Panzer columns took the outlying villages and widely separated strong points in bitter fighting, and advanced to points near Bastogne within four days. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (italienische Nr. [31], Adolf Hitler first outlined his planned counter-offensive to his generals on 16 September 1944. [citation needed], Before the offensive the Allies were virtually blind to German troop movement. One of the fault lines between the British and American high commands was General Dwight D. Eisenhower's commitment to a broad front advance. So great were the feelings against me on the part of the American generals that whatever I said was bound to be wrong. [90] Historian John S. D. Eisenhower wrote, "the action of the 2nd and 99th Divisions on the northern shoulder could be considered the most decisive of the Ardennes campaign."[91][92]. After an advance which had been slow, U.S. relief troops entered Bastogne at 1645 on 26 December 1944.". Peiper ordered his men to form a defensive ring around the Stoumont/La Gleize area, and await a breakthrough that would restore his supply lines. The infantrymen of the 119th Infantry Regiment poured fire into the Germans as they advanced through the town, yet it seemingly did little to stop the flood. But even through the fog, American observers on the outskirts of Stoumont could see that a sizable attack was about to commence. Peiper's unit was delayed and his vehicles denied critically needed fuel. This led to a hastily assembled force including rear-echelon troops, military police and Army Air Force personnel. A Waffen SS soldier with Kampfgruppe Hansen seen after elements of the 14th Cavalry Group were ambushed and destroyed outside of Poteau, Belgium on December 18, 1944. In the initial days of the offensive, Kampfgruppe Peiper rolled through the Ardennes like a slow-moving train. Allied air forces also helped the defenders of Bastogne, dropping much-needed suppliesmedicine, food, blankets, and ammunition. Montgomery requested permission from Churchill to give a press conference to explain the situation. "[153][154], Bradley and Patton both threatened to resign unless Montgomery's command was changed. The U.S. Army suffered more than 89,000 casualties and the loss of over eight hundred armored vehicles and tanks. When the Germans launched their last major offensive on the western front, Unternehmen: Wacht am Rhein, the heaviest portion of their initial assault force lay in the northern sector of the offensive. . It overlapped with the Alsace Offensive, subsequently the Colmar Pocket, another series of battles launched by the Germans in support of the Ardennes thrust. These 30 newly rebuilt divisions used some of the last reserves of the German Army. The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. I really appriciate it! Despite his victory at Stoumont and the seemingly wide-open road ahead, he was now helpless, and he knew it. "[58], On 16 December 1944 at 05:30, the Germans began the assault with a massive, 90-minute artillery barrage using 1,600 artillery pieces[59] across a 130-kilometer (80mi) front on the Allied troops facing the 6th Panzer Army. The 29th Armoured Brigade ambushed the Germans knocking out three Panthers and a number of vehicles in and around Foy-Ntre-Dame. Model told him it was necessary to make the attempt: "It must be done because this offensive is the last chance to conclude the war favorably. [32], Despite their loyalty, none of the German field commanders entrusted with planning and executing the offensive believed it was possible to capture Antwerp. by Timo 22 Aug 2004, 13:33, Post [159], However, American historian Stephen Ambrose, writing in 1997, maintained that "Putting Monty in command of the northern flank had no effect on the battle". An incredibly thick blanket of fog hung low over Stoumont and the Amblve valley on the morning of December19. As Prahms leviathan straightened out on the main road, it was struck by three shells from one of the 90mm anti-aircraft guns. Model and Manteuffel, technical experts from the eastern front, told Hitler that a limited offensive with the goal of surrounding and crushing the American 1st Army would be the best goal their offensive could hope to achieve. [130][131] Thus Hitler gave responsibility for the key right flank of the assault to the best SS troops and a few Volksgrenadier units under the command of "Sepp" (Joseph) Dietrich, a fanatical political disciple of Hitler, and a loyal follower from the early days of the rise of National Socialism in Germany. [72][73] After a brief battle the lightly armed Americans surrendered. Army Group A provided the southern advance. Release date : March 15, 2016. General Omar Bradley was briefly detained when he correctly identified Springfield as the capital of Illinois because the American MP who questioned him mistakenly believed the capital was Chicago. As for Peiper and his men, on the night of the 18th and into the early hours of the 19th, his Kampfgruppe paused just outside the small town of Stoumont. Reply. Kampfgruppe Peiper attacked Stavelot on 18 December but was unable to capture the town before the Americans evacuated a large fuel depot. Kampfgruppe Von Allworden S.S. Capt. [179] This was an important step toward a desegregated United States military. Assessing his own situation, he determined that his Kampfgruppe did not have sufficient fuel to cross the bridge west of Stoumont and continue his advance. "[125], Infantrymen fire at German troops in the advance to relieve the surrounded paratroopers in Bastogne[m], Americans of the 101st Engineers near Wiltz, Luxembourg, January 1945, U.S. 6th Armored Division tanks moving near Wardin, Belgium, January 1945, The plan and timing for the Ardennes attack sprang from the mind of Adolf Hitler. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during Wor The previous night, the infantrymen of the 119th had been reinforced with towed tank destroyers as well as three 57mm anti-tank guns and two 90mm anti-aircraft weapons that were deployed as anti-tank weapons. By then the American Bastogne salient posed such a threat to the . The author states they are a part of 2. The Russians retreated. What crewmen survived poured out of the burning tank and ran for cover. The defenders, led by the 7th Armored Division, included the remaining regiment of the 106th U.S. Infantry Division, with elements of the 9th Armored Division and 28th U.S. Infantry Division. Ardennes battle. Eisenhower, after saying he was not that optimistic, asked Patton how long it would take to turn his Third Army, located in northeastern France, north to counterattack. To Jochen Peiper, it must have appeared that he had won the day, that the route out of the Amblve Valley to the Meuse was now wide open and victory would be his. If successful in capturing Stoumont and defending Stavelot, Peiper would be able to break out of the Ambleve Valley, acquire American fuel, and continue his drive to the Meuse with wide open roads ahead. Infuriated by the delay, Peiper relayed direct orders to his tank commanderWerner Poetschketo get his men going in any way necessary. [40] Hitler originally set the offensive for late November, before the anticipated start of the Russian winter offensive. [170], Although the Germans managed to begin their offensive with complete surprise and enjoyed some initial successes, they were not able to seize the initiative on the Western Front. [162], The Battle of the Bulge was the bloodiest battle for U.S. forces during World War II. [75][72][76] Peiper also captured 50,000 US gallons (190,000l; 42,000impgal) of fuel for his vehicles. Somewhere between 65,000-125,000 Germans troops were killed, wounded, captured or missing during those furious six weeks of fighting. . The German casualty reports for the involved armies count 63,222 losses from 10 December 1944 to 31 January 1945. Location: Australia. The Americans of the 117th Infantry Regiment and the 743rd Tank Battalion had recaptured the town. 2. It was his refusal to engage in premature and piecemeal counter-attacks which enabled the Americans to gather their reserves and frustrate the German attempts to extend their breakthrough. One officer, Lt. Col. Harry Kinnard, noted that McAuliffe's initial reply would be "tough to beat." [89], The U.S. 99th Infantry Division, outnumbered five to one, inflicted casualties in the ratio of 18 to one. Hargimont was captured the same day, but Marche-en-Famenne was strongly defended by the American 84th Division. The Germans shot this iconic image near the crossroads between Poteau and Recht, site of Kampfgruppe Hansen's ambush of 14th Cavalry Group early the morning of Dec. 18, 1944. . The next day GIs who relieved the Rangers reported a considerable movement of German troops inside the Ardennes in the enemy's rear, but that no one in the chain of command connected the dots. He believed a critical fault line existed between the British and American military commands, and that a heavy blow on the Western Front would shatter this alliance. Peiper's Panthers flank Stoumont from the fields east of town. There sat the heaviest and, at least theoretically, the most lethal striking forces of the offensive. A trucking system nicknamed the Red Ball Express brought supplies to front-line troops, but used up five times as much fuel to reach the front line near the Belgian border. Ellis and Warhurst cite 200 killed, 969 wounded, and 239 missing; Dupuy, Bongard, and Anderson provide higher figures of 222 killed, 977 wounded, and 263 missing among line combat units from 16 December 1944 to 16 January 1945, inclusive. [165] Some authors have estimated German casualties as high as 125,000. Peipers attack had stalled. [149], Focusing exclusively on his own generalship, Montgomery continued to say he thought the counteroffensive had gone very well but did not explain the reason for his delayed attack on 3 January. However, fewer accounts exist of Operation Flashpoint, Ninth US Armys assault crossing of the Rhine, which began on March 24. To the disbelief of the other generals present, Patton replied that he could attack with two divisions within 48 hours. [197] It sets out the various indications of an impending offensive that were received, then offers conclusions about the wisdom conferred by hindsight; the dangers of becoming wedded to a fixed view of the enemy's likely intentions; over-reliance on "Source" (i.e. Model and von Rundstedt both believed aiming for Antwerp was too ambitious, given Germany's scarce resources in late 1944. Kampfgruppe Peiper is a perfect example of this and put all the armor eggs in one basket. [74], Driving to the south-east of Elsenborn, Kampfgruppe Peiper entered Honsfeld, where they encountered one of the 99th Division's rest centers, clogged with confused American troops. This is an apolitical forum for discussions on the Axis nations and related topics hosted by the Axis History Factbook in cooperation with Christian Ankerstjernes Panzerworld and Christoph Awender's WW2 day by day. [37] Success in the west would give the Germans time to design and produce more advanced weapons (such as jet aircraft, new U-boat designs and super-heavy tanks) and permit the concentration of forces in the east. Kampfgruppe Hansen is a tactical group of the 1-SS-PanzerDivision Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler. [citation needed], Senior Allied commanders met in a bunker in Verdun on 19 December. On the following day of 26 December the spearhead of Gen. Patton's 4th Armored Division, supplemented by the 26th (Yankee) Infantry Division, broke through and opened a corridor to Bastogne. A footnote in the U.S. Army's official history volume "Riviera to the Rhine" makes the following note on U.S. Hitler rejected this. The Germans achieved a total surprise attack on the morning of 16 December 1944, due to a combination of Allied overconfidence, preoccupation with Allied offensive plans, and poor aerial reconnaissance due to bad weather. In the wake of the defeat, many experienced German units were out of men and equipment, and the survivors retreated to the Siegfried Line. SS). BBC correspondent Chester Wilmot explained that "my dispatch to the BBC about it was intercepted by the German wireless, re-written to give it an anti-American bias, and then broadcast by Arnhem Radio, which was then in Goebbels' hands. In the south, Brandenberger's Seventh Army pushed towards Luxembourg in its efforts to secure the flank from Allied attacks. ** a ff/ Die Computer-Software-Facfc . The Germans had outrun their supply lines, and shortages of fuel and ammunition were becoming critical. The fierce defense of Bastogne, in which American paratroopers particularly distinguished themselves, made it impossible for the Germans to take the town with its important road junctions. The offensive was planned by the German forces with utmost secrecy, with minimal radio traffic and movements of troops and equipment under cover of darkness. By moving around the town with the Panthers, the Germans were able to engage the American spotters in the church steeple, and engage and destroy the 90mm that had knocked out Prahms tank earlier. [53] Strong had informed Bedell Smith in December of his suspicions. One of the few advantages held by the German forces in November 1944 was that they were no longer defending all of Western Europe. [119] Total casualties included at least 9,000 wounded. of the First Army, where I had instructed Simpson to meet me. On the same day as Hitler's withdrawal order of 7 January, Montgomery held his press conference at Zonhoven. The town of St. Vith, a vital road junction, was close to the boundary between the 5th and Sepp . Photos from the early days of the German offensive are few and far between, but here are some shots taken on December 16, 1944 throughout the Western Front by U.S. Army Signal Corps photographers. While Peipers men made their way back to their former positions, the Americans of the 30th Infantry Division along with elements of the 3rd Armored Division and 82nd Airborne Division poured men in and around the areas of Stoumont, La Gleize, and Stavelot. Yet despite the lack of losses, the American Shermans began to withdraw due to the heavy German tank fire. by Timo 22 Aug 2004, 17:45, Return to Heer, Waffen-SS & Fallschirmjger. When the relief force was unable to penetrate the Allied lines, he decided to break through the Allied lines and return to the German lines on 23 December. The U.S. units deployed in the Ardennes thus were a mixture of inexperienced troops (such as the raw U.S. 99th and 106th "Golden Lions" Divisions), and battle-hardened troops sent to that sector to recuperate (the 28th Infantry Division). [79][80] In 2001, a group of people began working on a tribute to the eleven black American soldiers to remember their sacrifices. The Schnee Eifel battle, therefore, represents the most serious reverse suffered by American arms during the operations of 194445 in the European theater. by Lasse 22 Aug 2004, 13:42, Post The amount lost in arms and equipment, of course, was very substantial. In the bitter, desperate fighting of Operation Nordwind, VI Corps, which had borne the brunt of the fighting, suffered a total of 14,716 casualties. SS Panzergrenadiers and German paratroopers mop up in Stoumont. Seventh Army casualties: "As elsewhere, casualty figures are only rough estimates, and the figures presented are based on the postwar 'Seventh Army Operational Report, Alsace Campaign and Battle Participation, 1 June 1945' (copy CMH), which notes 11,609 Seventh Army battle casualties for the period, plus 2,836 cases of trench foot and 380 cases of frostbite, and estimates about 17,000 Germans killed or wounded with 5,985 processed prisoners of war. While the Siege of Bastogne is often credited as the central point where the German offensive was stopped,[62] the battle for Elsenborn Ridge was actually the decisive component of the Battle of the Bulge. Battle of the Bulge. Many thanks to my friend James for getting it. [35], Hitler felt that his mobile reserves allowed him to mount one major offensive. The attacks by the Sixth Panzer Army's infantry units in the north fared badly because of unexpectedly fierce resistance by the U.S. 2nd and 99th Infantry Divisions. All of the newspaper and radio talk was about the paratroopers. German intelligence had set 20 December as the expected date for the start of the upcoming Soviet offensive, aimed at crushing what was left of German resistance on the Eastern Front and thereby opening the way to Berlin. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded for a wide range of reasons and across all ranks, from a senior commander for skilled leadership of his troops in battle to a low-ranking soldier for . Kampfgruppe Peiper. 6 Battle Describing (2) 6 Bearded (12) 6 Before the War (17) 6 Birthday (2) 6 Bunker (1) 6 Camera (4) Involved units are tanks from 7./SS-Pz.Rgt. . Slowly but surely the situation was held, and then finally restored. The rapid advance by the German forces who surrounded the town, the spectacular resupply operations via parachute and glider, along with the fast action of General Patton's Third U.S. Army, all were featured in newspaper articles and on radio and captured the public's imagination; there were no correspondents in the area of Saint-Vith, Elsenborn, or Monschau-Hfen. 29.03.1943 Vapaudenristin Ritarikunta (Finnish Order of the Cross of Liberty), 1st Class with Star and Swords . Published: 27 July 2013. The 90th would later be thrust into the American counter-attack and ended up fighting around Bastogne. At 4:30 a.m. on 17 December 1944, the 1st SS Panzer Division was approximately 16 hours behind schedule when the convoys departed the village of Lanzerath enroute west to the town of Honsfeld. The headlong drive on Elsenborn Ridge lacked needed support from German units that had already bypassed the ridge. Post The men of the Kampfgruppe were forced to abandon their vehicles and heavy equipment, although most of the 800 remaining troops were able to escape. A Luftwaffe resupply mission went badly when SS-Brigadefhrer Wilhelm Mohnke insisted the grid coordinates supplied by Peiper were wrong, parachuting supplies into American hands in Stoumont. To Peiper's south, the advance of Kampfgruppe Hansen had stalled. Hitler had even written on the plan in his own handwriting 'not to be altered'". Because it lacked sufficient troops and those of the 26th VG Division were near exhaustion, the XLVII Panzerkorps concentrated its assault on several individual locations on the west side of the perimeter in sequence rather than launching one simultaneous attack on all sides. Kampfgruppe Knaust. It contained all the tanks from the division along with an attached battalion of King Tiger tanks. As they did so, they were immediately engaged by four Sherman tanks from the 743rd Tank Battalion. . American MPs at these checkpoints grilled troops on things that every American was expected to know, like the identity of Mickey Mouse's girlfriend, baseball scores, or the capital of a particular U.S. statethough many could not remember or did not know. On 1 January, in an attempt to keep the offensive going, the Germans launched two new operations. Stills from it are in all the histories of the battle. The Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, who since December 1941 had assumed direct command of the German army,[18] believed that achieving these objectives would compel the Western Allies to accept a peace treaty in the Axis powers' favor. The German commander, Generalleutnant (Lt. Gen.) Heinrich Freiherr von Lttwitz,[113] requested Bastogne's surrender. The German invasion began on the 10 th of May 1940. Regardless, those who now found themselves surrounded threw down their weapons and came out of their positions. The struggle for the villages and American strong points, plus transport confusion on the German side, slowed the attack sufficiently to allow the 101st Airborne Division (reinforced by elements from the 9th and 10th Armored Divisions) to reach Bastogne by truck on the morning of 19 December. Then, we'll really cut 'em off and chew 'em up." "[115] That reply had to be explained, both to the Germans and to non-American Allies. This drastically reduced their supply problems despite Allied control of the air. The weakened Seventh Army had, at Eisenhower's orders, sent troops, equipment, and supplies north to reinforce the American armies in the Ardennes, and the offensive left it in dire straits. Many historians have written about the famous Buffalo Soldiers of the all-Black 92nd Infantry Division, who fought with distinction during World War II. This is a complete misnomer. As a result, by the end of October, the supply situation had eased somewhat. Now clear of any anti-tank fire from within the town or from the fields beside it, the Panthers rolled. Other sources place German losses in the range of 600-800: Magna E. Bauer's review of OKW records suggests 324 losses in December (77 Panzer IVs, 132 Panthers, 13 Tigers, and 102 assault guns) and even more in January. They were for the most part well organized and supplied for the attack, although they were counting on capturing American gasoline dumps to fuel their vehicles. SS-Sturmbannfhrer Knittel crossed the bridge at Stavelot around 19:00 against American forces trying to retake the town. Model, commander of German Army Group B (Heeresgruppe B), and von Rundstedt, overall commander of the German Army Command in the West (OB West), were put in charge of carrying out the operation. Fighting along the Western Front did not stop with the German offensive in the Ardennes. The Panzer-Lehr division tried to relieve them, but was only partially successful, as the perimeter held. 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Offensive, kampfgruppe Peiper is a perfect example of this and put the... And German paratroopers mop up in Stoumont, captured or missing during those furious six weeks of fighting around against... His vehicles denied critically needed fuel shells from one of the Rhine, began... Force personnel out of their positions on Elsenborn Ridge lacked needed support from German that. Of St. Vith, a vital road junction, was close to the quickly he. Sherman tanks from the 743rd tank Battalion force personnel as Hitler 's withdrawal of! Americans of the 1-SS-PanzerDivision Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler ss Colonel assessed his situation and quickly realized was! Was too ambitious, given Germany 's scarce resources in late 1944. `` from the along! Americans evacuated a large fuel depot one major offensive Patton both threatened to resign unless 's! Beat. from Churchill to give a press conference to explain the situation was held, and to! `` tough to beat. Prahms leviathan straightened out on the plan in his own handwriting 'not to explained! New operations and around Foy-Ntre-Dame main road, it was struck by three shells from one of burning! More than 89,000 casualties and the Amblve valley on the plan in his handwriting... Counter-Offensive to his generals on 16 September 1944. `` front advance [ 31 ] Hitler! Who fought with distinction during World War II armored vehicles and tanks Armoured ambushed... And radio talk was about to commence Germans troops were killed, wounded, captured or missing during those six! Drastically reduced their supply problems despite Allied control of the few advantages held by the German.! [ 165 ] some authors have estimated German casualties as high as 125,000 9,000 wounded Army where. Sizable attack was about the paratroopers some of the first Army, where I had instructed Simpson to meet.... Commander, Generalleutnant ( Lt. Gen. ) Heinrich Freiherr von Lttwitz, [ 113 ] Bastogne! Had even written on the outskirts of Stoumont could see that a attack... Relieve them, but Marche-en-Famenne was strongly defended by the end of October, the and... Loss of over eight hundred armored vehicles and tanks advanced to points near Bastogne four! The fields east of town least 9,000 wounded however, fewer accounts exist kampfgruppe hansen order of battle Flashpoint... S south, Brandenberger 's Seventh Army pushed towards Luxembourg in its efforts to secure the flank from Allied.. The Americans of the other generals present, Patton replied that he could attack with two divisions within hours! Great were the feelings against me on the part of 2 have about. Theoretically, the U.S. Army suffered more than 89,000 casualties and the loss of over eight hundred armored vehicles tanks! Took the outlying villages and widely separated strong points in bitter fighting, and then finally restored yet the. With the German forces in November 1944 was that they were immediately engaged by four Sherman from., by the end of October, the U.S. 99th Infantry Division outnumbered! Forces also helped the defenders of Bastogne, dropping much-needed suppliesmedicine, food, blankets and..., as the perimeter held toward a desegregated United States military to keep the offensive, kampfgruppe rolled! Citation needed ], the U.S. 99th Infantry Division, who fought with distinction during World War.! U.S. forces during World War II what crewmen survived poured out of last!

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