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Siege Of Bastogne
The siege of Bastogne () was an engagement in December 1944 between American and German forces at the Belgian town of Bastogne, as part of the larger Battle of the Bulge. The goal of the German offensive was the harbor at Antwerp. In order to reach it before the Allies could regroup and bring their superior air power to bear, German mechanized forces had to seize the roadways through eastern Belgium. Because all seven main roads in the densely wooded Ardennes highlands converged on Bastogne, just a few miles away from the border with neighboring Luxembourg, control of its crossroads was vital to the German attack. The German offensive began on 16 December. Although outnumbered, the regiments of the 28th Infantry Division delayed the German advance towards Bastogne, allowing American units, including the 101st Airborne Division, to reach Bastogne before the German forces surrounded the town and isolated it on 20 December. Until 23 December, the weather prevented Allied aircr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Battle Of The Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front during the World War II, Second World War, taking place from 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945. It was launched through the densely forested Ardennes region between Belgium and Luxembourg. The offensive was intended to stop Allied use of the Belgian port of Antwerp and to split the Allied lines, allowing the Germans to Encirclement, encircle and destroy each of the four Allied armies and force the western Allies to negotiate a peace treaty in the Axis powers' favor. The Germans achieved a total surprise attack on the morning of 16 December 1944, due to a combination of Allied overconfidence based on the favorable defensive terrain and faulty intelligence about Wehrmacht intentions, poor aerial reconnaissance due to bad weather, an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wilhelm Mohnke
Wilhelm Mohnke (15 March 1911 – 6 August 2001) was a German military officer who was one of the original members of the ''Schutzstaffel'' ''SS-Stabswache'' Berlin (Staff Guard Berlin) formed in March 1933. Mohnke, who had joined the Nazi Party in September 1931, rose through the ranks to become one of Adolf Hitler's last remaining general officers at the end of World War II in Europe. Mohnke participated in the fighting in France, Poland and the Balkans as part of the SS Division Leibstandarte, 1. SS Panzer Division ''Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler''. In 1943 he was appointed to command a regiment in the SS Division Hitlerjugend, 12. SS Panzer Division ''Hitlerjugend''. He led the unit in the Battle for Caen, receiving the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 11 July 1944. Mohnke was given command of the ''Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler'' division during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. While participating in the Battle of Berlin, Mohnke commanded ''Kampfgruppe Mohnke'' (Combat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
28th Infantry Division (United States)
The 28th Infantry Division ("Keystone") is a unit of the United States Army National Guard, and is the oldest division-sized unit in the Army. Some of the units of the division can trace their lineage to Benjamin Franklin's battalion, The Pennsylvania Associators (1747–1777). The division was officially established in 1879 and was later redesignated as the 28th Division in 1917, after the entry of America into the First World War. Today, the division contains units from Pennsylvania Army National Guard, Pennsylvania, Maryland Army National Guard, Maryland, Ohio Army National Guard, Ohio, and New Jersey Army National Guard, New Jersey. It was originally nicknamed the "Keystone Division," as it was formed from units of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard; Pennsylvania being known as the "Keystone State." During World War II, it was given the nickname the "Bloody Bucket" division by Wehrmacht, German forces due to the shape and color of its red keystone insignia. Today the 28th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ardennes
The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France. Geologically, the range is a western extension of the Eifel; both were raised during the Givetian age of the Devonian (382.7 to 387.7 million years ago), as were several other named ranges of the same greater range. The Ardennes proper stretches well into Germany and France (lending its name to the Ardennes department and the former Champagne-Ardenne region) and geologically into the Eifel (the eastern extension of the Ardennes Forest into Bitburg-Prüm, Germany); most of it is in the southeast of Wallonia, the southern and more rural part of Belgium (away from the coastal plain but encompassing more than half of the country's total area). The eastern part of the Ardennes forms the northernmost third of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, also called ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Allies Of World War II
The Allies, formally referred to as the United Nations from 1942, were an international Coalition#Military, military coalition formed during World War II (1939–1945) to oppose the Axis powers. Its principal members were the "Four Policemen, Big Four" – the United Kingdom, United States, Soviet Union, and Republic of China (1912–1949), China. Membership in the Allies varied during the course of the war. When the conflict broke out on 1 September 1939, the Allied coalition consisted of the United Kingdom, French Third Republic, France, and Second Polish Republic, Poland, as well as their respective Dependent territory, dependencies, such as British Raj, British India. They were joined by the independent dominions of the British Commonwealth: Canada, Australia, Dominion of New Zealand, New Zealand and Union of South Africa, South Africa. Consequently, the initial alliance resembled Allies of World War I, that of the First World War. As Axis forces began German invasion of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Antwerp
Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after Tournai and Couvin. With a population of 565,039, it is the List of most populous municipalities in Belgium, most populous municipality in Belgium, and with a metropolitan population of over 1.2 million people, the country's Metropolitan areas in Belgium, second-largest metropolitan area after Brussels. Definitions of metropolitan areas in Belgium. Flowing through Antwerp is the river Scheldt. Antwerp is linked to the North Sea by the river's Western Scheldt, Westerschelde estuary. It is about north of Brussels, and about south of the Netherlands, Dutch border. The Port of Antwerp is one of the biggest in the world, ranking second in Europe after Rotterdam and List of world's busiest container ports, within the top 20 globally. The city ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2nd Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)
The 2nd Panzer Division (English: 2nd Tank Division) was an armoured division in the German Army (1935–1945), German Army, the Heer, during World War II. Created as one of the original three German tank divisions in 1935, it was stationed in Austria after the Anschluss and then participated in the campaigns in Second Polish Republic, Poland (1939) and France (1940) before it returned to Poland for occupation duties (1940–1941). It took part in the Balkans campaign (World War II), Balkans campaign (1941) and then transferred to the Eastern Front (WWII), Eastern Front in September 1941. The division fought with Army Group Centre in the battles of Battle of Moscow, Moscow (1941) and Battle of Kursk, Kursk (1943). After heavy losses on the Eastern Front it was sent to France for rehabilitation (1944). It fought in Operation Overlord, Normandy and was almost completely destroyed in the Falaise Pocket (1944). It was rebuilt once more and fought in the Battle of the Bulge (1944) an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Panzer Lehr Division
The Panzer-Lehr-Division (tank teaching division) was an elite German armoured division during World War II. It was formed in 1943 onwards from training and demonstration troops (''Lehr'' = "teach") stationed in Germany, to provide additional armored strength for the anticipated Allied invasion of western Europe. On 4 April 1944, the division was officially designated as the 130th Panzer Division; however, it is usually referred to as the Lehr Division. It was the only Wehrmacht Panzer division to be fully equipped with tanks and with halftracks to transport its mechanized infantry. On several occasions it fought almost to destruction, in particular during Operation Cobra, and by the end of the war in Europe bore little resemblance to the unit that had originally been activated. History Formation Panzer Lehr began forming on 30 December 1943 and moved to the Nancy–Verdun area in January 1944 to complete the process. It was formed from several elite training and demonstrat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
26th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
The 26th Infantry Division () was a pre-World War II German Infantry Division of the 1st mobilisation wave (''1. Welle''). It was mobilised for World War II on September 26, 1939, disbanded on September 10, 1944, near Radom and reformed as the 26th Volksgrenadier Division (''26. Volksgrenadier-Division'') on September 17, 1944, near Poznań by absorption of the new 582nd Volksgrenadier Division of the 32nd mobilisation wave (''32. Welle''). Remnants of the Division entered U.S. captivity in the Harz region in 1945. Commanding officers *''General der Infanterie'' Sigismund von Förster, 1 September 1939 *''Generaloberst'' Walter Weiß, 15 January 1941 *''General der Infanterie'' Friedrich Wiese, 15 April 1942 *''Generalleutnant'' Johannes de Boer, 5 August 1943 *''Generalmajor'' Heinz Kokott, 10 August 1944 Operational history The 26th Infantry Division spent the early war years on the Western Front, taking part in the Battle of France in May/June 1940, first under the co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
VIII Corps (United States)
The U.S. VIII Corps was a army corps, corps of the United States Army that saw service during various times over a fifty-year period during the 20th century. The VIII Corps was organized 26–29 November 1918 in the Regular Army (United States), Regular Army in France and demobilized on 20 April 1919 at Montigny-sur-Aube. The VIII Corps fought across Europe from Normandy to Czechoslovakia in World War II. After World War II, the corps was inactivated and reactivated several times, with the final inactivation occurring in 1968. World War I The VIII Corps was first organized in November 1918, with Major General Henry T. Allen designated as commander on 18 November and taking command on 26 November, with the organization of the corps confirmed on 30 November. The corps was used under the Services of Supply, American Expeditionary Forces, to supervise the training areas used by divisions that had just taken part in the Meuse-Argonne offensive. On 20 April 1919, the VIII Corps was d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
969th Field Artillery Battalion (United States)
The 969th Field Artillery Battalion was an African American United States Army field artillery unit that saw combat during World War II. The battalion landed at Utah Beach during Operation Neptune, and participated in the liberation of France and Belgium. Along with survivors of the 333rd Artillery Battalion, it gave fire support to the 101st Airborne Division during the siege of Bastogne. (Battle of the Bulge) Because of the heavy losses suffered by the 333rd, some of its remaining members were reassigned to the 969th Field Artillery Battalion after the Battle of the Bulge. The 969th was equipped with the M1 155 mm howitzer, the primary medium field howitzer in use by U.S. forces during World War II. The gun crews of the 969th were known for singing in cadence as they loaded and fired their guns, and were praised by many veterans who fought in and around Bastogne, including Donald R. Burgett, for their deadly accuracy and precision. Battle of Normandy The 969th landed at ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
