Required fields are marked *. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division under the command of Generalmajor Gnther Hoffmann-Schnborn patrolled the Schnee Eifel area. The Seventh Armored Division in the Battle of St. Vith. 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. EN. 47. A mobile battalion of the 18th Volksgrenadier Division was already moving on Andler to seize the Schoenberg bridge and the road to St. Vith. Osprey Publishing, 2013. 18th Volksgrenadier Division (Wehrmacht), the Glossary On the road to Winterspelt, General Hoge soon learned that the situation there was worse than General Jones had described. A second attempt on the bridge, made by about 40 men four hours later, was also thrown back by machine-gun fire. Out of this grand battle would come a too-good-to-be-true story symbolic of the stiff American resistance put up against the German offensive, that of how an M8 Greyhound armored car destroyed a Tiger I heavy tank. General Hoge set up his command post in the Belgian village of Faymonville, approximately 12 miles north of the town of St. Vith, unaware of the pivotal role his command was to play in a very different battle. While no Tiger Is were lost on the 18th of December, 1944, four Tiger IIs were lost that day. Similar events have happened more than once, though on the Eastern Front. 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. Tigers In Combat II. Troy Middletons VIII Corps. During his meeting with Hoge, General Ridgway became convinced that defending this area any further would be futile. 12th Volksgrenadier Division 89; 197; 487; 557; 650; 727. VGD. The ground was frozen solid. Volksgrenadier-Division. Eventually retreating through Germany until the end of the war, when it surrendered. Cole, Hugh M. The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge. 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. This story has gained a good deal of attention in recent years, especially on the internet thanks to videos such as The Tank Duel at St. Vith, Belgium by Lance Geiger The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered, which has garnered hundreds of thousands of views. Resistance by service company personnel in Rodt was fierce with every possible mandrivers, cooks, radio operatorsemployed in the defense; however, after nine hours of battle against the much superior German force, Rodt fell. 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. Third Printing, US Army Armored School, 1966. Schiffer Publishing, 1996. 6731 Whittier Avenue, Suite C-100 McLean, VA 22101, Stay up to date with all of our latest news, Another attack hit the left flank of 7th Armored. which, in principle, is comparable to the 37 mm American gun. Battle of Losheim Gap - Wikipedia Rapidly, the M8 advanced to within 25 yards (23 meters) of the Tiger I and quickly pumped three rounds into its rear. Its mission was to break through to the south of the 18th Volksgrenadier in the Grosslangenfeld-Heckhuschied sector, advance northwest on a broad front, and seize the Our River crossing at Steinebruck, five miles southeast of St. Vith. Battle of the Bulge 1944 (1): St Vith and the Northern Shoulder. Osprey Publishing, 2002. Volksgrenadier-Division; 18. Field Marshal Montgomery, believing that Ridgways Corps could not attack successfully toward Vielsalm and that the American forces within the goose egg could better be used in support of other forces committed to the northern shoulder defense, decided upon a general withdrawal. VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army (Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. An M8 Greyhound armored car of Troop B, 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron was lying in a concealed position just northeast of the vitally important crossroads town of St. Vith, Belgium. However, the monumental traffic jams in the Losheim Gap and at Schoenberg continued to delay both the 18th Volksgrenadier Division and the Fhrer Escort Brigade, and not until after daylight on the 20th would a bridge be ready at Steinebruck for the 62nd Volksgrenadier Division. . General Hoge moved his command post to Commanster. On December 21, 18. English PDF (33 MB) Jan B-700 Office of the Chief of Military History, Dept. The time was approximately 1800 on Saturday, December 16, when Combat Command B of the 9th Armored Division began its move to St. Vith. That eliminates this units Pzkw IV being the Tiger encountered by the Troop B M8 on Dec. 18th . This battalion hit the 424ths Cannon Company at the Weissenhof crossroads. 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. What he claimed was that the fight wasnt as easy as it is presented here. An attack to the east by the 7th Armored Division could then relieve the two surrounded regiments of the 106th. That night, infantry patrols found German medics removing their wounded. 1940. Infanterie-Division 19398 . Add to cart. 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. Volksgrenadier-Division; 18. Its supporting field artillery battalion was at Kalterherberg, two miles south of Monschau, engaged in firing missions for the 2nd and 99th Infantry Divisions. Troop D, 89th Recon and Company D, 14th Tank Battalion formed a line from Grufflingen to Thommen, and Companies B and C of the 14th Tank Battalion took up positions between Thommen and Maldange. The mud had made the roads and open areas impassable for armored vehicles. 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. After learning of the attack by the Fhrer Escort Brigade, Brig. Fortunately, a tank destroyer from Vielsalm turned up and hit the leading two German panzers, which drove the rest for cover. The heroic defense of St. Vith, though costly in men and materil, disrupted the German timetable extensively. 324 324. September 18th, 1944: Kdr. Companies A and B held a line from Grufflingen to Hohenbusch with Company A, 14th Tank Battalion to their north. War Department Technical Manual TM 9-1904 Ammunition Inspection Guide. VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army (Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. On December 16th at 4:00 a.m., they took the twenty-two foot macadam road following the Our River valley towards Manderfield. English Edition, Casemate Publishers, 2014. However, it cannot be safely assumed that the tank killed in this engagement was a Tiger I or a Tiger II. The M5 got within a yard of the Tiger and knocked it out with 5 rounds. At 0600 Im going to start to move.. Revised Edition, Arms and Armour Press, 1973. Having first conferred with General Jones, Hoge ordered a withdrawal from the river to begin after nightfall. of the Army, 1965. The Americans knew that their only hope in doing any sort of damage to this beast was to get as close as possible to it and shoot its weaker rear armor. Each attack was preceded by an intense artillery barrage lasting from 15 to 35 minutes. Volksgrenadier Division 5. 188th Division (Nazi Germany) - Atozwiki.com Revised Edition, Arms and Armour Press, 1973. English Edition, Casemate Publishers, 2014. Armour Plate Porforation [sic: Perforation] of Tank and Anti Tank Guns. 1947. Under the command of Gnther Hoffmann-Schnborn, the new division absorbed elements of the 18th Luftwaffe Field Division. Hoge managed to stop the stragglers, and soon a provisional company of men from the 424th was formed to reinforce the 27th AIB on its march toward the Our. 47. Manteuffel met near Wallerode with Model and Lucht that day. War Department, 1944. Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force | World War II by Day Panzer Tracts, 2001. His troops remained in place, and the pullout to the west side of the Our River began at dusk. 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. Tiger. The armored infantrymen kept themselves well hidden until the column was directly in front of them and then opened fire. Josef Theissen, the fifteen-year-old who had seen the Germans arrive on Sunday, December 17, watched the soldiers every move with the fascination for things military . The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating 571. 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 division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating the 571st Volksgrenadier Division. 8 Sturmgeschuetz s.Pak to Sturmmoerser. Darlington Productions Inc., 2000. Rebuilding the blown bridge to get their assault guns across was their first priority. A platoon of medium tanks counterattacked, and the enemy retreated. 13 relations. Volksgrenadier-Division; 18. 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. 22 22. Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz (1918) Period: First World War (1914-1918) Awarded on: . The platoon lost four men missing and two wounded in the ensuing engagement. Overall operational command for the offensive fell to Field Marshal Walther Model. Staff officers were casualties. Jentz, Thomas, and Hilary Doyle. Seventh Armored Division Association 2517 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Washington 8, D.C., 1947. On top of the contradictions and ambiguity of Troop Es entry, there is also the curious fact that Troop A does not make any mention of this event in its morning report and record of events entry for the 18th of December, 1944. By 1245, the original line was restored, and the antitank guns of Company A, 811th Tank Destroyers were recovered. Clarke pulled back his left flank to protect Hinderhausen, a key position on the emergency exit route to Commanster and Vielsalm. According to Hugh M. Cole, an American historian and army officer. Such was not the case, however, and by the evening of the December 20, the Germans were feeling the growing negative effects of the St. Vith salient. By this time the Germans had essentially closed the trap on the two infantry regiments on the Schnee Eifel. The 424th Infantry still blocked the road to the Our River and Steinebruck. Combat Interviews of the 38th Armored Infantry Battalion, 7th Armored Division: The St. Vith Salient and Manhay, December 17-23, 1944. Hoge departed Faymonville at approximately 1800, arriving at General Joness headquarters in the St. Josephs Kloster about a half hour later. December, 1944 By Greg Moore gregpanzerblitz.com December, 2008 Battalion I x 5 x 4 x 1 x 2 x 12 293rd Volks- . The Battle at St. Vith, Belgium 17-23 December 1944 An Historical Example of Armor in the Defense. Ridgway knew Hoge to be calm, courageous, and imperturbable. 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. Hoge immediately got on the phone and ordered Engeman to move out. First Edition, Stackpole Books, 2004. 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. By mid-afternoon, General Hoge ordered his infantry to halt and dig in. The reason for this comparative respite was due to the fact that the roads to the German rear were completely jammed. Because the Our had ceased to be a barrier anywhere else, General Hoge felt that there was little to gain in continuing to overextend his command to hold the low ground along the river. 10 Apr. VGD captured St. Vith, winning a great victory. Unteroffizier Helmus of the 26th Volksgrenadier Division painted the situation when the advance began. Battle of the Bulge 1944 (1): St Vith and the Northern Shoulder. Next came B Company, 9th Armored Engineers; the 16th Armored Field Artillery; B Company, 482nd Antiaircraft Artillery; and the 14th Tank Battalion. On February 5, 1945 General Walter Botsch took over command of the division. This German World War II article is a stub. Zaloga, Steven, and Tony Bryan. Name already in use - Github Schiffer Publishing, 1997. 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.. 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. 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. List of German divisions in World War II (wikipdia) / List of Foreign 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. Division 3. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating 571. Hoge has just reported an attack. Two regiments of the 62nd Volksgrenadier Division attacked 9th Armored positions early that morning, their goal to gain the Salm River at Salmchateau. The surviving Volksgrenadiers fled in disarray. 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. 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. 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. Seventh Armored Division Association 2517 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Washington 8, D.C., 1947. VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army (Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. Just kept to the main story. That evening General Clarke also put his command into Commanster. Stackpole Books, 2015. This is before you take into account that the manufacturing process for German armor allowed for a tolerance in plates which often left plates 2 to 5 mm thicker than ordered. Furthermore, late-war Panzer IVs equipped with Schrzen additional armor would look bigger, even closer to the size of a Tiger and this is before consideration is made on the stress of war, camouflaging materials applied to vehicles, the weather, and level of knowledge of the crews. First Edition, Stackpole Books, 2005. Daniel P. Kneeland, Grafton, Ma. The stubborn defenders of St. Vith played a major role in defeating the final German offensive of World War II in Western Europe. However, just as the Americans began their pursuit, the Germans noticed them and began traversing their turret to face them. 223 223. After the Tiger I had passed, the armored car then slipped out of its concealed position and began accelerating towards the tank in an attempt to close the gap between the two. The guns of two platoons of Company A, 811th Tank Destroyers were overrun. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating the 571st Volksgrenadier Division. WWII Pictures on Twitter: "Soldiers of the 18th Volksgrenadier Division Inform us! At about midday, the field marshal sent a message to General Hasbrouck: You have accomplished your missiona mission well done. Roadblocks were set up and manned. All in all, the only things that the American claims concerning the famed M8 Greyhound versus Tiger engagement can agree on are that on the 18th of December 1944 an M8 Greyhound from some unit of the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron killed some sort of German tank in or around the town of St. Vith. The second task force consisted of B Company of the 811th Tank Destroyers. () - The fight lasted for more than three hours before the Germans withdrew, leaving one burning tank and approximately 150 dead. Osprey Publishing, 2010. 1945) English PDF (18 MB) Jan B-627 Volkssturm (Oct. 1944-Apr. Good Tank, Poor Deployment | T-34-76 and T-34-85 in Yugoslav Partisan Service. It was at full strength and supplied with the latest equipment. 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. Colonel Alexander D. Reid, commander of the 424th Infantry Regiment, had reason to fear encirclement. Infanterie-Division . The 9th Armored Divisions position at the Our was no longer tenable. 18e volksgrenadier division English translation: 18th volksgrenadier division (wehrmacht).. I wanted to focus on the M8 vs Tiger story, I already noticed the Ferdinand claim, but decided not to mention it. As stated above, a 37mm cant penetrate the armor of an Tiger tank. The entire division was to follow shortly thereafter. However, once a closer look is taken at this story, cracks begin to appear, and soon enough one begins to wonder whether or not this story really is too good to be true. Company A of the 14th Tank Battalion had some trouble disengaging. He said that the fight took about ninety minutes and that they used almost all their ammunition. The leading vehicles of General Hoges command entered St. Vith on Sunday morning just as dawn was breaking and halted close to the 106th Divisions command post at the St. Joseph Kloster. Penguin Books, 2016. Close. Fortunately for Colonel Reid, word came at about 1730 that his 424th Infantry Regiment was to withdraw immediately. Volksgrenadier-Division; 18. Generals Manteuffel and Lucht had planned an all-out attack to take St. Vith starting at daylight with a three- pronged envelopment by the 62nd Volksgrenadier Division against 9th Armored positions in the south. The Sherman tanks of B Company repulsed the enemy with fire from their 76mm guns. 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. Manteuffel had hoped for considerably more on the 19th. Volksgrenadier-Division. The route terminated at several vital crossroads in the city of St. Vith. Eisernes Kreuz 2.Klasse (1914) Periode: Eerste Wereldoorlog (1914-1918) Toegekend op: 30 oktober 1917. Schiffer Publishing, 1996. The southern prong was defended by General Hoges CCB, 9th Armored with the weakened 424th Infantry Regiment tied in and bent back protecting Burg Reuland. Operation Nordwind 1945 Hitlers last offensive in the West. Jentz, Thomas, and Hilary Doyle. If Hoge told him that the situation was bad, then without a doubt the situation was worse than he thought. Olson states that, on the 18th of December 1944, one of the armored cars opened fire with its 37 mm gun on a German tank at range of 800 yards [732 meters]. Tiger. Possibly such events took place in reality. Do you have more information about this person? 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. Ardennes-Alsace Campaign The 18th Volksgrenadier Division(18. Infanterie-Division 19398 . 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. One German tank was seen going up in flames. According to two combat interviews given by men of the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadrons After Action Report for the month of December 1944, and Lieutenant Colonel Boylans 1946 letter, on 18th December 1944, the Germans attacked the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron (minus Troop B) with infantry and tanks.
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