Operation Blackcock was a massive, military offensive carried out by the British Second Army, under Miles Dempsey, to defeat the German forces deployed between the towns of Sittard, Roermond, and Heinsberg, at the end of World War II. Driving the Germans out of this sector would allow the British troops to advance on the rivers Wurm amd Roer to establish a beachhead and then push into German territory. Operation Blackcock took place between January 13 and 27, 1945. The towns of Sittard and Roermond are located in the Netherlands, while Heinsberg lies in Germany, on the Wurm River. These three towns formed an imaginary triangle, which was known as the Roer Triangle.
The mission of driving the Germans from the Roer Triangle had been planned along three lines of attack, using all three units that made up the Second Army's XII Corps: the 7th Armoured Division, the 43rd Infantry Division, and the 52nd 'Lowland' Infantry Division. The left flank, formed by the 7th Armoured Division, was aimed at capturing the bridge across the Roer, at Sint Odiliënberg, and the town of Roermond, advancing in a southwest-northeast direction. For the 7th Armoured Division, the first phase of the operation would be bridging the creeks south of Susteren.
The line of attack at the center was formed by the 52nd Infantry Division, and it was aimed at the capture of Heinsberg. To be able to do this, a break-through at the German defense line was to be undertaken near Hongen to open the road between Sittard and Heinsberg for moving troops. The right flank, on the other hand, was formed by the 43rd Infantry Division, and it was aimed at clearing the area southeast of Dremmen. The 43rd Div. would use the breach in the German defense line that was to be opened by the Lowland Division.
Summary
Operation Blackcock was assigned to the British Second Army's XII Corps, led by Sir Neil Ritchie. It was launched in the early hours of January 13, 1945, with the 7th Armoured Division at the spearhead of the attack on the left flank. The mission to defend the Roer Triangle had been assigned to the German XII SS Corps, which was composed of the 176th Infantry Division, the 183rd Volksgrenadier-Division, and the Fallschirmjäger Regiment Hübner. Although the Germans put up stiff resistance, the British troops were able to advance towards the Roer and Wurm River, pushing the Germans back. By January 20, cavalry units of the 7th Armoured Div. launched an attack on the 2nd Battalion Fallschirmjäger Regiment Hübner in Sint Joost. It would take about five hours to clear this village. The final assault on Roermond would take place on Sunday, the January 21. By January 23, 1945, all the objectives had successfully been achieved by the British XII Corps, Second Army, with 52nd Lowland Div. taking the town of Heinsberg.
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| Above, a Mk IV Churchill tank and British troops of 7th Armoured Div. advancing towards Roermond. |
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| Map showing the positions of both the British and German units on January 13, 1945. |