King Tiger's World War 2 Battlefield Tour (Europe)

[King Tiger]

33. Grandmenil
Grandmenil is a small village with approximately 300 hundred inhabitants.
The village is situated about a kilometre distance of Manhay.
The wooded hills, babbling brooks and the wildlife make you forget about the history of this area.
Life is quiet and nature here is still impressively present.

Late december 1944 the Americans fought the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge.
Many books has been written about Bastogne, La Gleize and other places where the battles were at their fiercest.
Little is known about Grandmenil. However: A memorable battle was fought here.
A battle that would mean a turningpoint for the German forces.

It was fought between 24 Dec till 27 Dec and both sides suffered losses.
The US 75th Infantry Division and the 3rd Armored Division faced the 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich.
The American halt the attack of the elite German armored division.
Several days of fierce fighting followed and the village was heavily shelled and bombed by both sides.
The Axis forces were eventually pushed out of Grandmenil, but at the cost of many lives.
The final result was a victory for the Americans on 27 Dec 1944.

 

[King Tiger]

75th US Infantry Division, 3rd US Armored Division.
The monument reads: Valleys, hills, forest and villages of the Ardennes, you have seen them pass, fight, suffer and fall.
Under the stars of their flag liberty was marching.
In recognition and gratitude to all the allied soldiers.

 

[King Tiger]

Panther Mark V of the 2nd Panzer SS Division "Das Reich".
Located at Grandmenil, Belgium.

Now it serves as monument to remember the war events of December 1944 at this place.

 

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Dec 1944 - Grandmenil after the battle

May 2010 - A peaceful town of Grandmenil today

 

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Dec 1944 - Panther tank laying dead at GrandMenil

May 2010 - GrandMenil today

 

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Dec 1944 - A knock out US Sherman tank at GrandMenil

May 2010 - GrandMenil today

 

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Dec 1944 - GrandMenil after a fierce battle

May 2010 - GrandMenil today

 

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Dec 1944 - Civiloan leaving Manhay in the direction of Grandmenil

May 2010 - Grandmenil today

 

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Dec 1944 - A knock out German tank at Grandmenil

May 2010 - Grandmenil today

 

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Dec 1944 - An overtuen Panther tank at Grandmenil

May 2010 - Grandmenil today

 

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34. Dochamps

Dec 1944 - US troops from 2nd Armored Division draws into the Belgian village of Dochamps

May 2010 - Me @ Dochamps

 

[King Tiger]

Dec 1944 - US 2nd Armored Division entering Dochamps

May 2010 - The same church at Dochamps today.
The traffic is now much less crowded and peaceful village yield on the image below. The tree behind survived the war and is now in full bloom.

 

[King Tiger]

Dec 1944 - A disabled German self-propelled gun at Dochamps

May 2010 - Present day at Dochamps (Notice the same church in the foreground)

 

[King Tiger]

35. Houffalize
At the centre town of Houffalize, display the Panther tank, relieved from battle site.
Houffalize was a strategic location during the Battle of the Bulge of World War II.

During the German offensive the very strategic crossroad town Houffalize was taken by German troops.
American counter-attacks were repulsed vigorously.
After heavy shelling and bombing, in which about 200 citizens lost their lives.
On 16 Jan 1944 Patton's Third Army and Montgomery's forces ( the U.S. 2nd, 3rd and 11th Armored divisions) link up at Houffalize.
This made the Bulge smaller and the Germans were forced to retreat to the east.
Specifically, Generals Montgomery and Patton met up here, Montgomery coming from the north and Patton from the south,
in their counter-attack against the German forces remaining in the area.

 

[King Tiger]

Dec 1944 - During the fighting at Houffalize in December 1944, the Panther tank fell into the river Ourthe.
A bomb blast threw this 40 ton tank upside down in the river, killing it's crew.
Years after the war the Belgium army pulled the tank out and only then the killed crew members could be buried.

May 2010 - The bridge at Houffalize today
(I recall then having difficulties to locate the site and I ask the people around, an old Houffalize lady living there assist me to find the actual site)

 

[King Tiger]

Dec 1944 - GI at Houffalize

May 2010 - Houffalize today

 

[King Tiger]

The Panther Tank was relieved after the war.
Local authorities decided to keep it as a remembrance of the horrified of the war and an reminder for future generation that
War is one of the most regrettable human activities.

This Panther tank was part of the 116th German Panzer Division, nicknamed "Windhund".

 

[King Tiger]

When ask "which is the best German tank during World War II, without hesitation, the majority's answer would be the Panther Tank.
It was undoubtedly Germany's best tank design, giving the almost ideal balance between armor, speed, weight and firepower.

Panther Tank Dec 1944

Weight : 44.8 tonnes
Length : 6.87 m (8.66 m with gun forward)
Width : 3.42 m
Height : 2.99 m
Crew 5 : Driver, radio-operator, commander, gunner, loader

Armor : 15-120 mm
Primary armament : 1x 7.5 cm KwK 42 L/70 (79 rounds)
Secondary armament : 2× 7.92 mm (5,100 rounds)
Engine : V-12 petrol Maybach HL230 P30 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW)
Speed : 46 km/h

 

[King Tiger]

During the Ardennes offensive several US Sherman tanks were knocked out in the middle of the night by Panther tanks using IR night-scopes.
After locating US tanks with the IR scope, the Germans fired flares at the Shermans to light the target completely, and knocked them out.
The visibility range of the infra-red viewer mounted on the Panther was increased to 700 meters through the capability of the Headlamp.

It originally had the identification number III on the side of the turret.
It has been repainted with a three tone camouflage scheme and now displays the 'Windhund' insignia of the 116 Panzer Division.

During the Battle, one the German tank Ace, Barkmann's Panther drove into the group of US tanks from the 2nd Armored Division.
Despite being outnumbered, Barkmann managed to knock out a few Sherman tanks.
However, he was seriously wounded in action on 25 Dec.

 

[King Tiger]

Oct 2008 - Me and my wife at Houffalize in 2008

May 2010 - Back again in 2010