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. Jentz, Thomas, and Hilary Doyle. One, the 18th Volksgrenadier Division, was holding the northern reaches of the Schnee Eifel. This German World War II article is a stub. The division had lost four companies of armored infantry. The Sherman tanks of B Company repulsed the enemy with fire from their 76mm guns. It is time to withdraw.. Communications with division headquarters in St. Vith were limited to liaison officers running along a road now being shelled by the Germans. Gen. Robert Hasbroucks 7th Armored Division would be arriving at St. Vith at 0700 on the 17th. 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. By this time the Germans had essentially closed the trap on the two infantry regiments on the Schnee Eifel. 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. Gen. Bruce C. Clarke, commander of CCB, 7th Armored Division, arrived at General Joness command post in St. Vith at approximately 1030. 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. 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. During the early hours of December 17, the Germans laid heavy mortar and artillery fire on the front-line positions of his regiment. Fortunately for Colonel Reid, word came at about 1730 that his 424th Infantry Regiment was to withdraw immediately. 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. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division(18. He is being outflanked and is retiring west another 2,000 yards refusing both flanks. English PDF (15 MB) Jan B-603 352d Volks Grenadier Division (19 Freb.-21 Mar. VGD. On February 5, 1945 General Walter Botsch took over command of the division. The situation on Reids left flank was unclear, and the Germans were attacking in considerable force against his right flank. The lumbering heavy tank continued moving towards the American line before turning north towards the town of Hunningen, Belgium, passing the armored car. Each attack was preceded by an intense artillery barrage lasting from 15 to 35 minutes. 324 324. However, it cannot be safely assumed that the tank killed in this engagement was a Tiger I or a Tiger II. It appeared now that the fate of his two northern regiments was sealed. This is puzzling, to say the least. Then there is the issue of the entrys ambiguity in regards to the Tiger tank that was knocked out. The reason for this comparative respite was due to the fact that the roads to the German rear were completely jammed. Osprey Publishing, 2013. 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. Confusion, darkness, and mud slowed the move, but by morning a medium tank company and a platoon of riflemen had reached the village. }(document, 'script', 'exco-player')); The M8 Greyhound was a small, 7.9 tonne American armored car with 6.4 mm to 25.4 mm of armor, only enough to protect against rifle caliber bullets, and armed with a 37 mm M6 main gun, a peashooter at this point in the war. According to Hugh M. Cole, an American historian and army officer. Johnston, W. Wesley. Company B of the 9th Engineers and D Company of the 89th Recon joined the line to supplement the armored infantry. Operation Nordwind 1945 Hitlers last offensive in the West. It is interesting to note that the U.S 7th Armored Division suffered a moderate 425 Battle Casualties, on page 465 of Hitlers Last Gamble by Trevor N. Dupuy, for December 17-23, 1944 in the Battle of Saint Vith including the 1st day of the Battle of Manhay, out of the 3,397 Battle and Non-Battle Casualties suffered during the Battle by the U.S 112th Infantry Regiment of the U.S 28th Infantry Division, the U.S 424th Infantry Regiment of the U.S 106th Infantry Division, Combat Command B of the U.S 9th Armored Division and ofcourse the U.S 14th Cavalry Group. 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. Hoge departed Faymonville at approximately 1800, arriving at General Joness headquarters in the St. Josephs Kloster about a half hour later. As each unit joined the rear of the column, it took its turn being the rear guard. Manteuffel answered, We estimated that we were up against a division, and perhaps against an entire corps. Combat Interviews of the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, 7th Armored Division: The St. Vith Salient, December 17-23, 1944. Should 7th Armored lose St. Vith, 9th Armored would be unable to withdraw on its own axis. 47. Schneider, Wolfgang. It is stated as being reported to Major Boyer by one Captain Walter Henry Anstey of Company A of the 38th Armored Infantry Battalion, who is said to have been a witness to the event. For faster navigation, this Iframe is preloading the Wikiwand page for 18th Volksgrenadier Division. In minutes, a platoon of medium tanks from A Company of the 14th rolled across the bridge at Steinebruck and placed high explosive and heavy machine-gun fire on the enemys position in the woods and along the draw. 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. General Clarke again called on the 9th Armored for assistance to help stiffen his line, and Hoge responded by sending the 3rd Battalion, 424th Regimental Combat Team. Darlington Productions Inc., 2000. js.className = n; Bergstrm, Christer. 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. 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. Its supporting field artillery battalion was at Kalterherberg, two miles south of Monschau, engaged in firing missions for the 2nd and 99th Infantry Divisions. Another attack hit the left flank of 7th Armored. However, just as the Americans began their pursuit, the Germans noticed them and began traversing their turret to face them. Division 4. In blinding snow and on slippery roads the tanks and infantry of CCB, 9th Armored headed for Bauvenn. Operation Nordwind 1945 Hitlers last offensive in the West. Armament T-70 gun cal. It contained the 293., 294. and 295. grenadier regiments, Panzerjger-Bataillon 1818, Pionier-Bataillon 1818, Fsilier-Bataillon 1818 and Artillerie-Regiment 1818.[1]. Zaloga, Steven. Within the Kloster, General Hoge found a division headquarters staff in a state of disarray and confusion. Volksgrenadier-Division. Inform us! On December 21, 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. Under cover of automatic weapons fire from a platoon of light tanks, Sergeant Eugene Dorland and two other men from the engineers went into the cold, bullet-splattered water carrying three cases of TNT and placed their charges on the south abutment of the bridge. Since 7th Armoreds withdrawal meant that 9th Armoreds left flank would be in danger, the two generals agreed that Hoge would have to readjust part of his line to maintain contact with Clarkes new rearward position. 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. 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 CCB, 9th Armored Divisions headquarters in Faymonville, General Hoge was just finishing up his briefing for his commands move to the Losheim Gap and Manderfeld when the call came through from General Jones informing him of 9th Armoreds new Winterspelt mission. Combat Interviews of the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, 7th Armored Division: The St. Vith Salient, December 17-23, 1944. Division C E R T I F I C A T E 24 June 1945 I certify that I am S-3 If neither a Tiger I nor a Tiger II was killed on 18th December 1944 in or around the town of St. Vith by an M8 Greyhound, what was? Darlington Productions Inc., 2000. The two commanders agreed that even without the mud to contend with the withdrawal would have to be delayed simply because of heavy enemy pressure. 45 mm. The last of the St. Vith defenders to come out were Task Force Jones and the 112th Infantry Regiment. Eventually retreating through Germany until the end of the war, when it surrendered. Your email address will not be published. Daniel P. Kneeland, Grafton, Ma. Hoge and Ridgway had been on the West Point football team together when Ridgway had been the teams manager. The Ardennes 1944-1945: Hitlers Winter Offensive. The story begins on the 18th of December 1944, two days after the start of the German offensive. 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. Before the day ended, renewed fighting broke out along the entire front. 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. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. First Edition, Stackpole Books, 2005. Schiffer Publishing, 1996. 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. Gen. Herbert T. Perrin, assistant commander of the 106th Infantry Division, drove up carrying a message from General Jones. Volksgrenadier-Division; 18. Clarke, Bruce. On its way to the new position, C Company came under a sudden artillery and rocket barrage in the village of Lommersweiler. 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. The unit attacking Troop B, the 294th Volksgrenadier Regiment, had StuG IIIs and had been using StuG IIIs the previous day in small probing attacks east of St. Vith where Troop B would end up being positioned. Furthermore, General Clarke had no idea when his command would arrive. If Hoge told him that the situation was bad, then without a doubt the situation was worse than he thought. 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. The U.S. 9th Armored Division arrived in the European Theater of Operations in late October 1944 as a reserve for Maj. Gen. By mid-afternoon, General Hoge ordered his infantry to halt and dig in. By the end of the day, the 27th AIB had withdrawn through Steinebruck without casualties despite enemy shelling of the village. Clad in armor between 25 mm and 180 mm thick and armed with deadly 88mm KwK 43 L/71 gun, the Tiger II was one of the deadliest tanks of the Second World War. These troops were hit by the Fhrer Escort Brigade and driven from Rogery to Cierreux in some disarray. Not only does this change Captain Ansteys version of the story, but this also confirms the possibility that Troop Es entry could have been talking about a Tiger II. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating the 571st Volksgrenadier Division. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division would use these assault guns in small probing attacks on the American lines east of St. Vith that same day. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. 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. An appropriate start for the investigation of this action is to identify contemporary American accounts. Company B was stationed east of Galhausen and maintained contact with the nearest elements of the 7th Armored Division on 9th Armoreds left flank. Tiger. The line companies were down to one officer apiece. Maurice Delaval Papers Collection of the Military History Institute in Carlisle, PA. The Germans attacked the center of the 27th AIB. 194311 Boylan, Vincent L. Letter to Robert W. Hasbrouck. Thus, the Fifth Panzer Army commander ordered that St. Vith be taken no later than the second day of the offensive. Good Tank, Poor Deployment | T-34-76 and T-34-85 in Yugoslav Partisan Service. Company C, 27th AIB withdrew under heavy artillery and sniper fire but managed to destroy a number of German vehicles. At least 900 soldiers who had stood in front of the town were either dead or captured. While walking to avoid the traffic congestion, Manteuffel encountered his superior, Field Harshal Model. Lucht anticipated that the Americans would counterattack the next day, but that their reaction would be too late to avoid complete encirclement.

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