By 2300 enemy patrols tested 27th AIBs new position and a night attack was thrown back with the help of D Troop, 89th Recon. Volksgrenadier-Division. Jentz, Thomas, and Hilary Doyle. 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. Orders for CCB, 9th Armored to move to a new defensive position were issued at 1600. That night, infantry patrols found German medics removing their wounded. 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. Together they broke up the attack. 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. Cole, Hugh M. The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge. 324 324. Under the command of Gnther Hoffmann-Schnborn, the new division absorbed elements of the 18th Luftwaffe Field Division. I mention it for the sake of completeness as I suspect that the whole thing is a myth. Division C E R T I F I C A T E 24 June 1945 I certify that I am S-3 Instead of the M8 Greyhound firing three shots into the Tigers rear, the M8 Greyhound in Lieutenant Olsons version of events fired two shots. 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. The platoon lost four men missing and two wounded in the ensuing engagement. Zaloga, Steven, and Tony Bryan. 3. 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. At daybreak on December 21, the Germans launched their first assault of the day on CCB, 9th Armored. VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army (Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. VGD led by Heinz Kokott, Heinrich Himmler's brother-in-law. During the 27th AIBs assault, a call went out for the 14th Tank Battalion to join the action. Rejection & Neglect available to buy on Payhip! Volksgrenadier-Division. 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. Office of the Chief of Military History, Dept. One would think that Lieutenant Colonel Boylan, or at the very least Troop A, would make some sort of mention of this fairly notable engagement. The CCB command post was moved to Neubruck, a small group of farmhouses on Braunlauf Creek about two miles southwest of St. Vith. The Commands main body was led by the 27th AIB with B Company in front, followed by Headquarters and C Company. It saw action in France before taking part in the fighting in the Ardennes where it suffered heavy losses, it continued fighting on the western front until the end . Outnumbered and in danger of encirclement, the cannoneers and their rifle support from C Company made a platoon-by-platoon withdrawal toward Winterspelt. Third Printing, US Army Armored School, 1966. 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. 13th Company, 28th Jager Regiment, 8th Jager Division 286. Zaloga, Steven. Eisernes Kreuz 2.Klasse (1914) Periode: Eerste Wereldoorlog (1914-1918) Toegekend op: 30 oktober 1917. 2014. 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. 18e volksgrenadier division English translation: 18th volksgrenadier division (wehrmacht).. 19454 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. Early on the 19th, the Germans made reconnaissance probes. German Division Nr. There was a bitter struggle to the south of Grufflingen, and the Germans were again active in the Neubruck area. Volksgrenadier-Division; 18. These German tanks would later be specified to be Panzer IVs or Mark IVs. Having failed to find a soft spot to the north, the Germans then moved against Hoges 9th Armored command in the south; however, even before this attack got going three German tanks were knocked out and the rest of the probing force withdrew. VGD led by Heinz Kokott, Heinrich Himmler's brother-in-law. That eliminates this units Pzkw IV being the Tiger encountered by the Troop B M8 on Dec. 18th . Rather than reaching the Meuse and driving on to Antwerp, the offensive stalled and eventually was turned back. Eventually retreating through Germany until the end of the war, when it surrendered. However, it cannot be definitively stated that this is another version of the M8 Greyhound versus Tiger story due to its ambiguity. The heroic defense of St. Vith, though costly in men and materil, disrupted the German timetable extensively. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division (18. Johnston, W. Wesley. Volksgrenadier Division 2. The reason for this comparative respite was due to the fact that the roads to the German rear were completely jammed. Unable to advance, it pulled back to the nearest high ground and dug in. 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? It was a new and inexperienced division made up of Luftwaffe personnel, former Kriegsmariners out of a Volksgrenadier-Division. 1940 194111. Add to cart. Division 3. So its quite possible! 4 Grosstraktor to Panzerbefehlswagen IV. Close. 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. Jones wanted Clarke to counterattack immediately with his combat command and break that ring that these people have closed around the Schnee Eifel.. 1941622 . Those men were a scrappy bunch. 47. A mobile battalion of the 18th Volksgrenadier Division was already moving on Andler to seize the Schoenberg bridge and the road to St. Vith. 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. 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. 1964. 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. The job of capturing St. Vith went to the Fifth Panzer Armys 66th Corps, commanded by General Walther Lucht. . If Hoge told him that the situation was bad, then without a doubt the situation was worse than he thought. 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 Germans were now on the high ground north of Eigelscheid overlooking the road to Winterspelt. 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 American armor of the 7th and 9th Armored Divisions plus supporting units were being pressed into an area in which motorized forcestanks, half-tracks, self-propelled artillery, tank destroyersoperated with great difficulty. United States 106th Infantry Division on the 16th and 17th of December 1944 (the first two days of the battle of the Ardennes were as follows: 1. 18th Panzer Division (later 18th Artillery Division) 19th Panzer Division (previously 19th Infantry Division) 20th Panzer Division 21st Panzer Division (previously 5th Light Division) 22nd Panzer Division 23rd Panzer Division 24th Panzer Division (previously 1st Cavalry Division) 25th Panzer Division Infantry divisions would begin the attack along the entire length of a 50-mile front, forcing a rupture along the Allied line and giving the German panzer divisions freedom of movement in the unoccupied ground beyond the front. Volksgrenadier-Division. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating the 571st Volksgrenadier Division. 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. Schneider, Wolfgang. 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. Volksgrenadier-Division 5 [ ] Situated next to B Company were Company A, 27th AIB and Company D, 14th Tank Battalion. 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. VGD captured St. Vith, winning a great victory. Ninth Armored sent out billeting parties as it reached its new area. 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. 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. At about noon that day, the 62nd Volksgrenadier Divisions 190th Regiment had broken through north of the 424th Infantrys Cannon Company. VGD division was absorbed into the 26. The event simply was not that notable. 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. 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. One gun, firing from the house that had been the 14th Tanks command post an hour earlier, disabled two of the Shermans, but the other tanks managed to knock out the four antitank guns plus three German command vehicles. War Department, 1944. That evening General Clarke also put his command into Commanster. 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. CCBs new position blocked the main Winterspelt-St. Vith highway and the valley of the Braunlauf Creek, a second natural corridor leading to St. Vith. Fifth Panzer was to attack from Prum in the north down to Bitburg and Bastogne in the south. VGD) was a volksgrenadierdivision of the German Army(Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. On February 5, 1945 General Walter Botsch took over command of the division. At least 900 soldiers who had stood in front of the town were either dead or captured. It contained the 293., 294. and 295. grenadier regiments, Panzerjger-Bataillon 1818, Pionier-Bataillon 1818, Fsilier-Bataillon 1818 and Artillerie-Regiment 1818.[1]. Dragon 1625 1/16th Obersturmfuhrer Totenkopf Division Budapest 1945 R 275.00. Stackpole Books, 2015. The Battle at St. Vith, Belgium 17-23 December 1944 An Historical Example of Armor in the Defense. Do you have more information about this person? Volksgrenadier-Division; 18. Hoge immediately got on the phone and ordered Engeman to move out. 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. VGD division was absorbed into the 26. M8 Greyhound Light Armored Car 1941-91. Armour Plate Porforation [sic: Perforation] of Tank and Anti Tank Guns. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division (18.Volksgrenadier-Division; 18. During his meeting with Hoge, General Ridgway became convinced that defending this area any further would be futile. Germanys Tiger Tanks VK45.02 to TIGER II. Zaloga, Steven, and Tony Bryan. The closest of the northern German armored thrust routes ran through Recht, about five miles northwest of St. Vith. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division(18. 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. During the afternoon of December 19, Hoge visited Clarkes command post in St. Vith and expressed his frustration with the current chain of command. Its supporting field artillery battalion was at Kalterherberg, two miles south of Monschau, engaged in firing missions for the 2nd and 99th Infantry Divisions. VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army (Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. Volksgrenadier-Division. The StuG III was a turretless assault gun based on the Panzer III. The provisional company of 424th stragglers disappeared during the night. which, in principle, is comparable to the 37 mm American gun. #WW2 . The Germans attacked the center of the 27th AIB. 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. Gen. Robert Hasbroucks 7th Armored Division would be arriving at St. Vith at 0700 on the 17th. After conferring with Clarke, Ridgway wanted to talk to one more man in whom he had supreme confidenceBrigadier General Hoge. Approximately three hours later a German company marched out of Neidingen and along the road leading straight into C Companys position, apparently totally unaware of 9th Armoreds recent change of position. This German World War II article is a stub. On this day, CCB of the 9th Armored Division was still in its assembly area in the vicinity of Faymonville. An appropriate start for the investigation of this action is to identify contemporary American accounts. 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.
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