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120th Infantry Regiment (30th Infantry Division) 307th Airborne Engineer Battalion 319th Field Artillery Glider Battalion 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment German Units 3d Parachute Division 12th SS Panzer Division 18th Volksgrenadier Division 246th Volsgrenadier Division 884th March Battalion 905th Assault Gun Brigade 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. The area being defended was beginning to take the form of a large horseshoe, its axis running approximately northeast to southeast. After conferring with Clarke, Ridgway wanted to talk to one more man in whom he had supreme confidenceBrigadier General Hoge. Fortunately, a tank destroyer from Vielsalm turned up and hit the leading two German panzers, which drove the rest for cover. The attacks made east of St. Vith on 18 December were carried by a part of the 294th Infantry [German], whose patrols had been checked by the 168th Engineers [US] the previous day. December 20 was a day of disappointment for the Germans around St. Vith. The fall of Rodt effectively split 7th Armoreds CCA from General Clarkes CCB. Combat Interviews of the 38th Armored Infantry Battalion, 7th Armored Division: The St. Vith Salient and Manhay, December 17-23, 1944. A second attempt on the bridge, made by about 40 men four hours later, was also thrown back by machine-gun fire. Home News Random Article Install Wikiwand Send a suggestion Uninstall Wikiwand Upgrade to Wikiwand 2.0 Therefore, Montgomery ordered Ridgway to attack to the southeast until Vielsalm could be reached, ensuring an escape corridor for those trapped within the defense. Tiger. Armament T-70 gun cal. Zaloga, Steven. This moment marked the beginning of the famous Battle of the Bulge, Germanys last major offensive on the Western Front in World War II. Johnston, W. Wesley. 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 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. 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. This forest was criss-crossed only by trails. Rapidly, the M8 advanced to within 25 yards (23 meters) of the Tiger I and quickly pumped three rounds into its rear. Thus, the job of rescuing the two trapped infantry regiments on the Schnee Eifel passed from the 9th to the 7th Armored Division. 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. Schneider, Wolfgang. Osprey Publishing, 2010. At about 0930, the enemy attacked St. Vith from Hunningen to the north, apparently in an effort to envelop Clarkes left flank. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division(18. Volksgrenadier-Division; 18. Osprey Publishing, 2002. Perhaps the most unlikely performer of the entire battle was the 18th Volksgrenadier Division. In blinding snow and on slippery roads the tanks and infantry of CCB, 9th Armored headed for Bauvenn. One task force was made up of A and B Companies of the 14th Tank Battalion, B Company of the 482nd Antiaircraft Artillery, and another platoon of the 14th. 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. At 0100 the 23rd, D Troop, 89th Recon lost an armored car and a jeep to antitank guns. The mobile battalion consisted of three platoons of assault guns, a company of engineers, and another of fusiliers. At about midday, the field marshal sent a message to General Hasbrouck: You have accomplished your missiona mission well done. VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army (Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945.. 1/18th Scale Cars; 1/24th Scale Assembly Kits; 1/24th Scale Cars; 1/43rd Scale Cars; . 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. This leads to a second candidate, the StuG III. The 7th Armored had taken a beating in defending St. Vith. It consisted of the 136th 138th and 139th Mountain Replacement Regiments and the 112th Artillery St. Vith is built on a low hill surrounded on all sides by slightly higher rises. 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. The village of Bauvenn was designated the linkage point for the two combat commands. 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. 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. Within the Kloster, General Hoge found a division headquarters staff in a state of disarray and confusion. Hoge pointedly asked Ridgway how it could be done. . 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. Hoge immediately got on the phone and ordered Engeman to move out. 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. Bergstrm, Christer. None of these Tiger IIs were lost at St. Vith and from photographic evidence at least three are recorded to have no burn damage and/or holes in the rear. A two-day rest was planned for everyone. Eventually retreating through Germany until the end of the war, when it surrendered. Mines were laid. VGD led by Heinz Kokott, Heinrich Himmler's brother-in-law. Armored Champion, The Top Tanks of World War II. Still quite a feat for a little Greyhound, though well probably never know conclusively. VGD division was absorbed into the 26. Although it was beaten off, the attacking Germans were identified as new to the area, soldiers of the 9th SS Panzer Division, a cause for considerable concern at this point in the battle. They were sometimes misidentified as Tiger HIs. 'poor shape' in a sentence. The 424th Infantry had its back to the Our River, and if the Germans seized the bridge at Steinebruck and spread along the far bank his regiment would be hard pressed to effectively withdraw. 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. For faster navigation, this Iframe is preloading the Wikiwand page for 18th Volksgrenadier Division. Zaloga, Steven, and Tony Bryan. Jentz, Thomas, and Hilary Doyle. No reinforcements were expected. Could a Panther be a possibility? Inform us! This version is also attributed to Captain Anstey and is nearly the exact same as his original version of the story as well as being plagued by the exact same issues. VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army (Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. It was a race between the Germans who were desperately trying to bring their 88 mm gun to bear and the Americans who were trying to get as close as possible to the Tiger Is rear. The ultimate objective was to open an escape route for the soldiers of the 424th. First Edition, Stackpole Books, 2004. With the enemy inside Steinebruck and excellent direct fire by the German artillery, what was left of 2nd Platoon, 89th Recon withdrew along the St. Vith road. Lieutenant Olsons version of the story would be the most contradicting version yet. Ninth Armored and its attachments traveled southwest on N26 to the junction with N33 west of Beho, then turned north on N33 to Salmchateau, and finally west on N183 through Lierneux to Malempre-Jevigne, southeast of Manhay. An assault on Thommen forced out the troops holding the town, and efforts to retake it failed. When B Company pulled back to refuel and rearm, A Company passed through to take up the fight. At approximately 0100 on December 18, a German force of about 30 men tried to cross the Our at Steinebruck after a brief artillery barrage. By midnight on the 19th, the horseshoe- shaped defense of St. Vith had taken form. 1947. Rebuilding the blown bridge to get their assault guns across was their first priority. Combat Interviews of the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, 7th Armored Division: The St. Vith Salient, December 17-23, 1944. Add to cart. 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. Your email address will not be published. By noon, the 27th AIB, with the help of Company A, 14th Tank Battalion, had retaken that first stretch of high ground. However, just as the Americans began their pursuit, the Germans noticed them and began traversing their turret to face them. In this version the M8 is replaced by an M5 Stuart from the 17th Tank Battalion of the 7th Armored during the retreat from St. Vith, that somehow miraculously ended up behind a Tiger when they thought they were following a Sherman. German Division Nr. 47. Tiger. 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. VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army (Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. By 1300 on the 21st, the entire line was ablaze with German artillery, rockets, tanks, and infantry. VGD. Shortly thereafter, Hasbrouck called and asked, Bruce, do you think you can get out? Clarke answered, A miracle has happened, General! I mention it for the sake of completeness as I suspect that the whole thing is a myth. Panzer Tracts No. Revised Edition, Arms and Armour Press, 1973. Company B was stationed east of Galhausen and maintained contact with the nearest elements of the 7th Armored Division on 9th Armoreds left flank. Volksgrenadier-Division; 18. Both B and C Companies pulled back to the vicinity of Neidingen, near the battalion command post, while the 14th Tank Battalion established a perimeter defense around its assembly area near Breitfeld about halfway between the Our and St. Vith. His troops remained in place, and the pullout to the west side of the Our River began at dusk. Anderson, Thomas. American Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force Choose a Unit. 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. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating the 571st Volksgrenadier Division.