[163], The German High Command estimated that they lost between 81,834 and 98,024 men on the Western Front between 16 December 1944 and 25 January 1945; the accepted figure was 81,834, of which 12,652 were killed, 38,600 were wounded, and 30,582 were missing. Columns of armor and infantry that were supposed to advance along parallel routes found themselves on the same roads. For the video game, see, German supporting efforts across the Western Front. Too small and too weak to counter the Allies, they abandoned plans to take the crossroads and instead converted the mission to reconnaissance. this is a pre-order & is not in-stock. Heavy artillery and small arms fire chased the tank back around the bend in the road as SS Panzergrenadiers streaked into the engagement, only to be driven back by intense small arms fire. They launched devastating bombing raids on the German supply points in their rear, and P-47 Thunderbolts started attacking the German troops on the roads. 504-528-1944, Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy, Operation FLAX, April 1943: Severing the German, General William H. Simpsons Ninth US Army and the Crossing of the Rhine, Black Volunteer Infantry Platoons in World War II, Kasserine Pass: German Offensive, American Victory, The Top 5 Veteran Research Questions: Where to Go and What to Know, Gallantry against Great Odds: LTC George Marshall and Operation RESERVIST. On July 19, 1942, while the Battle of Demyansk was raging, Schairer's squadron had to engage in dive combat operation against advancing Soviet tanks, which they succeeded in doing. About fifteen minutes after Peiper's advance guard passed through, the main body under the command of SS-Sturmbannfhrer Werner Ptschke arrived. On December 18, 1944 , very early in the morning , the " 14th Cavalry Group " U.S. fell into an ambush of "Kampfgruppe Hansen "on the road between Post and Recht . The order of battle below is from the NARA records, and dated 11 November 41. 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. Release date : March 15, 2016. SS-Sturmbannfhrer Knittel crossed the bridge at Stavelot around 19:00 against American forces trying to retake the town. 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Gen. von Lttwitz, commander of the XXXXVII Panzer-Korps, ordered the division to turn westwards towards Dinant and the Meuse, leaving only a blocking force at Marche-en-Famenne. [101], To protect the river crossings on the Meuse at Givet, Dinant and Namur, Montgomery ordered those few units available to hold the bridges on 19 December. 1-1 IW m-M Vi ii j|\ Nr. [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. ", Then Montgomery described the course of the battle for a half-hour. Order of Battle for the Kampfgruppe Hansen in December 1944. The phrase "Battle of the Bulge" was coined by contemporary press to describe the bulge in German front lines on wartime news maps,[182][o] and it became the most widely used name for the battle. Bedell Smith sent Strong to warn Lieutenant General Omar Bradley, the commander of the 12th Army Group, of the danger. Aware that American infantry was in Stoumont, but unaware of their strength, Peiper wisely chose to wait until morning to conduct his assault on the town. SS). In the 12 years he was Manager of Research Services, Seth and his team increased the oral history collection from 25 to nearly 5,000 oral histories. [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]. By 1939, the LSSAH was a full infantry regiment . The speed of the advance of the Allies caused several military logistics issues: By December 1944, General Dwight D. Eisenhower (the Supreme Allied Commander on the Western Front) and his staff decided to hold the Ardennes region primarily as a rest area for the U.S. First Army, with limited Allied operational objectives in the area. The American defenses had stiffened considerably. On 26 and 27 December the trapped units of 2nd Panzer Division made two break-out attempts, again only with partial success, as major quantities of equipment fell into Allied hands. After the war ended, the U.S. Army issued battle credit in the form of the Ardennes-Alsace campaign citation to units and individuals that took part in operations in northwest Europe. [citation needed], Montgomery subsequently recognized his error and later wrote: "Not only was it probably a mistake to have held this conference at all in the sensitive state of feeling at the time, but what I said was skilfully distorted by the enemy." The Germans lacked the overwhelming strength that had been deployed in the north, but still possessed a marked numerical and material superiority over the very thinly spread 28th and 106th divisions. 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. These 30 newly rebuilt divisions used some of the last reserves of the German Army. Studio : Pen and Sword Digital. 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. On December 18, 1944 , very early in the morning , the " 14th Cavalry Group " U.S. fell into an ambush of "Kampfgruppe Hansen "on the road between Post and R. The 6th Panzer Army was given priority for supply and equipment and was assigned the shortest route to the ultimate objective of the offensive, Antwerp. After their defeat, Germany would retreat for the remainder of the war. Peiper was shocked at the amount of fire coming at his advance units. [143] The announcement resulted in headlines in British newspapers and Stars and Stripes, which for the first time mentioned British contributions to the fighting. See more ideas about german soldiers ww2, ardennes, world war two. by Timo 22 Aug 2004, 13:33, Post Kampfgruppe Hansen - 18th of December 1944 - Poteau, Belgium [Colorized Undeveloped Film]. Hundreds of planes attacked Allied airfields, destroying or severely damaging some 465 aircraft. Only the 82nd Airborne stood in the way of the relief effort made by Kampfgruppe Hansen that may well have rejuvenated Kampfgruppe Peiper's advance westward. SS-Oberfhrer Mohnke ordered Schnellgruppe Knittel, which had been designated to follow Hansen, to instead move forward to support Peiper. While the German offensive toward the Meuse had ground to a halt by the end of December, they still controlled a dangerous salient in the Allied line. 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. Indeed, General Bradley and his American commanders were already starting their counterattack by the time Montgomery was given command of 1st and 9th U.S. Kampfgruppe Hansen contained a full regiment of SS troopers with a bit of artillery. Last Name Rank Assignment. It was the German paratroopers' only night time drop during World War II. [148], His comments were interpreted as self-promoting, particularly his claim that when the situation "began to deteriorate," Eisenhower had placed him in command in the north. 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. The noose had been drawn. It took many months to rebuild its cargo-handling capability. After his tanks had been beaten back at the station, he received word that his rear-guard units had failed to finish the job in Stavelot. The LSSAH provided the honour guard at many of the Nuremberg Rallies, and in 1935 took part in the reoccupation of the Saarland. Two major special operations were planned for the offensive. On the same evening the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division under Maj. Gen. James Gavin arrived and deployed at La Gleize and along Peiper's planned route of advance. Brigadefhrer Hugo Kraas (from 13 November 1944 - 8 May 1945) 25th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment Hitlerjugend, Standartenfhrer Kurt Meyer (until 14 June 1944), Obersturmbannfhrer Karl-Heinz Milius (from 14 June 1944) II. Units of the corps which fought in the Ardennes were the 51st (Highland) and 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Divisions, the British 6th Airborne Division, the 29th and 33rd Armoured Brigades, and the 34th Tank Brigade. 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. While the German command did not reach its goals, the Ardennes operation inflicted heavy losses and set back the Allied invasion of Germany by several weeks. Max joined the NSDAP, Nr 478376, on 01-03-1931 and the SS, Nr 27813, on 01-08-1931, he was apprenticed to a locksmith. After turning to other pressing issues, his staff reminded him that they should reply to the German demand. [176], Churchill was elated at Stalin's offer of help,[177] thanking Stalin for the thrilling news. 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. On our team, the captain is General Ike. 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. Battle is a mixture of confusion and disorder. After a brief visit to Berlin, Hitler traveled on his Fhrersonderzug ('Special Train of the Fhrer') to Giessen on 11 December, taking up residence in the Adlerhorst (eyrie) command complex, co-located with OB West's base at Kransberg Castle. [78] Instead, intent on driving west, Peiper turned south to detour around Hnningen, choosing a route designated Rollbahn D as he had been given latitude to choose the best route west.[59]. The German Army December 1944 the video game, see, German supporting across... 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