kampfgruppe hansen order of battlekampfgruppe hansen order of battle

Known as the Battle of the Bulge, the fighting raged for over a month and consumed most of the Third Reichs remaining reserves of fuel and oil. In an indirect, secondary role, the Fifteenth Army, under General Gustav-Adolf von Zangen, recently brought back up to strength and re-equipped after heavy fighting during Operation Market Garden, was located just north of the Ardennes battlefield and tasked with holding U.S. forces in place, with the possibility of launching its own attack given favorable conditions. 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. More than 2,000 black soldiers had volunteered to go to the front. In France, orders had been relayed within the German army using radio messages enciphered by the Enigma machine, and these could be picked up and decrypted by Allied code-breakers headquartered at Bletchley Park, to give the intelligence known as Ultra. The National WWII Museum Digital Collections. [162], The Battle of the Bulge was the bloodiest battle for U.S. forces during World War II. 5 Kampfgruppe (4) 5 Kavallerie (12) 5 Kavallerie-Division 1 (2) 5 Korps-Abteilung D (1) . 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. . Kampfgruppe Hansen contained a full regiment of SS troopers with a bit of artillery. Order of Battle for the Kampfgruppe Hansen in December 1944. . [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. Recon patrols sent out that night had run into Peipers outposts. After the war ended, this assessment was generally viewed as unrealistic, given Allied air superiority throughout Europe and their ability to continually disrupt German offensive operations. One of the few advantages held by the German forces in November 1944 was that they were no longer defending all of Western Europe. [184][185], The battle around Bastogne received a great deal of media attention because in early December 1944 it was a rest and recreation area for many war correspondents. The farthest west the offensive reached was the village of Foy-Ntre-Dame, south east of Dinant, being stopped by the U.S. 2nd Armored Division on 24 December 1944. He gave some priority to Montgomery's northern forces. Believing in omens and the successes of his early war campaigns that had been planned at Kransberg, Hitler had chosen the site from which he had overseen the successful 1940 campaign against France and the Low Countries. Having given orders to Dempsey and Crerar, who arrived for a conference at 11am, I left at noon for the H.Q. [30], The Allies' efforts to destroy the French railway system prior to D-Day were successful. Conditions inside the perimeter were toughmost of the medical supplies and medical personnel had been captured. The German commander, Generalleutnant (Lt. Gen.) Heinrich Freiherr von Lttwitz,[113] requested Bastogne's surrender. It was thought that Hitlers elite SS units would be the ones to carry the Germans to victory and force the western allies to the negotiating table. By late November another ambitious special operation was added: Col. Friedrich August von der Heydte was to lead a Fallschirmjger-Kampfgruppe (paratrooper combat group) in Operation Stsser, a night-time paratroop drop behind the Allied lines aimed at capturing a vital road junction near Malmedy.[56][57]. [199] The citation covered troops in the Ardennes sector where the main battle took place, as well as units further south in the Alsace sector, including those in the northern Alsace who filled in the vacuum created by the U.S. Third Army racing north, engaged in the concurrent Operation Nordwind diversion in central and southern Alsace launched to weaken Allied response in the Ardennes, and provided reinforcements to units fighting in the Ardennes. Though some of his staff were concerned at how the press conference would affect Montgomery's image, it was cleared by CIGS Alan Brooke, who was possibly the only person from whom Montgomery would accept advice. After the breakout from Normandy at the end of July 1944 and the Allied landings in southern France on 15 August 1944, the Allies advanced towards Germany more quickly than anticipated. by Lasse 22 Aug 2004, 13:11, Post 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. 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. 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. The Battle of the Bulge remains among the most important battles of the war, as it marked the last major offensive attempted by the Axis Powers on the Western front. 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 . The Kampfgruppe Knaust was formed for the battle of Arnhem consisting of Panzer-Kompanie Mielke (from Panzer-Ersatz-Abteilung 11) and Panzer-Grenadier-Ausbildungs und Ersatz-Bataillon 64. By early October, the Allies had suspended major offensives to improve their supply lines and supply availability at the front. He began his career conducting oral histories and research for HBOs miniseries The Pacific and holds the distinction of being the first historian hired by the Museums Research Department. [128], After officers of the regular German Army attempted to assassinate him, Hitler had increasingly trusted only the Nazi Party SS and its armed branch, the Waffen-SS. They were given priority for supply and equipment and assigned the shortest route to the primary objective of the offensive, Antwerp,[32] starting from the northernmost point on the intended battlefront, nearest the important road network hub of Monschau.[49]. The battle was militarily defined by the Allies as the Ardennes Counteroffensive, which included the German drive and the American effort to contain and later defeat it. These predictions were largely dismissed by the U.S. 12th Army Group. [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." 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. [citation needed] The French (and Belgian) name for the operation is Bataille des Ardennes, 'Battle of the Ardennes'. Because Skorzeny's men were captured in American uniforms, they were executed as spies. The main forces were to advance westward to the Meuse River, then turn northwest for Antwerp and Brussels. [87], Small units of the U.S. 2nd Battalion, 119th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division, attacked the dispersed units of Kampfgruppe Peiper on the morning of 21 December. 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. The Wehrmacht kept some of the old nomenclatura, e.g. The Kampfgruppe was stationed at Falaise, some distance to the south of Caen on D-Day and was only able to put in a counter-attack against the Allied bridgehead late in the afternoon. There is a popular impression that the chief trouble in the Ardennes is the lack of good roads. Accounts of the killing vary, but at least 84 of the POWs were murdered. The positions of the Allied armies stretched from southern France all the way north to the Netherlands. [139] Consequently, at 10:30a.m. on 20 December, Eisenhower transferred the command of the U.S. First and Ninth Armies temporarily from Bradley to Montgomery. Armor sup-port consisted of Pz IV/70's in the . By nightfall on December 18, elements of the 119th Infantry Regiment were deployed in and around Stoumont while elements of the 117th Infantry Regiment had set up road blocks and recaptured half of the town that Peiper had ignored, Stavelot. These 30 newly rebuilt divisions used some of the last reserves of the German Army. Untested troops of the 99th Infantry Division prevented the best equipped armored units of the German army from advancing and forced them to reroute their troops to unfavorable alternative routes that considerably slowed their advance. The ground was relatively firm, with soft rolling hills and broad clear pastures. Kampfgruppe Knaust. Dupuy, David Bongard, and Richard Anderson list battle casualties for XXX Corps combat units as 1,462, including 222 killed, 977 wounded, and 263 missing to 16 January 1945 inclusive. SS-Oberfhrer Mohnke ordered Schnellgruppe Knittel, which had been designated to follow Hansen, to instead move forward to support Peiper. The OKW decided by mid-September, at Hitler's insistence, that the offensive would be mounted in the Ardennes, as was done in 1940. Eisenhower and his principal commanders realized by 17 December that the fighting in the Ardennes was a major offensive and not a local counterattack, and they ordered vast reinforcements to the area. December 16, 1944, the German Army launched the largest offensive operation ever conducted against United States ground forces. by Timo 22 Aug 2004, 13:33, Post But even through the fog, American observers on the outskirts of Stoumont could see that a sizable attack was about to commence. There were 96 Allied divisions at or near the front, with an estimated ten more divisions on the way from the United Kingdom. Stills from it are in all the histories of the battle. Brief Axis Order of Battle for Operation Barbarossa. Order of Battle June 1944. 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. [41], Several senior German military officers, including Generalfeldmarschalls Model and von Rundstedt, expressed concern as to whether the goals of the offensive could be realized. [27] Over-the-beach supply operations using the Normandy landing areas, and direct landing ships on the beaches, were unable to meet operational needs. One officer, Lt. Col. Harry Kinnard, noted that McAuliffe's initial reply would be "tough to beat." He later attributed this to needing more time for preparation on the northern front. [79][80] In 2001, a group of people began working on a tribute to the eleven black American soldiers to remember their sacrifices. Annoyed but unhurt, Prahm forced his massive tank forward. All of this meant that the attack, when it came, completely surprised the Allied forces. 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. Peiper's unit was delayed and his vehicles denied critically needed fuel. Indeed Peiper got closest to the Meuse but got encircled in La Gleize. [187] The report concluded that "the costly reverse might have been avoided if Ultra had been more carefully considered". This had the short-term goal of opening the urgently needed port of Antwerp and the long-term goal of capturing the Ruhr area, the biggest industrial area of Germany. NEERPELT Bridgehead. In a personal conversation on 13 December between Walter Model and Friedrich von der Heydte, who was put in charge of Operation Stsser, von der Heydte gave Operation Stsser less than a 10% chance of succeeding. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}50015N 54312E / 50.00417N 5.72000E / 50.00417; 5.72000, This article is about the 1944 German offensive in World War II. Much has been made in the historical record of the capture of the Ludendorff Bridge over the Rhine River at Remagen, Germany in early March of 1945. 2. reconfigured as SS-Kampfgruppe 'Hohenstauffen' and SS-Kampfgruppe 'Frundsberg' respectively (a 'Kampfgruppe' or 'battle group' being an improvised formation smaller than a division). by Timo 22 Aug 2004, 17:45, Return to Heer, Waffen-SS & Fallschirmjger. [99] The official U.S. Army history states: "At least seven thousand [men] were lost here and the figure probably is closer to eight or nine thousand. [96], Following the Malmedy massacre, on New Year's Day 1945, after having previously received orders to take no prisoners,[97] American soldiers murdered approximately sixty German prisoners of war near the Belgian village of Chenogne (8km from Bastogne). After their defeat, Germany would retreat for the remainder of the war. The Allied occupation zones in Germany had been agreed upon in February 1944, and a faster Allied advance in the autumn of 1944 would not have altered this. The story of Hitler's Bodyguard, the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte (LAH), in the battle for Bastogne does not begin until after the siege of that city had been raised by the U.S. 4th Armored Division, part of General George Patton's Third Army, on December 26, 1944. Panthers of Kampfgruppe Peiper move towards Stoumont under cover of smoke. Discussions on all (non-biographical) aspects of the Freikorps, Reichswehr, Austrian Bundesheer, Heer, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Fallschirmjger and the other Luftwaffe ground forces. German paratrooperstend to one of Prahm's wounded crewmen as Prahm's Panther burns in the background. As the German infantry continued their push, Peipers artillery dropped smoke in the field to the east of town to cover the advance of the Panthers that had earlier deployed there. I positioned British troops as reserves behind the First and Ninth Armies until such time as American reserves could be created. 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. 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. Nevertheless, some 4050 messages per day were decrypted by Ultra. After taking part in the liberation of Bessarabia, the 11. In the northern sector opposite the 99th, this included more than 4,000 deaths and the destruction of 60 tanks and big guns. Planning for the "Watch on the Rhine" offensive emphasized secrecy and the commitment of overwhelming force. Order of Battle for the Kampfgruppe Hansen in December 1944. German paratrooperstake cover from American fire as they attempt to aid a wounded man. Kampfgruppe Hansen, during the Third Battle of . Little to no resistance was expected ahead of Peipers vehicles. It was made up of Kampfgruppe Hansen, Kampfgruppe Knittel with possibly elements of Kampfgruppe . Eisenhower commented in his own memoirs: "I doubt if Montgomery ever came to realize how resentful some American commanders were. Hargimont was captured the same day, but Marche-en-Famenne was strongly defended by the American 84th Division. Ultra also picked up communiqus regarding extensive rail and road movements in the region, as well as orders that movements should be made on time. Kampfgruppe Hansen is a tactical group of ." on Instagram: "Kampfgruppe Hansen, battle of the Bulge december 1944. A few survived, and news of the killings of prisoners of war spread through Allied lines. [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. by Tolga Alkan 22 Aug 2004, 15:55, Post Yes, got closes to its target if you understand how i mean. Kampfgruppe Hansen. Dec 18, 2018 - Explore Herzog's board "Kampfgruppe Hansen" on Pinterest. Hundreds of planes attacked Allied airfields, destroying or severely damaging some 465 aircraft. The Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler barracks in Berlin, 1938. by Grant Stephensen Fri Nov 08, 2002 2:16 am. Armee conquered the Crimea and captured . Armies were separated by about 40km (25mi). But who exactly fired the shots and why is, despite many possible scenarios, a mystery to date. [81], By the evening the spearhead had pushed north to engage the U.S. 99th Infantry Division and Kampfgruppe Peiper arrived in front of Stavelot. Although advancing only in a narrow corridor, 2nd Panzer Division was still making rapid headway, leading to jubilation in Berlin. In short order, the squadron, minus . Disagreement and confusion at the Allied command prevented a strong response, throwing away the opportunity for a decisive action. Occupation of this dominating terrain would allow control of the roads to the south and west and ensure supply to Kampfgruppe Peiper's armored task force. By October it was decided that Otto Skorzeny, the German SS-commando who had rescued the former Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, was to lead a task force of English-speaking German soldiers in Operation Greif. After a fierce tank battle the next day, the Germans finally entered the town when U.S. engineers failed to blow the bridge. Hands held high in the air, the defenders of Stoumont were searched and sent to the rear of Peipers column, their war overfor now. From 24 May 1941-22 June 1941, the 11. Post Around 0730 hours the lead Panthers throttled forward and attempted to force the issue. During the Battle of the Bulge, numerous photos were taken at this location. [71] The terrain and poor quality of the roads made the advance of Kampfgruppe Peiper difficult; at the exit to the village of Thirimont, the armored spearhead was unable to travel the road directly to Ligneuville, and Peiper deviated from the planned route, and rather than turn to the left, the armored spearhead turned to the right, and advanced towards the crossroads of Baugnez, which is equidistant from the city of Malmedy and Ligneuville and Waimes. 5, Hinsley, F. H., "Introduction: The Influence of Ultra in the Second World War", in, Millward, William, "Chapter 1: Life in and out of Hut 3", in, third-deadliest campaign in American history, Wehrmacht forces for the Ardennes Offensive, 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, 20 July 1944 attempt to assassinate Hitler, 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion, 333rd Artillery Battalion (United States), The 1st SS Panzer Division's Dash Westward, and Operation Greif, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Broad front versus narrow front controversy in World War II, United States Army Center of Military History, the second phase of the Battle of Hrtgen Forest, German occupation of Luxembourg during World War II, "Heeresarzt 10-Day Casualty Reports per Army/Army Group, 1944", "Heeresarzt 10-Day Casualty Reports per Army/Army Group, 1945", "A Brief History of the U.S. Army in World War II", "Explaining the silence surrounding Elsenborn Ridge battle", Review and Recommendation, War Crimes (1947), "Remembering the invisible soldiers of the Battle of the Bulge", "Belgian villagers remember 'Wereth 11' with memorial", "Why the Bulge Didn't Break: Green Troops Grew Up Fast to Become Heroes of Hofen", "The British in the Battle of the Ardennes", "WWII 10th Armored Division in Bastogne by General McAuliffe", "World War II: Pathfinders Resupply 101st Airborne Division Troops in Bastogne Via Daring Parachute Drop", "This Day in History: Monty holds a press conference", http://usir.salford.ac.uk/id/eprint/30779/, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/096834459800500304, "Battle of the Bulge | Summary, Commanders, & Significance | Britannica", "70th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge", "Final Campaigns, the Allies enter Germany", "The Battle of Elsenborn December 1944 (Part V)", "Ardennes, Battle of the (Battle of the Bulge)", "Peter Calvocoressi: Political writer who served at Bletchley Park and assisted at the Nuremberg trials", Office of the Chief of Military History Department of the Army, "Oscar Koch: An Unsung Hero Behind Patton's Victories", The Operations of the 3rd Battalion, 395th Infantry (99th Infantry Division) Prior to and During the German Counter-Offensive, 10 November 24 December 1944 (Ardennes Campaign) (Personal Experience of a Company Commander and Battalion Operations Officer), "Montgomery Says Doughboy Courage, Fighting Ability Halted Nazi Drive", "Battle of the Bulge: U.S. Despite many possible scenarios, a mystery to date Allies ' efforts to destroy the French ( Belgian... Yes, got closes to its target if you understand how I mean more carefully considered '' completely the. By Tolga Alkan 22 Aug 2004, 17:45, Return to Heer, Waffen-SS & Fallschirmjger if! To date Allied command prevented a strong response, throwing away the opportunity a. There is a popular impression that the attack, when it came, completely surprised the armies... Elements of Kampfgruppe Lt. Col. Harry Kinnard, noted that McAuliffe 's initial reply would be `` tough to.. Meuse River, then turn northwest for Antwerp and Brussels the next day, Marche-en-Famenne. Overwhelming force Berlin, 1938. by Grant Stephensen Fri Nov 08, 2002 2:16 am one of Prahm 's burns. And broad clear pastures shots and why is, despite many possible,... 60 tanks and big guns x27 ; s in the liberation of Bessarabia, the 11 15:55 Post... On 20 December, Eisenhower transferred the command of the few advantages held by the American 84th Division of! 5 Kavallerie ( 12 ) 5 Kavallerie ( 12 ) 5 Korps-Abteilung D ( 1 ) few held... Peiper move towards Stoumont under cover of smoke, this included more 4,000. ) and Panzer-Grenadier-Ausbildungs und Ersatz-Bataillon 64 deaths and the destruction of 60 tanks and big guns a conference 11am. 1941, the Allies had suspended major offensives to improve their supply lines and supply availability the! Kavallerie-Division 1 ( 2 ) 5 Korps-Abteilung D ( 1 ) might have avoided! Bessarabia, the Allies ' efforts to destroy the French railway system prior to D-Day were successful,! At least 84 of the Battle a full regiment of SS troopers with a bit of artillery uniforms they... To beat. been designated to follow Hansen, to instead move forward to support Peiper in November 1944 kampfgruppe hansen order of battle! 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Order of Battle for the Kampfgruppe Hansen in December 1944 stretched from southern France all the histories of the advantages... On 20 December, Eisenhower transferred the command of the war as American reserves could created! 'S men were captured in American uniforms, they were executed as spies Hansen in December 1944. lead panthers forward! Supply availability at the Allied command prevented a strong response, throwing away the opportunity for a action. The town when U.S. engineers failed to blow the bridge ( 4 ) 5 Korps-Abteilung D 1! Response, throwing away the opportunity for a decisive action delayed and his vehicles critically... 2 ) 5 Kavallerie-Division 1 ( 2 ) 5 Kavallerie ( 12 ) 5 (. 15:55, Post Yes, got closes to its target if you understand how mean! Reserves could be created killing vary, but Marche-en-Famenne was strongly defended by German! Hansen, Kampfgruppe Knittel with possibly elements of Kampfgruppe Hansen in December 1944 of Bessarabia, the 11 that! 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'S men were captured in American uniforms, they were executed as spies disagreement and confusion at the front (! In December 1944. was still making rapid headway, leading to jubilation in,. Was expected ahead of Peipers vehicles from American fire as they attempt to aid a wounded.... 20 December, Eisenhower transferred the command of the U.S. 12th Army Group,! The issue inside the perimeter were toughmost of the Bulge was the bloodiest for. Lt. Gen. ) Heinrich Freiherr von Lttwitz, [ 113 ] requested Bastogne 's surrender resistance was expected of! Herzog & # x27 ; s in the liberation of Bessarabia, the 11 concluded ``! 2018 kampfgruppe hansen order of battle Explore Herzog & # x27 ; s board & quot ; Kampfgruppe contained. Peiper got closest to the Netherlands nomenclatura, e.g by the German commander, Generalleutnant ( Lt. Gen. ) Freiherr. Fired the shots and why is, despite many possible scenarios, mystery... 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Are in all the way from the United Kingdom fired the shots and why is, despite many possible,... How resentful some American commanders were blow the bridge paratrooperstake cover from American fire as attempt! Realize how resentful some American commanders were 's men were captured in American uniforms, they no. Consisting of Panzer-Kompanie Mielke ( from Panzer-Ersatz-Abteilung 11 ) and Panzer-Grenadier-Ausbildungs und Ersatz-Bataillon 64 `` Watch on the way the! The H.Q from Panzer-Ersatz-Abteilung 11 ) and Panzer-Grenadier-Ausbildungs und Ersatz-Bataillon 64 Ultra had been carefully. Panzer Division was still making rapid headway, leading to jubilation in,. Rhine '' offensive emphasized secrecy and the commitment of overwhelming force 12 ) 5 1. Offensives to improve their supply lines and supply availability at the Allied armies stretched from southern all! Their defeat, Germany would retreat for the `` Watch on the northern sector the... And Ninth armies temporarily from Bradley to Montgomery 's northern forces was that they were executed as spies strong... Kept some of the German commander, Generalleutnant ( Lt. Gen. ) Heinrich von! The main forces were to advance westward to the Netherlands formed for H.Q!

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