Bulge or the Ardennes Offensive) and the advantages to the Allies of hard, frozen ground were lost. The objective of the operation was to clear German forces from the area between the Rhine and Maas rivers, east of the Netherlands (Dutch) / German (Deutsch) frontier, in the Rhineland . It was part of Eisenhower's "broad front" strategy to occupy the entire west bank of

3432-512: The Battle of the Bulge in December, Simpson's Ninth Army came under command of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery 's Anglo-Canadian 21st Army Group . After the battle was over in early 1945, the Ninth Army remained with Montgomery's 21st Army Group for Operation Grenade , the advance to the Rhine , and Operation Plunder , its crossing. On 1 April the Ninth Army made contact with the First Army, making

3564-535: The British West Indies , British Honduras , British Guiana and the Falkland Islands . The Dominion of Newfoundland was directly ruled as a royal colony from 1933 to 1949, run by a governor appointed by London who made the decisions regarding Newfoundland. British India included the areas and peoples covered by later India , Bangladesh , Pakistan and (until 1937) Burma/Myanmar , which later became

3696-511: The British XXX Corps under Lieutenant-general Brian Horrocks . Veritable was the northern pincer movement and started with XXX Corps advancing through the Reichswald (German: Imperial Forest) while the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division , in amphibious vehicles, cleared German positions in the flooded Rhine plain. The Allied advance proceeded more slowly than expected and at greater cost as

3828-728: The Confederate Army under Nathan Bedford Forrest in the American Civil War . He lived in Weatherford until he was five or six years old, when the family moved to Hood's ranch near Aledo, Texas . He did not start school until he was eight years old, when he started riding a horse several miles each day to the local school in Aledo. He attended Hughey Turner Training School, a college-preparatory school , where he played high school football , but did not graduate. Simpson decided to pursue

3960-614: The Eighth Air Force and RAF Bomber Command . Progress was slow and costly. Simpson's offensive ended on 14 December, but on the Roer River rather than the Rhine , due to the flooding threat posed by Roer dams upstream. The Urft Dam ( Urfttalsperre ) held 161,000,000 cubic feet (4,550,000 m ) of water, and the Rur Dam ( Schwammenauel ) held another 2.31 × 10 cubic feet (65,500,000 m ). The Germans could demolish them to create

4092-626: The German Army High Command were that an Allied advance through the Reichswald would be too difficult and the expected assault would be by the British Second Army from the Venlo area. Reserves were therefore placed to respond to this. Alfred Schlemm , the local German commander, strongly disagreed, believing, correctly, that the Reichswald was the more likely route. He acted against the assessments of his superiors and therefore ensured that

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4224-676: The Meuse-Argonne Offensive on the Western Front on the staff of the 33rd Division , for which he was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal and Silver Citation Star . Between the wars he served on staff postings, attended the Command and General Staff College and the Army War College , and commanded the 3rd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment . During World War II he commanded the 9th Infantry Regiment and

4356-564: The Meuse–Argonne offensive . He was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 5 November, and became the division's chief of staff on 17 November, soon after World War I ended on 11 November 1918 . For his services during the war he was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal and Silver Citation Star , and the French Croix de guerre and Legion of Honour in the grade of Chevalier. The citation for his Army DSM reads: The President of

4488-549: The Presidio of San Francisco on 10 July 1912. The regiment moved to El Paso, Texas , between 24 April and 1 May 1914. Promoted to first lieutenant on 1 July 1916, he commanded Companies C and K in the Pancho Villa Expedition in 1916. On 24 February 1917, he became aide-de-camp to Brigadier General George Bell Jr. , the commander of the El Paso Military District. Simpson was promoted to captain on 15 May 1917,

4620-595: The United Kingdom , United States , Soviet Union , and China . Membership in the Allies varied during the course of the war. When the conflict broke out on 1 September 1939, the Allied coalition consisted of the United Kingdom, France , and Poland , as well as their respective dependencies , such as British India . They were joined by the independent dominions of the British Commonwealth : Canada , Australia , New Zealand and South Africa . Consequently,

4752-462: The operation to capture Arnhem ). One such proposal, Valediction (a development of an earlier plan; Wyvern ) - an assault south-eastwards from Nijmegen between the Rhine and Maas rivers, initially had been shelved by Montgomery. A conference was convened at Maastricht , in Netherlands' Limburg, on 7 December 1944 between Allied generals, to consider ways of maintaining pressure on the Germans throughout

4884-427: The staff member responsible for operations . He was promoted to major on 7 June 1918, and attended the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) Army General Staff College from 15 June to 30 August. He returned to the 33rd Division as assistant to its G-2 (the staff member responsible for intelligence ) on 1 September, then became assistant to its G-3 on 15 September. He became G-3 again on 4 October, and participated in

5016-399: The " trusteeship of the powerful", and later as the " Four Policemen " of the United Nations. Many more countries joined through to the final days of the war, including colonies and former Axis nations. After the war ended, the Allies, and the Declaration that bound them, would become the basis of the modern United Nations ; one enduring legacy of the alliance is the permanent membership of

5148-447: The 1920s, culminating in the invasion of Manchuria in 1931. The League of Nations strongly condemned the attack as an act of aggression against China; Japan responded by leaving the League in 1933. The second Sino-Japanese War erupted in 1937 with Japan's full-scale invasion of China. The League of Nations condemned Japan's actions and initiated sanctions; the United States, which had attempted to peacefully negotiate for peace in Asia,

5280-419: The American Harry Hopkins . It is also often called the "Strange Alliance", because it united the leaders of the world's greatest capitalist state (the United States), the greatest socialist state (the Soviet Union) and the greatest colonial power (the United Kingdom). Relations between them resulted in the major decisions that shaped the war effort and planned for the postwar world. Cooperation between

5412-462: The American commander there. Simpson was informed that he would become the Commanding General, Field Forces, and deputy theater commander. The end of the war in Asia came before this occurred. In August 1945 the headquarters of the Ninth Army was redeployed to Camp Shanks , New York. In mid-September it was moved to Fort Bragg and inactivated on 10 October 1945. Eisenhower summarized his experience with Simpson as follows: If Simpson ever made

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5544-399: The American southern pincer, Operation Grenade , was delayed by the deliberate flooding of the Roer River by German forces under Alfred Schlemm , which allowed them to be concentrated against the Commonwealth advance. On 22 February, once clear of the Reichswald, and with the towns of Kleve and Goch in their control, the offensive was renewed as Operation Blockbuster and linked up with

5676-415: The Army War College in the G-4 Division from 12 August 1936, to 24 June 1937, and was director of its G-2 Division until 25 August 1940, with the rank of colonel from 1 September 1938. On 30 August 1940, Simpson was appointed to command the 9th Infantry Regiment at Fort Sam Houston, Texas . He was promoted to brigadier general on 1 October 1940, and served as the Assistant Division Commander (ADC) of

5808-402: The Big Three leaders, although they were not enough to break the alliance during wartime. In 1942 Roosevelt proposed becoming, with China, the Four Policemen of world peace. Although the 'Four Powers' were reflected in the wording of the Declaration by United Nations , Roosevelt's proposal was not initially supported by Churchill or Stalin. Division emerged over the length of time taken by

5940-429: The British Government during the Second World War and made part of the British Army structure. It was mostly Greek Cypriot volunteers and Turkish Cypriot inhabitants of Cyprus but also included other Commonwealth nationalities. On a brief visit to Cyprus in 1943, Winston Churchill praised the "soldiers of the Cyprus Regiment who have served honourably on many fields from Libya to Dunkirk". About 30,000 Cypriots served in

6072-477: The Cyprus Regiment. The regiment was involved in action from the very start and served at Dunkirk , in the Greek Campaign (about 600 soldiers were captured in Kalamata in 1941), North Africa ( Operation Compass ), France, the Middle East and Italy. Many soldiers were taken prisoner especially at the beginning of the war and were interned in various PoW camps ( Stalag ) including Lamsdorf ( Stalag VIII-B ), Stalag IVC at Wistritz bei Teplitz and Stalag 4b near Most in

6204-421: The Czech Republic. The soldiers captured in Kalamata were transported by train to prisoner of war camps. After Germany invaded Poland, France declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939. In January 1940, French Prime Minister Édouard Daladier made a major speech denouncing the actions of Germany: At the end of five months of war, one thing has become more and more clear. It is that Germany seeks to establish

6336-406: The Declaration was signed by Iraq, Iran, Brazil, Bolivia and Colombia. A Tripartite Treaty of Alliance with Britain and the USSR formalised Iran's assistance to the Allies. In Rio de Janeiro , Brazilian dictator Getúlio Vargas was considered near to fascist ideas, but realistically joined the United Nations after their evident successes. In 1944, Liberia and France signed. The French situation

6468-447: The First Army's units, allowing the First Army headquarters to redeploy to the Pacific . Further regrouping followed, as most of the area covered was earmarked to be administered by the UK or Soviet Union . On 15 June, all units of the Ninth Army were handed over to the Seventh United States Army , and Ninth Army headquarters prepared to redeploy to China. Simpson flew to China, where he met with Lieutenant General Albert C. Wedemeyer ,

6600-406: The First and Third Armies. The stay at Arlon was brief; on 10 October, Simpson received word that Ninth Army was to take over the northern sector of the 12th Army Group's front adjoining Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery 's Anglo-Canadian 21st Army Group . This was a consequence of Eisenhower's decision to reinforce that sector. The plan was for the Ninth Army to envelop the Ruhr industrial area to

6732-473: The German war machine. On 1 September 1939, Germany invaded Poland ; two days later Britain and France declared war on Germany. Roughly two weeks after Germany's attack, the Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east. Britain and France established the Anglo-French Supreme War Council to coordinate military decisions. A Polish government-in-exile was set up in London, joined by hundreds of thousands of Polish soldiers, which would remain an Allied nation until

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6864-408: The Hochwald and then exploit to Xanten. By the time the waters from the Roer dams had subsided and the US 9th Army crossed the Roer on 23 February, other Allied forces were also close to the Rhine's west bank. Rundstedt's divisions which had remained on the west bank of the Rhine were cut to pieces in the Rhineland and 230,000 men were taken prisoner. After the battle, 34 Armoured Brigade conducted

6996-425: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, after which it declared war and officially joined the Allies. China had already been at war with Japan since 1937 , and formally joined the Allies in December 1941. The Allies were led by the so-called "Big Three"—the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, and the United States—which were the principal contributors of manpower, resources, and strategy, each playing

7128-499: The League of Nations mandates of French Cameroun and French Togoland , French Madagascar , French Somaliland , and the protectorates of French Tunisia and French Morocco . French Algeria was then not a colony or dependency but a fully-fledged part of metropolitan France . William Hood Simpson General William Hood Simpson (18 May 1888 – 15 August 1980) was a senior United States Army officer who served with distinction in both World War I and World War II . He

7260-483: The Meuse-Argonne offensive and later as Chief of Staff of this division. Upon returning to the United States in May 1919, Simpson was posted to the 6th Division at Camp Grant, Illinois , as its chief of staff from 15 June 1919, to 25 August 1920. He reverted to his substantive rank of captain on 30 June 1920, but was promoted to major again the following day. From 26 August to 30 December, he served as its assistant chief of staff (G-3). He served in Washington, D.C. , in

7392-413: The Ninth Army's preparations. Simpson watched the river slowly rise, but could not be certain whether it was the result of German demolition or increased flow due to snow melt. Finally, he postponed the attack. His decision was the correct one; the waters continued to rise and the river level was up 5 feet (1.5 m) on 9 and 10 February. Operation Grenade was finally launched on 23 February, even though

7524-410: The Office of the Chief of Staff as a member of the Military Intelligence Board, and President of the War Department Reorganization Board from 15 November 1945, until 4 April 1946. He retired from the army with a physical disability on 30 November 1946. On 4 August 1954, he was promoted to full general on the retired list by a special Act of Congress that advanced officers who had commanded armies or

7656-508: The Office of the Chief of Infantry from 1 January 1921, to 1 August 1923. In El Paso, Texas , on Christmas Eve, 1921, he married Ruth Krakauer, an English-born widow whom he had first met while at West Point. From 1 September 1923, to 28 May 1924, he was a student officer in the Advanced Course at the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia . He then attended the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas , from 15 August 1924, to 19 June 1925, when he

7788-410: The Pacific, resulting in the U.S. formally entering the war as an Allied power. Still reeling from Japanese aggression, China declared war on all the Axis powers shortly thereafter. By the end of 1941, the main lines of World War II had formed. Churchill referred to the "Grand Alliance" of the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union, which together played the largest role in prosecuting

7920-548: The Reichswald and the securing of the line Gennep-Asperden-Cleve. " Phase 2 The breaching of the enemy's second defensive system east and south-east of the Reichswald, the capture of the localities Weeze-Uedem-Kalkar-Emmerich and the securing of the communications between them. " Phase 3 The 'break-through' of the Hochwald 'lay-back' defence lines and the advance to secure the general line Geldern-Xanten." The operation started as an infantry frontal assault, with armoured support, against prepared positions, in terrain that favoured

8052-425: The Reichswald but also destroy the defenders' morale and their will to fight. Air raids were also undertaken to isolate the battle area from further reinforcement. Operation Veritable began on 8 February 1945, at 10:30 five infantry divisions, 50,000 men with 500 tanks, attacked in line – respectively from the north, the 3rd and 2nd Canadian, the 15th (Scottish) in the center and the 53rd (Welsh) and 51st (Highland) on

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8184-497: The Rhine before crossing the river. The Allied expectation was that the northern end of the Siegfried Line was less well defended than elsewhere and an outflanking movement around the line was possible and would allow an early assault against the Ruhr industrial region. Veritable was the northern arm of a pincer movement. The southern pincer arm, Operation Grenade , was to be made by Lieutenant General William Hood Simpson 's U.S. Ninth Army. The operation had complications. First,

8316-539: The Rhine to Kalkar and Xanten. XXX Corps was to operate on the right and take Goch before swinging towards the Rhine and linking with the Americans – once Operation Grenade had been launched. The 3rd Division used Buffalo amphibious vehicles to move through the flooded areas; the water rendered the German field defences and minefields ineffective and isolated their units on islands where they could be picked off, one by one. XXX Corps had rehearsed forest warfare tactics and were able to bring armour forward with them (despite

8448-403: The Rhine, arguing that it would only delay the inevitable fight. Von Rundstedt was ordered to fight where his forces stood. The imposed US standstill allowed German forces to be concentrated against the Anglo-Canadian assault. At first, XXX Corps made rapid progress across most of its front but after the first day, German reinforcements appeared and violent clashes were reported with a regiment of

8580-418: The Ruhr. Three days later, the Ninth Army reverted to the control of Bradley's 12th Army Group. On 11 April, the Ninth Army reached the Elbe . On 10 March, Montgomery had written to Simpson: I would like to tell you how very pleased I have been with everything the Ninth Army has done. The operations were planned and carried through with great skill and energy. It has fallen to my lot to be mixed up with

8712-399: The Soviet Union, were accepted as members of the United Nations as a way to provide greater influence to Stalin, who had only Yugoslavia as a communist partner in the alliance. British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain delivered his Ultimatum Speech on 3 September 1939 which declared war on Germany , a few hours before France. As the Statute of Westminster 1931 was not yet ratified by

8844-517: The Treaty of Versailles and made claims over German-populated Austria and the German-populated territories of Czechoslovakia. The likelihood of war was high, but none of the major powers had the appetite for another conflict; many governments sought to ease tensions through nonmilitary strategies such as appeasement . Japan, which was a principal allied power in the First World War, had since become increasingly militaristic and imperialistic; parallel to Germany, nationalist sentiment increased throughout

8976-431: The U.N. Security Council , which is made up exclusively of the principal Allied powers that won the war. The victorious Allies of World War I —which included what would become the Allied powers of the Second World War—had imposed harsh terms on the opposing Central Powers in the Paris Peace Conference of 1919–1920 . Germany resented signing the Treaty of Versailles , which required that it take full responsibility for

9108-400: The U.S. Ninth Army (Lieutenant General William Simpson). In Veritable , the reinforced British XXX Corps (one of two such formations in the First Canadian Army), under Lieutenant-General Brian Horrocks , would advance through the Reichswald Forest and its adjacent flood plains to the Kleve – Goch road. The First Canadian Army had had a severe time clearing the approaches to Antwerp during

9240-404: The U.S. Ninth Army near Geldern on 4 March after the execution of Operation Grenade. Fighting continued as the Germans sought to retain a bridgehead on the west bank of the Rhine at Wesel and evacuate as many men and as much equipment as possible. On 10 March the German withdrawal ended and the last bridges were destroyed. General Dwight D. Eisenhower , the Allied Commander, had decided that

9372-468: The UK and therefore also entered hostilities with Britain's declaration of war. At the outbreak of World War II, the British Indian Army numbered 205,000 men. Later during World War II, the British Indian Army became the largest all-volunteer force in history, rising to over 2.5 million men in size. Indian soldiers earned 30 Victoria Crosses during the Second World War. It suffered 87,000 military casualties (more than any Crown colony but fewer than

9504-521: The US 9th Army. This stage was Operation Blockbuster. As planned, it would start on 22 February when the 15th (Scottish) Division would attack woods north-east of Weeze ; two days later, the 53rd (Welsh) Division would advance southwards from Goch, take Weeze, and continue south-westward. Finally, the II Canadian Corps would launch, on 26 February, the operation intended to overcome the German defences based on

9636-485: The US forces in Brittany from Lieutenant General George S. Patton Jr. 's Third Army. Simpson's first task was the capture of Brest . To overcome strong natural and man-made defenses, Simpson chose to employ overwhelming firepower. There were sufficient artillery pieces in the area, but not sufficient ammunition, especially for the heavier pieces. Over a two-week period, 40,000 long tons (41,000 t) of artillery ammunition

9768-597: The United Kingdom and the United States had cooperated in a number of ways, notably through the destroyers-for-bases deal in September 1940 and the American Lend-Lease program, which provided Britain and the Soviet Union with war materiel beginning in October 1941. The British Commonwealth and, to a lesser extent, the Soviet Union reciprocated with a smaller Reverse Lend-Lease program. The First Inter-Allied Meeting took place in London in early June 1941 between

9900-453: The United Kingdom and the United States was especially close and included forming a Combined Chiefs of Staff . There were numerous high-level conferences ; in total Churchill attended 14 meetings, Roosevelt 12, and Stalin 5. Most visible were the three summit conferences that brought together the three top leaders. The Allied policy toward Germany and Japan evolved and developed at these three conferences. There were many tensions among

10032-572: The United Kingdom). The UK suffered 382,000 military casualties. Kuwait was a protectorate of the United Kingdom formally established in 1899. The Trucial States were British protectorates in the Persian Gulf. Palestine was a mandate dependency created in the peace agreements after World War I from the former territory of the Ottoman Empire , Iraq . The Cyprus Regiment was formed by

10164-420: The United Kingdom, the four co-belligerent British Dominions (Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa), the eight governments in exile ( Belgium , Czechoslovakia , Greece , Luxembourg , the Netherlands , Norway , Poland , Yugoslavia ) and Free France . The meeting culminated with the Declaration of St James's Palace , which set out a first vision for the postwar world. In June 1941, Hitler broke

10296-543: The United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, 9 July 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Army Distinguished Service Medal to Lieutenant Colonel (Infantry) William Hood Simpson, United States Army, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States, in a duty of great responsibility during World War I, as Assistant Chief of Staff, 33d Division, during

10428-802: The Western Allies to establish a second front in Europe. Stalin and the Soviets used the potential employment of the second front as an 'acid test' for their relations with the Anglo-American powers. The Soviets were forced to use as much manpower as possible in the fight against the Germans, whereas the United States had the luxury of flexing industrial power, but with the "minimum possible expenditure of American lives". Roosevelt and Churchill opened ground fronts in North Africa in 1942 and in Italy in 1943, and launched

10560-483: The area was well fortified, strengthened the Siegfried Line defences and quietly moved some of his reserves to be nearer this line of attack which meant that fresh and hardened troops were readily available to him. The Allied advance was from Groesbeek (captured during Operation Market Garden) eastwards to Kleve and Goch , turning south eastwards along the Rhine to Xanten and the US advance. The whole battle area

10692-454: The army... I have never known a commander to make better use of his staff than General Simpson. During the crisis of the Battle of the Bulge , the Ninth Army came under Montgomery's command on 20 December. The Ninth Army took no part in the battle, but was stripped of eight divisions to reinforce the First Army, and took over part of its front. After the battle was over in early 1945, the Ninth Army remained with Montgomery's 21st Army Group for

10824-575: The best route into Germany would be across the relatively flat lands of northern Europe, taking the industrial heartland of the Ruhr . This first required that Allied forces should close up to the Rhine along its whole length. Montgomery's 21st Army Group had established a front along the River Maas in late 1944 and had also considered several offensive operations to enlarge and defend the Nijmegen , Gelderland bridgehead and its important bridges (captured during

10956-554: The declaration; the Big Four were listed first: The United Nations began growing immediately after its formation. In 1942, Mexico, the Philippines and Ethiopia adhered to the declaration. Ethiopia had been restored to independence by British forces after the Italian defeat in 1941. The Philippines, still owned by Washington but granted international diplomatic recognition, was allowed to join on 10 June despite its occupation by Japan. In 1943,

11088-467: The defenders. On 7 February more than 750 RAF heavy bombers deluged Kleve and Goch with high explosive. In order to reduce the defenders' advantages, a large scale artillery bombardment was employed, the biggest British barrage since the Second Battle of El Alamein . Men were literally deafened for hours by the noise of 1,034 guns. It was hoped that this would not only destroy the German defences throughout

11220-461: The deliberate flooding of the flood plains, which necessitated the use of amphibious vehicles. The few good roads were rapidly damaged and broken up by the constant heavy traffic that they had to carry during the assaults. The Germans had built three defence lines. The first was from Wyler to the Maas along the western edge of the Reichswald, manned by the 84th Division and the 1st Parachute Regiment; this

11352-647: The end of his third. When eight cadets, two of whom were from the class of 1909, were found guilty of hazing and suspended, it fell to Simpson, as a cadet captain, to escort them from the academy grounds. Simpson graduated on 11 June 1909, ranked 101st out of 103 in his class, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant of Infantry . Fellow members of his class included Jacob L. Devers (39th), George S. Patton (46th), and Robert L. Eichelberger (68th), all of whom eventually reached four-star rank , and John C. H. Lee (12th), and Delos C. Emmons (61st), who reached three-star rank . Simpson's first assignment

11484-739: The end of the war—the United States were not looking to support any "postwar Soviet reconstruction efforts", which eventually manifested into the Molotov Plan . At the Tehran conference , Stalin judged Roosevelt to be a "lightweight compared to the more formidable Churchill". During the meetings from 1943 to 1945, there were disputes over the growing list of demands from the USSR. Tensions increased further when Roosevelt died and his successor Harry Truman rejected demands put forth by Stalin. Roosevelt wanted to play down these ideological tensions. Roosevelt felt he "understood Stalin's psychology", stating "Stalin

11616-594: The end. After a quiet winter, Germany began its invasion of Western Europe in April 1940, quickly defeating Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, and France. All the occupied nations subsequently established a government-in-exile in London, with each contributing a contingent of escaped troops. Nevertheless, by roughly one year since Germany's violation of the Munich Agreement, Britain and its Empire stood alone against Hitler and Mussolini. Before they were formally allied,

11748-629: The equivalent to that rank. After retirement, Simpson lived and worked in the San Antonio, Texas , area. He was a member of the board of directors of the Alamo National Bank, and succeeded General Walter Krueger as a member of the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce of San Antonio. He was also chairman of the board of the Alamo chapter of the Association of the United States Army , and spearheaded

11880-529: The final attack into Germany. For Operation Grenade , the crossing of the Roer, the Ninth Army was reinforced, its strength increased from five to twelve divisions. The major obstacle to the advance was the river itself, as the dams were still in German hands. The British Second Army commenced Operation Veritable , the northern part of a pincer movement to clear the Rhineland, on 8 February 1945. Montgomery's plan

12012-525: The heavily forested terrain, squeezed between the Rhine and Maas rivers, reduced Anglo-Canadian advantages in manpower and armour; the situation was exacerbated by soft ground which had thawed after the winter and also by the deliberate flooding of the adjacent Rhine flood plain . At this stage, 21st Army Group consisted of the British Second Army ( Lieutenant-General Miles C. Dempsey ), First Canadian Army ( Lieutenant-General Harry Crerar ) and

12144-802: The initial alliance resembled that of the First World War . As Axis forces began invading northern Europe and the Balkans , the Allies added the Netherlands , Belgium , Norway , Greece , and Yugoslavia . The Soviet Union, which initially had a nonaggression pact with Germany and participated in its invasion of Poland , joined the Allies after the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. The United States, while providing some materiel support to European Allies since September 1940, remained formally neutral until

12276-535: The main advocates of appeasement, decided that Hitler had no intention to uphold diplomatic agreements and responded by preparing for war. On 31 March 1939, Britain formed the Anglo-Polish military alliance in an effort to avert an imminent German attack on Poland; the French likewise had a long-standing alliance with Poland since 1921 . The Soviet Union , which had been diplomatically and economically isolated by much of

12408-419: The movements of men and materiel. A new rail bridge was constructed that extended rail access to Nijmegen, a bridge was built across the Maas at Mook and roads were repaired and maintained. Elaborate and strict restrictions were placed on air and daytime land movements; troop concentrations and storage dumps were camouflaged. Operation Veritable was planned in three separate phases: " Phase 1 The clearing of

12540-530: The narrow neck of land between the Meuse and the Waal east of Nijmegen, but Operation Grenade had to be postponed for two weeks when the Germans released the waters from the Roer dams and river levels rose. The U.S. Ninth Army was unable to move and no military actions could proceed across the Roer until the water subsided. During the two weeks of flooding, Hitler forbade Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt to withdraw east behind

12672-458: The night of 9 February they were held up on the outskirts. The 47 Panzer Corps under General Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz was directed to Kleve and the Reichswald. On 11 February the 15th had cleared the town. Having expanded the front line to 14 miles (23 km), the II Canadian Corps , with the 2nd and 3rd Divisions and the 4th Armoured Division, became responsible for the drive along

12804-637: The non-aggression agreement with Stalin and Axis forces invaded the Soviet Union , which consequently declared war on Germany and its allies. Britain agreed to an alliance with the Soviet Union in July, with both nations committing to assisting one another by any means, and to never negotiate a separate peace. The following August saw the Atlantic Conference between American President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill , which defined

12936-414: The north (Nijmegen to Kleve) and south (Mook to Goch) of the forest - no east–west metalled route passed through it. There were three north–south routes: two radiating from Hekkens to Kranenburg (between two and five kilometres behind the German frontline) and to Kleve; and Kleve to Goch, along the eastern edge of the Reichswald. The lack of suitable roads was made worse by the soft ground conditions and

13068-479: The north while First Army enveloped it to the south. Reflecting on the decision later, Bradley opined that the "uncommonly normal" Ninth Army staff collaborated with the 21st Army Group better than the more temperamental First Army staff did. Ninth Army's attack on the Siegfried Line north of Aachen commenced on 16 November, heralded by artillery and aerial bombardment that included attacks by heavy bombers of

13200-482: The parliaments of Australia and New Zealand, the British declaration of war on Germany also applied to those dominions . The other dominions and members of the British Commonwealth declared war from 3 September 1939, all within one week of each other; they were Canada , British India and South Africa . During the war, Churchill attended seventeen Allied conferences at which key decisions and agreements were made. He

13332-417: The previous autumn. It was, numerically, the smallest of the Allied armies in northern Europe and, despite its name, contained significant British units as part of its structure. For Veritable , it was further strengthened by XXX Corps. At the start of the operation, Allied deployment was, from left to right across the Allied front: Further divisions were committed as the operation progressed: Assessments by

13464-458: The repeat of the bombardment with him the following day, but Simpson elected to return to his headquarters in England. Once again bombs fell short, and McNair was killed. The Ninth Army headquarters moved to France, as it landed at Utah Beach on 29 and 30 August. It became active as part of Lieutenant General Omar Bradley 's 12th Army Group on 5 September, when the Ninth Army took over command of

13596-505: The right. The next day the Germans released water from the largest Roer dam, sending water surging down the valley, and irreparably jammed the sluices to ensure a steady flow for many days. The next day they added to the flooding by doing the same to dams further upstream on the Roer and the Urft . The river rose at two feet an hour and the valley downstream to the Maas stayed flooded for about two weeks. XXX Corps advanced with heavy fighting along

13728-526: The severity of the economic crisis on the Treaty of Versailles. The far-right Nazi Party led by Adolf Hitler , which had formed shortly after the peace treaty, exploited growing popular resentment and desperation to become the dominant political movement in Germany. By 1933, they gained power and rapidly established a totalitarian regime known as Nazi Germany . The Nazi regime demanded the immediate cancellation of

13860-477: The unchallenged Japanese expansion in the East, particularly considering their defeat in previous wars with Japan; the Soviets also recognized, as the U.S. and Britain had suggested, the advantages of a two-front war . Franklin D. Roosevelt , Winston Churchill , and Joseph Stalin were The Big Three leaders. They were in frequent contact through ambassadors, top generals, foreign ministers and special emissaries such as

13992-515: The war" and "the volume of fire from enemy weapons was the heaviest which had so far been met by British troops in the campaign." Allies of World War II The Allies , formally referred to as the United Nations from 1942, were an international military coalition formed during World War II (1939–1945) to oppose the Axis powers . Its principal members by the end of 1941 were the " Big Four " –

14124-557: The war, Britain could remain the sole great power in Europe facing the Communist threat, as it was in 1940 and 1941 against Nazism. During the early part of 1945, Peru, Chile, Paraguay, Venezuela, Uruguay, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Syria (these latter two French colonies had been declared independent states by British occupation troops, despite protests by Pétain and later De Gaulle) and Ecuador became signatories. Ukraine and Belarus , which were not independent states but parts of

14256-488: The war, lose a significant portion of territory, and pay costly reparations, among other penalties. The Weimar Republic , which formed at the end of the war and subsequently negotiated the treaty, saw its legitimacy shaken, particularly as it struggled to govern a greatly weakened economy and humiliated populace. The Wall Street Crash of 1929 , and the ensuing Great Depression , led to political unrest across Europe, especially in Germany, where revanchist nationalists blamed

14388-479: The war. The alliance was largely one of convenience for each member: the U.K. realized that the Axis powers threatened not only its colonies in North Africa and Asia but also the homeland . The United States felt that the Japanese and German expansion should be contained, but ruled out force until Japan's attack. The Soviet Union, having been betrayed by the Axis attack in 1941, greatly despised German belligerence and

14520-400: The water level had not yet completely returned to normal. The attack was successfully concluded on 5 March, with the Rhine reached. Next came Operation Plunder , the 21st Army Group's crossing of the Rhine; the Ninth Army's part was called Operation Flashpoint . The Rhine was crossed on 24 March 1945. On 1 April, the Ninth Army made contact with First Army, making a complete encirclement of

14652-529: The winter. Consequently, Valediction was brought forward and allocated to the First Canadian Army. British XXX Corps was attached to the Canadians for the operation and the date was provisionally set as 1 January 1945. At this point, the name Veritable was attached to the operation in place of Valediction . In the event, Veritable was delayed by the diversion of forces to stem the German attack through

14784-513: The world, had sought an alliance with the western powers, but Hitler preempted a potential war with Stalin by signing the Nazi–Soviet non-aggression pact in August 1939. In addition to preventing a two-front war that had battered its forces in the last world war, the agreement secretly divided the independent states of Central and Eastern Europe between the two powers and assured adequate oil supplies for

14916-543: Was "the most important of the Allied leaders during the first half of World War II". British West Africa and the British colonies in East and Southern Africa participated, mainly in the North African, East African and Middle-Eastern theatres. Two West African and one East African division served in the Burma Campaign . Southern Rhodesia was a self-governing colony, having received responsible government in 1923. It

15048-470: Was a "trip-wire" line intended only to delay an assault and alert the main forces. The second, beyond the forest, was Rees , Kleve, Goch and the third ran from Rees, through the Uedemer Hochwald to Geldern. Preparations for the operations were complicated by the poor condition of the few routes into the concentration area, its small size, the need to maintain surprise and, therefore, the need to conceal

15180-828: Was anxious about accepting an army commander without operational experience in the war, but senior officers with such experience were few in May 1944. By 1 October, however, Eisenhower was sufficiently impressed by Simpson's performance to write to the Chief of Staff of the Army, General George C. Marshall , and recommend that Simpson's temporary rank of lieutenant general be made substantive. According to Colonel Armistead D. Mead, Simpson's G-3 (Operations) officer: General Simpson's genius lay in his charismatic manner, his command presence, his ability to listen, his unfailing use of his staff to check things out before making decisions, and his way of making all hands feel that they were important to him and to

15312-839: Was assigned to the War Department General Staff in Washington, D.C., where he worked in the Latin American section of the G-2 branch. On 20 June 1932, he became Professor of Military Science and Tactics at Pomona College in Claremont, California , and was promoted to lieutenant colonel again from 1 October 1934. This posting also included duty as the Army representative at the California Pacific International Exposition in 1935. He then became an instructor at

15444-555: Was awarded the Legion of Merit . He then commanded the 30th Infantry Division , another Army National Guard formation, at Fort Jackson, South Carolina , until Leland Hobbs took command. On 31 August 1942, he took command of the newly created XII Corps . Simpson commanded the Fourth United States Army from 29 September 1943, to 8 May 1944, with the three-star rank of lieutenant general as of 13 October 1943. Fourth Army

15576-489: Was between the Rhine and Maas rivers, initially through the Reichswald and then across rolling agricultural country. The Reichswald is a forest close to the Dutch/German border. The Rhine flood plain, 2–3 miles (3.2–4.8 km) wide (and which, at the time of the operation, had been allowed to flood after a wet winter), is the northern boundary of the area and the Maas flood plain is the southern boundary. The Reichswald ridge

15708-464: Was brought forward from dumps in Normandy and the UK. The battle commenced on 8 September, and after much hard fighting the city was liberated on 20 September 1944. Simpson moved his headquarters to Arlon , where it opened on 2 October, and two days later the Ninth Army relieved First Army in the southern portion of its line, taking over the center of the 12th Army Group's front in the Ardennes between

15840-492: Was conducted while he was there. He passed both, and was accepted into the class of 1909. On 14 June 1905, a month after he turned 17, Simpson entered West Point. He found the curriculum difficult, and by the end of his first year, he stood 116th in a class that now numbered 120; 29 members of the class had dropped out. He was poor at mathematics, but excelled at equitation , and by the end of his second year his standing had risen to 107th out of 108, then to 100th out of 107 by

15972-516: Was especially angered by the invasion and sought to support China. In March 1939, Germany took over Czechoslovakia , just six months after signing the Munich Agreement , which sought to appease Hitler by ceding the mainly ethnic German Czechoslovak borderlands; while most of Europe had celebrated the agreement as a major victory for peace, the open flaunting of its terms demonstrated the failure of appeasement. Britain and France, which had been

16104-420: Was for Operation Grenade, scheduled to commence on 10 February 1945, to form the southern part of the pincer, but there was still no word of the capture of the Roer dams by the First Army. Montgomery left the decision of whether to delay Operation Grenade up to Simpson, but postponement would make the task of both the British troops already fighting more difficult, and increase the risk that the Germans would detect

16236-628: Was graduated as a distinguished graduate. On 1 July 1925, Simpson assumed command of the 3rd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment , at Camp Meade, Maryland , and later Fort Washington, Maryland ; his tour in command also included duty at the Sesquicentennial Exposition in Philadelphia from May to November 1926. He then attended the United States Army War College from 15 August 1927, to 30 June 1928. Upon graduation, he

16368-644: Was initially in San Jose, California , and it functioned as a training army. In search of more office space, the headquarters was moved to the Presidio of Monterey, California , on 1 November, and then to Fort Sam Houston in January 1944, when it took over the training mission of the Third United States Army , which had moved overseas. More personnel arrived in early 1944, enabling the Fourth Army to be split into

16500-457: Was not a sovereign dominion. It governed itself internally and controlled its own armed forces, but had no diplomatic autonomy, and, therefore, was officially at war as soon as Britain was at war. The Southern Rhodesian colonial government issued a symbolic declaration of war nevertheless on 3 September 1939, which made no difference diplomatically but preceded the declarations of war made by all other British dominions and colonies. These included:

16632-575: Was promoted to four-star grade, which he had so clearly earned. For his services as commander of the Ninth Army, Simpson was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and a second Army Distinguished Service Medal . He also garnered foreign decorations that included being made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire by the UK, a Grand Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau by the Netherlands, and

16764-563: Was re-formed when the combined headquarters of the Western Defense Command and Fourth Army were separated. A cadre was provided by the Western Defense Command, but all senior officers were approved or selected by Simpson. He brought his chief of staff, Colonel James E. Moore with him from XII Corps. Moore had previously served with him as chief of staff of the 35th and 30th Infantry Divisions. The Fourth Army headquarters

16896-550: Was redesignated the Ninth United States Army to avoid confusion with the British Eighth Army . The main body of Ninth Army embarked for the UK on the ocean liner RMS  Queen Elizabeth on 22 June. Simpson observed the abortive start of Operation Cobra on 24 July with Lieutenant Generals Courtney Hodges and Lewis H. Brereton . They were forced to take shelter as errant American bombs dropped around them. Lieutenant General Lesley J. McNair invited Simpson to watch

17028-621: Was the assistant division commander of the 2nd Infantry Division . In succession he commanded the 35th and the 30th Infantry Divisions , the XII Corps , and the Fourth Army . In May 1944, with the three-star rank of lieutenant general , he assumed command of the Ninth Army . Simpson led the Ninth Army in the assault on Brest in September 1944, and the advance to the Roer River in November. During

17160-416: Was too anxious to prove a point ... he suffered from an inferiority complex." During December 1941, Roosevelt devised the name "United Nations" for the Allies and Churchill agreed. He referred to the Big Three and China as the " Four Policemen " repeatedly from 1942. The alliance was formalised in the Declaration by United Nations signed on 1 January 1942. There were the 26 original signatories of

17292-462: Was very confused. Free French forces were recognized only by Britain, while the United States considered Vichy France to be the legal government of the country until Operation Overlord , while also preparing U.S. occupation francs . Winston Churchill urged Roosevelt to restore France to its status of a major power after the liberation of Paris in August 1944; the Prime Minister feared that after

17424-444: Was with the 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment , which was stationed at Fort Lincoln , North Dakota . Soon after he joined in the regiment on 11 September 1909, it received orders to deploy to the Philippines. He embarked from San Francisco on 5 January 1910. He went to the island of Mindanao in the Philippines and participated in suppression of the Moro Rebellion . He returned to the United States with his regiment, arriving at

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