One officer, Lt. Col. Harry Kinnard, noted that McAuliffe's initial reply would be "tough to beat." As the Panther crewmen bailed out of their vehicle and took cover in a ditch, they came under intense small arms fire from the buildings in the center of town. [169] Of the German write-offs, 1620 were Tigers, 191194 Panthers, 141158 Panzer IVs, and 179182 were tank destroyers and assault guns. While the conduct of war is ever-changing, the nature of war is constant. In Pursuit of Military Excellence; The Evolution of Operational Theory'; by Shimon Naveh, pg 108-109. In addition, a series of renewed German attempts to re-encircle and seize Bastogne using units moved to the southern shoulder of the salient from the north, put Patton in a desperate fight for the initiative, with the German maintaining offensive operations in sectors north and east of Bastogne until 7 January, and resulting in heavier fighting than during the 21-26 December siege of Bastogne itself; in addition, Patton's Third Army would have to clear out the "Harlange Pocket" east of Bastogne on the Belgian-Luxembourg border. Founded in 1999. Some German units employed American vehicles during the Ardennes offensive. Allied air forces also helped the defenders of Bastogne, dropping much-needed suppliesmedicine, food, blankets, and ammunition. [69][70] Afterwards, Peiper advanced to the west, towards the River Meuse and captured Ligneuville, bypassing the towns of Mdersheid, Schoppen, Ondenval, and Thirimont. His Kampfgruppe was surrounded, virtually out of fuel, short of ammunition, and reduced to about a quarter of its original strength. Vehicle numbers and there fates are also listed where possible. Hungary 1945. It was his refusal to engage in premature and piecemeal counter-attacks which enabled the Americans to gather their reserves and frustrate the German attempts to extend their breakthrough. Following this, 60 grenadiers advanced forward but were stopped by concentrated American defensive fire. These weapons were used in the attemptto stop the oncoming German armor, to no effect. Considerable fighting went on for another 3 weeks, with Third Army and First Army linking up on 16 January with the capture of Houffalize. For more information about Kampfgruppe Von der Heydte,check this out: Tolga, thanks for the link!! [citation needed], Montgomery subsequently recognized his error and later wrote: "Not only was it probably a mistake to have held this conference at all in the sensitive state of feeling at the time, but what I said was skilfully distorted by the enemy." The close terrain of the Ardennes would make rapid movement difficult, though open ground beyond the Meuse offered the prospect of a successful dash to the coast. Operation Stsser was a paratroop drop into the American rear in the High Fens (French: Hautes Fagnes; German: Hohes Venn; Dutch: Hoge Venen) area. SS-Sturmbannfhrer Knittel crossed the bridge at Stavelot around 19:00 against American forces trying to retake the town. Armor sup-port consisted of Pz IV/70's in the . [77], Peiper advanced north-west towards Bllingen, keeping to the plan to move west, unaware that if he had turned north he had an opportunity to flank and trap the entire 2nd and 99th Divisions. The plan originally called for just under 45 divisions, including a dozen panzer and Panzergrenadier divisions forming the armored spearhead and various infantry units to form a defensive line as the battle unfolded. He entrusted them with carrying out his decisive counterattack. Seeing enemy Panther tanks in bivouac and hearing multiple voices in German, the defenders of Stoumont knew they had a fight on their hands come morning. The following is some intense research on the names and assignments I have found so far. [93] After more than 10 days of intense battle, they pushed the Americans out of the villages, but were unable to dislodge them from the ridge, where elements of the V Corps of the First U.S. Army prevented the German forces from reaching the road network to their west. Von Rundstedt set up his operational headquarters near Limburg, close enough for the generals and Panzer Corps commanders who were to lead the attack to visit Adlerhorst on 11 December, traveling there in an SS-operated bus convoy. . [192][193], For its part, Hut 3 had grown "shy of going beyond its job of amending and explaining German messages. The rapid advance by the German forces who surrounded the town, the spectacular resupply operations via parachute and glider, along with the fast action of General Patton's Third U.S. Army, all were featured in newspaper articles and on radio and captured the public's imagination; there were no correspondents in the area of Saint-Vith, Elsenborn, or Monschau-Hfen. Brief Axis Order of Battle for Operation Barbarossa. After the war Hasso von Manteuffel, who commanded the 5th Panzer Army in the Ardennes, was imprisoned awaiting trial for war crimes. Peiper's unit was delayed and his vehicles denied critically needed fuel. [29] German forces remained in control of several major ports on the English Channel coast into the autumn, while Dunkirk remained under siege until the end of the war in May 1945. Patton, realizing what Eisenhower implied, responded, "Hell, let's have the guts to let the bastards go all the way to Paris. [103], On 22/23 December German forces reached the woods of Foy-Ntre-Dame, only a few kilometers ahead of Dinant. At 4:30 a.m. on 17 December 1944, the 1st SS Panzer Division was approximately 16 hours behind schedule when the convoys departed the village of Lanzerath enroute west to the town of Honsfeld. [133], Eisenhower based his decision on various military and political realities. It was led by Oberst Friedrich August Freiherr von der Heydte, considered by Germans to be a hero of the Battle of Crete.[94]. The Battle of St. Vith was an engagement in Belgium fought during the Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine in World War II.It was one of several battles on December 16, 1944 constituting the opening of Germany's Ardennes counteroffensive (more commonly known as the "Battle of the Bulge").. [72][73] After a brief battle the lightly armed Americans surrendered. The Germans lacked the overwhelming strength that had been deployed in the north, but still possessed a marked numerical and material superiority over the very thinly spread 28th and 106th divisions. At the Arcadia Conference, held in Washington, DC, from December 24, 1941 to January 14, 1942, the Western Allies agreed to a Germany First policy to govern global strategy, but the question where to engage Germany, and when, remained unsettled. The Germans attacked a weakly defended section of the Allied line, taking advantage of heavily overcast weather conditions that grounded the Allies' superior air forces. This created a bottleneck in the German advance. The 21.Panzer-Division was still in France when the Allies launched their invasion of Normandy in June of 1944, and the division was thrown into action against the Allied positions as the only Panzer unit to do so on the 1st day of the attack, June 6th. David Eggenberger cites the official name as Ardennes-Alsace campaign, and describes this battle as the "Second Battle of the Ardennes". This drastically reduced their supply problems despite Allied control of the air. Indeed Peiper got closest to the Meuse but got encircled in La Gleize. The 29th Armoured Brigade ambushed the Germans knocking out three Panthers and a number of vehicles in and around Foy-Ntre-Dame. On the same day as Hitler's withdrawal order of 7 January, Montgomery held his press conference at Zonhoven. The German invasion began on the 10 th of May 1940. Peipers attack had stalled. A battle-hardened unit, the Leibstandarte was filled with both young, green troops, and combat veterans in almost equal number. SS-Panzergrenadier Regt 1 "LSSAH". Assessing his own situation, he determined that his Kampfgruppe did not have sufficient fuel to cross the bridge west of Stoumont and continue his advance. Here, a patrol from the 45th Infantry Divisions 180th Regiment fights house to house in Bobenthal, Germany under sniper fire on December 16, 1944. Kampfgruppe Hansen made an attempt to break the encirclement but failed. Kampfgruppe Peiper is a perfect example of this and put all the armor eggs in one basket. "[54] Historian Patrick K. O'Donnell writes that on 8 December 1944 U.S. Rangers at great cost took Hill 400 during the Battle of the Hrtgen Forest. Modern mechanized armies need a robust logistics chain to provide fuel, ammunition, and other sinews of war to sustain combat operations. He later attributed this to needing more time for preparation on the northern front. Intercepted German communications indicating a substantial German offensive preparation were not acted upon by the Allies. [citation needed][171]. Montgomery's contribution to restoring the situation was that he turned a series of isolated actions into a coherent battle fought according to a clear and definite plan. On 24 December, German forces made their furthest penetration west. Eisenhower wanted Montgomery to go on the counter offensive on 1 January, with the aim of meeting up with Patton's advancing Third Army and cutting off German troops at the tip of the salient, trapping them in a pocket. They succeeded in surrounding two largely intact regiments (422nd and 423rd) of the 106th Division in a pincer movement and forced their surrender, a tribute to the way Manteuffel's new tactics had been applied. by Lasse 22 Aug 2004, 10:40, Post Four armies were selected for the operation. The surprise attack caught the Allied forces completely off guard and became the costliest battle in terms of casualties for the . It was launched through the densely forested Ardennes region between Belgium and Luxembourg. Despite it being a Heer unit commanded by a Heer officer it was subordinated to II. [53] Strong had informed Bedell Smith in December of his suspicions. Equipped with a vast array of armored vehicles from tanks to mobile flak vehicles, the 1st SS was a formidable foe for any unit opposing them. After his tanks had been beaten back at the station, he received word that his rear-guard units had failed to finish the job in Stavelot. Constituted in 1901, it has served in conflicts from the Philippine-American War to the Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in . The first round hit near the left sprocket, the second sheared the 75mm barrel off of the Panther, and the third penetrated the armor where it exploded, wounding most of the crew and forcingthe tankers to bail out of the now burning vehicle. Country of Origin : USA. [112], Despite determined German attacks, the perimeter held. The division lost about 20% of its effective strength, including 465 killed and 2,524 evacuated due to wounds, injuries, fatigue, or trench foot. The Russians retreated. Last Name Rank Assignment. Klaus Von Allworden Made up of three infantry companies, two MK IV self-propelled guns and one towed PAK 40 A/Tank gun, this unit was on the Dreyenseweg on the afternoon of the 17th and blocked the advance of 1st and 3rd Para Battalions. Because the Ardennes was considered a quiet sector, considerations of economy of force led it to be used as a training ground for new units and a rest area for units that had seen hard fighting. The Schnee Eifel battle, therefore, represents the most serious reverse suffered by American arms during the operations of 194445 in the European theater. Since the German plan called for the capture of St. Vith by 18:00 on 17 December, the prolonged action in and around it dealt a major setback to their timetable. Eleven black American soldiers were tortured after surrendering and then shot by men of the 1st SS Panzer Division belonging to Schnellgruppe Knittel. Photos from the early days of the German offensive are few and far between, but here are some shots taken on December 16, 1944 throughout the Western Front by U.S. Army Signal Corps photographers. American progress in the south was also restricted to about a kilometer or a little over half a mile per day. 5 Kampfgruppe (4) 5 Kavallerie (12) 5 Kavallerie-Division 1 (2) 5 Korps-Abteilung D (1) . [30], The Allies' efforts to destroy the French railway system prior to D-Day were successful. [98], The Germans fared better in the center (the 32km (20mi) Schnee Eifel sector) as the Fifth Panzer Army attacked positions held by the U.S. 28th and 106th Infantry Divisions. To Jochen Peiper, it must have appeared that he had won the day, that the route out of the Amblve Valley to the Meuse was now wide open and victory would be his. Knittel pressed . At precisely the same time as Prahms Panther was knocked out, four Shermans from the 723rd Tank Battalion arrived and pushed into Stoumont from the opposite direction. The positions of the Allied armies stretched from southern France all the way north to the Netherlands. One of the few advantages held by the German forces in November 1944 was that they were no longer defending all of Western Europe. The powerful Waffen SS Panzer Divisions, Leibstandarte and Hitler Jugend were expected to burst through the American lines along what would be called the Northern Shoulder and blast their way to the port of Antwerp. SS). On 26 December the lead element of Patton's U.S. Third Army reached Bastogne from the south, ending the siege. The first shots either flat out missed the targets or ricocheted off the heavy German frontal armor. Published: 27 July 2013. If successful in capturing Stoumont and defending Stavelot, Peiper would be able to break out of the Ambleve Valley, acquire American fuel, and continue his drive to the Meuse with wide open roads ahead. These 4 kampfgruppes where involved in the battle of the bulge, but where there any more kampfgruppes from any other divison than from LAH involved in the battle for the bulge? The British 29th Armoured Brigade of British 11th Armoured Division, which had turned in its tanks for re-equipping, was told to take back their tanks and head to the area. 1)) was an SS formation of Nazi Germany during World War II.It was originally created in the puppet Italian Social Republic in 1943 as the Italian Legion, later renamed to a brigade. An American tank battalion arrived but, after a two-hour tank battle, Peiper finally captured Stoumont at 10:30. The Germans had outrun their supply lines, and shortages of fuel and ammunition were becoming critical. They failed and were forced to withdraw, and a number were captured, including battalion commander Maj. Hal D. McCown. Last Updated: 28 July 2013. While the Allies recovered from their losses within days, the operation left the Luftwaffe ineffective for the remainder of the war.[118]. This Army was made up of only four infantry divisions, with no large-scale armored formations to use as a spearhead unit. They thus developed alternative, less ambitious plans that did not aim to cross the Meuse River (in German and Dutch: Maas); Model's being Unternehmen Herbstnebel ('Operation Autumn Mist') and von Rundstedt's Fall Martin ('Plan Martin'). by Timo 22 Aug 2004, 12:48, Post By November, it was clear that Soviet forces were preparing for a winter offensive.[34]. [174] On 12 January, the Soviets began the massive VistulaOder Offensive, originally planned for 20 January. A Waffen SS soldier with Kampfgruppe Hansen seen after elements of the 14th Cavalry Group were ambushed and destroyed outside of Poteau, Belgium on December 18, 1944. Hundreds of planes attacked Allied airfields, destroying or severely damaging some 465 aircraft. At 09:15, the Luftwaffe launched Unternehmen Bodenplatte (Operation Baseplate), a major campaign against Allied airfields in the Low Countries. While having the effect of keeping the Allied aircraft grounded, the weather also proved troublesome for the Germans because poor road conditions hampered their advance. [91] Dietrich's decision unknowingly played into American hands, as Robertson had already decided to abandon the villages. [27], Field Marshal Montgomery's Operation Market Garden had achieved only some of its objectives, while its territorial gains left the Allied supply situation stretched further than before. The Allies were aware of German weaknesses, although the euphoria of their speedy advance and the amount of information flowing into [130][131] Thus Hitler gave responsibility for the key right flank of the assault to the best SS troops and a few Volksgrenadier units under the command of "Sepp" (Joseph) Dietrich, a fanatical political disciple of Hitler, and a loyal follower from the early days of the rise of National Socialism in Germany. by Timo 22 Aug 2004, 13:23, Post Two major special operations were planned for the offensive. The German losses in the battle were especially critical: their last reserves were now gone, the Luftwaffe had been shattered, and remaining forces throughout the West were being pushed back to defend the Siegfried Line. Stab (fully motorized): ----staff with 115 men. Delayed by roads not suitable for tanks and the stout defense of locations such as Lanzerath, Ligneuville, and Stavelot, Peiper and his Kampfgruppe nevertheless achieved many of their objectives by December 18, 1944. The American TD gunners attempted to fire off more rounds at the Panthers but were soon overrun by SS Panzergrenadiers slowly moving up the road and into the village. by Grant Stephensen Fri Nov 08, 2002 2:16 am. Kampfgruppe Hansen was still struggling against bad road conditions and stiff American resistance on the southern route. Similar action was taken on the southern flank of the bulge by Bradley, with the Third Army.[142]. Many historians have written about the famous Buffalo Soldiers of the all-Black 92nd Infantry Division, who fought with distinction during World War II. For the video game, see, German supporting efforts across the Western Front. Germans forces at Arnhem are the II S.S. Panzer Korps and Kampfgruppe . [85], At dawn on 19 December, Peiper surprised the American defenders of Stoumont by sending infantry from the 2nd SS Panzergrenadier Regiment in an attack and a company of Fallschirmjger to infiltrate their lines. More than 2,000 black soldiers had volunteered to go to the front. [136], Montgomery's Chief of Staff, Major-General Francis de Guingand, stated in his post-war account that he had opposed Montgomery's narrow front strategy on political and administrative grounds. Peiper's forces were already behind his timetable because of the stiff American resistance and because when the Americans fell back, their engineers blew up bridges and emptied fuel dumps. It is one of several taken (along with newsreel film) on December 18, 1944 near Poteau, Belgium during the Battle of the . Too small and too weak to counter the Allies, they abandoned plans to take the crossroads and instead converted the mission to reconnaissance. By this time the German Army suffered from an acute manpower shortage, and the force had been reduced to around 30 divisions. Now clear of any anti-tank fire from within the town or from the fields beside it, the Panthers rolled. The previous night, the infantrymen of the 119th had been reinforced with towed tank destroyers as well as three 57mm anti-tank guns and two 90mm anti-aircraft weapons that were deployed as anti-tank weapons. [187] Among the signs misread were the formation of the new 6th Panzer Army in the build-up area (west bank of the Rhine about Cologne); the new 'Star' (signals control-network) noted by the 'Fusion Room' traffic-analysts, linking "all the armoured divisions [assembling in the build-up area], including some transferred from the Russian front";[191][189] the daily aerial reconnaissance of the lightly defended target area by new Arado Ar 234 jets "as a matter of greatest urgency"; the marked increase in railway traffic in the build-up area; the movement of 1,000 trucks from the Italian front to the build-up area; disproportionate anxiety about tiny hitches in troop movements, suggesting a tight timetable;[190][189] the quadrupling of Luftwaffe fighter forces in the West;[190] and decrypts of Japanese diplomatic signals from Berlin to Tokyo, mentioning "the coming offensive". This fuel shortage intensified after the Soviets overran those fields in the course of their August 1944 Jassy-Kishinev Offensive. The weakened Seventh Army had, at Eisenhower's orders, sent troops, equipment, and supplies north to reinforce the American armies in the Ardennes, and the offensive left it in dire straits. On 26 and 27 December the trapped units of 2nd Panzer Division made two break-out attempts, again only with partial success, as major quantities of equipment fell into Allied hands. Schnellgruppe Knittel was forced to disengage from the heights around Stavelot. Intervention by Montgomery's and Eisenhower's Chiefs of Staff, Maj. Gen. Freddie de Guingand, and Lt. Gen. Walter Bedell Smith, moved Eisenhower to reconsider and allowed Montgomery to apologize. 7 / Junl/Jull 1988 v 3- Jahrgang S 55 I Sfr6,50 i DM 6,50 ^" **' ' -*,. Dec 18, 2018 - Explore Herzog's board "Kampfgruppe Hansen" on Pinterest. Units of the corps which fought in the Ardennes were the 51st (Highland) and 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Divisions, the British 6th Airborne Division, the 29th and 33rd Armoured Brigades, and the 34th Tank Brigade. [180] A total of 708 black Americans were killed in combat during World War II. "[151][152], Montgomery later said, "Distorted or not, I think now that I should never have held that press conference. What crewmen survived poured out of the burning tank and ran for cover. [122] One of these fierce actions around Bastogne occurred on 2 January, the Tiger IIs of German Heavy Tank Battalion 506 supported an attack by the 12th SS Hitlerjugend division against U.S. positions of the 6th Armored Division near Wardin and knocked out 15 Sherman tanks.[123]. The unit was upgraded to division status on 10 February 1945. Most were shot where they stood, though some managed to flee. ASIN : B00I2TDL8E. The Fifth Panzer Army under General Hasso von Manteuffel was assigned to the middle sector with the objective of capturing Brussels. The National WWII Museum Digital Collections. [20] These were reinforced a couple of weeks later, bringing the offensive's total strength to around 450,000 troops, and 1,500 tanks and assault guns. The German offensive drew to a close on 25 January. [143] The announcement resulted in headlines in British newspapers and Stars and Stripes, which for the first time mentioned British contributions to the fighting. In a personal conversation on 13 December between Walter Model and Friedrich von der Heydte, who was put in charge of Operation Stsser, von der Heydte gave Operation Stsser less than a 10% chance of succeeding. As the first Panther rounded the bend in the road and took Stoumont station into view, a round from a camouflaged 90mm gun screamed down the road and slammed into the Panther, penetrating the armor and exploding. Nearly 10 hours into the assault, one of the German V-2 rockets destroyed the Cine Rex cinema in Antwerp, killing 567 people, the highest death toll from a single rocket attack during the war.[60]. The phrase 'Battle of the Bulge' was coined by contemporary press to describe the way the Allied front line bulged inward on wartime news maps.[46][47]. Peiper fully realized that time was of the essence and issued orders to rush through the village with all possible speed. Kampfgruppe Hansen. 1-1 IW m-M Vi ii j|\ Nr. The photo was taken on December 17, 1944. A preliminary Army report restricted to the First and Third U.S. Between 63,222 and 103,900 of these men were killed, missing, wounded in action, or captured. Hargimont was captured the same day, but Marche-en-Famenne was strongly defended by the American 84th Division. Meanwhile, the Allied air offensive of early 1944 had effectively grounded the Luftwaffe, leaving the German Army with little battlefield intelligence and no way to interdict Allied supplies. Gen. Anthony McAuliffe, acting commander of the 101st, was told of the German demand to surrender, in frustration he responded, "Nuts!" Actually, the 10thArmored Division was in there December 18th, a day before we were, and had some very hard fighting before we ever got into it, and I sincerely believe that we would never have been able to get into Bastogne if it had not been for the defensive fighting of the three elements of the 10th Armored Division who were first into Bastogne and protected the town from invasion by the Germans.[109], In the extreme south, Brandenberger's three infantry divisions were checked by divisions of the U.S. VIII Corps after an advance of 6.4km (4mi); that front was then firmly held. Training time, equipment and supplies were inadequate during the preparations. Kampfgruppe Walther. Indeed Peiper got closest to the Meuse but got encircled in La Gleize. The order of battle below is from the NARA records, and dated 11 November 41. The Germans could field a total of 55 understrength divisions. [159], However, American historian Stephen Ambrose, writing in 1997, maintained that "Putting Monty in command of the northern flank had no effect on the battle". "[citation needed] The plan was to pull 13 infantry divisions, two parachute divisions and six armored divisions from the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht strategic reserve. Columns of armor and infantry that were supposed to advance along parallel routes found themselves on the same roads. Knittel joined up with Peiper and reported the Americans had recaptured Stavelot to their east. POWs. To Peiper's south, the advance of Kampfgruppe Hansen had stalled. [71] The terrain and poor quality of the roads made the advance of Kampfgruppe Peiper difficult; at the exit to the village of Thirimont, the armored spearhead was unable to travel the road directly to Ligneuville, and Peiper deviated from the planned route, and rather than turn to the left, the armored spearhead turned to the right, and advanced towards the crossroads of Baugnez, which is equidistant from the city of Malmedy and Ligneuville and Waimes. [73] Following the end of the war, soldiers and officers of Kampfgruppe Peiper, including Joachim Peiper and SS general Sepp Dietrich, were tried for the incident at the Malmedy massacre trial. Slowly but surely the situation was held, and then finally restored. He later moved to Spain and South America.[38]. The Allies captured the port of Antwerp intact in the first days of September, but it was not operational until 28 November. [119] Total casualties included at least 9,000 wounded. 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