First Edition, Stackpole Books, 2004. 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 Pontiac, Michigan, resident also served 10 years in the U.S. Army. By the end of the day, the 27th AIB had withdrawn through Steinebruck without casualties despite enemy shelling of the village. Im going to guess that they just created this all up in their head. Clarke pulled back his left flank to protect Hinderhausen, a key position on the emergency exit route to Commanster and Vielsalm. 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. 223 223. Confusion, darkness, and mud slowed the move, but by morning a medium tank company and a platoon of riflemen had reached the village. For example, when G.I. 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. Out of the 1,467 tanks the Germans brought with them to the Battle of the Bulge on the 16th of December, 1944, 52 of them were Tiger IIs and 14 of them were Tiger Is. Both assault groups suffered heavy casualties. On December 16th at 4:00 a.m., they took the twenty-two foot macadam road following the Our River valley towards Manderfield. This left General Clarke with only one full company of armored infantrymen. Schneider, Wolfgang. Zaloga, Steven, and Tony Bryan. [1] On March 6, 1945, when Botsch was ordered to take command of the LIIIrd Army Corps, the 18. 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. 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. 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 division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating the 571st Volksgrenadier Division.The division, which was under the command of Gnther Hoffmann-Schnborn, absorbed elements of the 18th Luftwaffe Field Division. Volksgrenadier-Division; 18. 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. Then, four German antitank guns covering the Grufflingen-Maldange road were encountered. One, the Sixth Panzer Army, was commanded by SS Obergruppenfhrer (brigadier general) Josef Sepp Dietrich, and the other, the Fifth Panzer Army, was commanded by General Hasso von Manteuffel. Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz (1918) Periode: Eerste Wereldoorlog (1914-1918) . 6731 Whittier Avenue, Suite C-100 McLean, VA 22101, Stay up to date with all of our latest news, Osprey Publishing, 2013. The line companies were down to one officer apiece. 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 brigade had 9,000 men, Mark IV tanks, assault guns, 104mm and 105mm artillery, 88mm antiaircraft guns, and a number of heavy automatic weapons batteries. 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. Lucht anticipated that the Americans would counterattack the next day, but that their reaction would be too late to avoid complete encirclement. Task Force Jones and the 112th Infantry eventually found their way into 82nd Airborne Division lines during the night of the 24th, but not before the units suffered heavy losses. After Action Report, Month of December, 1944. The greatest danger existed in the 424ths position because the regiments flank lay vulnerable to attacks by the 116th Panzer Division to the south. 3. Jentz, Thomas, and Hilary Doyle. The move had scarcely begun when an enemy attack hit the junction between Company B, 27th AIB and Company D, 14th Tank Battalion. The hardest hit, though, were the armored infantrymen of the 27th AIB with nearly 300 battle casualties. Add to cart. Company A of the 27th AIB had been assigned to the 99th Infantry Division and was in the process of being retrieved when the march to St. Vith began. Operation Nordwind 1945 Hitlers last offensive in the West. 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. Tiger. Two hits were scored on the enemy tank in the rear, and its crew evacuated. The foot elements of the 27th AIB were then to move out with Company B, 482nd Antiaircraft Artillery and some light tanks from Company D, 14th Tank Battalion following behind Company B, 27th AIB. 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. The surviving Volksgrenadiers fled in disarray. Now with a new armored combat command due to arrive at 0700 hours the next day, and with the rest of the division to follow, Jones believed he would soon have the potential to deal with both the Schnee Eifel and Winterspelt emergencies. So many soldiers of the 18th Volksgrenadier Division converged on Wallerode for the final push against St. Vith that the villagers themselves threatened to be squeezed out. Based upon this fairly optimistic view, Ridgway, shortly after midnight, ordered the entire St. Vith force to withdraw from its current positions and form a defensive ring west of St. Vith and east of the Salm River. But if four versions was not enough, there is potentially another version of this tale contained in a combat interview given by Lieutenant Arthur A. Olson of Troop D, 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron on the 8th of January, 1945. Therefore, Montgomery ordered Ridgway to attack to the southeast until Vielsalm could be reached, ensuring an escape corridor for those trapped within the defense. By midnight on the 19th, the horseshoe- shaped defense of St. Vith had taken form. September 18th, 1944: Kdr. js.className = n; Office of the Chief of Military History, Dept. VGD captured St. Vith, winning a great victory. The supply trains led the way north on N27 to St. Vith. Not long after Rodt fell to the Fhrer Escort Brigade, an attack came against the 7th Armored from the direction of Recht. He also hoped the 3rd Armored Division soon might attack to remove all threat of encirclement. 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. Ridgway knew Hoge to be calm, courageous, and imperturbable. Add to cart. Schiffer Publishing, 2000. I am weighing toward a stray Panzer IV or maybe a SP gun like the one you described. Rapidly, the M8 advanced to within 25 yards (23 meters) of the Tiger I and quickly pumped three rounds into its rear. The Tiger I was a 57 tonne German heavy tank that has become one of the most famous tanks in history. It is possible (if unlikely) that this event was completely unrelated to the M8 Greyhound versus Tiger story. He was also told that all that stood in their way were two troops of the 87th Recon Squadron, 7th Armoreds 87th, and a few antiaircraft half-tracks. Jentz, Thomas, and Hilary Doyle. 194311 The armored infantrymen kept themselves well hidden until the column was directly in front of them and then opened fire. Panzer Tracts No. 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. Infanterie-Division 19398 . The ultimate objective was to open an escape route for the soldiers of the 424th. First Edition, Presidio Press, 2002. 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. En route, the officer was approached by a member of General Clarkes staff who told him that German tanks were approaching St. Vith along the road from the north. 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. Anderson, Thomas. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. St. Vith is built on a low hill surrounded on all sides by slightly higher rises. The Sherman tanks of B Company repulsed the enemy with fire from their 76mm guns. On the road to Winterspelt, General Hoge soon learned that the situation there was worse than General Jones had described. After putting down a heavy concentration of artillery fire, the Germans moved their infantry across the river east of the position held by the 2nd platoon of D Troop, 89th Recon. Since General Hoge was supposed to be under Joness command and did not understand the overall situation around St. Vith, he decided to find out exactly what was going on. Combat Interviews of the 38th Armored Infantry Battalion, 7th Armored Division: The St. Vith Salient and Manhay, December 17-23, 1944. 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. Join historians and history buffs alike with our Unlimited Digital Access pass to every military history article ever published (over 3,000 articles) in Sovereigns military history magazines. 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. 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. Tigers In Combat I. The next notable version of this tale comes from a 1966 book by the US Army Armor School titled The Battle at St. Vith, Belgium 17-23 December 1944: A Historical Example of Armor in the Defense. Boyer, Donald P. St. Vith The 7th Armored Division in the Battle of the Bulge 17-23 December 1944 A Narrative After Action Report. CCB, 9th Armored was linked on its left with CCB, 7th Armored and what was left of the 424th Infantry Regiment on its right. 8 Sturmgeschuetz s.Pak to Sturmmoerser. 1947. If it was on a slope and firing down to the engine bay, then maybe but that would require it to be at such an angle that the M8 would topple and roll down. Armored Champion, The Top Tanks of World War II. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division (18. 1/18th Scale Cars; 1/24th Scale Assembly Kits; 1/24th Scale Cars; 1/43rd Scale Cars; . EN. Engeman set out with two task forces to meet the enemy. The division, which was under the command of Gnther Hoffmann-Schnborn, absorbed . Darlington Productions Inc., 2000. Under the command of Gnther Hoffmann-Schnborn, the new division absorbed elements of the 18th Luftwaffe Field Division. 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. 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. 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. The provisional company of 424th stragglers disappeared during the night. 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. 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. 281st Security Division (281. On February 5, 1945 General Walter Botsch took over command of the division. By 1245, the original line was restored, and the antitank guns of Company A, 811th Tank Destroyers were recovered. Model informed Manteuffel that he would be given the Fhrer Escort Brigade, which was nearly equal in strength to an American light armored division, for the upcoming assault on St. Vith. The 62nd, like the 18th, included three regiments of two battalions each. However, just as the Americans began their pursuit, the Germans noticed them and began traversing their turret to face them. First Edition, Stackpole Books, 2005. August 18th, 1989 Kalb, Herbert Kalbhenn, Heinrich * February 3rd, 1915 more Kaldeway, x Kalesse, Gerhard (Grenadier-Regiment 689) * July 15th, 1918 October 23rd, 2011 Kaletsch, Georg * October 16th, 1914 March 6th, 1944 Kaletsch, Wilhelm Kalinowski, Josef (Panzergrenadier-Regiment "GD") * January 23rd, 1916 April 5th, 1944 Grave: UNK Panzer Tracts, 2001. The corps consisted of two infantry divisions. 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. All but five troopers of 2nd Platoon were lost to enemy action. Also no Ferdinand/Elefant recorded to have seen combat on Western Front. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Close. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating the 571st Volksgrenadier Division. 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. This was no place to conduct a mobile defense with armor-heavy forces. On the morning of the December 20, three tank destroyers were placed in support of Company C, 27th AIB. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating 571. 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. The Ardennes 1944-1945: Hitlers Winter Offensive. An attack to the east by the 7th Armored Division could then relieve the two surrounded regiments of the 106th. For faster navigation, this Iframe is preloading the Wikiwand page for 18th Volksgrenadier Division. The 7th Armored had taken a beating in defending St. Vith. 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. 47. The 18. 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. Hunnicutt, R. P. Armored Car A History of American Wheeled Combat Vehicles. September 18th, 1944: Kdr. Schiffer Publishing, 1997. VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army (Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945.. 16 Dec 2022 08:28:00 Company A of the 14th Tank Battalion had some trouble disengaging. The last Tiger II belonged to Schwere Panzer Abteilung 506 (Heavy Tank Battalion 506) and was lost to enemy fire on the Lentzweiler road in Luxemburg. As the offensive steam came to an end in the Ardennes, the division went on the defensive, and there they would stay. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division(18th VGD) was a volksgrenadierdivision of the German Army(Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. Jentz, Thomas. On December 21, 18. 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. 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. Battle of the Bulge 1944 (1): St Vith and the Northern Shoulder. It was at full strength and supplied with the latest equipment. . Infanterie-Division Hamburg 19453 . The column came upon stragglers from the 424th Infantry retreating in disarray toward St. Vith. However, it cannot be definitively stated that this is another version of the M8 Greyhound versus Tiger story due to its ambiguity. Roadblocks were set up and manned. Our preliminary briefings had told us that there would be no armor in our path. 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. Shortly thereafter, Hasbrouck called and asked, Bruce, do you think you can get out? Clarke answered, A miracle has happened, General! Ardennes 1944: Hitlers Last Gamble. 2014 Infanterie-Division 19398 . This version of the story, which is paraphrased in the introduction, will be referred to as the original version of the story. Zaloga, Steven. First Edition, Presidio Press, 2002. Given the unreliability of the American accounts of this supposed event and the lack of any supporting documentation from the Germans, it is safe to say that neither a Tiger I nor a Tiger II was knocked out by an M8 Greyhound on 18th December 1944 in or around the town of St. Vith. The message was that his command was now back with VIII Corps and that he was to go to St. Vith and report to Maj. Gen. Alan W. Jones, commander of the newly arrived 106th Infantry Division. VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army (Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. 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 distance from Burg Reuland on the southeast to Poteau on the northwest was about 10 miles with only a single secondary road as a line of retreat for thousands of men defending the horseshoe against attack from three directions. Since speed was the key to success of the German plan, two panzer armies would spearhead the offensive. To this end, General Hoge was in the town of Monschau to check on the possibility of getting his command across in that area. It can be safely assumed that the armored car that Lieutenant Olson is talking about in his story is an M8 Greyhound due to the fact that the only armored cars that the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron fielded were M8 Greyhounds. A mobile battalion of the 18th Volksgrenadier Division was already moving on Andler to seize the Schoenberg bridge and the road to St. Vith. 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. Company B of the 9th Engineers and D Company of the 89th Recon joined the line to supplement the armored infantry. 6 Schwere Panzerkampfwagen DW to E-100. Staff Sergeant Frank Mykalo knocked out a German machine-gun position, enabling the men in the lead half-tracks to dismount and deploy along the side of the road. The guns of two platoons of Company A, 811th Tank Destroyers were overrun. Battle of the Bulge 1944 (1): St Vith and the Northern Shoulder. 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. Zaloga, Steven. Daniel P. Kneeland, Grafton, Ma. Still quite a feat for a little Greyhound, though well probably never know conclusively. General Jones and his staff had pulled out of St. Vith on the morning of the 18th for Vielsalm. Design, Production & Modifications. Germanys Tiger Tanks VK45.02 to TIGER II. Tigers In Combat II. Fire from the 16th Field Artillery broke up other enemy formations trying to assemble on the high ground to the south. 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. At daybreak on December 21, the Germans launched their first assault of the day on CCB, 9th Armored. 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 . Yes in theory. I should also note that reconnaissance doctrine was to disengage if at all possible and in no way engage enemy armour beyond scout elements. Unable to advance, it pulled back to the nearest high ground and dug in. That night, infantry patrols found German medics removing their wounded. Just kept to the main story. Developed in the 1930s, the Panzer IV was one of the mainstay German armored fighting vehicles of the Second World War as well as Germanys most-produced tank of the war, with over 8,500 produced. South of St. Vith, even as Lt. Col. Engemans task forces were responding to the 7th Armoreds cry for help, Germans of the 62nd Volksgrenadier Division were trying to get across the Our River at Steinebruck and hit St. Vith from that direction. English PDF (15 MB) Jan B-513 German General Staff Officers, Casualties. The fall of Rodt effectively split 7th Armoreds CCA from General Clarkes CCB. Armament T-70 gun cal. The German 20th Infantry Division was an infantry division of Nazi Germany.HistoryThe was established in 1934 under the cover name. At 0200 on December 22, the Fhrer Escort Brigade launched its attack against the town of Rodt, a small village west of St. Vith. 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. 223 223. Established in 1941, the unit was deployed in German-occupied areas of the Soviet Union, in the Army Group North Rear Area.

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