Pershing vs Tiger: Germany 1945 (Duel) by Steven J. Zaloga

Author:Steven J. Zaloga [Zaloga, Steven J.]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
ISBN: 9781472817181
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2017-09-21T04:00:00+00:00

TIGERS IN THE ARDENNES

The most famous use of Tiger tanks against the US Army in the ETO occurred during the Ardennes offensive in December 1944. Two units were committed to the fighting, sPzAbt 506 and sSS-PzAbt 501. The freshly equipped sSS-PzAbt 501 was undoubtedly the more famous of the two units participating in the Ardennes offensive, if for no other reason than its prominent role in German propaganda films from the opening days of the attack. It was attached to 1. SS-Panzer-Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler and started the campaign with 45 Tiger II tanks. The battalion was attached to the divisional spearhead, Kampfgruppe Peiper. SS-Obersturmbannführer Joachim Peiper was concerned, however, that the big tanks would not be mobile enough on the narrow Belgian country roads in the race to the Meuse bridges. He left them in the rearguard, mainly in support of 3. Fallschirmjäger-Division. Several were present with Kampfgruppe Peiper when it was encircled around La Gleize and forced to abandon its tanks. Other companies of sSS-PzAbt 501 were involved in a series of skirmishes with US forces attempting to contain the breakthrough of Kampfgruppe Peiper. In the week of fighting through Christmas, the battalion lost 13 Tiger II tanks, four to American tank or antitank gun fire and the rest abandoned due to combat damage, mechanical breakdown, or encirclement. By December 28, sSS-PzAbt 501 was down to about 15 operational tanks which were shifted to the southern sector to take part in the Bastogne fighting. Two more Tiger II tanks were lost in the Bastogne sector and the battalion was pulled out of the Ardennes in mid-January 1945 as part of a shift of the forces of 6. SS-Panzerarmee to the Eastern Front to deal with the Red Army’s January offensive. On January 15, the battalion had 18 operational tanks of the original 45, with 14 lost and 13 damaged and in repair.

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