The German Drive South

After months of inactivity, the Germans sprung to action in February 1943. The Kriegsmarine moved south to secure the entire east coast of Canada against a still reluctant American Navy, King's fleet pulling south to avoid anything more than minor skirmishes outside American waters.
With the sea under their control, Manstein ordered the crossing of the St. Lawrence to the Gaspé Peninsula. The allies had dug in along the coast of New Brunswick expecting the German landing to come there. The Gaspé Peninsula was viewed as too rugged for a German drive with its mountainous interior. That is why Manstein chose it. Like the Ardennes, he knew a path could be blazed should the will exist. Numerous trails snaked through the Chic-Choc Mountains large enough for Manstein's forces to sneak through. And just like the Ardennes, Rommel came out blazing once on the ground shattering the first units he encountered near Campbelton.
Paratroopers were used to great effect to seize the necessary bridges ahead as well as to sow confusion throughout the allied ranks. Within a week of entering New Brunswick, Rommel had captured Bathurst with his next objective being Chatham followed by Moncton in a sweeping arc meant to eventually climax at the border of the United States.

The first true battle of the Atlantic War between American and German forces would happen at Burnsville. American forces, the US II Corps, sighted the approaching Germans on March 17. What they saw was Rommel, once more charging far ahead of German forces. The Americans prepared for the storm to come.
On March 19, Rommel launched an assault to probe the American line. The next day, he personally led the attack by the 10th Panzer Division, lent to him from von Arnim's Fifth Panzer Army to the north, while the 21st Panzer Division, also detached from the Fifth Panzer Army, attacked from the west.

Within minutes, the U.S. lines were broken. Their light guns and tanks had no chance against the heavier German equipment, and they had little or no experience in armored warfare. The German Panzer IVs and Tiger tanks fended off all attacks with ease; the M3 Lee and M3 Stuart tanks they faced were inferior in firepower and their crews far less experienced. Under fierce tank attack, the American units broke south in full scale retreat. Meanwhile, U.S. commanders radioed higher command for permission to arrange a counterattack or artillery barrage, often receiving a go-ahead after the lines had already passed them. The 1st Armored Division found itself ordered into useless positions, and by the second day of the offensive, two of their three Combat Commands had been mauled while the third was generally out of action.

After taking the city, the German forces followed the coastline south in search of the retreating American forces. To combat this force, the remaining Combat Command B of the 1st Armored drove 20 miles (30 km) to face them on March 24 but found themselves unable to stop the advance the next day.
Morale among the U.S. troops started to fall precipitously, and by evening many troops had pulled back, leaving their equipment on the field. The road south was completely open, and it appeared Chatham was within reach. However, desperate resistance by isolated groups left behind in the action seriously slowed the German advance with mopping up operations underway for the next several days.

In the weeks to come, Manstein's forces found American G.I.s a fierce, but far from unbeatable enemy. American armor was swept aside by German panzers thundering across New Brunswick. Rommel proudly led the charge drawing the ire of numerous generals and the praise of Hitler himself.

The remnants of II Corps streamed across the Maine border in early April with German forces not but two days behind them. It seemed little could stop them.

SOURCE: Richards, Brent Rommel: In Search of Glory