Tag: Knocked Out

One of our Facebook members requested more information to this post. A photo of a knocked out Panther tank and M10 ‘Wolverine’ tank destroyer.

Description on the back of the photograph stated that it was an “American Tank Destroyer and Mark V tank on road to St. Barthelemy”.  The fighting at St. Barthelemy, during Operation Lüttich – which was the German counter-offensive against the US forces following Operation Cobra.

The M10 belonged to the 654th Tank Destroyer batallion, who at this point was attached to the 35th Infantry Division, and further attached to the 35th Division Artillery.

You can read the after action report from the 654th TD Batallion here: LINK. (It’s typewritten in 1944, some is a little illegible).

Incidentally, the after action report doesn’t mention any mark V tanks being destroyed or engaged, they only mention mark IV tanks and self propelled guns.  There is always the possibility that these two tanks were destroyed at different times during the offensive and counter offensives.

The Panther tank belonged to either KG Kuhlmann of the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte with I/SS Panzer Regiment 1 and III/SS Panzergrenadier Regiment 2 attached to 2nd Panzer Division in the St. Barthelemy-Juvigny area, or KG Knittel of the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte with SS Panzer Aufklarung Abteilung 1 attached to 2nd Panzer Division in the Le Mesnil-Tove area.

These two KG’s moved through St. Barthelemy with KG Knittel taking the route of St. Barthelemy-Belle Fontaine-Le Mesnil-Tove and KG Kuhlmann taking the route of St.Barthelemy-La Rossaye-La Vallee-Juvigny.

2nd Panzer Division formed a KG which included KG Knittel and took a route through the Northern part of St.Barthelemy toward Belle Fontaine and Le Mesnil-Tove. KG Kuhlmann, which was also attached to the 2nd Panzer Division, took a route through the Southern part of St.Barthelemy onto their route toward La Rossaye, La Vallee and Juvigny.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Lüttich

http://www.feldgrau.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9470

http://www.oldhickory30th.com/Photos%20NARA%20Summer%202005.htm

http://tankdestroyer.net/units/battalions600s/242-654th-tank-destroyer-battalion