Villanova Trainer Ed Geisz and the Tale of Normal George Patton’s Watch
The Rhine River! The center of Europe. The idyllic vacation spot for plenty of Eu river cruises. This is a UNESCO Global Heritage Website since 2002. The “Romantic Rhine,” with greater than 40 castles and fortresses from the Heart Ages and plenty of old fashioned and beautiful nation villages. That’s the Rhine of nowadays. This tale is concerning the Rhine of 80 years in the past and the tale of 1 trainer.
This tale began on the 2008 Olympic Trials, sitting in a resort foyer with Frank Keefe. Talking to Frank, a Villanova teammate of Frank’s approached and the dialog briefly went to Ed Geisz, the longtime trainer of Villanova College who had passed on to the great beyond in 2002.
Frank: “So, who got the watch?”
Teammate: “I don’t know who got the watch. Maybe the watch went to Villanova. I think Mary Lou may still have the watch.”
When Frank’s teammate departed I requested, what’s with the watch?
That is the tale of Trainer Ed Geisz and George Patton’s watch.
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Courtesy: Villanova College
Ed Geisz used to be born in 1924 and grew up on Northeast Philadelphia. He graduated from Northeast Catholic Boys Prime Faculty the place he used to be captain of the swim group. As a senior, he become Nationwide Catholic interscholastic 100-yard breaststroke champion. Quickly after commencement in 1942, Geisz joined the Military and shortly after that discovered himself within the infantry of Patton’s 3rd Military.
Patton’s 3rd Military entered France after D-Day however briefly become one of the most allies highest combating forces. After breaking out of Normandy, it carried out the southern envelopment of the German Military in Falaise pocket, and liberated Paris. The 3rd Military sprint throughout France used to be now not stopped by way of the Germans, however by way of a loss of provide. 3rd Military used to be approved to make restricted advances so far as the rationed gasoline and ammunition allowed. This endured thru September to November with the 3rd Military slowly pushing ahead and the German’s grudgingly giving flooring.
In December 1944, Normal George Patton and the 3rd Military moved to make stronger the encircled a hundred and first Airborne Department within the Fight of the Bulge. Over the following 30 days, American forces set to the duty of decreasing the bulge and in any case returned to the unique traces about January 25, 1945. With the Fight of the Bulge concluded, the 3rd Military grew to become to power into the center of Germany and finish the conflict. After a month of arduous combating, the 3rd Military broke thru German resistance and raced for the Rhine River.
The Rhine, a powerful herbal barrier, had lengthy been expected by way of either side as a crucial battleground. Whilst Best Allied Commander, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and British Box Marshal Bernard Bernard Law Montgomery meticulously deliberate a large-scale attack for overdue March to pass the Rhine up north, Patton, ever the maverick, had different concepts at the southern finish of the Rhine.
Decided to scouse borrow a march on his competitors, Patton orchestrated a marvel crossing underneath the duvet of darkness at the evening of March 22.
Crossing a river used to be a identified workout for Patton’s military. In earlier weeks, Patton’s Military had spanned a large number of rivers within the western part of Germany: the Ruhr, the Roer, the Mosel, the Primary, the Ahr, the Our, the Saar, the Nahe, the Kyll, and others – each and every waterway being kind of vigorously defended by way of determined German troops on house soil. Sooner than them now used to be the Rhine, mightiest of all of them.
Getting a military as huge as Patton’s throughout a river isn’t any trivial feat. It calls for boats, bridges, engineers and bold. The third Military’s 88th Engineering Heavy Pontoon Battalion sole function within the conflict used to be to get the Military throughout rivers. The 88th made 3 crossings of the Seine, 5 of the Moselle (in 3 nations) and 3 of the Primary. They by no means needed to make the similar crossing two times.
Each crossing begins the similar approach, one thing or any person has to get around the river and protected the a ways facet. It’s the most threatening and tough a part of the operation. Patton selected the positioning; a small the city, Oppenheim, 10 miles south of Mainz the place XII Corps laid on a heavy smoke display screen to confuse the protecting German Military into pondering the crossing used to be going to be in Mainz.
The preliminary motion for the advent of a Pontoon bridge is sending over squaddies in boats to set a protected perimeter across the ‘far’ facet touchdown house. The motion of this primary echelon of troops needed to be accomplished at evening, in silence, and the choice of troops needed to be sufficient to carry the fringe from German counterattack. To get this primary wave over, the military had to protected a line around the swift shifting and deep Rhine for the primary wave of boats. Input Ed Geisz.
In line with the tale, as evening approached on March 22, 1945, Geisz, an infantryman in Patton’s military and a very good swimmer, is claimed to have crossed the Rhine River to protected this crucial line. Components of the fifth Infantry Department, underneath the XII Corps had been the primary wave of squaddies securing the fringe for the touchdown house, then the 88th Engineering Heavy Pontoon Battalion got here in to build the bridge.
The crossing used to be now not with out its demanding situations. The swift present and the specter of German artillery hearth posed important dangers. But, Patton’s males, pushed by way of their unwavering unravel and their commander’s audacious spirit, pressed ahead. Through daybreak, a bridgehead have been established at the japanese financial institution, paving the best way for the remainder of the 3rd Military to practice.
Patton referred to as Normal Omar Bradley close to middle of the night at the twenty second to crow about his – or slightly, his males’s – accomplishment: “Brad, for God’s sake, tell the world we’re across… We knocked down 33 Krauts (aircraft) today when they came after our pontoon bridges, I want the world to know that Third Army made it before Monty starts across.” Box Marshall Bernard Law Montgomery crossed two days in a while March 24.
In his memoir, A Soldier’s Tale, Bradley wrote: “In this first assault crossing of that river bastion by a modern army, the 5th Infantry division suffered a total of 34 dead and wounded.”
The watch? I used to be advised the watch used to be given to Ed Geisz by way of Normal Patton when Geisz crossed again over the Rhine. Patton took the watch off his wrist and stated: “That is the bravest thing I’ve ever seen a man do.”
Two days later, Patton himself crossed the Rhine on that Pontoon bridge and famously relieved himself into the Rhine pronouncing: “I have been looking forward to this for a long time.”
That unique crossing at Oppenheim gave the 3rd Military a foothold at the japanese shore. From there, bridgeheads had been arrange as a ways south as Worms and north of Oppenheim in Boppard and St. Goar. Patton’s 3rd military had over 230,000 males and incorporated loads of tanks. All the Military used to be over the Rhine River inside 5 days. The conflict in Europe used to be over six weeks later.
Ed Geisz used to be wounded now not lengthy after the crossing of the Rhine and won a Red Center. After being discharged from the Military, he earned a bachelor’s level from L. a. Salle School. He used to be a member of the L. a. Salle group that received an Affiliation of American Universities out of doors swimming championship. For his accomplishments as a swimmer and trainer, Geisz used to be inducted into the Pennsylvania Swimming Corridor of Popularity in 1973, the Villanova Varsity Membership Corridor of Popularity in 1975, and the Pennsylvania Sports activities Corridor of Popularity in 1987. In 1987, he used to be the Villanova Varsity Membership Guy of the 12 months and 12 months later used to be named the Nationwide Catholic Collegiate Championships Trainer of the 12 months.
