Excellent deductive research! The failure to capture St. Vith was preventing the linkup of the Fifth and the Sixth Panzer Armies. Volksgrenadier-Division; 18. The event that Lieutenant Olson recounts does bare a resemblance to the M8 Greyhound versus Tiger story, with both events taking place at or near St. Vith on the 18th of December 1944 and involving an American armored car from the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron knocking out a German tank by shooting it in the rear. Both task forces reached St. Vith shortly before noon on the 18th to find not one, but two German attacks moving against the town. So its quite possible! This was no place to conduct a mobile defense with armor-heavy forces. As each unit joined the rear of the column, it took its turn being the rear guard. The column came upon stragglers from the 424th Infantry retreating in disarray toward St. Vith. 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. Between these units, a place was found for the provisional company composed of the 424th Infantry stragglers. The closest of the northern German armored thrust routes ran through Recht, about five miles northwest of St. Vith. 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. 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. var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; 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. For this mission, CCB consisted of the 14th Tank Battalion, the 27th Armored Infantry Battalion, the 16th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, and miscellaneous smaller units vital to any major command. 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. 2014 The U.S. 9th Armored Division arrived in the European Theater of Operations in late October 1944 as a reserve for Maj. Gen. Unteroffizier Helmus of the 26th Volksgrenadier Division painted the situation when the advance began. 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)! Established in 1941, the unit was deployed in German-occupied areas of the Soviet Union, in the Army Group North Rear Area. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division (18. Please click for detailed translation, meaning, pronunciation and example sentences for 18e volksgrenadier division in English Osprey Publishing, 2003. After that mornings enemy assaults, the line of the 27th AIB was reestablished west of Neubruck. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Situated next to B Company were Company A, 27th AIB and Company D, 14th Tank Battalion. 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. 188 was raised in late 1939. Aside from the cold and mud, there was also the enemy to contend with. While making his reconnaissance at Monschau he received an urgent message to call V Corps headquarters. Hoge pointedly asked Ridgway how it could be done. It consisted of the 136th 138th and 139th Mountain Replacement Regiments and the 112th Artillery The ground was frozen solid. A mobile battalion of the 18th Volksgrenadier Division was already moving on Andler to seize the Schoenberg bridge and the road to St. Vith. Little offtopic here but another misidentification might be the 1 destroyed 88mm assault gun (Ferdinand). In light of these circumstances, General Hasbrouck felt compelled to write to Clarke that unless the withdrawal began soon the opportunity will be gone., During the night of December 22, a cold wind had begun to blow out of the east bringing what weathermen call a Russian high. Although both Clarke and Hoge noted it, they saw little hope that the ground might freeze in time to aid their withdrawal, but after receiving Hasbroucks message Clarke stepped out and tested the ground. By 2300 enemy patrols tested 27th AIBs new position and a night attack was thrown back with the help of D Troop, 89th Recon. Jentz, Thomas, and Hilary Doyle. Osprey Publishing, 2010. On its way to the new position, C Company came under a sudden artillery and rocket barrage in the village of Lommersweiler. Confusion, darkness, and mud slowed the move, but by morning a medium tank company and a platoon of riflemen had reached the village. This moment marked the beginning of the famous Battle of the Bulge, Germanys last major offensive on the Western Front in World War II. 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. Seventh Armored Division Association 2517 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Washington 8, D.C., 1947. He also said that they got a new Greyhound. 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. 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. This leads to a second candidate, the StuG III. 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. Panzertruppen Volume 2 The Complete Guide to the Creation & Combat Deployment of The German Tank Forces 1943-1945. Ardennes 1944: Hitlers Last Gamble. In this version the M8 is replaced by an M5 Stuart from the 17th Tank Battalion of the 7th Armored during the retreat from St. Vith, that somehow miraculously ended up behind a Tiger when they thought they were following a Sherman. Cole, Hugh M. The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge. Schiffer Publishing, 1997. In addition, elements of the 116th Panzer Division and the 560th Volksgrenadier Division were moving against the weakly held southern flank of St. Vith defended by remnants of the 424th Infantry Regiment of the 106th Infantry Division and the 112th Infantry Regiment of the 28th Infantry Division. Volksgrenadier-Division; 18. The mud had made the roads and open areas impassable for armored vehicles. Attacking the rear of a Tiger when you had no way of knowing if it was supported by one or more others is extremely unlikely. While a single troop of the 14th Cavalry Group continued to resist the German spearheads, the 106th's engineers dug in to block the crucial Schoenberg road 2 miles east of St. Vith, a last ditch defense, hoping . js.src = "//player.ex.co/player/710cf52d-720a-4250-8e95-fc85dcedab01"; The 18th Volksgrenadier Division was to attack along the two roads from Schoenberg, with the Fhrer Escort Brigade assaulting from the north. At St. Vith, Lt. Col. William H. Slayden was with Jones when Jones received the call from Middleton concerning 7th Armored Division support. Heeft u zelf meer informatie over deze persoon? The division fought in the Ardennes, inflicting on the 106th US Infantry Division the worst defeat suffered by U.S. forces in the ETO, when over 8,000 US soldiers surrendered to the volksgrenadiers. Osprey Publishing, 2002. Within the Kloster, General Hoge found a division headquarters staff in a state of disarray and confusion. VGD) was a volksgrenadierdivision of the German Army(Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. 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. Furthermore, General Clarke had no idea when his command would arrive. The greatest danger existed in the 424ths position because the regiments flank lay vulnerable to attacks by the 116th Panzer Division to the south. Manteuffels operation in the St. Vith area was already three days behind schedule. Two of its tanks were mired in mud that had not frozen and had to be retrieved by a tank dozer. German reports are also far from subtlety. Ridgway answered, Bill, we can and we will. The withdrawal plan called for a general pullback west of the Salm River to an assembly area in the zone controlled by the 82nd Airborne Division in the vicinity of Lierneux. The route terminated at several vital crossroads in the city of St. Vith. Tigers In Combat II. Company B was stationed east of Galhausen and maintained contact with the nearest elements of the 7th Armored Division on 9th Armoreds left flank. Stackpole Books, 2015. Ninth Armored sent out billeting parties as it reached its new area. The 27th AIB was ordered to establish a defensive position south, east, west, and southeast of Malempre. English Edition, Casemate Publishers, 2014. 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. In my opinion, the only definite conclusion that can be made from all this is that some American vehicle engaged something at St. Vith on the night of the 18th. I am weighing toward a stray Panzer IV or maybe a SP gun like the one you described. 18e volksgrenadier division English translation: 18th volksgrenadier division (wehrmacht).. 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. At about midday, the field marshal sent a message to General Hasbrouck: You have accomplished your missiona mission well done. However, the monumental traffic jams in the Losheim Gap and at Schoenberg continued to delay both the 18th Volksgrenadier Division and the Fhrer Escort Brigade, and not until after daylight on the 20th would a bridge be ready at Steinebruck for the 62nd 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. Infanterie-Division 193510 [1] 22 22. Jentz, Thomas. Perhaps the most unlikely performer of the entire battle was the 18th Volksgrenadier Division. Company C, 27th AIB withdrew under heavy artillery and sniper fire but managed to destroy a number of German vehicles. which, in principle, is comparable to the 37 mm American gun. 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. Volksgrenadier-Division; 18. 12th Volksgrenadier Division 89; 197; 487; 557; 650; 727. Tigers In Combat I. Office of the Chief of Military History, Dept. That evening General Clarke also put his command into Commanster. During the assault, B Company suffered about 40 casualties including its commanding officer, Captain Henry D. Wirsig. None of these Tiger IIs were lost at St. Vith and from photographic evidence at least three are recorded to have no burn damage and/or holes in the rear. No reinforcements were expected. The armored infantrymen kept themselves well hidden until the column was directly in front of them and then opened fire. 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. Late on December 17, General Manteuffel was concerned with the lack of progress in his attack beyond the Schnee Eifel toward St. Vith. Armour Plate Porforation [sic: Perforation] of Tank and Anti Tank Guns. 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. Johnston, W. Wesley. By dark, Lt. Col. Engeman and his two task forces were back in their assembly area in the vicinity of Breitfeld. 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. 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. War Department, 1944. Bergstrm, Christer. That is correct, however, that was off the topic of this story. It is a classic David versus Goliath tale straight out of World War II that features American heroism. 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. 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. However, this platoon never completed its mission. 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. Fifth Panzer was to attack from Prum in the north down to Bitburg and Bastogne in the south. 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. However, he kept these misgivings to himself. A strong attack has just developed against Clarke again. 6731 Whittier Avenue, Suite C-100 McLean, VA 22101, Stay up to date with all of our latest news, The area being defended was beginning to take the form of a large horseshoe, its axis running approximately northeast to southeast. }(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. The division retrained as 22.Luftlande-Division (Air Landing Division) for rapid tactical deployment to capture enemy airbases and performed in that role during the . This means that 50% of shots fired will penetrate this amount of armor. The next version of this story can be found in a 1947 book by Major Donald P. Boyer of the 38th Armored Infantry Battalion titled St. Vith, The 7th Armored Division in the Battle of the Bulge, 17-23 December 1944: A Narrative After Action Report. 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. Office of the Chief of Military History, Dept. They were sometimes misidentified as Tiger HIs. 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. VGD led by Heinz Kokott, Heinrich Himmler's brother-in-law. General Luchts plan for December 17 was simple. The fall of Rodt effectively split 7th Armoreds CCA from General Clarkes CCB. VGD division was absorbed into the 26. 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. 1945) English PDF (18 MB) Jan B-627 Volkssturm (Oct. 1944-Apr. 194311 Captain Ansteys version lacks supporting documentation. 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. 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 Do you have more information about this person? VGD led by Heinz Kokott, Heinrich Himmler's brother-in-law. Panzer Tracts No. The move had scarcely begun when an enemy attack hit the junction between Company B, 27th AIB and Company D, 14th Tank Battalion. How to use 'poor shape' in a sentence? Fire from the 16th Field Artillery broke up other enemy formations trying to assemble on the high ground to the south. 18th Volksgrenadier Division (Wehrmacht) - Unionpedia, the concept map Late in the day, the Germans launched three major attacks, each directed along a main road leading into the town. VGD. 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. [1] On March 6, 1945, when Botsch was ordered to take command of the LIIIrd Army Corps, the 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. 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. 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.. In addition, the massive road jam caused by the inability to pass through St. Vith was creating acute shortages of gasoline and ammunition well to the west of St. Vith. When a particularly heavy onslaught was launched against 7th Armored, near 9th Armoreds left flank, Company A, 14th Tank Battalion shifted its mediums to fire directly on Breitfield in support of its armored neighbor to the north. However, just as the Americans began their pursuit, the Germans noticed them and began traversing their turret to face them. However, by noon on December 18 it was quite apparent to Hoge that the Germans infiltrating across the river were converging on the bridge in such numbers that it had to be blown. Our database is searchable by subject and updated continuously. On February 5, 1945 General Walter Botsch took over command of the division. Add to cart. Schneider, Wolfgang. Zaloga, Steven, and Tony Bryan. 13th Company, 28th Jager Regiment, 8th Jager Division 286. According to Hugh M. Cole, an American historian and army officer. 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. He is being outflanked and is retiring west another 2,000 yards refusing both flanks. The closest primary German armored thrust route to the south ran through Burg Reuland, also about five miles from St. Vith. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating 571. The 18. The new sector assigned to CCB was on the fringe of territory the Sixth Panzer Army had mapped out for its further maneuvers. It was a clear disappointment to Jones when Clarke told him that he, his operations officer, his aide, and his driver were the only representatives of the 7th Armored Division to have reached St. Vith at that time. 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. Mastering all the usages of 'poor shape' from sentence examples published by news publications. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division(18. During the 27th AIBs assault, a call went out for the 14th Tank Battalion to join the action. Six paved or macadam roads converged at St. Vith, but none of these was considered by the Germans to be a major military trunk line. 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.
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