Groesbeek, der Feind von oben (Hagerstown, MD)

For this event we were portraying the members of Ersatz Abteilung 6 / Wehrkreis VI (Corps 'Feldt') the day after the Allied airborne landings known as Operation Market Garden.  The Allied operation began on Sunday 17 September.  The US 82nd Airborne Division under the command of General James Gavin landed in the area of Groesbeek heights (just north and south of the village).  The heights itself were that of wooded hills about 100m high and 12km long to the east of Nijmegen.  The 82nd's mission was first to secure the heights, then capture the bridges over the River Maas (Meuse) at Grave and over the Maas-Waal Canal.  After those objectives were complete, then they would try for the road bridge over the Waal at Nijmegen.  

Generalfeldmarschall Model  was given command of the troops in training from Wehrkreiss VI, this was the German military district just east of the Netherlands.  These troops along with those in transit or on leave in the Wesel area would be known as Corps 'Feldt.'  These troops under the command of General Kurt Feldt which the organization drew its name, were to recapture Groesbeek heights from the US 82nd Airborne.  

At dawn on 18 September, the first troops of Corps 'Feldt' which now numbered 3,400 barely trained men in four groups under the 406th Landesschützen Division started it's attack on the heights.  Slowly the Germans found gaps in the thin American lines. This attack by Corps 'Feldt' succeeded in overrunning part of the 82nd's landing zones.  This gain was held shortly, but a counter-attack by the Americans was able to regain the lost ground just as allied gliders appeared, bringing much needed reinforcements.  This counter attack almost resulted in the almost capture of General Feldt himself.  We were portraying men of Corps 'Feldt' during the attacks following September 18th.