On March 26, 1945, Patton sent Task Force Baum, consisting of 314 men, 16 tanks, and assorted other vehicles, behind German lines to liberate a prisoner of war camp, OFLAG XIII-B near Hammelburg.
Eisenhower mu je vseeno ukazal, da naj protinapad sproži šele zjutraj 22. decembra z najmanj tremi divizijami.