The Tiger I was a 57 tonne German heavy tank that has become one of the most famous tanks in history. General Hoge set up his command post in the Belgian village of Faymonville, approximately 12 miles north of the town of St. Vith, unaware of the pivotal role his command was to play in a very different battle. Zaloga, Steven, and Tony Bryan. The 7th Armored had taken a beating in defending St. Vith. 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 men of the 2nd SS Panzer Corps had expected to be on the Meuse by December 19, but on the night of December 20 the Americans still denied them access to St. Vith. War Department, 1944. 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. 16 Dec 2022 08:28:00 Inside the command post, General Hoge learned that the Germans had launched a heavy assault on Winterspelt against the men of the 424th Infantry. That evening General Clarke also put his command into Commanster. 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. 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. Jentz, Thomas, and Hilary Doyle. 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.. German Division Nr. The Commands main body was led by the 27th AIB with B Company in front, followed by Headquarters and C Company. Armored Champion, The Top Tanks of World War II. What he claimed was that the fight wasnt as easy as it is presented here. 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. Panzer Tracts, 2001. VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army (Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. There are two likely candidates, the first being a Panzer IV. At about midday, the field marshal sent a message to General Hasbrouck: You have accomplished your missiona mission well done. Schiffer Publishing, 2000. Daniel P. Kneeland, Grafton, Ma. It is a classic David versus Goliath tale straight out of World War II that features American heroism. While on its way, the platoon was commandeered by a colonel from the 106th Division. 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. Possibly such events took place in reality. An M8 Greyhound armored car of Troop B, 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron was lying in a concealed position just northeast of the vitally important crossroads town of St. Vith, Belgium. 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. This information came from the division's senior headquarters, the VIII Corps, First U.S. Army. Overall operational command for the offensive fell to Field Marshal Walther Model. 10 Apr. This leads to a second candidate, the StuG III. German 18th Volksgrenadier Div. Under the chain of the northern sector command, only General Ridgway was unsure of Field Marshal Montgomerys decision to withdraw from the defense. The similarity in appearance between the Panzer IV and Tiger I is often cited as a reason to why there are so many claims made by soldiers during World War II of battling Tiger Is, despite Tiger Is being a fairly rare encounter. Johnston, W. Wesley. 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)! Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. 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. The entry only states that a Tiger tank was knocked out. The entire division was to follow shortly thereafter. Schiffer Publishing, 1996. In the early afternoon of the 22nd, he arrived at General Hasbroucks headquarters in Vielsalm to plan the withdrawal. Osprey Publishing, 2013. 6 Schwere Panzerkampfwagen DW to E-100. 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. 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. 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. One, the 18th Volksgrenadier Division, was holding the northern reaches of the Schnee Eifel. 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. It was at full strength and supplied with the latest equipment. Ridgway knew Hoge to be calm, courageous, and imperturbable. 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. 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. Still quite a feat for a little Greyhound, though well probably never know conclusively. Gen. Bruce C. Clarke, commander of CCB, 7th Armored Division, arrived at General Joness command post in St. Vith at approximately 1030. The second task force consisted of B Company of the 811th Tank Destroyers. Jentz, Thomas, and Hilary Doyle. This battalion hit the 424ths Cannon Company at the Weissenhof crossroads. 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. 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. 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. Hoge could not see much sense in making an attack, taking ground, and then turning right around and coming back, especially if the attack was successful. So its quite possible! 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. The surviving Volksgrenadiers fled in disarray. 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. At least 900 soldiers who had stood in front of the town were either dead or captured. Given that the American accounts do not give a consistent account of what happened that day at St. Vith, the other side of this story must also be investigated. At about noon that day, the 62nd Volksgrenadier Divisions 190th Regiment had broken through north of the 424th Infantrys Cannon Company. Due to the lack of detail in Troop Es entry, it is impossible to tell which Tiger tank is the one being referred to in the account. Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz (1918) Period: First World War (1914-1918) Awarded on: . Operation Nordwind 1945 Hitlers last offensive in the West. 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. The fortified goose egg ran nearly 10 miles in diameter, containing a mass of forest and only one decent road running northwest to southwest. Captain Ansteys version lacks supporting documentation. General Jones and his staff had pulled out of St. Vith on the morning of the 18th for Vielsalm. Rejection & Neglect available to buy on Payhip! The division had lost four companies of armored infantry. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division ( 18. Rather than reaching the Meuse and driving on to Antwerp, the offensive stalled and eventually was turned back. The southern prong was defended by General Hoges CCB, 9th Armored with the weakened 424th Infantry Regiment tied in and bent back protecting Burg Reuland. The move had scarcely begun when an enemy attack hit the junction between Company B, 27th AIB and Company D, 14th Tank Battalion. Shortly thereafter, Hasbrouck called and asked, Bruce, do you think you can get out? Clarke answered, A miracle has happened, General! If Hoge told him that the situation was bad, then without a doubt the situation was worse than he thought. Troy Middletons VIII Corps. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating 571. Bergstrm, Christer. In the 27th AIBs move to take the high ground, B Company advanced along the center of the road. Jentz, Thomas, and Hilary Doyle. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division (18.Volksgrenadier-Division; 18. The Germans were now on the high ground north of Eigelscheid overlooking the road to Winterspelt. 13th Flak Division 651 . We made several probing attacks, and every time we went into your position, we encountered armor. Situated next to B Company were Company A, 27th AIB and Company D, 14th Tank Battalion. Attack on Panther PzKw V and Tiger PzKw VI. Confusion, darkness, and mud slowed the move, but by morning a medium tank company and a platoon of riflemen had reached the village. Germanys Tiger Tanks D.W. to Tiger I: Design, Production & Modifications. 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. After Action Report, Month of December, 1944. They were followed in order by the half-tracks and other vehicles of the 27th AIB, the tank companies, the antiaircraft company, and the engineers. The silhouettes of the Panzer IV and the Tiger I are quite similar, especially due to their rectangular shapes and rounded turret (rounded through the later use of a curved armor plate around the otherwise angular turret). 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 capture of St. Vith was, however, important for three other reasons: to ensure the complete isolation of Allied troops that might be trapped on a nearby ridge called the Schnee Eifel; to cover the German supply lines unraveling behind the armored corps to the north and south; and to feed reinforcements laterally into the main thrusts by using the St. Vith road net. 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. Fifth Panzer was to attack from Prum in the north down to Bitburg and Bastogne in the south. 47. 2014. 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. The column came upon stragglers from the 424th Infantry retreating in disarray toward St. Vith. Because the Our had ceased to be a barrier anywhere else, General Hoge felt that there was little to gain in continuing to overextend his command to hold the low ground along the river. Andrews, Frank L. The Defense of St. Vith in the Battle of the Ardennes December, 1944. I am a huge M8 Greyhound fan, having built a model at age 13 and I now own a 1:6 scale one with 4-man crew. Manteuffel met near Wallerode with Model and Lucht that day. Manteuffel had hoped for considerably more on the 19th. It was around 1200 hours and all was quiet when suddenly a German heavy tank was spotted slowly approaching the American line, a Tiger I. 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. Orders for CCB, 9th Armored to move to a new defensive position were issued at 1600. #WW2 . 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. 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. Field Marshal Montgomery, believing that Ridgways Corps could not attack successfully toward Vielsalm and that the American forces within the goose egg could better be used in support of other forces committed to the northern shoulder defense, decided upon a general withdrawal. Chamberlain, Peter, et al. 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. At 0100 the 23rd, D Troop, 89th Recon lost an armored car and a jeep to antitank guns. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. These German tanks would later be specified to be Panzer IVs or Mark IVs. I think we can make it now. 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. However, it cannot be safely assumed that the tank killed in this engagement was a Tiger I or a Tiger II. Hoge departed Faymonville at approximately 1800, arriving at General Joness headquarters in the St. Josephs Kloster about a half hour later. 18e volksgrenadier division English translation: 18th volksgrenadier division (wehrmacht).. Panzertruppen Volume 2 The Complete Guide to the Creation & Combat Deployment of The German Tank Forces 1943-1945. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division (18th VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. The formations started to peel backward in succession from opposite Neubruck to Maldingen. First Edition, Stackpole Books, 2004. 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. 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. The fact that there were Panzer IVs attacking the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron (minus Troop B) and the similarity in appearance between the Tiger I and Panzer IV would account for both Troop Es account and Troop Ds potential account of this event. 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. Schiffer Publishing, 2000. This initial thrust carried the enemy approximately 400 yards into the battalions sector. War Department Field Manual FM 2-20 Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop Mechanized. Tigers In Combat I. 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.