Battle of the Bulge – December 16, 1944

[oriskany 60771xp 1]

Augh, and the second video was actually doing better, ironic since it’s clearly an amateur video.  Except he doesn’t quite know what “coaxial” means (lists both .30 cal MGs as coaxial, the one beside the main gun … that one really is coaxial, and the bow-mounted hull machine gun – NOT coaxial).

But then he calls the tank in Fury a Sherman Firefly.  No, no, no … that was an Easy 8.  Firefly of course is the British-only 17pounder variant.

He was doing pretty well for a while there!  😀 😀 😀

[oriskany 60771xp 1]

Little late on some of these, but finally cleared some other projects off my desk and getting back into the swing a little.

First, we have 37th Tank Battalion / CC ‘Reserve’ / 4th Armored Division finally spearheading the last drive to break through to Bastogne from the south, thus opening a land route and relieving the siege of Bastogne (101st Airborne + elements of 10th Armored Division, other units).

 

[oriskany 60771xp 1]

And the subsequent drive toward Houffalize, north of Bastogne, as the Bulge is squeezed ever closer to being cut off.





 

[zorg 18810xp 1]

yes they had a few points off? but interesting all the same @oriskany.

another interesting video to watch.

[zorg 18810xp 1]

have you heard of this tank ace folks ?

[zorg 18810xp 1]

off coerce Mr Wittmann

[oriskany 60771xp 1]

Definitely interesting, @zorg , especially Knispel – I always like reading about the Wehrmacht guys more than the Waffen SS guys. 168 tank kills and the highest decoration I can find on record is the German Cross in Gold. Tell me the Waffen SS wasn’t politically favored. (Although I do see photos of him wearing Iron Cross 2nd Class) ??

I would just add that neither of these aces fought in the Battle of the Bulge, so far as I can tell. Wittmann was of course long dead, and Knispel was with 503rd sPzAbtg somewhere in Hungary / Czechoslovakia / Balkans.

[oriskany 60771xp 2]

Just a few more battles to wrap up the Battle of the Bulge, to include peripherals like Operation Nordwind – one of the VERY few times you get to use Jagdtigers “historically honest”:

[zorg 18810xp 0]

Great work in the battle table reports @oriskany  have you seen the video on the tank fists kill ratio’s I’ll stick it up for everyone.

[zorg 18810xp 0]

apologies for the MIA the pc had a schism and I’m still trying to get everything up and running again.

 

[zorg 18810xp 0]

two videos the first is on the panzerfaust  the other is on pictures and film of the bulge area.

[zorg 18810xp 0]

two films of the battle.

[oriskany 60771xp 1]

Great videos, @zorg – La Gleize was pretty ferocious, where Kampfgruppe Peiper was finally pinned down and destroyed, if memory serves.  Historically it was more a siege, but in our Panzer Leader game (featured above) it became much more of a direct assault, with the casualties to go with it.

[zorg 18810xp 0]

yes the carnage looks severe with some of the tank wrecks.

[oriskany 60771xp 1]

From what I’ve read, many of those tanks (at La Gleize) were blown up by their own crews because KG Peiper had by then run out of fuel, and were then pinned down and surrounded.  But yeah, demolished tanks (where the explosive sometimes goes off INSIDE the tank and sets off the ammo) really does a number on the vehicle.  As opposed to a tank combat “kill,” where a kinetic round just punches a small hole in the armor.

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