User:Btphelps/Sandbox/Battle of Stoumont
Part of the Battle of the Bulge of WWII / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Battle of Stoumont was fought during the Battle of the Bulge between elements of the United States and Germany armies during December 18-22, 1945. The Germans goal was to cross the River Muese and capture Antwerp, with the goal of splitting the Allied lines and forcing a cessation of hostilities. The Germans planned to reach the River Muese by the second day, but were delayed by the stubborn resistance of the American forces at a small hamlet named Lanzerath and at Elsenborn Ridge. The Americans were caught by surprise and rushed troops to the region to stop the German advance. The 740th Tank Destroyer Battalion played a key role in stopping the German advance. They were assigned to the battle without any working armor, but were able to scrounge through a repair depot and get three tanks and one tank destroyer operational. They attacked the next morning and disabled three German tanks, blocking the road.
Battle of Stoumont | |||||||
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Part of the Battle of the Bulge | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
United States | Germany | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Leland S. Hobbs (30th ID) Walter M. Robertson (2nd ID) James M. Gavin (82nd AIB) | Joachim Peiper | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
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Strength | |||||||
5,000 men (initially) ~80,000+ men (eventually) |
Knittell: 1,500 men and 150 vehicles | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
TBD casualties TBD men killed or missing |
114 tanks lost Unknown, but high personnel losses 12th SS: 9,870 men (328 officers and 1,698 NCO's)[1] | ||||||
The narrow roads and steep valleys of the forested Ardennes region forced Peiper to spread his column over many miles, negating the advantage he might have enjoyed were he able to muster a large number of tanks at the front. Given the dispersed nature of the vehicles and troops, the situation was very dynamic. Fighting occured in multiple locations and units were at times unaware of conditions elsewhere among the German forces. Stavelot was captured by the Germans twice during the battle.
The Americans rushed reinforcements in from the north and south. The hodge-podge collection of American infantry, airborne, tank destroyer, engineering, artillery forces, and fighter squadrons stubbornly refused to yield and cut off the German's ability to advance. Unable to advance, low on fuel and ammunition, the Germans finally abandoned their vehicles and retreated on foot through the forest east of the Siegfried Line.