Mission Accomplished: The Story of the Campaigns of the VII Corps, United States Army, in the War Against Germany 1944-1945

Mission Accomplished: The Story of the Campaigns of the VII Corps, United States Army, in the War Against Germany, 1944-1945

116 pages, 43 photos, 2 illustrations, 9 maps

Merriam Press 2025 PDF edition

Merriam Press reprint edition originally published in paperback in 1998 which went through six editions, each successive edition improving on design and print quality with some additions of pictorial materials. Print edition now out of print.

First published in 1945 by J.J. Weber, Leipzig, Germany. The first edition had a printing of 2,000 copies; the second edition had a printing of 25,000 copies.

This story is compiled from the official history of the VII Corps and faithfully summarizes the events which occurred during its participation in the defeat of Germany.

VII Corps was reactivated at Fort McClellan, Alabama 25 November 1940 and participated in the Louisiana Maneuvers staged as the US Army prepared for World War II. In late December 1941, VII Corps HQ was moved to San Jose, California as part of the Western Defense Command and as it continued to train and prepare for deployment.

Its first return to continental Europe took place on D-Day in June 1944, as one of the two assault corps for the U.S. First Army during Operation Overlord, targeting Utah Beach via amphibious assault. For Overlord, the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions were attached to VII Corps. After the Battle of Normandy the airborne units were assigned to the newly created XVIII Airborne Corps. Subsequently, VII Corps participated in many battles during the advance across France and then invaded Germany until the surrender of the Third Reich in May 1945. The corps was inactivated in 1946.

For the Normandy Operation, VII Corps was part of 21st Army Group under the command of General Bernard Montgomery and the U.S. First Army commanded by Lieutenant General Courtney Hodges. The Corps was commanded by Major General J. Lawton Collins.

VII Corps led the initial assault of Operation Cobra, the First Army-led offensive as part of the breakout of the Normandy area. Its success is credited with changing the war in France from high-intensity infantry combat to rapid maneuver warfare.

Contents

• Publisher’s Note
• Dedication
• Foreword
• Introduction
• Preparation for D-Day
• Invasion!
• South Out of Normandy
• The Race Across France
• On Into Germany
• Slow and Steady
• The Battle of the Bulge
• Rhineland Reoccupied—1945
• The Rose Pocket
• Wehrmacht Kaput
• Interesting Statistics About VII Corps Operations, 6 June 1944-31 May 1945
• A List of the Units Which Served With VII Corps at Some Time During its Assault and Drive Across Europe, 6 June 1944-31 May 1945