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16-723: The Wurm is a left (western) tributary of the Rur ( Dutch : Roer ). The Rur is a tributary of the Meuse . The sources of the Wurm are several brooks in the forests southwest of Aachen , which form the Wurm after the Diepenbenden reservoir. From there the Wurm nowadays flows through canals through the city of Aachen, until it resurfaces again at the Europaplatz in the east of Aachen. North of Aachen (between Kerkrade and Herzogenrath )

32-521: A river in the Netherlands is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Rur The Roer ( Dutch: [ruːr] , Limburgish: [ʀuːʀ˦] ) or Rur ( German: [ʁuːɐ̯] ; French: Rour [ʁuʁ] ) is a major river that flows through portions of Belgium , Germany and the Netherlands . It is a right (eastern) tributary to

48-505: Is the venue for the yearly International White Water Race which was held on 17 March 2013 for the 58th time. Operation Grenade Logistics During World War II , Operation Grenade was the crossing of the Roer river between Roermond and Düren by the U.S. Ninth Army , commanded by Lieutenant General William Hood Simpson , in February 1945, which marked the beginning of

64-836: The Allied invasion of Germany . On 9 February, the U.S. Ninth Army—operating under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery 's Anglo-Canadian 21st Army Group since the Battle of the Bulge —was to cross the Roer and link up with the Canadian First Army , under Lieutenant-General Harry Crerar , coming from the Nijmegen area of the Netherlands in Operation Veritable , which had started at 05:00 on 8 February. However, once

80-752: The High Fens , near the 696-metre (2,283 ft) high Signal de Botrange in Belgium at an elevation of 660 metres (2,170 ft) above sea level. South of Monschau it flows into Germany, through North Rhine-Westphalia . It flows first through the northern part of the Eifel mountains. After 39 kilometres (24 mi) it reaches the Roer Reservoir , the second-largest artificial lake in Germany. After approximately 160 kilometres (99 mi) it flows into

96-725: The Meuse (Dutch: Maas ). About 90 percent of the river's course is in Germany. It is not to be confused with the rivers Ruhr and Röhr , which are tributaries of the Rhine in North Rhine-Westphalia. During the Middle Ages the valley of the Roer lay mostly within the Duchy of Jülich . In 1795, until 1814, during which time the area was part of the French Republic and Empire , it gave its name to

112-459: The Rhine , arguing that it would only delay the inevitable fight. He ordered him to fight where his forces stood. Those forces comprised the 15th Army , commanded by Gustav-Adolf von Zangen , and the 1st Parachute Army , commanded by Alfred Schlemm . The Ninth Army was finally able to cross the river on 23 February. By then, other Allied forces were also close to the Rhine. German forces west of

128-460: The "Roer Triangle". Between 16 December 1944 and 23 February 1945, the U.S. Ninth Army was unable to advance across the Roer during Operation Queen , because German forces controlled dams close to the river's source in the densely forested region of the Hohes Venn. This meant Axis forces could potentially blow the dams, releasing enough water to wash out an Allied assault. At the same time,

144-640: The Canadians had advanced, the Germans opened the sluice gates of upstream dams ( Rur Dam and Urft Dam ). This stopped the Americans from crossing as planned. It had been anticipated that the Germans would try to do this, and that General Omar Bradley 's U.S. 12th Army Group could capture them in time to stop the flooding. During the two weeks that the river was flooded, Hitler would not allow Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt to withdraw behind

160-697: The French département of the Roer . The Roer represented an important front in the Allied push towards Germany at the end of the Second World War . A fortified area known as the Roer Triangle , formed by the towns of Roermond and Sittard , in the Netherlands , and Heinsberg in Germany , was the scene of heavy fighting at the beginning of 1945. Operation Blackcock was the code name for

176-566: The German Ardennes Offensive meant any further westward push would leave Allied forces stretched and supply lines exposed. Eventually the counteroffensive was overwhelmed and German engineers, under pressure of aerial and artillery bombardment, released the dams. As the flood waters began to subside, Allied forces crossed the Rur in rafts in the early hours of February 23, 1945, as part of Operation Grenade . The Roer rises in

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192-562: The Netherlands, and at its 170-kilometre (110 mi) mark it flows into the river Meuse in the city of Roermond . Major tributaries of the Roer include the Inde and the Wurm . The towns along the Roer are Monschau, Heimbach , Nideggen , Düren , Jülich , Linnich , Hückelhoven , Heinsberg (all in Germany) and Roermond (Netherlands). In the 1960s and 1970s, the northern part of the Roer

208-691: The clearing of the Roer Triangle. It was conducted by the 2nd British Army between 14 and 26 January 1945. The objective was to drive the German 15th Army back across the Rivers Roer and Wurm and move the frontline further into Germany. The operation was carried out under command of the XII Corps by three divisions. The operation is relatively unknown despite the sometimes fierce battles that were fought for each and every village and hamlet within

224-514: The river forms the border with the Netherlands for approximately 10 km. It flows into the Rur near Heinsberg . Other towns on the river Wurm are Würselen , Übach-Palenberg and Geilenkirchen . The name Wurm is thought to originate from the German word warm (same meaning in English), as the source brooks were fed from the thermal springs in Aachen. This article related to

240-406: The river is so clean that trout and more than 30 species of fish are back. After an absence of 125 years, salmon returned to the Roer in 2004. The Roer is the only real white water river in North Rhine-Westphalia. The upper section above the Roer reservoir (German: Rurtalsperre Schwammenauel) offers 20 kilometres (12 mi) of white water ranging from class III(+) to I. The town of Monschau

256-413: Was heavily polluted by the tailings of many German coal mines. Neither fish nor other organisms could be found, and it was dangerous to swim in the river. Foam flakes regularly flooded parts of the city of Roermond. After the closure of the mines, the waste water treatment in Germany and the Netherlands greatly improved. Only the lower part of the river is still contaminated. The water in the upper part of

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