Chamberlain, Peter, et al. After putting down a heavy concentration of artillery fire, the Germans moved their infantry across the river east of the position held by the 2nd platoon of D Troop, 89th Recon. Tigers In Combat I. During ceremonies observing the 20th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, General Clarke was able to talk to General Manteuffel and discuss German operations against St. Vith. These German tanks would later be specified to be Panzer IVs or Mark IVs. Slayden had been sent to Jones by Middleton as an adviser until the 106th Division could become acclimated. Both task forces reached St. Vith shortly before noon on the 18th to find not one, but two German attacks moving against the town. Armored Champion, The Top Tanks of World War II. Manteuffel met near Wallerode with Model and Lucht that day. September 18th, 1944: Kdr. All but five troopers of 2nd Platoon were lost to enemy action. General Luchts 66th Corps was shifted from General Manteuffels Fifth Panzer Army to the Sixth Panzer. By dark, Lt. Col. Engeman and his two task forces were back in their assembly area in the vicinity of Breitfeld. Although the American forces in the St. Vith area came under command of General Ridgways XVIII Airborne Corps, the Airborne Corps itself was under the command of Field Marshal Sir Bernard L. Montgomery, overall commander of the northern sector of the Bulge. While walking to avoid the traffic congestion, Manteuffel encountered his superior, Field Harshal Model. Office of the Chief of Military History, Dept. Combat Interviews of the 38th Armored Infantry Battalion, 7th Armored Division: The St. Vith Salient and Manhay, December 17-23, 1944. So its quite possible! Communications with division headquarters in St. Vith were limited to liaison officers running along a road now being shelled by the Germans. Under cover of automatic weapons fire from a platoon of light tanks, Sergeant Eugene Dorland and two other men from the engineers went into the cold, bullet-splattered water carrying three cases of TNT and placed their charges on the south abutment of the bridge. Manteuffel answered, We estimated that we were up against a division, and perhaps against an entire corps. This German World War II article is a stub. Osprey Publishing, 2013. On top of attacking the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron (minus Troop B), a Panzer IV can be easily misidentified as a Tiger I. 18th Panzer Division (later 18th Artillery Division) 19th Panzer Division (previously 19th Infantry Division) 20th Panzer Division 21st Panzer Division (previously 5th Light Division) 22nd Panzer Division 23rd Panzer Division 24th Panzer Division (previously 1st Cavalry Division) 25th Panzer Division Overall operational command for the offensive fell to Field Marshal Walther Model. An appropriate start for the investigation of this action is to identify contemporary American accounts. 1945. Fortunately, a tank destroyer from Vielsalm turned up and hit the leading two German panzers, which drove the rest for cover. The surviving Volksgrenadiers fled in disarray. Ten tanks, numerous supply vehicles, armored cars, and jeeps were lost to enemy action. Combat Interviews of the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, 7th Armored Division: The St. Vith Salient, December 17-23, 1944. The second task force hit another probe by the 1st SS Panzer and pushed it out of Hunningen. VGD captured St. Vith, winning a great victory. Fire from the 16th Field Artillery broke up other enemy formations trying to assemble on the high ground to the south. Thus, the job of rescuing the two trapped infantry regiments on the Schnee Eifel passed from the 9th to the 7th Armored Division. At least 900 soldiers who had stood in front of the town were either dead or captured. An attack to the east by the 7th Armored Division could then relieve the two surrounded regiments of the 106th. General Hoge moved his command post to Commanster. Johnston, W. Wesley. Clerks were running everywhere and junior staff officers were arguing among themselves; upstairs, however, Hoge found General Jones remarkably composed. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Although it was beaten off, the attacking Germans were identified as new to the area, soldiers of the 9th SS Panzer Division, a cause for considerable concern at this point in the battle. However, just as the Americans began their pursuit, the Germans noticed them and began traversing their turret to face them. It is a classic David versus Goliath tale straight out of World War II that features American heroism. Ridgway knew Hoge to be calm, courageous, and imperturbable. Yes in theory. Osprey Publishing, 2003. Sell, buy or rent Panzers in Winter: Hitler's Army and the Battle of the Bulge (Praeger Security I 9780275971151 0275971155, we buy used or new for best buyback price with FREE shipping and offer great deals for buyers. The similarity in appearance between the Panzer IV and Tiger I is often cited as a reason to why there are so many claims made by soldiers during World War II of battling Tiger Is, despite Tiger Is being a fairly rare encounter. Volksgrenadier-Division. Panzertruppen Volume 2 The Complete Guide to the Creation & Combat Deployment of The German Tank Forces 1943-1945. The ultimate objective was to open an escape route for the soldiers of the 424th. However, it cannot be definitively stated that this is another version of the M8 Greyhound versus Tiger story due to its ambiguity. The brigade had 9,000 men, Mark IV tanks, assault guns, 104mm and 105mm artillery, 88mm antiaircraft guns, and a number of heavy automatic weapons batteries. General Jones and his staff had pulled out of St. Vith on the morning of the 18th for Vielsalm. Fortunately for Colonel Reid, word came at about 1730 that his 424th Infantry Regiment was to withdraw immediately. That evening General Clarke also put his command into Commanster. The attacks made east of St. Vith on 18 December were carried by a part of the 294th Infantry [German], whose patrols had been checked by the 168th Engineers [US] the previous day. However, after careful analysis, it can be said with certainty that neither a Tiger I nor a Tiger II was killed by an M8 Greyhound from any troop of the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron on 18th December 1944 near St. Vith. However, by noon on December 18 it was quite apparent to Hoge that the Germans infiltrating across the river were converging on the bridge in such numbers that it had to be blown. At 0400 hours on 16th December, 1944, men of the German 18th Volksgrenadier Division began to leave their positions and make their way towards the American lines. According to British penetration diagrams from 1944, the 37 mm M6 gun firing its standard round, the 37 mm APC M51, could, under ideal conditions, penetrate the 80 mm thick rear hull armor angled at 9 degrees when firing at an angle of 0 degrees, albeit just barely. The losses in men and equipment for CCB, 9th Armored, as with the rest of the American units defending St. Vith, had been severe. The bridge at Steinebruck was intentionally left intact by General Hoge on the outside chance that some of the American troops trapped in the vicinity of the Schnee Eifel might be able to maneuver their way there. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating the 571st Volksgrenadier Division.The division, which was under the command of Gnther Hoffmann-Schnborn, absorbed elements of the 18th Luftwaffe Field Division. One would think that Lieutenant Colonel Boylan, or at the very least Troop A, would make some sort of mention of this fairly notable engagement. Perrin told General Hoge, You can continue this attack on towards this back country, but you must be back on this side of the river by nightfall.. VGD division was absorbed into the 26. Those men were a scrappy bunch. 18th Volksgrenadier Division (Wehrmacht) - Unionpedia, the concept map Manteuffels operation in the St. Vith area was already three days behind schedule. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division (18.Volksgrenadier-Division; 18. VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army (Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. Gen. Robert Hasbroucks 7th Armored Division would be arriving at St. Vith at 0700 on the 17th. js.src = "//player.ex.co/player/710cf52d-720a-4250-8e95-fc85dcedab01"; The time was approximately 1800 on Saturday, December 16, when Combat Command B of the 9th Armored Division began its move to St. Vith. Company B was stationed east of Galhausen and maintained contact with the nearest elements of the 7th Armored Division on 9th Armoreds left flank. The southernmost battle group of the 18th Volksgrenadier would also undertake a mobile thrust and, finally, the 62nd Volksgrenadier would break loose at Heckhuscheid and drive for the Our River Valley. Beevor, Antony. Osprey Publishing, 2002. Hoge departed Faymonville at approximately 1800, arriving at General Joness headquarters in the St. Josephs Kloster about a half hour later. The 27th AIB was ordered to establish a defensive position south, east, west, and southeast of Malempre. Initially, General Jones wanted Hoge to move his command into the Losheim Gap at Maderfeld and arrive there at dawn on December 17 to counterattack and erase the enemy penetrations that were threatening 106th Division positions on the Schnee Eifel. Stackpole Books, 2015. 188 was raised in late 1939. Add to cart. English PDF (15 MB) Jan B-513 German General Staff Officers, Casualties. (1944) 111 111. 12th Volksgrenadier Division 89; 197; 487; 557; 650; 727. . Although the 62nd Volksgrenadier Division drove the American defenders from Winterspelt, all was not going well for the Germans. Schneider, Wolfgang. CCBs new position blocked the main Winterspelt-St. Vith highway and the valley of the Braunlauf Creek, a second natural corridor leading to St. Vith. Approximately three hours later a German company marched out of Neidingen and along the road leading straight into C Companys position, apparently totally unaware of 9th Armoreds recent change of position. Volksgrenadier-Division; 18. Seventh Armored Division Association 2517 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Washington 8, D.C., 1947. Additionally, the M8s 37 mm M6 gun is more than capable of penetrating the rear hull and rear casemate armor of the StuG III. Confusion, darkness, and mud slowed the move, but by morning a medium tank company and a platoon of riflemen had reached the village. Eventually retreating through Germany until the end of the war, when it surrendered. Office of the Chief of Military History, Dept. At approximately 0930 on December 17, B Company was the first 9th Armored Division unit to cross the Our River. Elements of D Company, 89th Recon screened the flanks. At CCB, 9th Armored Divisions headquarters in Faymonville, General Hoge was just finishing up his briefing for his commands move to the Losheim Gap and Manderfeld when the call came through from General Jones informing him of 9th Armoreds new Winterspelt mission. Soldiers of the 18th Volksgrenadier Division infiltrated the American lines at the villages of Roth, Weckerath, Kobscheid, and Auw before the artillery barrage began. 1941622 . Volksgrenadier-Division. In this version the M8 is replaced by an M5 Stuart from the 17th Tank Battalion of the 7th Armored during the retreat from St. Vith, that somehow miraculously ended up behind a Tiger when they thought they were following a Sherman. German reports are also far from subtlety. The Tiger II, also known as the King Tiger, Royal Tiger, Knigstiger, and Tiger Ausf.B, was an enormous, 69.8 tonne German heavy tank. Late in the day, the Germans launched three major attacks, each directed along a main road leading into the town. December, 1944 By Greg Moore gregpanzerblitz.com December, 2008 Battalion I x 5 x 4 x 1 x 2 x 12 293rd Volks- . Although the 62nd Volksgrenadier captured Winterspelt, its losses were high and its left regiment had made little headway in the Heckhuschied sector. }(document, 'script', 'exco-player')); The M8 Greyhound was a small, 7.9 tonne American armored car with 6.4 mm to 25.4 mm of armor, only enough to protect against rifle caliber bullets, and armed with a 37 mm M6 main gun, a peashooter at this point in the war. 'poor shape' in a sentence. By this time the Germans had essentially closed the trap on the two infantry regiments on the Schnee Eifel. It was a clear disappointment to Jones when Clarke told him that he, his operations officer, his aide, and his driver were the only representatives of the 7th Armored Division to have reached St. Vith at that time. How about a Tiger II? 1945). The mud had made the roads and open areas impassable for armored vehicles. Not only does this change Captain Ansteys version of the story, but this also confirms the possibility that Troop Es entry could have been talking about a Tiger II. At approximately 0100 on December 18, a German force of about 30 men tried to cross the Our at Steinebruck after a brief artillery barrage. Penguin Books, 2016. This means that 50% of shots fired will penetrate this amount of armor. At about 1700, the enemy attacked along the Schoenberg road from the east; at 1830, they came down the Malmedy road from the north, and at 2000, an attack started from the southeast along the Prum road. Farther to the west, the 82nd Airborne, trying to keep a corridor open for the St. Vith defenders, was coming under intense pressure from the 2nd SS Panzer Division. Close. What a fantastic real-life story or is it? The failure to capture St. Vith was preventing the linkup of the Fifth and the Sixth Panzer Armies. However, Company B, 27th AIB was sent to help ease the situation, covering the cavalrys left flank. Such events might have taken place in reality, true. VGD. If neither a Tiger I nor a Tiger II was killed on 18th December 1944 in or around the town of St. Vith by an M8 Greyhound, what was? The platoon lost four men missing and two wounded in the ensuing engagement. One, the Sixth Panzer Army, was commanded by SS Obergruppenfhrer (brigadier general) Josef Sepp Dietrich, and the other, the Fifth Panzer Army, was commanded by General Hasso von Manteuffel. A platoon of medium tanks counterattacked, and the enemy retreated. The circuitous march up one road and down another led to a new line just a few hundred yards to the west of the old one and was miraculously carried out while under attack without the loss of any men or equipment. At about midday, the field marshal sent a message to General Hasbrouck: You have accomplished your missiona mission well done. Zaloga, Steven. Please click for detailed translation, meaning, pronunciation and example sentences for 18e volksgrenadier division in English With all of these contradictions, ambiguity, and lack of supporting documentation and evidence surrounding Troop Es entry in mind, it is safe to conclude that this is not the most reliable account of what really happened on the 18th of December, 1944 at St. Vith. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division would use these assault guns in small probing attacks on the American lines east of St. Vith that same day. Join historians and history buffs alike with our Unlimited Digital Access pass to every military history article ever published (over 3,000 articles) in Sovereigns military history magazines. One task force was made up of A and B Companies of the 14th Tank Battalion, B Company of the 482nd Antiaircraft Artillery, and another platoon of the 14th. General Frederich Kittel, the division commander, ordered his mobile battalion up from his 164th Regiment reserve at Pronsfeld and into the attack along the Winterspelt road.
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