This one, however, most likely did not. There was a bitter struggle to the south of Grufflingen, and the Germans were again active in the Neubruck area. The StuG III was a turretless assault gun based on the Panzer III. EN. This is puzzling, to say the least. He also hoped the 3rd Armored Division soon might attack to remove all threat of encirclement. At 0200 on December 22, the Fhrer Escort Brigade launched its attack against the town of Rodt, a small village west of St. Vith. This break appeared to be only a dream, however, as it seemed every outfit wanted a piece of CCB, 9th Armored to help shore up its positions. It is certainly possible that the tank destroyed in this engagement was a Panzer IV or a StuG III but in the absence of new evidence coming to light it can only be concluded that either the Greyhound crew knocked out a completely different tank or were otherwise exaggerating some action. The Commands main body was led by the 27th AIB with B Company in front, followed by Headquarters and C Company. An attack to the east by the 7th Armored Division could then relieve the two surrounded regiments of the 106th. Manteuffel met near Wallerode with Model and Lucht that day. English PDF (15 MB) Jan B-603 352d Volks Grenadier Division (19 Freb.-21 Mar. I should also note that reconnaissance doctrine was to disengage if at all possible and in no way engage enemy armour beyond scout elements. On December 16th at 4:00 a.m., they took the twenty-two foot macadam road following the Our River valley towards Manderfield. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division (18. 'poor shape' in a sentence. After putting down a heavy concentration of artillery fire, the Germans moved their infantry across the river east of the position held by the 2nd platoon of D Troop, 89th Recon. Johnston, W. Wesley. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. Within the Kloster, General Hoge found a division headquarters staff in a state of disarray and confusion. Contents 1 Allied Forces 1.1 12th Army Group 1.1.1 U.S. First Army 1.1.1.1 V Corps 1.1.1.2 VII Corps 1.1.1.3 XVIII Airborne Corps 1.1.2 U.S. Third Army 1.1.2.1 III Corps 1.1.2.2 VIII Corps 1.1.2.3 XII Corps Rejection & Neglect available to buy on Payhip! . The division fought in the Ardennes, inflicting on the 106th US Infantry Division the worst defeat suffered by U.S. forces in the ETO, when over 8,000 US soldiers surrendered to the volksgrenadiers. Both assault groups suffered heavy casualties. Yes in theory. It was around 1200 hours and all was quiet when suddenly a German heavy tank was spotted slowly approaching the American line, a Tiger I. The ground was frozen solid. Inside the command post, General Hoge learned that the Germans had launched a heavy assault on Winterspelt against the men of the 424th Infantry. Hoge managed to stop the stragglers, and soon a provisional company of men from the 424th was formed to reinforce the 27th AIB on its march toward the Our. Beevor, Antony. In the early afternoon of the 22nd, he arrived at General Hasbroucks headquarters in Vielsalm to plan the withdrawal. The M8 was used mostly as a reconnaissance vehicle for scouting. Eventually retreating through Germany until the end of the war, when it surrendered. However, it cannot be definitively stated that this is another version of the M8 Greyhound versus Tiger story due to its ambiguity. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating 571. It would be unable to turn its full strength on St. Vith until the American surrender in that area. General Jones and his staff had pulled out of St. Vith on the morning of the 18th for Vielsalm. American Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force Choose a Unit. The two commanders agreed that even without the mud to contend with the withdrawal would have to be delayed simply because of heavy enemy pressure. However, the monumental traffic jams in the Losheim Gap and at Schoenberg continued to delay both the 18th Volksgrenadier Division and the Fhrer Escort Brigade, and not until after daylight on the 20th would a bridge be ready at Steinebruck for the 62nd Volksgrenadier Division. The entry only states that a Tiger tank was knocked out. Mastering all the usages of 'poor shape' from sentence examples published by news publications. Next came B Company, 9th Armored Engineers; the 16th Armored Field Artillery; B Company, 482nd Antiaircraft Artillery; and the 14th Tank Battalion. So, rather than spill blood needlessly to take meaningless ground, Hoge called off the attack on Winterspelt. The situation on Reids left flank was unclear, and the Germans were attacking in considerable force against his right flank. Tigers In Combat I. VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army (Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945.. In the 27th AIBs move to take the high ground, B Company advanced along the center of the road. During the afternoon of December 19, Hoge visited Clarkes command post in St. Vith and expressed his frustration with the current chain of command. Armament T-70 gun cal. And why would it not? In blinding snow and on slippery roads the tanks and infantry of CCB, 9th Armored headed for Bauvenn. After Action Report, Month of December, 1944. Resistance by service company personnel in Rodt was fierce with every possible mandrivers, cooks, radio operatorsemployed in the defense; however, after nine hours of battle against the much superior German force, Rodt fell. Osprey Publishing, 2002. 1945. However, there is one major issue with this explanation, Panzer IVs were not attacking Troop B. The Tiger II, also known as the King Tiger, Royal Tiger, Knigstiger, and Tiger Ausf.B, was an enormous, 69.8 tonne German heavy tank. That cold snap that hit us has frozen the roads. The event that Lieutenant Olson recounts does bare a resemblance to the M8 Greyhound versus Tiger story, with both events taking place at or near St. Vith on the 18th of December 1944 and involving an American armored car from the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron knocking out a German tank by shooting it in the rear. Division 4. At 0130 the 27th AIB was hit hard and the sector held by Company B, 9th Engineers was deeply penetrated, causing the armored infantry to fall back under the protective guns of Company A, 14th Tank Battalion. Osprey Publishing, 2002. While making his reconnaissance at Monschau he received an urgent message to call V Corps headquarters. Anderson, Thomas. The Sherman tanks of B Company repulsed the enemy with fire from their 76mm guns. No reinforcements were expected. An M8 Greyhound armored car of Troop B, 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron was lying in a concealed position just northeast of the vitally important crossroads town of St. Vith, Belgium. It was to cross the Meuse on both sides of Liege before advancing on to Antwerp. Company A of the 14th Tank Battalion had some trouble disengaging. On February 5, 1945 General Walter Botsch took over command of the division. . I have come to believe is that this type of fight happened more than once. The fortified goose egg ran nearly 10 miles in diameter, containing a mass of forest and only one decent road running northwest to southwest. Clarke asked, Why in the world when I had only 2,500 men available to my command on December 17, did you not just execute a powerful frontal assault and overrun me?. Osprey Publishing, 2010. Do you have more information about this person? With the enemy inside Steinebruck and excellent direct fire by the German artillery, what was left of 2nd Platoon, 89th Recon withdrew along the St. Vith road. The silhouettes of the Panzer IV and the Tiger I are quite similar, especially due to their rectangular shapes and rounded turret (rounded through the later use of a curved armor plate around the otherwise angular turret). Company B of the 9th Engineers and D Company of the 89th Recon joined the line to supplement the armored infantry. Schneider, Wolfgang. 6 Schwere Panzerkampfwagen DW to E-100. Volksgrenadier-Division. Stackpole Books, 2015. Approximately three hours later a German company marched out of Neidingen and along the road leading straight into C Companys position, apparently totally unaware of 9th Armoreds recent change of position. Company A of the 27th AIB had been assigned to the 99th Infantry Division and was in the process of being retrieved when the march to St. Vith began. 194311 Much like the Panzer IV, the StuG III was a mainstay of the German army as well as Germanys most produced armored fighting vehicle of the war with over 9,400 produced. Attack on Panther PzKw V and Tiger PzKw VI. As stated above, a 37mm cant penetrate the armor of an Tiger tank. The troops request for armored support was denied by General Hoge because his tank companies sent north to help the 7th Armored had not yet returned and no reserve was on hand. Attacking the rear of a Tiger when you had no way of knowing if it was supported by one or more others is extremely unlikely. In light of these circumstances, General Hasbrouck felt compelled to write to Clarke that unless the withdrawal began soon the opportunity will be gone., During the night of December 22, a cold wind had begun to blow out of the east bringing what weathermen call a Russian high. Although both Clarke and Hoge noted it, they saw little hope that the ground might freeze in time to aid their withdrawal, but after receiving Hasbroucks message Clarke stepped out and tested the ground. How to use 'poor shape' in a sentence? Moreover, it was expected that General Luchts two infantry divisions would be forwarded to the Salm River sector as right-wing cover for two panzer corps. Combat Interviews of the 38th Armored Infantry Battalion, 7th Armored Division: The St. Vith Salient and Manhay, December 17-23, 1944. Jentz, Thomas, and Hilary Doyle. Daniel P. Kneeland, Grafton, Ma. It contained the 293., 294. and 295. grenadier regiments, Panzerjger-Bataillon 1818, Pionier-Bataillon 1818, Fsilier-Bataillon 1818 and Artillerie-Regiment 1818.[1]. Orders for CCB, 9th Armored to move to a new defensive position were issued at 1600. The story begins on the 18th of December 1944, two days after the start of the German offensive. This battalion hit the 424ths Cannon Company at the Weissenhof crossroads. Given that the rear hull armor of a Tiger II is 80 mm of RHA angled at 30 degrees, it is essentially impossible for the M8 Greyhounds 37 mm M6 gun to penetrate the rear hull armor of the Tiger II. Germanys Tiger Tanks D.W. to Tiger I: Design, Production & Modifications. Troop D, 89th Recon and Company D, 14th Tank Battalion formed a line from Grufflingen to Thommen, and Companies B and C of the 14th Tank Battalion took up positions between Thommen and Maldange. The earliest known mention can be found in the December 18th, 1944 morning report and record of events entry of Troop E, 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron which briefly states that an M-8 atchd [attached] to A Tr [Troop A] knocked out one Tiger tank. The reason for this comparative respite was due to the fact that the roads to the German rear were completely jammed. Troop D, 89th Recon had positioned its troop headquarters and first platoon to cover the bridge over the Our. . At about 0115 on December 17, a platoon from 9th Armoreds D Troop, 89th Recon was detailed to proceed through St. Vith in a southeasterly direction and seize the high ground along Highway N27 south of Steinebruck. Osprey Publishing, 2013. Panzer Tracts No. The division fought in the Ardennes, inflicting on the 106th US Infantry Division the worst defeat suffered by U.S. forces in the ETO, when over 8,000 US soldiers surrendered to the volksgrenadiers. If Hoge told him that the situation was bad, then without a doubt the situation was worse than he thought. Manteuffel had hoped for considerably more on the 19th. Due to the lack of detail in Troop Es entry, it is impossible to tell which Tiger tank is the one being referred to in the account. Jentz, Thomas, and Hilary Doyle. By midnight on the 19th, the horseshoe- shaped defense of St. Vith had taken form. Together they broke up the attack. Clad in armor between 25 mm and 180 mm thick and armed with deadly 88mm KwK 43 L/71 gun, the Tiger II was one of the deadliest tanks of the Second World War. He was also told that all that stood in their way were two troops of the 87th Recon Squadron, 7th Armoreds 87th, and a few antiaircraft half-tracks. Infantry divisions would begin the attack along the entire length of a 50-mile front, forcing a rupture along the Allied line and giving the German panzer divisions freedom of movement in the unoccupied ground beyond the front. Johnston, W. Wesley. It is interesting to note that the U.S 7th Armored Division suffered a moderate 425 Battle Casualties, on page 465 of Hitlers Last Gamble by Trevor N. Dupuy, for December 17-23, 1944 in the Battle of Saint Vith including the 1st day of the Battle of Manhay, out of the 3,397 Battle and Non-Battle Casualties suffered during the Battle by the U.S 112th Infantry Regiment of the U.S 28th Infantry Division, the U.S 424th Infantry Regiment of the U.S 106th Infantry Division, Combat Command B of the U.S 9th Armored Division and ofcourse the U.S 14th Cavalry Group. According to British penetration diagrams from 1944, the 37 mm M6 gun firing its standard round, the 37 mm APC M51, could, under ideal conditions, penetrate the 80 mm thick rear hull armor angled at 9 degrees when firing at an angle of 0 degrees, albeit just barely. Little offtopic here but another misidentification might be the 1 destroyed 88mm assault gun (Ferdinand). (function (d, s, n) { Company B was stationed east of Galhausen and maintained contact with the nearest elements of the 7th Armored Division on 9th Armoreds left flank. With this contact, all units in the vicinity of St. Vith, including 9th Armored Division forces, passed to the command of Maj. Gen. Matthew B. Ridgways XVIII Airborne Corps. The move would also have to be done under the cover of darkness in severe wintry conditions. The 424th Infantry still blocked the road to the Our River and Steinebruck. Design, Production & Modifications. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division(18th VGD) was a volksgrenadierdivision of the German Army(Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. General Jones wanted Hoge to use the infantry of his 27th AIB to seize the series of hills near Winterspelt while the 14th Tank Battalion was to remain west of the Our River for use as the situation developed. Infanterie-Division Hamburg 19453 . Protected by armor between 25 mm to 145 mm thick and armed with a fearsome 88mm KwK 36 L/56 main gun, the Tiger I was arguably the most feared tank of World War II by Allied soldiers. The mud had made the roads and open areas impassable for armored vehicles. While walking to avoid the traffic congestion, Manteuffel encountered his superior, Field Harshal Model. Rather than reaching the Meuse and driving on to Antwerp, the offensive stalled and eventually was turned back. Add to cart. 1940 194111. This article already explains ballistics and mentions that while Panther was vulnerable to lower-caliber AT guns, the Tigers were almost immune to them. However, I am not so emotionally attached to my favorite LAV that I cant see the improbabilities. One task force encountered reconnaissance probes on N27 conducted by units of the 1st SS Panzer Division approximately 1,000 yards north of St. Vith. EN RU CN DE ES. Volksgrenadier-Division. VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army (Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945.. I think we can make it now. Volksgrenadier-Division was formed from the partially formed 571.Volksgrenadier-Division in Denmark in September 1944, it also included excess Kriegsmarine personnel and surviving elements from 18. Volksgrenadier-Division 5 [ ] Jentz, Thomas, and Hilary Doyle. During the assault, B Company suffered about 40 casualties including its commanding officer, Captain Henry D. Wirsig. Combat Interviews of the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, 7th Armored Division: The St. Vith Salient, December 17-23, 1944. The supply trains led the way north on N27 to St. Vith. Cole, Hugh M. The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge. Division 3. Out of the 1,467 tanks the Germans brought with them to the Battle of the Bulge on the 16th of December, 1944, 52 of them were Tiger IIs and 14 of them were Tiger Is. At 0600 Im going to start to move.. The Americans knew that their only hope in doing any sort of damage to this beast was to get as close as possible to it and shoot its weaker rear armor. Encyclopedia of German tanks of World War Two. Join historians and history buffs alike with our Unlimited Digital Access pass to every military history article ever published (over 3,000 articles) in Sovereigns military history magazines. Should 7th Armored lose St. Vith, 9th Armored would be unable to withdraw on its own axis. 6731 Whittier Avenue, Suite C-100 McLean, VA 22101, Stay up to date with all of our latest news, The 18. Your email address will not be published. Hoge departed Faymonville at approximately 1800, arriving at General Joness headquarters in the St. Josephs Kloster about a half hour later. It contained the 293., 294. and 295. grenadier regiments, Panzerjger-Bataillon 1818, Pionier-Bataillon 1818, Fsilier-Bataillon 1818 and Artillerie-Regiment 1818.[1]. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division (18th VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army (Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. Unable to advance, it pulled back to the nearest high ground and dug in. Tiger. Tigers In Combat I. Although the bridge over the Our was blown, the German presence kept growing. The Battle at St. Vith, Belgium 17-23 December 1944 An Historical Example of Armor in the Defense. The village of St. Vith lay approximately 12 miles behind the front lines on December 16, 1944, the day the offensive code-named Operation Watch on the Rhine began. The division had lost four companies of armored infantry. Tiger. Having failed to find a soft spot to the north, the Germans then moved against Hoges 9th Armored command in the south; however, even before this attack got going three German tanks were knocked out and the rest of the probing force withdrew. At about 2130, General Clarke phoned General Hoge to tell him that the enemy was entering St. Vith from the north and that his forces were withdrawing to form a new line northwest of the city. Schiffer Publishing, 1997. The only known witness to the supposed event, Captain Walter Henry Anstey, died on 26th October 2003 at the age of 90, taking the truth of the events that day to his grave. Troop D, 89th Recon held the sector from Steinebruck to Weppeler while A Company, 27th AIB put up a defensive line anchored on the high ground east of Maspelt. This version is also attributed to Captain Anstey and is nearly the exact same as his original version of the story as well as being plagued by the exact same issues. The troops were exhausted and spread out. The event simply was not that notable. United States 106th Infantry Division on the 16th and 17th of December 1944 (the first two days of the battle of the Ardennes were as follows: 1. Jones had been counting on this when he sent Hoges 9th Armored Command to Winterspelt rather than Schoenberg. The stubborn defenders of St. Vith played a major role in defeating the final German offensive of World War II in Western Europe. General Lucht hurried to Winterspelt to get the 62nd Volksgrenadier moving to the Our. The closest of the northern German armored thrust routes ran through Recht, about five miles northwest of St. Vith. War Department Technical Manual TM 9-1904 Ammunition Inspection Guide. This is an issue because there were two distinct types of German Tiger tanks, both of which took part in the Battle of the Bulge: The Tiger I and the Tiger II. It is possible that, as part of the attacks on the line held in part by Troop B of the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, a lone StuG III was used to probe out the American line, as had been done on the previous day, and was subsequently knocked out by an M8 Greyhound. VGD captured St. Vith, winning a great victory. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. The heroic defense of St. Vith, though costly in men and materil, disrupted the German timetable extensively. Add to cart. Elements of D Company, 89th Recon screened the flanks. 2014. With all of these contradictions, ambiguity, and lack of supporting documentation and evidence surrounding Troop Es entry in mind, it is safe to conclude that this is not the most reliable account of what really happened on the 18th of December, 1944 at St. Vith. While 9th Armored was thus engaged in the Winterspelt area during the morning hours of December 17, Brig. The unit was converted to an infantry division in 1945, while stationed in Courland. In addition, elements of the 116th Panzer Division and the 560th Volksgrenadier Division were moving against the weakly held southern flank of St. Vith defended by remnants of the 424th Infantry Regiment of the 106th Infantry Division and the 112th Infantry Regiment of the 28th Infantry Division. Troy Middletons VIII Corps. It consisted of the 136th 138th and 139th Mountain Replacement Regiments and the 112th Artillery The Pontiac, Michigan, resident also served 10 years in the U.S. Army. Armour Plate Porforation [sic: Perforation] of Tank and Anti Tank Guns. A two-day rest was planned for everyone. On December 21, 18. During the night, the troopers experienced harassing fire from light and medium artillery and could observe enemy infantry and at least four tanks moving along high ground to the south of the river. Personally I have not believed this event at all. Fifth Panzer was to attack from Prum in the north down to Bitburg and Bastogne in the south. By 1245, the original line was restored, and the antitank guns of Company A, 811th Tank Destroyers were recovered. The town was also in Fifth Panzer Armys area of advance. 1/18th Scale Cars; 1/24th Scale Assembly Kits; 1/24th Scale Cars; 1/43rd Scale Cars; . Maurice Delaval Papers Collection of the Military History Institute in Carlisle, PA. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division (18th VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army (Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. The resulting blast damaged the bridge to such an extent that the Germans would not be able to bring vehicles across for at least 24 hours. The 294th Volksgrenadier Regiment was a unit of the larger 18th Volksgrenadier Division. Sicherungs-Division) was a rear-security division in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany. 2014. First Edition, Presidio Press, 2002. Ninth Armored sent out billeting parties as it reached its new area. I am a huge M8 Greyhound fan, having built a model at age 13 and I now own a 1:6 scale one with 4-man crew. This German World War II article is a stub. Jentz, Thomas, and Hilary Doyle. Ridgway answered, Bill, we can and we will. The withdrawal plan called for a general pullback west of the Salm River to an assembly area in the zone controlled by the 82nd Airborne Division in the vicinity of Lierneux. Three of these Tiger IIs belonged to Schwere SS Panzer Abteilung 501 (Heavy SS Tank Battalion 501); Tiger 105 was abandoned in the town of Stavelot, Belgium after getting itself stuck in a building, Tiger 332 was abandoned near Coo, Belgium as a result of mechanical damage, and Tiger 008 was abandoned at a farmhouse near Trois Ponts, Belgium. Zaloga, Steven. The defense of St. Vith was now achieving some kind of order in contrast to the chaos that had reigned during the previous three days. Fortunately for Colonel Reid, word came at about 1730 that his 424th Infantry Regiment was to withdraw immediately. Although the Germans were facing stiff resistance all along the American defensive line, they were determined to take St. Vith. At about 1700, the enemy attacked along the Schoenberg road from the east; at 1830, they came down the Malmedy road from the north, and at 2000, an attack started from the southeast along the Prum road. It was a clear disappointment to Jones when Clarke told him that he, his operations officer, his aide, and his driver were the only representatives of the 7th Armored Division to have reached St. Vith at that time. Elements of the 62nd Volksgrenadier had taken the eastern half of Winterspelt during the night, and at daybreak reinforcements finally drove Colonel Reids 1st Battalion from the village. Germanys Tiger Tanks VK45.02 to TIGER II. So many soldiers of the 18th Volksgrenadier Division converged on Wallerode for the final push against St. Vith that the villagers themselves threatened to be squeezed out. The Ardennes 1944-1945: Hitlers Winter Offensive. The 27th AIB was ordered to establish a defensive position south, east, west, and southeast of Malempre. Generals Manteuffel and Lucht had planned an all-out attack to take St. Vith starting at daylight with a three- pronged envelopment by the 62nd Volksgrenadier Division against 9th Armored positions in the south. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating 571.Volksgrenadier-Division.Under the command of Gnther Hoffmann-Schnborn, the new division absorbed elements of the 18th Luftwaffe Field . VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army ( Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. It saw action in France before taking part in the fighting in the Ardennes where it suffered heavy losses, it continued fighting on the western front until the end . At least 900 soldiers who had stood in front of the town were either dead or captured. Infanterie-Division 19398 . Although it was beaten off, the attacking Germans were identified as new to the area, soldiers of the 9th SS Panzer Division, a cause for considerable concern at this point in the battle. Panzer Tracts No. Pegov in March 1944 on a light tank T-70 destroyed two German Panthers aboard. South of Sixth Panzer Army was General Manteuffels Fifth Panzer Army, with the Seventh Army on its left. This is before you take into account that the manufacturing process for German armor allowed for a tolerance in plates which often left plates 2 to 5 mm thicker than ordered. It was at full strength and supplied with the latest equipment. St. Vith is built on a low hill surrounded on all sides by slightly higher rises. By mid-afternoon, General Hoge ordered his infantry to halt and dig in. Schneider, Wolfgang. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division(18. Based upon this fairly optimistic view, Ridgway, shortly after midnight, ordered the entire St. Vith force to withdraw from its current positions and form a defensive ring west of St. Vith and east of the Salm River. Good Tank, Poor Deployment | T-34-76 and T-34-85 in Yugoslav Partisan Service. According to the British, 37 mm M6 guns APC M51 can only penetrate around a maximum of 65mm of rolled homogeneous armor plate (RHA) at 30 degrees under V50 ballistic standards. Sometime later that Monday morning, General Hoge sent his liaison officer to St. Vith to learn the dispositions of CCB, 7th Armored Division. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division under the command of Generalmajor Gnther Hoffmann-Schnborn patrolled the Schnee Eifel area. Slayden, knowing that the nearest units of the 7th Armored Division were at least 60 miles away in the Netherlands, had serious doubts that a whole combat command could reach St. Vith on the 17th, much less by 0700 hours. Required fields are marked *. Before departing, however, Hoge gave orders to Lt. Col. Leonard E. Engeman, commander of the 14th Tank Battalion, to get a strong force ready to move out to assist 7th Armored should it become necessary. Under the command of Gnther Hoffmann-Schnborn, the new division absorbed elements of the 18th Luftwaffe Field Division. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating 571.Volksgrenadier-Division.Under the command of Gnther Hoffmann-Schnborn, the new division absorbed elements of the 18th Luftwaffe Field .