18th volksgrenadier division

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. Protected by armor between 25 mm to 145 mm thick and armed with a fearsome 88mm KwK 36 L/56 main gun, the Tiger I was arguably the most feared tank of World War II by Allied soldiers. CCB, 9th Armored was linked on its left with CCB, 7th Armored and what was left of the 424th Infantry Regiment on its right. of the Army, 1965. 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. That night, infantry patrols found German medics removing their wounded. At St. Vith, Lt. Col. William H. Slayden was with Jones when Jones received the call from Middleton concerning 7th Armored Division support. However, he kept these misgivings to himself. Jentz, Thomas. 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. Manteuffels operation in the St. Vith area was already three days behind schedule. All but five troopers of 2nd Platoon were lost to enemy action. 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. 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. En route, the officer was approached by a member of General Clarkes staff who told him that German tanks were approaching St. Vith along the road from the north. A second attempt on the bridge, made by about 40 men four hours later, was also thrown back by machine-gun fire. How about a Tiger II? 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. The commanders were at the center of the Foret Domaniale du Grand Bois. 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 . Initially, General Jones wanted Hoge to move his command into the Losheim Gap at Maderfeld and arrive there at dawn on December 17 to counterattack and erase the enemy penetrations that were threatening 106th Division positions on the Schnee Eifel. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating 571. 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. 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. 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. One Day at Stavelot, a Tale of Two Archives The Tiger II vs US Tank Destroyers in the Ardennes. Its population in 1944 was about 2,000, and its citizens were very much pro-German. Little offtopic here but another misidentification might be the 1 destroyed 88mm assault gun (Ferdinand). 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. Should 7th Armored lose St. Vith, 9th Armored would be unable to withdraw on its own axis. 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. Chamberlain, Peter, et al. 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. They were sometimes misidentified as Tiger HIs. General Frederich Kittel, the division commander, ordered his mobile battalion up from his 164th Regiment reserve at Pronsfeld and into the attack along the Winterspelt road. This one, however, most likely did not. 111 () - War Department, 1944. With the enemy inside Steinebruck and excellent direct fire by the German artillery, what was left of 2nd Platoon, 89th Recon withdrew along the St. Vith road. Shortly thereafter, Hasbrouck called and asked, Bruce, do you think you can get out? Clarke answered, A miracle has happened, General! Zaloga, Steven. Design, Production & Modifications. VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army (Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945.. The greatest danger existed in the 424ths position because the regiments flank lay vulnerable to attacks by the 116th Panzer Division to the south. Sell, Buy or Rent Panzers in Winter: Hitler's Army and the Battle of By noon, the 27th AIB, with the help of Company A, 14th Tank Battalion, had retaken that first stretch of high ground. The ground was frozen solid. The sector now defended by CCB, 9th Armored extended across five miles of rugged terrain that was primarily held by the three infantry companies making up the 27th AIB. His troops remained in place, and the pullout to the west side of the Our River began at dusk. 18th Volksgrenadier Division (Wehrmacht) - Military Wiki Johnston, W. Wesley. Germanys Tiger Tanks VK45.02 to TIGER II. Ardennes 1944: Hitlers Last Gamble. However, once a closer look is taken at this story, cracks begin to appear, and soon enough one begins to wonder whether or not this story really is too good to be true. 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. 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? After conferring with Clarke, Ridgway wanted to talk to one more man in whom he had supreme confidenceBrigadier General Hoge. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating 571. Which specific Tiger II this was is unknown. General Hoge moved his command post to Commanster. . What a fantastic real-life story or is it? The U.S. 9th Armored Division contested the German advance around St. Vith during the Battle of the Bulge, and won precious time in the process. . 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 18th Volksgrenadier Division completed its southern swing, encircling the two regiments of the 106th Division on the Schnee Eifel. VGD) was a volksgrenadierdivision of the German Army(Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. On the morning of the December 20, three tank destroyers were placed in support of Company C, 27th AIB. 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. 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 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. The Seventh Armored Division in the Battle of St. Vith. Plastic Models - Page 8 - Esswex Hobbies Zaloga, Steven. At approximately 0100 on December 18, a German force of about 30 men tried to cross the Our at Steinebruck after a brief artillery barrage. Slayden had been sent to Jones by Middleton as an adviser until the 106th Division could become acclimated. Bork, Max Hermann (Generalleutnant) - TracesOfWar.nl Our preliminary briefings had told us that there would be no armor in our path. VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army (Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945.. Bork, Max Hermann (Generalleutnant) - TracesOfWar.com 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. First-time contributor Charles Gutierrez is the son of a 9th Armored Division veteran. 194311 This information came from the division's senior headquarters, the VIII Corps, First U.S. Army. The 7th Armored had taken a beating in defending St. Vith. The Battle at St. Vith, Belgium 17-23 December 1944 An Historical Example of Armor in the Defense. 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. On December 9, 1944, Brig. The ultimate objective was to open an escape route for the soldiers of the 424th. Fifth Panzer was to attack from Prum in the north down to Bitburg and Bastogne in the south. There are a few notable issues raised by this morning report and record of events entry, the most obvious one being that the M8 Greyhound is reported as being from Troop A of the 87th, not Troop B of the 87th, as it is in the contemporary story. The village of Bauvenn was designated the linkage point for the two combat commands. The stubborn defenders of St. Vith played a major role in defeating the final German offensive of World War II in Western Europe. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating the 571st Volksgrenadier Division. 47. 18th Volksgrenadier Division - Wikiwand 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. Good Tank, Poor Deployment | T-34-76 and T-34-85 in Yugoslav Partisan Service. Panzertruppen Volume 2 The Complete Guide to the Creation & Combat Deployment of The German Tank Forces 1943-1945. It was a new and inexperienced division made up of Luftwaffe personnel, former Kriegsmariners out of a The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating 571. The provisional company of 424th stragglers disappeared during the night. Volksgrenadier-Division. The other, the 62nd Volksgrenadier Division, bore the number of an infantry division destroyed on the Eastern Front, which had been reconstituted. Osprey Publishing, 2013. 18th Volksgrenadier Division - Wikiwand The town was also in Fifth Panzer Armys area of advance. 1/18th Scale Cars; 1/24th Scale Assembly Kits; 1/24th Scale Cars; 1/43rd Scale Cars; . 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. The guns from a platoon of Shermans, the antiaircraft company, and a mortar platoon supplied a covering barrage, which broke up the German assault and inflicted heavy casualties. Lieutenant Colonel Boylan also makes no mention of this event in a 1946 letter he wrote to Major General Robert W. Hasbrouck, the former commanding general of the 7th Armored Division, which details the actions of the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron at the Battle of St. Vith. The Ardennes 1944-1945: Hitlers Winter Offensive. Andrews, Frank L. The Defense of St. Vith in the Battle of the Ardennes December, 1944. 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. Volksgrenadier-Division. The colonel ordered the troop east along the road to Schoenberg to delay a German tank and infantry team approaching St. Vith from that direction. German reports are also far from subtlety. Before departing, however, Hoge gave orders to Lt. Col. Leonard E. Engeman, commander of the 14th Tank Battalion, to get a strong force ready to move out to assist 7th Armored should it become necessary. Outnumbered and in danger of encirclement, the cannoneers and their rifle support from C Company made a platoon-by-platoon withdrawal toward Winterspelt. This means that 50% of shots fired will penetrate this amount of armor. 223 223. So its quite possible! Bergstrm, Christer. 12th Volksgrenadier Division 89; 197; 487; 557; 650; 727. 1945. Volksgrenadier-Division; 18.