Stackpole Books, 2015. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating 571.Volksgrenadier-Division.Under the command of Gnther Hoffmann-Schnborn, the new division absorbed elements of the 18th Luftwaffe Field . The event simply was not that notable. However, Company B, 27th AIB was sent to help ease the situation, covering the cavalrys left flank. VGD led by Heinz Kokott, Heinrich Himmler's brother-in-law. Third Printing, US Army Armored School, 1966. 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. On his way to St. Vith, General Hoge stopped in Faymonville to alert his command to be prepared to move immediately. Good Tank, Poor Deployment | T-34-76 and T-34-85 in Yugoslav Partisan Service. 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 stubborn defenders of St. Vith played a major role in defeating the final German offensive of World War II in Western Europe. Before departing, however, Hoge gave orders to Lt. Col. Leonard E. Engeman, commander of the 14th Tank Battalion, to get a strong force ready to move out to assist 7th Armored should it become necessary. Manteuffel met near Wallerode with Model and Lucht that day. . During the 27th AIBs assault, a call went out for the 14th Tank Battalion to join the action. 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. js = d.createElement(s); (1944) 111 111. Combat Interviews of the 38th Armored Infantry Battalion, 7th Armored Division: The St. Vith Salient and Manhay, December 17-23, 1944. VGD led by Heinz Kokott, Heinrich Himmler's brother-in-law. It was a new and inexperienced division made up of Luftwaffe personnel, former Kriegsmariners out of a Ardennes 1944: Hitlers Last Gamble. 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. The Germans were now on the high ground north of Eigelscheid overlooking the road to Winterspelt. As each unit joined the rear of the column, it took its turn being the rear guard. Tiger. It is possible (if unlikely) that this event was completely unrelated to the M8 Greyhound versus Tiger story. 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. 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. 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. War Department Field Manual FM 2-20 Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop Mechanized. Eventually retreating through Germany until the end of the war, when it surrendered. Hoge and Clarke agreed that Hoges entire command should be withdrawn west of the railroad tracks. 1945). 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. The division, which was under the command of Gnther Hoffmann-Schnborn, absorbed . English PDF (15 MB) Jan B-603 352d Volks Grenadier Division (19 Freb.-21 Mar. #WW2 . Infanterie-Division Hamburg 19453 . 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. Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz (1918) Period: First World War (1914-1918) Awarded on: . Farther to the north, in the 7th Armored sector, the pressure exerted by the enemy was also intense. Since speed was the key to success of the German plan, two panzer armies would spearhead the offensive. . 22 () - During the assault, B Company suffered about 40 casualties including its commanding officer, Captain Henry D. Wirsig. Stackpole Books, 2015. Its supporting field artillery battalion was at Kalterherberg, two miles south of Monschau, engaged in firing missions for the 2nd and 99th Infantry Divisions. Looking at German records The Fhrerbegleit Brigade with one Panzerabteilung of four companies of Pzkw IV and a Sturmgeschutzabteilung with four batteries of StuG III were in reserve assembled in the area around Daun on the 17th and not yet in action only beginning to move up at 1600H on the 18th. 45 mm. The losses in men and equipment for CCB, 9th Armored, as with the rest of the American units defending St. Vith, had been severe. What a fantastic real-life story or is it? Andrews, Frank L. The Defense of St. Vith in the Battle of the Ardennes December, 1944. 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.. General Hoge moved his command post to Commanster. 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. It appeared now that the fate of his two northern regiments was sealed. 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. Situation reports suggested that the Germans were intent on crossing the Our River at Steinebruck. 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. 18th Volksgrenadier Division - Wikiwand Manteuffels operation in the St. Vith area was already three days behind schedule. 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. 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. 18th Volksgrenadier Division - Wikiwand The Tiger I was a 57 tonne German heavy tank that has become one of the most famous tanks in history. 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. It is possible that it was really a Tiger tank. 111 () - However, just as the Americans began their pursuit, the Germans noticed them and began traversing their turret to face them. That eliminates this units Pzkw IV being the Tiger encountered by the Troop B M8 on Dec. 18th . Engeman set out with two task forces to meet the enemy. 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 capture of St. Vith was, however, important for three other reasons: to ensure the complete isolation of Allied troops that might be trapped on a nearby ridge called the Schnee Eifel; to cover the German supply lines unraveling behind the armored corps to the north and south; and to feed reinforcements laterally into the main thrusts by using the St. Vith road net. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating 571.Volksgrenadier-Division.Under the command of Gnther Hoffmann-Schnborn, the new division absorbed elements of the 18th Luftwaffe Field . At about 2130, General Clarke phoned General Hoge to tell him that the enemy was entering St. Vith from the north and that his forces were withdrawing to form a new line northwest of the city. However, this platoon never completed its mission. Within the Kloster, General Hoge found a division headquarters staff in a state of disarray and confusion. A second attempt on the bridge, made by about 40 men four hours later, was also thrown back by machine-gun fire. Jones wanted Clarke to counterattack immediately with his combat command and break that ring that these people have closed around 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]. 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. On February 5, 1945 General Walter Botsch took over command of the division. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating the 571st Volksgrenadier Division. Zaloga, Steven. Our database is searchable by subject and updated continuously. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division (18. 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. German reports are also far from subtlety. Dragon 1625 1/16th Obersturmfuhrer Totenkopf Division Budapest 1945 R 275.00. 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. Fire from the 16th Field Artillery broke up other enemy formations trying to assemble on the high ground to the south. Although General Jones was deeply worried about his two regiments on the Schnee Eifel, he was also highly concerned about the German advances in the Winterspelt area where his 424th Infantry Regiment was defending. To this end, General Hoge was in the town of Monschau to check on the possibility of getting his command across in that area. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating 571. Infanterie-Division . The Battle at St. Vith, Belgium 17-23 December 1944 An Historical Example of Armor in the Defense. Once St. Vith was taken, Model intended to drive the brigade swiftly for the Meuse River or cut behind the opposition on the Elsenborn Ridge that was bottling up the Sixth Panzer Army. 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. The 7th Armored had taken a beating in defending St. Vith. The earliest known mention can be found in the December 18th, 1944 morning report and record of events entry of Troop E, 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron which briefly states that an M-8 atchd [attached] to A Tr [Troop A] knocked out one Tiger tank. Bergstrm, Christer. The ground was frozen solid. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division (18.Volksgrenadier-Division; 18. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division (18.Volksgrenadier-Division; 18. Add to cart. First Edition, Stackpole Books, 2004. Pegov in March 1944 on a light tank T-70 destroyed two German Panthers aboard. Fortunately, a tank destroyer from Vielsalm turned up and hit the leading two German panzers, which drove the rest for cover. 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. First Edition, Stackpole Books, 2004. Schneider, Wolfgang. Therefore, he decided to use the 9th Armored at Winterspelt, since capture of that area by the Germans would open to the enemy a direct route to St. Vith, a route even shorter than that leading from the Schnee Eifel. Add to cart. They were repulsed by machine-gun fire. After Action Report, Month of December, 1944. Encyclopedia of German tanks of World War Two. of the Army, 1965. The supply trains led the way north on N27 to St. Vith. Johnston, W. Wesley. These troops were hit by the Fhrer Escort Brigade and driven from Rogery to Cierreux in some disarray. 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. For faster navigation, this Iframe is preloading the Wikiwand page for 18th Volksgrenadier Division. 188th Division (Nazi Germany) - Atozwiki.com Volksgrenadier-Division; 18. Combat Interviews of the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, 7th Armored Division: The St. Vith Salient, December 17-23, 1944. Soon after its crossing, B Company ran into German infantry dug in along the high ground overlooking the village of Elcherath. Armament T-70 gun cal. On its way to the new position, C Company came under a sudden artillery and rocket barrage in the village of Lommersweiler. The new sector assigned to CCB was on the fringe of territory the Sixth Panzer Army had mapped out for its further maneuvers. Plastic Models - Page 8 - Esswex Hobbies CCBs new position blocked the main Winterspelt-St. Vith highway and the valley of the Braunlauf Creek, a second natural corridor leading to St. Vith. The original story, if there even was one, was told and retold and distorted until everyone and their brother claimed to know the guys that did it. Jentz, Thomas, and Hilary Doyle. 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. If Hoge told him that the situation was bad, then without a doubt the situation was worse than he thought. 324 324. 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. 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. Third Printing, US Army Armored School, 1966. 22nd Air Landing Division (wehrmacht) - Encyclopedia Information Combat Interviews of the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, 7th Armored Division: The St. Vith Salient, December 17-23, 1944. Volksgrenadier-Division. Also no Ferdinand/Elefant recorded to have seen combat on Western Front. 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. 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. Could an M8 Greyhounds 37 mm M6 gun even penetrate the rear hull armor of a Tiger I? A mobile battalion of the 18th Volksgrenadier Division was already moving on Andler to seize the Schoenberg bridge and the road to St. Vith. 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. The story begins on the 18th of December 1944, two days after the start of the German offensive. (function (d, s, n) { This leads to a second candidate, the StuG III. 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.
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