German main battle tank during the battle of the bulge, 1945. Armored fighting vehicles in the bulge panzerblitz. Colonel daniel kiley, a maverick american intelligence officer whose warnings of an impending largescale german attack are ignored by army brass. World war ii battle of the bulge german offensive from 16.
In december 1944, when the allies had advanced unto the belgian ardennes, they were completely surprised by three german armies. Fortunately, for the allies, the sturmgewehr 44 was in short supply. However, the king tiger had already seen some action at the battle of arnhem, in the netherlands, that september. Us m 36 jackson tank destroyer during the battleof bulge. In recreating the ardennes battle, the author has penetrated the fog of war as well as any historian can hope to do. It became known as the battle of the bulge, so named for the bulge the nazi forces managed to make in allied lines. For example, when the german attack began on 16 december, the u. Battle of the bulge is a tactical world war ii strategy game published by ubisoft under the brand name kudosoft. Commemorate the battle of the bulge with tank rewards. The battle of the bulge was german offensive and key engagement of world war ii, which lasted from december 16, 1944 until january 25, 1945.
The sixweek german offensive through a frigid december 1944 and january 1945 surprised allied forces and proved to be costly for all involved. Martin hessler, the ruthless commanding officer of a german panzer unit at the front. The clash was germanys last offensive operation of world war ii, and the bloodiest battle for u. Never known for underengineering their gear, the germans kept adding armor to. I was just a kid back then and enjoyed the movie and the panzerlied tune very much. Tank driver remembers dday, battle of the bulge former army staff sgt. Germanys king tiger tank the tiger 2 is mostly remembered for its activity at the battle of the bulge. That is the end of its historical accuracy, even the name is utterly wrong because the battle of the bulge was really the pattonmonty offensive that took place after the german offensive had created the bulge, which is not really covered in the movie.
The battle lasted more than six weeks and took many lives on both sides. Battle of the bulge henry fonda robert shaw robert ryan 1965 allied officers henry fonda, robert ryan and a german tank commander robert shaw have a tactical showdown in the ardennes forest, december 1944. When the m36 jackson tank destroyer td appeared in europe during the fall of 1944, the americans finally had a weapon capable of taking on any german tank. It was adapted from a navy song, using words more suited to the panzerwaffe, or tank force. The battle of the bulge in december 1944january 1945 was the last major armor clash in the west for world war ii.
The name battle of the bulge came from the shape of the german salient in allied territory. The offensive was planned by the german forces with utmost secrecy, with minimal radio traffic and movements of troops and equipment under cover of darkness. Army europe public affairs office february 25, 2009. Based on letters home, the sparse narrative has the immediacy of onthespot reporting. Apr 15, 2012 the total german casualty list must have been high, and after these three days of battle heavy inroads had been made in the tank strength of the 12th ss panzer regiment. During the battle of the bulge in december 1944, one of the german vehicles that american soldiers feared most was the tiger ii tank, or king tiger. Also known as the ardennes counteroffensive, the battle of the bulge was one of the last offensive campaigns by the german military on the western front. Ted hartman was a teenager when he was sent overseas to drive a sherman tank into combat to face the desperate german counterattack known as the battle of the bulge. Several members of the monument committee, veterans of the battle of the bulge, family members, and others were present. At the beginning of the battle, the allied high command did not believe the offensive was actually a major attack. Anyway, if anyone has info about all, orsome, tiger iis during the battle of the bulge, please tell it me. How were the englishspeaking germans at the battle of the. Battle of the bulge is a 1965 war movie about the famous world war ii battle of the same name, directed by ken annakin henry fonda as lt.
Greatest tank battles the battle of the bulge youtube. Generals weather and snow who played against the germans in russia, played in their favor in ardennes. The battle of the bulge began as a crushing counteroffensive that took the allies by complete surprise. December 16, 2018 is the 74th anniversary of the battle of the bulge. The panthers are broken down into panther d and panther g. This january, tank rewards honors 75th anniversary of the battle of the bulge. With henry fonda, robert shaw, robert ryan, dana andrews. Plan your trip to the ardennes in belgium and luxembourg to visit all these tanks. The total german casualty list must have been high, and after these three days of battle heavy inroads had been made in the tank strength of the 12th ss panzer regiment.
To observe the event, weve got a series of missions for allied or german forces. Panzerlied with subtitles the german tank song on vimeo. It was a last desperate attempt of the german wehrmacht to cut through the allied lines. German casuality estimates range from 60,000 to 100,000. Lack of fuel and supplies were the greatest enemy the germans had to fight for the. A dramatization of nazi germanys final western front counterattack of world war ii. The battle of the bulge, most of it fought in heavy forests, deep snow and bitter cold, involved some 600,000 american troops. The pzjg iv70 is a very commonly seen vehicle in the bulge, being found in at least eleven panzerjager battalions and two panzer battalions. Translated lyrics taken from wikipedia, see for information. Army m36 jackson tank destroyers preparing to engage german armour near werbomont, belgium, during the battle of the bulge, december 20, 1944. German main battle tank during the battle of the bulge, 1945 c45gab from alamys library of millions of high resolution stock photos, illustrations and vectors. The multiplayer version of this title has three different game modes and supports a simultaneous mission of up to four players. The multiplayer version of this title has three different game modes and supports a.
The panzerlied piece from the movie battle of the bulge. Robert cappa and his platoon of 2nd infantry division soldiers have been ordered to hold a vital road junction against. German king tiger tank in the battle of the bulge by. Dec 22, 2010 a scene from a panzer tank attack in this movie. Never mind that the producers were using american tanks and called them as tigers and panthers. It was launched through the densely forested ardennes region of wallonia in eastern belgium, northeast france, and luxembourg, towards the end of the war in europe. No surrender is played out in twenty singleplayer missions. Eingeschrankte rechte fur bestimmte redaktionelle kunden in deutschland. Tank driver is the story of a young mans combat initiation in world war ii. German tank losses during the operation are unknown but appear to have been very high, probably as much from mechanical failure as from battle damage. Locations of restored and surviving battle of the bulge 1944 tanks. Limited rights for specific editorial clients in germany. Confident in their gear, the german wehrmacht was caught off guard by the fast and wellprotected soviet t34 tank and created the panther as their counter. Starting december 16th, 1944, the offensive campaign was intended to cripple allied forces at the port of antwerp.
The jgdpz v also makes an appearance in this battle, serving in the 9th and 12th ss. The information you are looking for is on tigers in combat ii by wolfgang schneider, and specifically for the battle of the bulge the ardennes, 19441945 by christer bergstrom was a very useful book at least in my opinion. Dudelange, luxembourg during the battle of the bulge. This is undoubtedly the greatest american battle of the war and will, i. Oct 19, 2019 the bleeding giant was gasping, still the nazi managed to mass a last adventurous surprise assault in belgium. Not all of the german impersonators could speak nonaccented fluent english although all could speak english. During this new edition of tank rewards, from 3 january at 06. This is the order of battle of german and allied forces during the battle of the bulge specifically, at a point near the end of the battle, which lasted from 16 december 1944 until 25 january 1945. In the distance, smoke rises from wrecked german equipment, while in the foreground, american tanks move up to support the infantry in the fighting. One american tank passes another, bogged down in a ditch at the side of the road in belgium, jan.
The favorite of german tank crews was the mark v panther medium tank with its 75mm cannon. An m36 tank destroyer of the us army, painted white to blend with snowcovered terrain, crosses a field on january 3, 1945. Even worse was the shortage of tank retrievers, and, after 23 december, the few available. This past week marked the 70th anniversary of the battle of the bulge fought between allied and german forces in the snowy, wooded ardennes region of western europe. During the battle of the bulge, german soldiers used a powerful new weapon the sturmgewehr 44 stg 44. Discussion in information requests started by acker, jan 23, 2008. The 1800 figure is very similar to jentzs total of 1695 but for the whole western front and of these he has 1216 operational. Tank that helped end battle of the bulge takes place in army history.
It soon became popular, reflecting the mood of the armed forces at a time when germany was rearming. This is the order of battle of german and allied forces during the battle of the bulge specifically, at a point near the end of the battle, which lasted from 16 december 1944 until 25 january 1945 as with any large army organization in extended combat, forces and their assignments shifted over the course of the battle. The panzerlied reached fame in 1965 after it was featured in the famous tank battle movie, the battle of the bulge. Dec 25, 2019 it became known as the battle of the bulge, so named for the bulge the nazi forces managed to make in allied lines. The 2d battalion, understrength when it arrived to face the germans, had been reduced by perhaps one quarter. As with any large army organization in extended combat, forces and their assignments shifted over the course of the battle. The soldiers story world war 2 battle documentary timeline duration.
The phrase battle of the bulge was coined by contemporary press to describe the bulge in german front lines on wartime news maps, and it became the most widely used name for the battle. Tank that helped end battle of the bulge takes place in. German main battle tank during the battle of the bulge. Yet, while the powerful german tanks came to be looked upon with great respect by allied soldiers, their size and weight were disadvantages, as was made patently clear on the eastern front and in the ardennes forest in december 1944. German main battle tank during the battle of the bulge, 1944. Timeline world history documentaries 1,407,715 views. Panzerlied tankmens song was a wehrmacht german armed forces song composed in 1933 by oberleutnant kurt wiehle. Mar 10, 2015 the battle of the bulge began as a crushing counteroffensive that took the allies by complete surprise. Panzerlied with subtitles the german tank song youtube. Mostly they were caught in flagrante delicto, in the middle of committing their sabotage activities. The battle of the bulge, also known as the ardennes counteroffensive, was the last major german offensive campaign on the western front during world war ii, and took place from 16 december 1944 to 25 january 1945. The former enlisted man fought for 745th tank battalion landing on normandy and fought in the battle of the bulge. This january marks the 75th anniversary of the battle of the bulge, a pivotal and fierce battle between the allied and the axis powers near the end of world war ii.
In this ww2 game i have, that is supposed to be historically accurate, it shows that the german forces at the battle of the bulge were made up with around 50 tiger 2 tanks, 250 panzer iv tanks, and around 350 panzer v panther tanks. Tiger iis during the battle of the bulge axis history forum. During the battle of the bulge, 20,876 allied soldiers were killed, while another 42,893 were wounded, and 23,554 capturedmissing. The film is based on a true events, taking place on christmas 1944, army lt. Pattons third army relieved bastogne on the 26th, and on january 3, 1945, the u. Errors in movie battle of the bulge henry fonda version.
German main battle tank during the battle of the bulge, 1944 c45ga8 from alamys library of millions of high resolution stock photos, illustrations and vectors. For the 1,700 to 1,800 tanks and assault guns in army group b, there were only six tank repair companies. The german army threw in its last armored units, include new tiger and panther tanks. I was basically saying that they were inadequate when compared to the german armor in the bulge, even if the ammo stowage was solved at that time, the crews still didnt like them, still called them ronsons, iron coffin, my pal sully used. No other volume of this series treats as thoroughly or as well the teamwork of the combined armsinfantry and armor, artillery and air, combat engineer and tank destroyeror portrays as vividly the starkness of small unit combat. Like many great endeavors, the facts90,000 allied casualties, 340 german tanks behind a division coordinated assaultdo little to tell the story. Robert miksa, 91, is seen in portrait wednesday, may, 2015 at his home in naples, fla. Tigers in the ardennes tells the story of the 501st heavy ss tank battalion, a king tiger tank unit in the battle of the bulge or ardennes offensive, as the germans called it. It was the major true battle for the americans with almost 20,000 soldiers lost. This was the beginning of the ardennes offensive or battle of the bulge.