While making his reconnaissance at Monschau he received an urgent message to call V Corps headquarters. 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. Under the command of Gnther Hoffmann-Schnborn, the new division absorbed elements of the 18th Luftwaffe Field Division. Not to mention that the M8s 37 mm M6 gun is more than capable of penetrating the rear hull armor of the Panzer IV, which was only 20 mm thick angled at 10 degrees. Protected by armor between 25 mm to 145 mm thick and armed with a fearsome 88mm KwK 36 L/56 main gun, the Tiger I was arguably the most feared tank of World War II by Allied soldiers. Troy Middletons VIII Corps. First Edition, Stackpole Books, 2004. The greatest danger existed in the 424ths position because the regiments flank lay vulnerable to attacks by the 116th Panzer Division to the south. Three times the grenadiers [German] tried to rush their way through the foxhole line held by the 38th Armored Infantry Battalion (Lt. Col. William H. G. Fuller) and B Troop of the 87th astride the Schnberg road. 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. Since speed was the key to success of the German plan, two panzer armies would spearhead the offensive. At the close of the first day of battle, General Lucht could look with some satisfaction at the days events, although his 62nd Volksgrenadier Division had yet to break through the American line. 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. Zaloga, Steven. 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. It is time to withdraw.. Battle of the Bulge 1944 (1): St Vith and the Northern Shoulder. Jones explained to Hoge that his division was being attacked along its entire front and that two of his three regiments, the 422nd and the 423rd, had been partly surrounded in the Schnee Eifel area just east of Schoenberg. Osprey Publishing, 2003. Troop D, 89th Recon held the sector from Steinebruck to Weppeler while A Company, 27th AIB put up a defensive line anchored on the high ground east of Maspelt. Model informed Manteuffel that he would be given the Fhrer Escort Brigade, which was nearly equal in strength to an American light armored division, for the upcoming assault on St. Vith. The new sector assigned to CCB was on the fringe of territory the Sixth Panzer Army had mapped out for its further maneuvers. However, Company B, 27th AIB was sent to help ease the situation, covering the cavalrys left flank. The guns from a platoon of Shermans, the antiaircraft company, and a mortar platoon supplied a covering barrage, which broke up the German assault and inflicted heavy casualties. Airfix J6017 Volkswagen Camper Van (Quick Build) R 405.00. 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 . Late in the day, the Germans launched three major attacks, each directed along a main road leading into the town. Ridgway knew Hoge to be calm, courageous, and imperturbable. While no Tiger Is were lost on the 18th of December, 1944, four Tiger IIs were lost that day. The 62nd, like the 18th, included three regiments of two battalions each. It consisted of the 136th 138th and 139th Mountain Replacement Regiments and the 112th Artillery The two task forces held onto their respective positions on N23 and N27, deflecting all German armored attempts to penetrate St. Vith, until they were relieved late in the afternoon by CCB, 7th Armored Division. General Jones wanted Hoge to use the infantry of his 27th AIB to seize the series of hills near Winterspelt while the 14th Tank Battalion was to remain west of the Our River for use as the situation developed. Johnston, W. Wesley. 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)! 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. Once in St. Vith, Jones explained that only the leading elements of the 7th Armored Division had arrived thus far and that St. Viths northern approach was under attack. The M8 was used mostly as a reconnaissance vehicle for scouting. History. He also said that they got a new Greyhound. 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. Sometime later that Monday morning, General Hoge sent his liaison officer to St. Vith to learn the dispositions of CCB, 7th Armored Division. General Lucht hurried to Winterspelt to get the 62nd Volksgrenadier moving to the Our. 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. Hoge immediately got on the phone and ordered Engeman to move out. The last Tiger II belonged to Schwere Panzer Abteilung 506 (Heavy Tank Battalion 506) and was lost to enemy fire on the Lentzweiler road in Luxemburg. Outnumbered and in danger of encirclement, the cannoneers and their rifle support from C Company made a platoon-by-platoon withdrawal toward Winterspelt. On this day, CCB of the 9th Armored Division was still in its assembly area in the vicinity of Faymonville. After that mornings enemy assaults, the line of the 27th AIB was reestablished west of Neubruck. Combat Interviews of the 38th Armored Infantry Battalion, 7th Armored Division: The St. Vith Salient and Manhay, December 17-23, 1944. The 9th Armored Divisions position at the Our was no longer tenable. 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. Established in 1941, the unit was deployed in German-occupied areas of the Soviet Union, in the Army Group North Rear Area. 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). The Battle at St. Vith, Belgium 17-23 December 1944 An Historical Example of Armor in the Defense. Eventually retreating through Germany until the end of the war, when it surrendered. The rounded portion of the horseshoe was composed of Colonel Dwight Rosebaums CCA, 7th Armored between Poteau and Rodt and General Clarkes CCB, 7th Armored in the very center protecting St. Vith. 3. Adding to the slowdown of operations against St. Vith, the 18th Volksgrenadier Division was still using two of its three regiments and all but one of its artillery battalions against the two trapped 106th Infantry Division regiments on the Schnee Eifel. 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. It is a classic David versus Goliath tale straight out of World War II that features American heroism. As each unit joined the rear of the column, it took its turn being the rear guard. Anderson, Thomas. First Edition, Presidio Press, 2002. Office of the Chief of Military History, Dept. In my opinion, the only definite conclusion that can be made from all this is that some American vehicle engaged something at St. Vith on the night of the 18th. The mud had made the roads and open areas impassable for armored vehicles. This battalion hit the 424ths Cannon Company at the Weissenhof crossroads. While on its way, the platoon was commandeered by a colonel from the 106th Division. After conferring with Clarke, Ridgway wanted to talk to one more man in whom he had supreme confidenceBrigadier General Hoge. Panzer Tracts No. Zaloga, Steven, and Tony Bryan. Volksgrenadier-Division; 18. Not long after Rodt fell to the Fhrer Escort Brigade, an attack came against the 7th Armored from the direction of Recht. Lever het aan! 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. 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 18th Volksgrenadier Division (18. During the afternoon of December 19, Hoge visited Clarkes command post in St. Vith and expressed his frustration with the current chain of command. Staff Sergeant Frank Mykalo knocked out a German machine-gun position, enabling the men in the lead half-tracks to dismount and deploy along the side of the road. The reason for this comparative respite was due to the fact that the roads to the German rear were completely jammed. Jentz, Thomas, and Hilary Doyle. The column came upon stragglers from the 424th Infantry retreating in disarray toward St. Vith. A mobile battalion of the 18th Volksgrenadier Division was already moving on Andler to seize the Schoenberg bridge and the road to St. Vith. No reinforcements were expected. What he claimed was that the fight wasnt as easy as it is presented here. United States 106th Infantry Division on the 16th and 17th of December 1944 (the first two days of the battle of the Ardennes were as follows: 1. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating 571. By 2300 enemy patrols tested 27th AIBs new position and a night attack was thrown back with the help of D Troop, 89th Recon. A mobile battalion of the 18th Volksgrenadier Division was already moving on Andler to seize the Schoenberg bridge and the road to St. Vith. Clerks were running everywhere and junior staff officers were arguing among themselves; upstairs, however, Hoge found General Jones remarkably composed. Volksgrenadier Division 2. Germanys Tiger Tanks D.W. to Tiger I: Design, Production & Modifications. For faster navigation, this Iframe is preloading the Wikiwand page for 18th Volksgrenadier Division. Ardennes 1944: Hitlers Last Gamble. 281st Security Division (281. That cold snap that hit us has frozen the roads. That is correct, however, that was off the topic of this story. Engeman set out with two task forces to meet the enemy. The story begins on the 18th of December 1944, two days after the start of the German offensive. Although the 7th Armored Division was finally arriving, General Jones had been led to believe that the whole division would arrive in St. Vith starting at 0700. Dragon 1625 1/16th Obersturmfuhrer Totenkopf Division Budapest 1945 R 275.00. They were followed in order by the half-tracks and other vehicles of the 27th AIB, the tank companies, the antiaircraft company, and the engineers. On December 16th at 4:00 a.m., they took the twenty-two foot macadam road following the Our River valley towards Manderfield. The 424th Infantry still blocked the road to the Our River and Steinebruck. 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. An attack to the east by the 7th Armored Division could then relieve the two surrounded regiments of the 106th. Jentz, Thomas. Additionally, the M8s 37 mm M6 gun is more than capable of penetrating the rear hull and rear casemate armor of the StuG III. It contained the 293., 294. and 295. grenadier regiments, Panzerjger-Bataillon 1818, Pionier-Bataillon 1818, Fsilier-Bataillon 1818 and Artillerie-Regiment 1818.[1]. Armour Plate Porforation [sic: Perforation] of Tank and Anti Tank Guns. 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. However, this version of Captain Ansteys account has one key difference: it was not a Tiger I that was knocked out, but rather a Tiger II, almost analogous to the fisherman whose fish gets bigger each time he tells the tale of his catch. js = d.createElement(s); The M5 got within a yard of the Tiger and knocked it out with 5 rounds. Stackpole Books, 2015. Instead of the M8 Greyhound firing three shots into the Tigers rear, the M8 Greyhound in Lieutenant Olsons version of events fired two shots. Encyclopedia of German tanks of World War Two. Those factors dictated that at least another 24 hours would be needed before a major assault on St. Vith could begin. Jones wanted Clarke to counterattack immediately with his combat command and break that ring that these people have closed around the Schnee Eifel.. One German tank was seen going up in flames. Andrews, Frank L. The Defense of St. Vith in the Battle of the Ardennes December, 1944. 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. Counter to the plan laid out earlier by General Jones, Hoge had decided to launch his attack on Winterspelt with the entire 14th Tank Battalion as the lead element rather than with the more vulnerable infantry of the 27th AIB. General Luchts 66th Corps was shifted from General Manteuffels Fifth Panzer Army to the Sixth Panzer. Although the Germans were quick to build up beyond the Our River after the American withdrawal, they made no immediate moves against the new American line.
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