First-time contributor Charles Gutierrez is the son of a 9th Armored Division veteran. 47. However, this platoon never completed its mission. 18e volksgrenadier division English translation: 18th volksgrenadier division (wehrmacht).. 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. On this day, CCB of the 9th Armored Division was still in its assembly area in the vicinity of Faymonville. In the early afternoon of the 22nd, he arrived at General Hasbroucks headquarters in Vielsalm to plan the withdrawal. 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. 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. Then there is the issue of the entrys ambiguity in regards to the Tiger tank that was knocked out. English Edition, Casemate Publishers, 2014. 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. Unable to advance, it pulled back to the nearest high ground and dug in. Once the bridge at Steinebruck was seized, the 62nd was to support the 18th Volksgrenadier Divisions drive on St. Vith by blocking the western and southern routes in and out of the town. One Day at Stavelot, a Tale of Two Archives The Tiger II vs US Tank Destroyers in the Ardennes. Excellent deductive research! 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. On the morning of the December 20, three tank destroyers were placed in support of Company C, 27th AIB. Attack on Panther PzKw V and Tiger PzKw VI. So, rather than spill blood needlessly to take meaningless ground, Hoge called off the attack on Winterspelt. Its population in 1944 was about 2,000, and its citizens were very much pro-German. 4 Grosstraktor to Panzerbefehlswagen IV. St. Vith is built on a low hill surrounded on all sides by slightly higher rises. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating 571. Jentz, Thomas, and Hilary Doyle. Seventh Armored Division Association 2517 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Washington 8, D.C., 1947. Both American units were able to drive forward, and the Shermans knocked out six German armored vehicles. var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; 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. Although the 62nd Volksgrenadier captured Winterspelt, its losses were high and its left regiment had made little headway in the Heckhuschied sector. Hunnicutt, R. P. Armored Car A History of American Wheeled Combat Vehicles. According to British penetration diagrams from 1944, the 37 mm M6 gun firing its standard round, the 37 mm APC M51, could, under ideal conditions, penetrate the 80 mm thick rear hull armor angled at 9 degrees when firing at an angle of 0 degrees, albeit just barely. The M5 got within a yard of the Tiger and knocked it out with 5 rounds. VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army (Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945.. The U.S. 9th Armored Division contested the German advance around St. Vith during the Battle of the Bulge, and won precious time in the process. A platoon of tank destroyers had vanished. The 16th Field Artillery also pitched in, as did a battalion of 155mm howitzers sited around Commanster. Situation reports suggested that the Germans were intent on crossing the Our River at Steinebruck. Airfix J6017 Volkswagen Camper Van (Quick Build) R 405.00. The 14th Tank Battalion was on its way to the Steinebruck bridge when Brig. School of Tank Technology, April 1944. 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. War Department, 1944. Jentz, Thomas, and Hilary Doyle. VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army (Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. 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. At daybreak on December 21, the Germans launched their first assault of the day on CCB, 9th Armored. [1] On March 6, 1945, when Botsch was ordered to take command of the LIIIrd Army Corps, the 18. On December 21, 18. General Frederich Kittel, the division commander, ordered his mobile battalion up from his 164th Regiment reserve at Pronsfeld and into the attack along the Winterspelt road. Sicherungs-Division) was a rear-security division in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany. 1964. 16 Dec 2022 08:28:00 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. Add to cart. 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. 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 . 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. The 18. The Sherman tanks of B Company repulsed the enemy with fire from their 76mm guns. js = d.createElement(s); The 18th Volksgrenadier Division (18th VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. By that time the 62nd Volksgrenadier Division should have the bridge at Steinebruck rebuilt, at least two regiments of the 18th Volksgrenadier Division should be forward, and the Fhrer Escort Brigade should be ready to make the principal thrust down the Ambleve highway into St. Vith. This initial thrust carried the enemy approximately 400 yards into the battalions sector. M8 Greyhound Light Armored Car 1941-91. Gen. Bruce C. Clarke, commander of CCB, 7th Armored Division, arrived at General Joness command post in St. Vith at approximately 1030. The resulting blast damaged the bridge to such an extent that the Germans would not be able to bring vehicles across for at least 24 hours. It is a classic David versus Goliath tale straight out of World War II that features American heroism. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division (18.Volksgrenadier-Division; 18. Infanterie-Division 19398 . Back in the 1970s I worked with a man who told this story, he claimed he was the driver. Instead of the M8 Greyhound firing three shots into the Tigers rear, the M8 Greyhound in Lieutenant Olsons version of events fired two shots. The only known witness to the supposed event, Captain Walter Henry Anstey, died on 26th October 2003 at the age of 90, taking the truth of the events that day to his grave. Which specific Tiger II this was is unknown. However, he kept these misgivings to himself. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division (18. At 0130 the 27th AIB was hit hard and the sector held by Company B, 9th Engineers was deeply penetrated, causing the armored infantry to fall back under the protective guns of Company A, 14th Tank Battalion. 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. Under the command of Gnther Hoffmann-Schnborn, the new division absorbed elements of the 18th Luftwaffe Field Division. There are no German records or histories which indicate that, on 18th December 1944, a Tiger I or a Tiger II was knocked out in or around St. Vith. Combat Interviews of the 38th Armored Infantry Battalion, 7th Armored Division: The St. Vith Salient and Manhay, December 17-23, 1944. It contained the 293., 294. and 295. grenadier regiments, Panzerjger-Bataillon 1818, Pionier-Bataillon 1818, Fsilier-Bataillon 1818 and Artillerie-Regiment 1818.[1]. Infanterie-Division 19398 . A second attempt on the bridge, made by about 40 men four hours later, was also thrown back by machine-gun fire. Zaloga, Steven. Tigers In Combat I. The line companies were down to one officer apiece. The southernmost battle group of the 18th Volksgrenadier would also undertake a mobile thrust and, finally, the 62nd Volksgrenadier would break loose at Heckhuscheid and drive for the Our River Valley. Not long after Rodt fell to the Fhrer Escort Brigade, an attack came against the 7th Armored from the direction of Recht. Also no Ferdinand/Elefant recorded to have seen combat on Western Front. Penguin Books, 2016. Volksgrenadier-Division; 18. It was a new and inexperienced division made up of Luftwaffe personnel, former Kriegsmariners out of a In addition, the massive road jam caused by the inability to pass through St. Vith was creating acute shortages of gasoline and ammunition well to the west of St. Vith. of the Army, 1965. 324 324. It was at full strength and supplied with the latest equipment. His troops remained in place, and the pullout to the west side of the Our River began at dusk. Since St. Vith should have been taken on December 16 or the 17th at the latest, he decided to leave his command post at Waxweiler and spend the night with the 18th Volksgrenadier Division at Schoenberg. The 424th Infantry still blocked the road to the Our River and Steinebruck. At 0200 on December 22, the Fhrer Escort Brigade launched its attack against the town of Rodt, a small village west of St. Vith. Volksgrenadier-Division. Tiger. Revised Edition, Arms and Armour Press, 1973. 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. 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. Perrin told General Hoge, You can continue this attack on towards this back country, but you must be back on this side of the river by nightfall.. 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. EN RU CN DE ES. 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. The ground was frozen solid. Established in 1941, the unit was deployed in German-occupied areas of the Soviet Union, in the Army Group North Rear Area. 13th Flak Division 651 . The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating 571. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating 571. Ardennes 1944: Hitlers Last Gamble. They were repulsed by machine-gun fire. Operation Nordwind 1945 Hitlers last offensive in the West. Volksgrenadier-Division. General Jones and his staff had pulled out of St. Vith on the morning of the 18th for Vielsalm. The corps consisted of two infantry divisions. 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. On 18 January 1945, the final alignment became (XVIII Corps, U. S. First Army, 12th Army Group) -- the alignment in the hierarchy given here. Panzertruppen Volume 2 The Complete Guide to the Creation & Combat Deployment of The German Tank Forces 1943-1945. Cole, Hugh M. The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge. Home News Random Article Install Wikiwand Send a suggestion Uninstall Wikiwand Upgrade to Wikiwand 2.0 Andrews, Frank L. The Defense of St. Vith in the Battle of the Ardennes December, 1944. Stackpole Books, 2015. 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. If Hoge told him that the situation was bad, then without a doubt the situation was worse than he thought. Jentz, Thomas, and Hilary Doyle. Although the Germans were facing stiff resistance all along the American defensive line, they were determined to take St. Vith. Schiffer Publishing, 1996. 'poor shape' in a sentence. 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. Should 7th Armored lose St. Vith, 9th Armored would be unable to withdraw on its own axis. On February 5, 1945 General Walter Botsch took over command of the division. Under the chain of the northern sector command, only General Ridgway was unsure of Field Marshal Montgomerys decision to withdraw from the defense. Ridgways 82nd Airborne was building a fairly firm line west of the St. Vith defenders that should prevent the Germans from cutting off the salient from the rear. 2014. On top of attacking the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron (minus Troop B), a Panzer IV can be easily misidentified as a Tiger I. Volksgrenadier-Division. How about a Tiger II? Although the bridge over the Our was blown, the German presence kept growing. 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. 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. Your email address will not be published. . It appeared now that the fate of his two northern regiments was sealed. The town was also in Fifth Panzer Armys area of advance. 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. VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army (Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. Jentz, Thomas. That cold snap that hit us has frozen the roads. The hardest hit, though, were the armored infantrymen of the 27th AIB with nearly 300 battle casualties. Then, four German antitank guns covering the Grufflingen-Maldange road were encountered. Good Tank, Poor Deployment | T-34-76 and T-34-85 in Yugoslav Partisan Service. During the afternoon of December 19, Hoge visited Clarkes command post in St. Vith and expressed his frustration with the current chain of command. As the offensive steam came to an end in the Ardennes, the division went on the defensive, and there they would stay. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. Luftlande-Division 19416 19421944 19453 22 22. September 18th, 1944: Kdr. Gen. Herbert T. Perrin, assistant commander of the 106th Infantry Division, drove up carrying a message from General Jones. Osprey Publishing, 2010. For this mission, CCB consisted of the 14th Tank Battalion, the 27th Armored Infantry Battalion, the 16th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, and miscellaneous smaller units vital to any major command. Armored Champion, The Top Tanks of World War II. Osprey Publishing, 2002. This German World War II article is a stub. Johnston, W. Wesley. Jentz, Thomas, and Hilary Doyle. The entire division was to follow shortly thereafter. By the end of the day, the 27th AIB had withdrawn through Steinebruck without casualties despite enemy shelling of the village. The formations started to peel backward in succession from opposite Neubruck to Maldingen. Osprey Publishing, 2013. To cover this dangerous gap in the line C Company, 27th AIB was ordered to the Our between Troop D, 89th Recon and Company A, 27th AIB. They were sometimes misidentified as Tiger HIs. Yeah but Panthers rear and side armor is very weak, so its completely different story. The area being defended was beginning to take the form of a large horseshoe, its axis running approximately northeast to southeast. English PDF (15 MB) Jan B-513 German General Staff Officers, Casualties. 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. The northern prong of the horseshoe was composed of CCB, 7th Armored Division from Poteau and Vielsalm. Manteuffels operation in the St. Vith area was already three days behind schedule. One, the 18th Volksgrenadier Division, was holding the northern reaches of the Schnee Eifel. Between these units, a place was found for the provisional company composed of the 424th Infantry stragglers. Because Ridgway was not in total agreement with the withdrawal and to get a feel for the real situation on the ground, he and Hasbrouck made their way to General Clarke at Commanster. Since speed was the key to success of the German plan, two panzer armies would spearhead the offensive. 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. Double-talking his identification over the radio with allusions to West Point football days, Ridgway gave Hoge a location at which to meet him. Division C E R T I F I C A T E 24 June 1945 I certify that I am S-3 The time was approximately 1800 on Saturday, December 16, when Combat Command B of the 9th Armored Division began its move to St. Vith. Therefore, Montgomery ordered Ridgway to attack to the southeast until Vielsalm could be reached, ensuring an escape corridor for those trapped within the defense. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "aefa00eeca3d30bd3e762fcc54816f6d" );document.getElementById("f87928873f").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Attacking the rear of a Tiger when you had no way of knowing if it was supported by one or more others is extremely unlikely. Elements of the 62nd Volksgrenadier had taken the eastern half of Winterspelt during the night, and at daybreak reinforcements finally drove Colonel Reids 1st Battalion from the village. Jentz, Thomas, and Hilary Doyle. Schiffer Publishing, 2000. Communications with division headquarters in St. Vith were limited to liaison officers running along a road now being shelled by the Germans. 19454 One German tank was seen going up in flames. Zaloga, Steven. Hoge pointedly asked Ridgway how it could be done. Furthermore, the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadrons After Action Report (AAR) for the month of December 1944, written by Lieutenant Colonel Vincent Laurence Boylan, the commanding officer of the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron at the time, makes no mention of this event either. Anderson, Thomas. 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. 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. Rapidly, the M8 advanced to within 25 yards (23 meters) of the Tiger I and quickly pumped three rounds into its rear. During ceremonies observing the 20th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, General Clarke was able to talk to General Manteuffel and discuss German operations against St. Vith. VGD) was a volksgrenadierdivision of the German Army(Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. The troops request for armored support was denied by General Hoge because his tank companies sent north to help the 7th Armored had not yet returned and no reserve was on hand. The Ardennes 1944-1945: Hitlers Winter Offensive. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating the 571st Volksgrenadier Division. 1945. Moreover, at least a regiment from the 1st SS Panzer Division was in sporadic conflict with the American defenders in the Recht-Poteau area and, in the south, elements of the 560th Volksgrenadier Division, part of General Walter Kruegers 58th Panzer Corps, were also identified as pushing against American forces in the St. Vith salient. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. However, after careful analysis, it can be said with certainty that neither a Tiger I nor a Tiger II was killed by an M8 Greyhound from any troop of the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron on 18th December 1944 near St. Vith. Osprey Publishing, 2013. Mastering all the usages of 'poor shape' from sentence examples published by news publications. The circuitous march up one road and down another led to a new line just a few hundred yards to the west of the old one and was miraculously carried out while under attack without the loss of any men or equipment. Heeft u zelf meer informatie over deze persoon? Perhaps the most unlikely performer of the entire battle was the 18th Volksgrenadier Division. These German tanks would later be specified to be Panzer IVs or Mark IVs. Zaloga, Steven. Troop D, 89th Recon had positioned its troop headquarters and first platoon to cover the bridge over the Our. The ultimate objective was to open an escape route for the soldiers of the 424th. 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. [1] On March 6, 1945, when Botsch was ordered to take command of the LIIIrd Army Corps, the 18. Osprey Publishing, 2003. 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. 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 Germans were now on the high ground north of Eigelscheid overlooking the road to Winterspelt. The Pontiac, Michigan, resident also served 10 years in the U.S. Army. During the assault, B Company suffered about 40 casualties including its commanding officer, Captain Henry D. Wirsig. 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. Could a Panther be a possibility? In light of these circumstances, General Hasbrouck felt compelled to write to Clarke that unless the withdrawal began soon the opportunity will be gone., During the night of December 22, a cold wind had begun to blow out of the east bringing what weathermen call a Russian high. Although both Clarke and Hoge noted it, they saw little hope that the ground might freeze in time to aid their withdrawal, but after receiving Hasbroucks message Clarke stepped out and tested the ground. I think we can make it now. This battalion hit the 424ths Cannon Company at the Weissenhof crossroads. 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. Eventually retreating through Germany until the end of the war, when it surrendered. 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. 22 22. Our preliminary briefings had told us that there would be no armor in our path. Despite nearly a foot of snow, the ground underneath was still soft, and with the passage of only a few heavy vehicles it was soon churned into a morass of mud. This was no place to conduct a mobile defense with armor-heavy forces. Battle of the Bulge 1944 (1): St Vith and the Northern Shoulder. EN. Having first conferred with General Jones, Hoge ordered a withdrawal from the river to begin after nightfall. Possibly such events took place in reality. This leads to a second candidate, the StuG III. VGD. On December 9, 1944, Brig. Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz (1918) Periode: Eerste Wereldoorlog (1914-1918) . Beevor, Antony. Armored Champion, The Top Tanks of World War II. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating the 571st Volksgrenadier Division. Eisernes Kreuz 2.Klasse (1914) Periode: Eerste Wereldoorlog (1914-1918) Toegekend op: 30 oktober 1917. 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. He also hoped the 3rd Armored Division soon might attack to remove all threat of encirclement. 3. 6731 Whittier Avenue, Suite C-100 McLean, VA 22101, Stay up to date with all of our latest news, 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. Company B of the 9th Engineers and D Company of the 89th Recon joined the line to supplement the armored infantry. German Division Nr. The tanks of the 14th Tank Battalion and the half-tracks of the 27th AIB paused to pick up the foot elements of the 424th RCT, 106th Infantry Division. 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. Tigers In Combat I. He is being outflanked and is retiring west another 2,000 yards refusing both flanks. First Edition, Stackpole Books, 2005. Collins, Joshua, and Erik Albertson. During the rest of the day and on into the evening of December 17, CCB, 7th Armored moved into St. Vith and began a buildup that resembled a large horseshoe on the high ground to the east of the village. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating the 571st Volksgrenadier Division. A strong attack has just developed against Clarke again. Each attack was preceded by an intense artillery barrage lasting from 15 to 35 minutes. The fortified goose egg ran nearly 10 miles in diameter, containing a mass of forest and only one decent road running northwest to southwest. Boylan, Vincent L. After Action Report, Month of December, 1944.

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