The origin of the Roertriangle,
the German bridgehead between the river Meuse and Roer 1944 - 1945

After the outbreak in Normandy, the allied advanced very quickly. Paris was liberated on August 24, 1944 and Maastricht was liberated by the US 30^th Infantry Division, "Old Hickory", on September 14, 1944. Because a lack of supplies the advance came to a hold in southern Limburg at the end of September 1944 between Nieuwstadt and Susteren at the stream the Vloedgraaf. The Vloedgraaf became the front-line for the following months.

After the liberation of South-Limburg in September 1944, the Americans went east to Aachen, the area above Sittard was the British zone, to attack Hitlers Westwall (also called the Siegfrienline) but find themselves in a bloody fight in the Hürtgenwald. The US 102^nd Infantry Division reached the Roer at Linnich and the British 43^rd Wessex Division came to a hold a few kilometre north of Geilenkirchen. Because the Germans had still control over the Roer dams in the German Eifel, the Americans make no attempt to cross the Roer river.

On November 22, 1944, the British dislodged the last Germans west of the Meuse river near Roermond, and on December 3, 1944 the Blerick bridgehead was cleared. The Roertriangle, the German bridgehead between Roermond-Maaseijck-Geilenkirchen and west the Meuse river and east the Roer, was the only obstacle for an advance into the Rhineland.