To execute this maneuver, Hoges entire command would have to move all the way up to St. Vith and back down again. First Edition, Stackpole Books, 2004. The fight lasted for more than three hours before the Germans withdrew, leaving one burning tank and approximately 150 dead. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army (Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. This moment marked the beginning of the famous Battle of the Bulge, Germany's last major offensive on the Western Front in World War II. English translation for " 18e volksgrenadier division Could an M8 Greyhounds 37 mm M6 gun even penetrate the rear hull armor of a Tiger I? Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. Mines were laid. 560th Volks Grenadier Division (15-29 Dec. 1944) and 12th VGD (1-28 Jan. 1945). Clarke asked, Why in the world when I had only 2,500 men available to my command on December 17, did you not just execute a powerful frontal assault and overrun me?. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating 571. Unteroffizier Helmus of the 26th Volksgrenadier Division painted the situation when the advance began. The ultimate objective was to open an escape route for the soldiers of the 424th. }(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. 1945. 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. The job of capturing St. Vith went to the Fifth Panzer Armys 66th Corps, commanded by General Walther Lucht. He could not believe it. (function (d, s, n) { 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. 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 . Osprey Publishing, 2010. The CCB command post was moved to Neubruck, a small group of farmhouses on Braunlauf Creek about two miles southwest of St. Vith. While walking to avoid the traffic congestion, Manteuffel encountered his superior, Field Harshal Model. Darlington Productions Inc., 2000. It is a classic David versus Goliath tale straight out of World War II that features American heroism. Those men were a scrappy bunch. The Sixth Panzer Army, with the 15th Army on its right, was to launch the main attack between Monschau in the north and Prum in the south. Could a Panther be a possibility? English PDF (15 MB) Jan B-603 352d Volks Grenadier Division (19 Freb.-21 Mar. Schiffer Publishing, 2000. On December 21, 18. The most startling difference however is the range at which this engagement occurred, with Lieutenant Olsons version having the engagement take place at 800 yards (732 meters), compared to the original storys 25 yards (23 meters)! Johnston, W. Wesley. According to Hugh M. Cole, an American historian and army officer. 18. Volksgrenadier-Division - Axis History The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating 571. Olson states that, on the 18th of December 1944, one of the armored cars opened fire with its 37 mm gun on a German tank at range of 800 yards [732 meters]. 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. The same story is retold in A Colonel in the Armored Divisions A Memoir, 19411945 by William S. Triplet, and like a game of telephone it gets even more distorted. CCB, 9th Armored was linked on its left with CCB, 7th Armored and what was left of the 424th Infantry Regiment on its right. Jones wanted Clarke to counterattack immediately with his combat command and break that ring that these people have closed around the Schnee Eifel.. Three times the grenadiers [German] tried to rush their way through the foxhole line held by the 38th Armored Infantry Battalion (Lt. Col. William H. G. Fuller) and B Troop of the 87th astride the Schnberg road. After listening to the information provided by General Clarkes staff officer, General Hoge decided to go to St. Vith himself to assess the situation. Andrews, Frank L. The Defense of St. Vith in the Battle of the Ardennes December, 1944. 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. 110 () - Stackpole Books, 2015. The bridge at Steinebruck was intentionally left intact by General Hoge on the outside chance that some of the American troops trapped in the vicinity of the Schnee Eifel might be able to maneuver their way there. The route terminated at several vital crossroads in the city of St. Vith. 1940 194111. The Sherman tanks of B Company repulsed the enemy with fire from their 76mm guns. The town was also in Fifth Panzer Armys area of advance. His troops remained in place, and the pullout to the west side of the Our River began at dusk. After conferring with Clarke, Ridgway wanted to talk to one more man in whom he had supreme confidenceBrigadier General Hoge. Jentz, Thomas, and Hilary Doyle. 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. Schneider, Wolfgang. Jones explained to Hoge that his division was being attacked along its entire front and that two of his three regiments, the 422nd and the 423rd, had been partly surrounded in the Schnee Eifel area just east of Schoenberg. Eisernes Kreuz 2.Klasse (1914) Period: First World War (1914-1918) Awarded on: October 30th, 1917. German reports are also far from subtlety. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division(18th VGD) was a volksgrenadierdivision of the German Army(Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. An assault on Thommen forced out the troops holding the town, and efforts to retake it failed. The Germans were now on the high ground north of Eigelscheid overlooking the road to Winterspelt. Jentz, Thomas, and Hilary Doyle. () - 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. Perhaps the most unlikely performer of the entire battle was the 18th Volksgrenadier Division. 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. Eisernes Kreuz 2.Klasse (1914) Periode: Eerste Wereldoorlog (1914-1918) Toegekend op: 30 oktober 1917. 19454 At about noon that day, the 62nd Volksgrenadier Divisions 190th Regiment had broken through north of the 424th Infantrys Cannon Company. 18th Flak Division 651 . Soon after its crossing, B Company ran into German infantry dug in along the high ground overlooking the village of Elcherath. Schneider, Wolfgang. Add to cart. The Battle of the Bulge & The Defense of St. Vith On top of attacking the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron (minus Troop B), a Panzer IV can be easily misidentified as a Tiger I. After Clarke and Hoge settled upon a mutually supportive command structure, Clarke noted that Hoges command was, for the most part, forward of a railroad track built on a high embankment. Gen. Herbert T. Perrin, assistant commander of the 106th Infantry Division, drove up carrying a message from General Jones. The U.S. 9th Armored Division arrived in the European Theater of Operations in late October 1944 as a reserve for Maj. Gen. 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. 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. 8 Sturmgeschuetz s.Pak to Sturmmoerser. There are two likely candidates, the first being a Panzer IV. Encyclopedia of German tanks of World War Two. Infanterie-Division . 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. This was no place to conduct a mobile defense with armor-heavy forces. First Edition, Stackpole Books, 2005. First Edition, Stackpole Books, 2005. Germanys Tiger Tanks VK45.02 to TIGER II. 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. 223 223. The corps consisted of two infantry divisions. 47. The story begins on the 18th of December 1944, two days after the start of the German offensive. A scratch force made up of one platoon of riflemen from Company A, 27th AIB and a platoon from Company B, 9th Engineers were sent to contain the Germans. Zaloga, Steven. The German armored and infantry attacks were preceded by the shelling of the American positions with at least 657 light, medium, and heavy guns and howitzers and 340 multiple rocket launchers. When B Company pulled back to refuel and rearm, A Company passed through to take up the fight. Jentz, Thomas, and Hilary Doyle. 1946. Seventh Armored Division Association 2517 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Washington 8, D.C., 1947. Griffin, Marcus S. After Action Report, Month of December 1944. During the assault, B Company suffered about 40 casualties including its commanding officer, Captain Henry D. Wirsig. He is being outflanked and is retiring west another 2,000 yards refusing both flanks. Your email address will not be published. Luftlande-Division 19416 19421944 19453 22 22. The armored infantrymen kept themselves well hidden until the column was directly in front of them and then opened fire. Armored Champion, The Top Tanks of World War II. 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. Battle of the Bulge 1944 (1): St Vith and the Northern Shoulder. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division under the command of Generalmajor Gnther Hoffmann-Schnborn patrolled the Schnee Eifel area. 301 sentences with 'poor shape'. It is certainly possible that the tank destroyed in this engagement was a Panzer IV or a StuG III but in the absence of new evidence coming to light it can only be concluded that either the Greyhound crew knocked out a completely different tank or were otherwise exaggerating some action. M8 Greyhound Light Armored Car 1941-91. The Ardennes 1944-1945: Hitlers Winter Offensive. 18th Volksgrenadier Division (Germany) - liquisearch.com 223 () - Johnston, W. Wesley. Late on December 17, General Manteuffel was concerned with the lack of progress in his attack beyond the Schnee Eifel toward St. Vith. 45 mm. How about a Tiger II? The division's intelligence officer, Lieutenant Colonel Robert P. Stout, noted that the division faced two known enemy divisions, the 18th Volksgrenadier Division and the 26th Volksgrenadier Division. First-time contributor Charles Gutierrez is the son of a 9th Armored Division veteran. VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army (Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945.. Our preliminary briefings had told us that there would be no armor in our path. General Luchts 66th Corps was shifted from General Manteuffels Fifth Panzer Army to the Sixth Panzer. Once in St. Vith, Jones explained that only the leading elements of the 7th Armored Division had arrived thus far and that St. Viths northern approach was under attack. 3. . Volksgrenadier-Division; 18. 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. Germanys Tiger Tanks D.W. to Tiger I: Design, Production & Modifications. Volksgrenadier-Division. 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. 10 Apr. Communications with division headquarters in St. Vith were limited to liaison officers running along a road now being shelled by the Germans. It was to cross the Meuse on both sides of Liege before advancing on to Antwerp. The platoon lost four men missing and two wounded in the ensuing engagement. Volksgrenadier-Division. 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. After Action Report, Month of December, 1944. The 16th Field Artillery also pitched in, as did a battalion of 155mm howitzers sited around Commanster. With all of these contradictions, ambiguity, and lack of supporting documentation and evidence surrounding Troop Es entry in mind, it is safe to conclude that this is not the most reliable account of what really happened on the 18th of December, 1944 at St. Vith. The line companies were down to one officer apiece. 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. At 0100 the 23rd, D Troop, 89th Recon lost an armored car and a jeep to antitank guns. js.src = "//player.ex.co/player/710cf52d-720a-4250-8e95-fc85dcedab01"; Shortly thereafter, Hasbrouck called and asked, Bruce, do you think you can get out? Clarke answered, A miracle has happened, General! There was a bitter struggle to the south of Grufflingen, and the Germans were again active in the Neubruck area. 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. WWII Pictures on Twitter: "Soldiers of the 18th Volksgrenadier Division The mud had made the roads and open areas impassable for armored vehicles. He said that the fight took about ninety minutes and that they used almost all their ammunition. Little offtopic here but another misidentification might be the 1 destroyed 88mm assault gun (Ferdinand). 13th Company, 28th Jager Regiment, 8th Jager Division 286. Just kept to the main story. Cole, Hugh M. The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge. At 0600 Im going to start to move.. 2014. 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. One, the 18th Volksgrenadier Division, was holding the northern reaches of the Schnee Eifel. A mobile battalion of the 18th Volksgrenadier Division was already moving on Andler to seize the Schoenberg bridge and the road to St. Vith. 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. School of Tank Technology, April 1944. VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army ( Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. Sell, buy or rent Panzers in Winter: Hitler's Army and the Battle of the Bulge (Praeger Security I 9780275971151 0275971155, we buy used or new for best buyback price with FREE shipping and offer great deals for buyers. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division was to attack along the two roads from Schoenberg, with the Fhrer Escort Brigade assaulting from the north. The closest primary German armored thrust route to the south ran through Burg Reuland, also about five miles from St. Vith. English PDF (33 MB) Jan B-700 First Edition, Presidio Press, 2002. Please click for detailed translation, meaning, pronunciation and example sentences for 18e volksgrenadier division in English 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. 13 relations. The Commands main body was led by the 27th AIB with B Company in front, followed by Headquarters and C Company. The 9th Armored Divisions position at the Our was no longer tenable. List of German divisions in World War II (wikipdia) / List of Foreign Osprey Publishing, 2013. This is puzzling, to say the least. 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. 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. Rejection & Neglect available to buy on Payhip! 1/18th Scale Cars; 1/24th Scale Assembly Kits; 1/24th Scale Cars; 1/43rd Scale Cars; . It is time to withdraw.. Office of the Chief of Military History, Dept. Boylan, Vincent L. After Action Report, Month of December, 1944. South of Sixth Panzer Army was General Manteuffels Fifth Panzer Army, with the Seventh Army on its left. The formations started to peel backward in succession from opposite Neubruck to Maldingen. 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 . Two of its tanks were mired in mud that had not frozen and had to be retrieved by a tank dozer. Collins, Joshua, and Erik Albertson. Jentz, Thomas, and Hilary Doyle. This left General Clarke with only one full company of armored infantrymen. Inside the command post, General Hoge learned that the Germans had launched a heavy assault on Winterspelt against the men of the 424th Infantry. 22 22. 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. It is possible (if unlikely) that this event was completely unrelated to the M8 Greyhound versus Tiger story. A platoon of tank destroyers had vanished. Which specific Tiger II this was is unknown. Besides the previously mentioned absence of any recountings of this event in several notable documents that should have contained it, and most peculiarly, Captain Anstey himself makes no mention of the engagement when he discusses and documents the events of the 18th of December 1944 in a combat interview he gave on the 2nd of January 1945, just over two weeks after the event supposedly took place. The 7th Armored had taken a beating in defending St. Vith. Similar events have happened more than once, though on the Eastern Front. Volksgrenadier-Division; 18. September 18th, 1944: Kdr. December 20 was a day of disappointment for the Germans around St. Vith. var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; Cole, Hugh M. The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge. Jentz, Thomas, and Hilary Doyle. 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. Ridgways plan was premised on the assumption that that the American forces in this goose egg-shaped defense could be supplied by air; however, whoever drew up the plan was thinking in terms of supply requirements for the lighter airborne divisions, not for fuel-hungry and shell-reliant armored forces. Such events might have taken place in reality, true. 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. As each unit joined the rear of the column, it took its turn being the rear guard. Engeman set out with two task forces to meet the enemy. Elements of D Company, 89th Recon screened the flanks. Situation reports suggested that the Germans were intent on crossing the Our River at Steinebruck. However, it cannot be safely assumed that the tank killed in this engagement was a Tiger I or a Tiger II.