This moment marked the beginning of the famous Battle of the Bulge, Germanys last major offensive on the Western Front in World War II. A Company moved south under the protection of the high river bank, while C Company deployed along the left side of the road as the enveloping company. There are a few notable issues raised by this morning report and record of events entry, the most obvious one being that the M8 Greyhound is reported as being from Troop A of the 87th, not Troop B of the 87th, as it is in the contemporary story. At about 0115 on December 17, a platoon from 9th Armoreds D Troop, 89th Recon was detailed to proceed through St. Vith in a southeasterly direction and seize the high ground along Highway N27 south of Steinebruck. . The village of Bauvenn was designated the linkage point for the two combat commands. 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. Could a Panther be a possibility? Accordingly, that evening Sixth Panzer Army commander Dietrich issued orders to the 2nd SS Panzer Corps to move to the south so that parts of that corps could assist Manteuffel in taking St. Vith. Volksgrenadier-Division; 18. Boylan, Vincent L. After Action Report, Month of December, 1944. 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. 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. The job of capturing St. Vith went to the Fifth Panzer Armys 66th Corps, commanded by General Walther Lucht. Because Ridgway was not in total agreement with the withdrawal and to get a feel for the real situation on the ground, he and Hasbrouck made their way to General Clarke at Commanster. Combat Interviews of the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, 7th Armored Division: The St. Vith Salient, December 17-23, 1944. }(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. One Day at Stavelot, a Tale of Two Archives The Tiger II vs US Tank Destroyers in the Ardennes. Zaloga, Steven. This was no place to conduct a mobile defense with armor-heavy forces. Much like the Panzer IV, the StuG III was a mainstay of the German army as well as Germanys most produced armored fighting vehicle of the war with over 9,400 produced. The sector now defended by CCB, 9th Armored extended across five miles of rugged terrain that was primarily held by the three infantry companies making up the 27th AIB. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division (18. Osprey Publishing, 2013. Late on December 17, General Manteuffel was concerned with the lack of progress in his attack beyond the Schnee Eifel toward St. Vith. which, in principle, is comparable to the 37 mm American gun. The corps consisted of two infantry divisions. The fight ended when he slammed the M8 (he called it a Greyhound) into the rear of Tiger and the gun crew fired three rapid fire rounds into the engine compartment. VGD division was absorbed into the 26. The tanks of the 14th Tank Battalion and the half-tracks of the 27th AIB paused to pick up the foot elements of the 424th RCT, 106th Infantry Division. Company B of the 9th Engineers and D Company of the 89th Recon joined the line to supplement the armored infantry. None of these Tiger IIs were lost at St. Vith and from photographic evidence at least three are recorded to have no burn damage and/or holes in the rear. 194311 Combat Interviews of the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, 7th Armored Division: The St. Vith Salient, December 17-23, 1944.
WWII Pictures on Twitter: "Soldiers of the 18th Volksgrenadier Division The Battle of the Bulge & The Defense of St. Vith The message was that his command was now back with VIII Corps and that he was to go to St. Vith and report to Maj. Gen. Alan W. Jones, commander of the newly arrived 106th Infantry Division. The defense of St. Vith was now achieving some kind of order in contrast to the chaos that had reigned during the previous three days. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Unteroffizier Helmus of the 26th Volksgrenadier Division painted the situation when the advance began. 560th Volks Grenadier Division (15-29 Dec. 1944) and 12th VGD (1-28 Jan. 1945). Armour Plate Porforation [sic: Perforation] of Tank and Anti Tank Guns. Late on the 20th, patrols of the 82nd Airborne Division, on the other side of the Salm River, established contact with patrols of the 7th Armored Division. A strong attack has just developed against Clarke again. Manteuffel had hoped for considerably more on the 19th. Jentz, Thomas, and Hilary Doyle. Clarke, Bruce. This article already explains ballistics and mentions that while Panther was vulnerable to lower-caliber AT guns, the Tigers were almost immune to them. Ridgway answered, Bill, we can and we will. The withdrawal plan called for a general pullback west of the Salm River to an assembly area in the zone controlled by the 82nd Airborne Division in the vicinity of Lierneux. However, there is one major issue with this explanation, Panzer IVs were not attacking Troop B. Company B was stationed east of Galhausen and maintained contact with the nearest elements of the 7th Armored Division on 9th Armoreds left flank. It is possible that, as part of the attacks on the line held in part by Troop B of the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, a lone StuG III was used to probe out the American line, as had been done on the previous day, and was subsequently knocked out by an M8 Greyhound. To execute this maneuver, Hoges entire command would have to move all the way up to St. Vith and back down again. A platoon of medium tanks counterattacked, and the enemy retreated. Next came B Company, 9th Armored Engineers; the 16th Armored Field Artillery; B Company, 482nd Antiaircraft Artillery; and the 14th Tank Battalion. Manteuffels operation in the St. Vith area was already three days behind schedule. GitHub export from English Wikipedia.
WWII German Military Units (1) - WWII History Center Required fields are marked *. Although both men agreed that a withdrawal at this stage was the wiser decision, Hoge was skeptical that, given the weather and ground conditions, the defenders would be able to get out. Stackpole Books, 2015. Lucht anticipated that the Americans would counterattack the next day, but that their reaction would be too late to avoid complete encirclement. Ridgways plan was premised on the assumption that that the American forces in this goose egg-shaped defense could be supplied by air; however, whoever drew up the plan was thinking in terms of supply requirements for the lighter airborne divisions, not for fuel-hungry and shell-reliant armored forces. CCB, 9th Armored was linked on its left with CCB, 7th Armored and what was left of the 424th Infantry Regiment on its right. It can be safely assumed that the armored car that Lieutenant Olson is talking about in his story is an M8 Greyhound due to the fact that the only armored cars that the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron fielded were M8 Greyhounds. Infanterie-Division 19398 . By midnight on the 19th, the horseshoe- shaped defense of St. Vith had taken form. 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. Inside the command post, General Hoge learned that the Germans had launched a heavy assault on Winterspelt against the men of the 424th Infantry. By the end of the day, the 27th AIB had withdrawn through Steinebruck without casualties despite enemy shelling of the village. Once the bridge at Steinebruck was seized, the 62nd was to support the 18th Volksgrenadier Divisions drive on St. Vith by blocking the western and southern routes in and out of the town. js.className = n;
Wikizero - 18th Volksgrenadier Division Ridgway knew Hoge to be calm, courageous, and imperturbable. The platoon lost four men missing and two wounded in the ensuing engagement. The next notable version of this tale comes from a 1966 book by the US Army Armor School titled The Battle at St. Vith, Belgium 17-23 December 1944: A Historical Example of Armor in the Defense. The 18. Do you have more information about this person? Lieutenant Colonel Boylan also makes no mention of this event in a 1946 letter he wrote to Major General Robert W. Hasbrouck, the former commanding general of the 7th Armored Division, which details the actions of the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron at the Battle of St. Vith. It is possible that it was really a Tiger tank. Based upon this fairly optimistic view, Ridgway, shortly after midnight, ordered the entire St. Vith force to withdraw from its current positions and form a defensive ring west of St. Vith and east of the Salm River.
Bork, Max Hermann (Generalleutnant) - TracesOfWar.nl After that mornings enemy assaults, the line of the 27th AIB was reestablished west of Neubruck. After 1200 hours on 17th December 1944, the 18th Volksgrenadier Division was reinforced by a mobile battalion. 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.
Name already in use - Github The silhouettes of the Panzer IV and the Tiger I are quite similar, especially due to their rectangular shapes and rounded turret (rounded through the later use of a curved armor plate around the otherwise angular turret). In the 27th AIBs move to take the high ground, B Company advanced along the center of the road. Panzertruppen Volume 2 The Complete Guide to the Creation & Combat Deployment of The German Tank Forces 1943-1945. Add to cart. Stackpole Books, 2015. Schneider, Wolfgang. The situation on Reids left flank was unclear, and the Germans were attacking in considerable force against his right flank. The Sherman tanks of B Company repulsed the enemy with fire from their 76mm guns. Amazing discounts for bundles.
That is correct, however, that was off the topic of this story. I should also note that reconnaissance doctrine was to disengage if at all possible and in no way engage enemy armour beyond scout elements. Moreover, it was expected that General Luchts two infantry divisions would be forwarded to the Salm River sector as right-wing cover for two panzer corps. 120th Infantry Regiment (30th Infantry Division) 307th Airborne Engineer Battalion 319th Field Artillery Glider Battalion 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment German Units 3d Parachute Division 12th SS Panzer Division 18th Volksgrenadier Division 246th Volsgrenadier Division 884th March Battalion 905th Assault Gun Brigade Rejection & Neglect available to buy on Payhip! Since the move from Faymonville to Winterspelt involved a greater distance, Hoge decided to get his command on the road immediately. The division fought in the Ardennes, inflicting on the 106th US Infantry Division the worst defeat suffered by U.S. forces in the ETO, when over 8,000 US soldiers surrendered to the volksgrenadiers. Division 3. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division (18. Out of the 1,467 tanks the Germans brought with them to the Battle of the Bulge on the 16th of December, 1944, 52 of them were Tiger IIs and 14 of them were Tiger Is. 1940. 'poor shape' in a sentence. Company C, 27th AIB withdrew under heavy artillery and sniper fire but managed to destroy a number of German vehicles. In addition, the massive road jam caused by the inability to pass through St. Vith was creating acute shortages of gasoline and ammunition well to the west of St. Vith. Three of these Tiger IIs belonged to Schwere SS Panzer Abteilung 501 (Heavy SS Tank Battalion 501); Tiger 105 was abandoned in the town of Stavelot, Belgium after getting itself stuck in a building, Tiger 332 was abandoned near Coo, Belgium as a result of mechanical damage, and Tiger 008 was abandoned at a farmhouse near Trois Ponts, Belgium. This is an issue because there were two distinct types of German Tiger tanks, both of which took part in the Battle of the Bulge: The Tiger I and the Tiger II. For this mission, CCB consisted of the 14th Tank Battalion, the 27th Armored Infantry Battalion, the 16th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, and miscellaneous smaller units vital to any major command. VGD division was absorbed into the 26. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division (18th VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army (Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. School of Tank Technology, April 1944. Together they broke up the attack. At about 1330, three German self-propelled guns and 19 or 20 horse-drawn artillery pieces went into position on the high ground 800 yards to the southeast of Steinebruck. 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. Johnston, W. Wesley. The 424th Infantry had its back to the Our River, and if the Germans seized the bridge at Steinebruck and spread along the far bank his regiment would be hard pressed to effectively withdraw. The Sixth Panzer Army, with the 15th Army on its right, was to launch the main attack between Monschau in the north and Prum in the south. The troops request for armored support was denied by General Hoge because his tank companies sent north to help the 7th Armored had not yet returned and no reserve was on hand. Yes in theory. Infanterie-Division 193510 [1] 22 22. Germanys Tiger Tanks VK45.02 to TIGER II. Hoge could not see much sense in making an attack, taking ground, and then turning right around and coming back, especially if the attack was successful. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division (18.Volksgrenadier-Division; 18. On December 21, 18. Bergstrm, Christer. After conferring with Clarke, Ridgway wanted to talk to one more man in whom he had supreme confidenceBrigadier General Hoge. VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army (Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. The division, which was under the command of Gnther Hoffmann-Schnborn, absorbed . South of Sixth Panzer Army was General Manteuffels Fifth Panzer Army, with the Seventh Army on its left. The line companies were down to one officer apiece. The event that Lieutenant Olson recounts does bare a resemblance to the M8 Greyhound versus Tiger story, with both events taking place at or near St. Vith on the 18th of December 1944 and involving an American armored car from the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron knocking out a German tank by shooting it in the rear. The mud had made the roads and open areas impassable for armored vehicles. The greatest danger existed in the 424ths position because the regiments flank lay vulnerable to attacks by the 116th Panzer Division to the south. Both B and C Companies pulled back to the vicinity of Neidingen, near the battalion command post, while the 14th Tank Battalion established a perimeter defense around its assembly area near Breitfeld about halfway between the Our and St. Vith. VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army (Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945.. On the morning of the December 20, three tank destroyers were placed in support of Company C, 27th AIB. 223 223. 8 Sturmgeschuetz s.Pak to Sturmmoerser. Both task forces reached St. Vith shortly before noon on the 18th to find not one, but two German attacks moving against the town.
Bork, Max Hermann (Generalleutnant) - TracesOfWar.com There are two likely candidates, the first being a Panzer IV. 4 Grosstraktor to Panzerbefehlswagen IV. Ninth Armored sent out billeting parties as it reached its new area. Volksgrenadier Division 5. 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. Furthermore, General Clarke had no idea when his command would arrive. During the afternoon of December 19, Hoge visited Clarkes command post in St. Vith and expressed his frustration with the current chain of command.
18th Volksgrenadier Division (Wehrmacht) Wiki The German plan for the attack through the Ardennes, an offensive that would forever be known as the Battle of the Bulge, was to be accomplished in the conventional manner. He also said that they got a new Greyhound. 1947. Roadblocks were set up and manned. At about 0930, the enemy attacked St. Vith from Hunningen to the north, apparently in an effort to envelop Clarkes left flank. Contents 1 Allied Forces 1.1 12th Army Group 1.1.1 U.S. First Army 1.1.1.1 V Corps 1.1.1.2 VII Corps 1.1.1.3 XVIII Airborne Corps 1.1.2 U.S. Third Army 1.1.2.1 III Corps 1.1.2.2 VIII Corps 1.1.2.3 XII Corps
Heer - TracesOfWar.com Tigers In Combat II. While no Tiger Is were lost on the 18th of December, 1944, four Tiger IIs were lost that day. 281st Security Division (281. Volksgrenadier-Division; 18. Jentz, Thomas. I wanted to focus on the M8 vs Tiger story, I already noticed the Ferdinand claim, but decided not to mention it. The foot elements of the 27th AIB were then to move out with Company B, 482nd Antiaircraft Artillery and some light tanks from Company D, 14th Tank Battalion following behind Company B, 27th AIB. Panzertruppen Volume 2 The Complete Guide to the Creation & Combat Deployment of The German Tank Forces 1943-1945. By dark, just as General Hoges command was getting underway from Faymonville, Kittels mobile battalion and infantry from the 190th Regiment were closing in on Winterspelt. The stubborn defenders of St. Vith played a major role in defeating the final German offensive of World War II in Western Europe. Anderson, Thomas. 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. 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. The Battle at St. Vith, Belgium 17-23 December 1944 An Historical Example of Armor in the Defense. German Division Nr. The colonel ordered the troop east along the road to Schoenberg to delay a German tank and infantry team approaching St. Vith from that direction. 1945) English PDF (18 MB) Jan B-627 Volkssturm (Oct. 1944-Apr. There are no German records or histories which indicate that, on 18th December 1944, a Tiger I or a Tiger II was knocked out in or around St. Vith. js.src = "//player.ex.co/player/710cf52d-720a-4250-8e95-fc85dcedab01"; Similar events have happened more than once, though on the Eastern Front. Battle of the Bulge 1944 (1): St Vith and the Northern Shoulder. Fifth Panzer was to attack from Prum in the north down to Bitburg and Bastogne in the south. 12th Volksgrenadier Division 89; 197; 487; 557; 650; 727. The armored infantrymen kept themselves well hidden until the column was directly in front of them and then opened fire. Two hits were scored on the enemy tank in the rear, and its crew evacuated. History.
Sturmpanzer.com - Sturmpanzer and WW2 German Army Research Johnston, W. Wesley. By mid-afternoon, General Hoge ordered his infantry to halt and dig in. A platoon of tank destroyers had vanished. Then there is the issue of the entrys ambiguity in regards to the Tiger tank that was knocked out. The reason for this comparative respite was due to the fact that the roads to the German rear were completely jammed. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division(18th VGD) was a volksgrenadierdivision of the German Army(Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. Although the 62nd Volksgrenadier Division drove the American defenders from Winterspelt, all was not going well for the Germans. events, and resources, The Battle of the Bulge & The Defense of St. Vith. 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. Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz (1918) Period: First World War (1914-1918) Awarded on: . 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. General Luchts plan for December 17 was simple. The heroic defense of St. Vith, though costly in men and materil, disrupted the German timetable extensively. 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. December 20 was a day of disappointment for the Germans around St. Vith. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division under the command of Generalmajor Gnther Hoffmann-Schnborn patrolled the Schnee Eifel area. 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. During the assault, B Company suffered about 40 casualties including its commanding officer, Captain Henry D. Wirsig. Volksgrenadier-Division; 18. Ardennes 1944: Hitlers Last Gamble. Germanys Tiger Tanks D.W. to Tiger I: Design, Production & Modifications. According to the British, 37 mm M6 guns APC M51 can only penetrate around a maximum of 65mm of rolled homogeneous armor plate (RHA) at 30 degrees under V50 ballistic standards. The distance from Burg Reuland on the southeast to Poteau on the northwest was about 10 miles with only a single secondary road as a line of retreat for thousands of men defending the horseshoe against attack from three directions. Should 7th Armored lose St. Vith, 9th Armored would be unable to withdraw on its own axis.
Tough Stand of the Golden Lions - Warfare History Network 223 223. The guns of two platoons of Company A, 811th Tank Destroyers were overrun. Having first conferred with General Jones, Hoge ordered a withdrawal from the river to begin after nightfall. Revised Edition, Arms and Armour Press, 1973. The American plan was that once the 2nd Infantry Division reduced the German defenses at the Wahlerscheid crossroads, CCB was to spearhead a drive to the reservoirs north of Gemund and Schleiden.
111 () - If it was on a slope and firing down to the engine bay, then maybe but that would require it to be at such an angle that the M8 would topple and roll down. 18th Flak Division 651 . 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 column came upon stragglers from the 424th Infantry retreating in disarray toward St. Vith. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. War Department Technical Manual TM 9-1904 Ammunition Inspection Guide.
18. Volksgrenadier-Division - Axis History The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating 571. En route, the officer was approached by a member of General Clarkes staff who told him that German tanks were approaching St. Vith along the road from the north. Volksgrenadier-Division. At St. Vith, Lt. Col. William H. Slayden was with Jones when Jones received the call from Middleton concerning 7th Armored Division support. 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. There is no comparison to Tiger. A mobile battalion of the 18th Volksgrenadier Division was already moving on Andler to seize the Schoenberg bridge and the road to St. Vith. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=18th_Volksgrenadier_Division&oldid=1127007404, Military units and formations established in 1944, Military units and formations disestablished in 1945, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 12 December 2022, at 11:24. Within the Kloster, General Hoge found a division headquarters staff in a state of disarray and confusion. First Edition, Stackpole Books, 2004. Design, Production & Modifications.
Battle of Losheim Gap - Wikipedia September 18th, 1944: Kdr. This German World War II article is a stub. On its way to the new position, C Company came under a sudden artillery and rocket barrage in the village of Lommersweiler.
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