This is very weird - s.Pz.Jg.Bt 653 weren't even used in the Battle, according to my sources !

They reported 9 Jagdtigers on strength, and were held in reserve for Operation Nordwind , going into battle in Northern Alsace on January 6th.

Possibly one of our Jagdtiger experts ( mkenny, for instance ) can throw further light on this.

In any case, Chaumont is close to Bastogne where no heavy Panzers were engaged....

As an aside, I must say that Robin Cross is up there with Charles Whiting and Robin Neillands as, er...not one of my favourites. [img]graemlins/no.gif[/img]

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

To be honest I was amazed to read that there might have been any Ferdinands but then again...I guess there was none then!

Back to the books! ( Not Robin Cross´ that is..)

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Erich,

on Michael Reynolds "Sons of the Reich":

Lammerding´s intention was to advance on two routes to his next major objective-Erezée. The first ran through Freyneux ,Lamormenil and Amonines and the second through Oster and Grandmenil.

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It seems different authors have a bit different views on the routes but this is where Reynolds got the troops.

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There´s a map in the book and according to it the Germans captured Grandmenil, but were stopped ca 1 kilometer to the west of it. The troops advancing to the right of Manhay were stopped in front of Vaux-Chavanne. The troops on the left from Odeigne were stopped in front of Freyneux and could not thus even try to reach Lamormenil as it was the next target after Freyneux to the west.

KG Krag advanced to the gates of Amonines but were stopped before reaching it, as well as in front of Briscol and Hazeille-Erpigny. KG Krag managed to take Sadzot in front of Briscol.

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Grandmenil and Manhay are almost the same, they are so close together.

The road west runs flat between the two ( where a Panther can still be seen today ). The road then immediately curves and climbs steeply into trees which is where the advance was halted.

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

There were no Ferdnands (Elefants) or JagdTigers used in the Ardennes offensive. Although there have been several claims to the contrary, none can be substanciated. Certainly S. PzJr Abt 653 while initially included in this operation actually took no part in it. The first use of JagdTigers was in Nordwind.
All the remanining Elefants at this point in the war were with S. PzJr Kp 614 in the East, amounting to somewhere between 12 and 14 vehicles. S. PzJr Kp 614 was in the vicinity of Krakau in Poland at this point.

Thanx for the "Elefant" information T.A.!

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Unternehemen Bodenplatte is prepared as a go..........now for the Allies to be drunker than skunks as they won't know what him them.

Ah no. Poor communication with German flak defences and non familiararity with the chosen targets-(airfields) led to horrendous losses by the Luftwaffe. Unacceptable as needed for defence of the interior. What a waste of man and machine

There has always been talk that the air battle was not possible during the early phase of the Bulge operation. However not stopping the Allied bombers....

" The 18th December would be remembered as the day the bombs fell by the Luftwaffe ground crews. The prospect for German supply was further dimmed by the Luftwaffe´s inability to still the US 8th Air Force. An imposing armada of 985 bombers escorted by some 773 fighters, moved to pulverize the German rail supply centers along the Rhine. Rail marshalling yards in Cologne, Koblenz, Kaiserslautern, Ehrang, Mainz and Mayen were slammed in an effort to create choke points in the German rear.

Gen d inf Baptist Kniess of LXXXV Armee Korps was forced to acknowledge the effect of the bombing on the rail system :
"....Already by 20 December all railways between the Luxembourg front and the Rhine were out of commission, and thus a great deal of motor and horse transport was missing from the start. In the face of the shortage of gasoline already being strongly felt, the added necessity of using precious fuel to transport all supplies for the offensive was an important factor in limiting the striking force..."

Danny Parker " To win the winter sky "

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