Quote:
Originally Posted by clueless_newbie
Great guys, thanks for your replies!
Okay, now how would that work? The Germans began with the artillery barrage, but then what do they into battle - armored cars, infantry, armor, combos of those?
I just don't have a grasp of what an advance German column and/or attack would look like.
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The Germans did not attack in their usual fashion in the Ardennes offensive, due to the difficult terrain.
To put it simply, without regard to the different tactics used by the two Panzer armies:
The initial assault were executed by battalions of heavy armed elite infantry that stormed forward positions after the initial barrage (but not in the 5th Army sector).
Armored recon battalions (composed of armored cars and armored halftrack infantry) were the eyes and ears and made contact after a staging area was secure. They generally avoided heavy combat but often engaged US forces long enough for the Panzers to arrive.
Unlike what they show in movies, the Panzers were generally heavily supported by armored infantry, dismounted and mounted on a lot of armored personnel carriers. They also had access to self-propelled artillery that could bring down fire in front of them quickly. The APCs also had a lot of machineguns, mortars, and cannons that would provide support fire.
In the 6th Army sector, however, the Germans attempted to bounce enemy towns with fast tank rushes supported by mounted and dismounted armored infantry. This had mixed results.