He could not believe it. He also hoped the 3rd Armored Division soon might attack to remove all threat of encirclement. All but five troopers of 2nd Platoon were lost to enemy action. Since the move from Faymonville to Winterspelt involved a greater distance, Hoge decided to get his command on the road immediately. 188th Division (Nazi Germany) - Atozwiki.com First Edition, Stackpole Books, 2005. Anderson, Thomas. Companies A and B held a line from Grufflingen to Hohenbusch with Company A, 14th Tank Battalion to their north. The entry only states that a Tiger tank was knocked out. Situated next to B Company were Company A, 27th AIB and Company D, 14th Tank Battalion. General Hoge moved his command post to Commanster. Therefore, Montgomery ordered Ridgway to attack to the southeast until Vielsalm could be reached, ensuring an escape corridor for those trapped within the defense. 1945. 47. While making his reconnaissance at Monschau he received an urgent message to call V Corps headquarters. However, just as the Americans began their pursuit, the Germans noticed them and began traversing their turret to face them. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "aefa00eeca3d30bd3e762fcc54816f6d" );document.getElementById("f87928873f").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 2014. The event simply was not that notable. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division (18.Volksgrenadier-Division; 18. The surviving Volksgrenadiers fled in disarray. VGD) was a volksgrenadierdivision of the German Army(Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. A platoon of tank destroyers had vanished. 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. Daniel P. Kneeland, Grafton, Ma. 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. VGD. 4 Grosstraktor to Panzerbefehlswagen IV. Although the Germans were facing stiff resistance all along the American defensive line, they were determined to take St. Vith. One, the 18th Volksgrenadier Division, was holding the northern reaches of the Schnee Eifel. It contained the 293., 294. and 295. grenadier regiments, Panzerjger-Bataillon 1818, Pionier-Bataillon 1818, Fsilier-Bataillon 1818 and Artillerie-Regiment 1818.[1]. WAR DEPARTMENT - Indiana Military 18th Volksgrenadier Division Wikipedia Republished // WIKI 2 Soon after General Hoge left 106th Division headquarters for the drive back to Faymonville, Jones received a call from Middleton informing him that a combat command of Brig. While on its way, the platoon was commandeered by a colonel from the 106th Division. fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); 223 223. . 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 The division, which was under the command of Gnther Hoffmann-Schnborn, absorbed . Gen. William Hoges Combat Command B (CCB) of the 9th was attached to V Corps to support the 2nd Infantry Division in its planned attack through the Monschau Forest as part of the U.S. Armys strategy to capture or destroy the Roer River dams. On 18 January 1945, the final alignment became (XVIII Corps, U. S. First Army, 12th Army Group) -- the alignment in the hierarchy given here. 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 approximately 0530 on December 16, eight German armored divisions and 13 infantry divisions launched their all-out attack on five divisions of the U.S. First Army. Darlington Productions Inc., 2000. The most startling difference however is the range at which this engagement occurred, with Lieutenant Olsons version having the engagement take place at 800 yards (732 meters), compared to the original storys 25 yards (23 meters)! Panzer Tracts No. The reason for this comparative respite was due to the fact that the roads to the German rear were completely jammed. Osprey Publishing, 2003. 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. Ridgway knew Hoge to be calm, courageous, and imperturbable. }(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. During the early hours of December 17, the Germans laid heavy mortar and artillery fire on the front-line positions of his regiment. However, this platoon never completed its mission. Besides the previously mentioned absence of any recountings of this event in several notable documents that should have contained it, and most peculiarly, Captain Anstey himself makes no mention of the engagement when he discusses and documents the events of the 18th of December 1944 in a combat interview he gave on the 2nd of January 1945, just over two weeks after the event supposedly took place. events, and resources, The Battle of the Bulge & The Defense of St. Vith. (1944) 111 111. War Department Technical Manual TM 9-1904 Ammunition Inspection Guide. Schiffer Publishing, 2000. js.src = "//player.ex.co/player/710cf52d-720a-4250-8e95-fc85dcedab01"; One gun, firing from the house that had been the 14th Tanks command post an hour earlier, disabled two of the Shermans, but the other tanks managed to knock out the four antitank guns plus three German command vehicles. The StuG III explanation also accounts for why Troop B makes no mention of it in their morning report and record of events entry for 18th December 1944 and why Lieutenant Colonel Boylan makes no mention of it his 1946 letter or in the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadrons After Action Report for the month of December 1944. This means that 50% of shots fired will penetrate this amount of armor. Division 4. The men of the 2nd SS Panzer Corps had expected to be on the Meuse by December 19, but on the night of December 20 the Americans still denied them access to St. Vith. The Tiger I was a 57 tonne German heavy tank that has become one of the most famous tanks in history. That eliminates this units Pzkw IV being the Tiger encountered by the Troop B M8 on Dec. 18th . To cover this dangerous gap in the line C Company, 27th AIB was ordered to the Our between Troop D, 89th Recon and Company A, 27th AIB. Six paved or macadam roads converged at St. Vith, but none of these was considered by the Germans to be a major military trunk line. Then there is the issue of the entrys ambiguity in regards to the Tiger tank that was knocked out. Ardennes-Alsace Campaign 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. Just kept to the main story. Jentz, Thomas, and Hilary Doyle. Slayden, knowing that the nearest units of the 7th Armored Division were at least 60 miles away in the Netherlands, had serious doubts that a whole combat command could reach St. Vith on the 17th, much less by 0700 hours. of the Army, 1965. English Edition, Casemate Publishers, 2014. Tough Stand of the Golden Lions - Warfare History Network It saw action in France before taking part in the fighting in the Ardennes where it suffered heavy losses, it continued fighting on the western front until the end . English Edition, Casemate Publishers, 2014. Office of the Chief of Military History, Dept. The losses in men and equipment for CCB, 9th Armored, as with the rest of the American units defending St. Vith, had been severe. Those men were a scrappy bunch. 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. js.className = n; List of German divisions in World War II (wikipdia) / List of Foreign 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. Boylan, Vincent L. Letter to Robert W. Hasbrouck. Airfix J6017 Volkswagen Camper Van (Quick Build) R 405.00. Do you have more information about this person? By midnight on the 19th, the horseshoe- shaped defense of St. Vith had taken form. WWII German Military Units (1) - WWII History Center Armored Champion, The Top Tanks of World War II. He is being outflanked and is retiring west another 2,000 yards refusing both flanks. Since General Hoge was supposed to be under Joness command and did not understand the overall situation around St. Vith, he decided to find out exactly what was going on. It is stated as being reported to Major Boyer by one Captain Walter Henry Anstey of Company A of the 38th Armored Infantry Battalion, who is said to have been a witness to the event. The CCB command post was moved to Neubruck, a small group of farmhouses on Braunlauf Creek about two miles southwest of St. Vith. 188 was raised in late 1939. Yeah but Panthers rear and side armor is very weak, so its completely different story. 6 Schwere Panzerkampfwagen DW to E-100. Both American units were able to drive forward, and the Shermans knocked out six German armored vehicles. The village of St. Vith lay approximately 12 miles behind the front lines on December 16, 1944, the day the offensive code-named Operation Watch on the Rhine began. The fall of Rodt effectively split 7th Armoreds CCA from General Clarkes CCB. During the night, the troopers experienced harassing fire from light and medium artillery and could observe enemy infantry and at least four tanks moving along high ground to the south of the river. It was to cross the Meuse on both sides of Liege before advancing on to Antwerp. 18th Volksgrenadier Division - Wikiwand The greatest danger existed in the 424ths position because the regiments flank lay vulnerable to attacks by the 116th Panzer Division to the south. Company A of the 14th Tank Battalion had some trouble disengaging. The failure to capture St. Vith was preventing the linkup of the Fifth and the Sixth Panzer Armies. Orders for CCB, 9th Armored to move to a new defensive position were issued at 1600. Germanys Tiger Tanks D.W. to Tiger I: Design, Production & Modifications. September 18th, 1944: Kdr. Clarke asked, Why in the world when I had only 2,500 men available to my command on December 17, did you not just execute a powerful frontal assault and overrun me?. Sturmpanzer.com - Sturmpanzer and WW2 German Army Research Since 7th Armoreds withdrawal meant that 9th Armoreds left flank would be in danger, the two generals agreed that Hoge would have to readjust part of his line to maintain contact with Clarkes new rearward position. 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.. EnWik > 18th Volksgrenadier Division (Wehrmacht) The 14th Tank Battalion was on its way to the Steinebruck bridge when Brig. Jentz, Thomas. 20th Panzergrenadier Division (Wehrmacht) - Atozwiki.com 18th Volksgrenadier Division | Detailed Pedia 1946. Not only does Troop Es version of the story involve a different unit than the original story, it also takes place in a different location, note the following map. Clarke pulled back his left flank to protect Hinderhausen, a key position on the emergency exit route to Commanster and Vielsalm. Hoge immediately got on the phone and ordered Engeman to move out. () - Ridgways 82nd Airborne was building a fairly firm line west of the St. Vith defenders that should prevent the Germans from cutting off the salient from the rear. Panzer Tracts No. 22 22. 13th Flak Division 651 . Furthermore, the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadrons After Action Report (AAR) for the month of December 1944, written by Lieutenant Colonel Vincent Laurence Boylan, the commanding officer of the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron at the time, makes no mention of this event either. As far as Im aware no Ferdinands (all upgraded to Elefants at the stage of Ardennes Offensive) were used in the Ardennes and better yet all Elefants were in Eastern Front with the 614.sPzJgK (formerly 2./653.sPzJgAbt) after August 1944. The line companies were down to one officer apiece. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating 571. Confusion, darkness, and mud slowed the move, but by morning a medium tank company and a platoon of riflemen had reached the village. Dragon 1629 1/16th Feldwebel 352nd Volksgrenadier Division R 275.00. M8 Greyhound Light Armored Car 1941-91. Having first conferred with General Jones, Hoge ordered a withdrawal from the river to begin after nightfall. Volksgrenadier-Division was formed from the partially formed 571.Volksgrenadier-Division in Denmark in September 1944, it also included excess Kriegsmarine personnel and surviving elements from 18. The area being defended was beginning to take the form of a large horseshoe, its axis running approximately northeast to southeast. 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. First-time contributor Charles Gutierrez is the son of a 9th Armored Division veteran. That night, infantry patrols found German medics removing their wounded. By that time the 62nd Volksgrenadier Division should have the bridge at Steinebruck rebuilt, at least two regiments of the 18th Volksgrenadier Division should be forward, and the Fhrer Escort Brigade should be ready to make the principal thrust down the Ambleve highway into St. Vith. At 0200 on December 22, the Fhrer Escort Brigade launched its attack against the town of Rodt, a small village west of St. Vith. 47. First Edition, Stackpole Books, 2004. Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force | World War II by Day Soon after its crossing, B Company ran into German infantry dug in along the high ground overlooking the village of Elcherath. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating 571. Excellent deductive research! It is possible (if unlikely) that this event was completely unrelated to the M8 Greyhound versus Tiger story. Eisernes Kreuz 2.Klasse (1914) Periode: Eerste Wereldoorlog (1914-1918) Toegekend op: 30 oktober 1917. The troop was to hold until relieved by the 27th Armored Infantry Battalion (AIB) and then reconnoiter farther down the road toward Winterspelt. Beevor, Antony. The second task force hit another probe by the 1st SS Panzer and pushed it out of Hunningen. On December 16th at 4:00 a.m., they took the twenty-two foot macadam road following the Our River valley towards Manderfield. What Jones did not tell Hoge was that in one of those regiments his own son was serving at regimental headquarters. 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. At about midday, the field marshal sent a message to General Hasbrouck: You have accomplished your missiona mission well done. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division under the command of Generalmajor Gnther Hoffmann-Schnborn patrolled the Schnee Eifel area. The heroic defense of St. Vith, though costly in men and materil, disrupted the German timetable extensively. Fortunately, a tank destroyer from Vielsalm turned up and hit the leading two German panzers, which drove the rest for cover. 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. Penguin Books, 2016. With this contact, all units in the vicinity of St. Vith, including 9th Armored Division forces, passed to the command of Maj. Gen. Matthew B. Ridgways XVIII Airborne Corps. Volksgrenadier Division 2. This version of the story, which is paraphrased in the introduction, will be referred to as the original version of the story. Elements of the 62nd Volksgrenadier had taken the eastern half of Winterspelt during the night, and at daybreak reinforcements finally drove Colonel Reids 1st Battalion from the village. 1/18th Scale Cars; 1/24th Scale Assembly Kits; 1/24th Scale Cars; 1/43rd Scale Cars; . Plastic Models - Page 8 - Esswex Hobbies Since speed was the key to success of the German plan, two panzer armies would spearhead the offensive. Ardennes 1944: Hitlers Last Gamble. This break appeared to be only a dream, however, as it seemed every outfit wanted a piece of CCB, 9th Armored to help shore up its positions. Together they broke up the attack. Heer - TracesOfWar.com Clad in armor between 25 mm and 180 mm thick and armed with deadly 88mm KwK 43 L/71 gun, the Tiger II was one of the deadliest tanks of the Second World War. Schneider, Wolfgang. Volksgrenadier Division 5. At about noon that day, the 62nd Volksgrenadier Divisions 190th Regiment had broken through north of the 424th Infantrys Cannon Company. One task force encountered reconnaissance probes on N27 conducted by units of the 1st SS Panzer Division approximately 1,000 yards north of St. Vith. This one, however, most likely did not. Created as 22.Infanterie-Division in 1935, one regiment participated in the 1939 Invasion of Poland; the rest of the division stayed in garrison on the Siegfried Line in case of a French attack in defense of Poland. After Action Report, Month of December, 1944. Tigers In Combat II. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. As the offensive steam came to an end in the Ardennes, the division went on the defensive, and there they would stay. 301 sentences with 'poor shape'. Should 7th Armored lose St. Vith, 9th Armored would be unable to withdraw on its own axis. On the morning of the December 20, three tank destroyers were placed in support of Company C, 27th AIB. Combat Interviews of the 38th Armored Infantry Battalion, 7th Armored Division: The St. Vith Salient and Manhay, December 17-23, 1944. The German tank then stopped dead in its tracks and shuddered; there was a muffled explosion, followed by flames which billowed out of the turret and engine ports. This German World War II article is a stub. There was little they could do other than vow to get the attack moving early on the 20th. Wikizero - 281st Security Division (Wehrmacht) Thus, the Fifth Panzer Army commander ordered that St. Vith be taken no later than the second day of the offensive. Manteuffels operation in the St. Vith area was already three days behind schedule. The 27th AIB was ordered to establish a defensive position south, east, west, and southeast of Malempre. Volksgrenadier-Division. Having failed to find a soft spot to the north, the Germans then moved against Hoges 9th Armored command in the south; however, even before this attack got going three German tanks were knocked out and the rest of the probing force withdrew. Osprey Publishing, 2002. This information came from the division's senior headquarters, the VIII Corps, First U.S. Army. After Clarke and Hoge settled upon a mutually supportive command structure, Clarke noted that Hoges command was, for the most part, forward of a railroad track built on a high embankment. The move would also have to be done under the cover of darkness in severe wintry conditions. At least 900 soldiers who had stood in front of the town were either dead or captured. The 9th Armored Divisions position at the Our was no longer tenable. 1940 194111. Your email address will not be published. It consisted of the 136th 138th and 139th Mountain Replacement Regiments and the 112th Artillery Zaloga, Steven. Osprey Publishing, 2013. 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. Clerks were running everywhere and junior staff officers were arguing among themselves; upstairs, however, Hoge found General Jones remarkably composed. The Sherman tanks of B Company repulsed the enemy with fire from their 76mm guns. The 16th Field Artillery also pitched in, as did a battalion of 155mm howitzers sited around Commanster. Communications with division headquarters in St. Vith were limited to liaison officers running along a road now being shelled by the Germans. 45 mm. On December 21, 18. 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. WWII Pictures on Twitter: "Soldiers of the 18th Volksgrenadier Division Thus, there are four different versions of this story circulating: Troop Es version with a Tiger I, Troop Es version with a Tiger II, Captain Ansteys version with a Tiger I, and Captain Ansteys version with a Tiger II. When Model released the Fhrer Escort Brigade to General Manteuffel, he thought that he would be able to gain quick access to the St. Vith road network. The platoon lost four men missing and two wounded in the ensuing engagement. VGD led by Heinz Kokott, Heinrich Himmler's brother-in-law. Battle of the Bulge 1944 (1): St Vith and the Northern Shoulder. I think we can make it now. Im going to guess that they just created this all up in their head. Another attack hit the left flank of 7th Armored.

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