“TIGERS IN THE ARDENNES – The 501st Heavy SS Tank Battalion in the Battle of the Bulge”
By
Gregory A. Walden
Schiffer Publishing Ltd. 2014Approx. 140 pages
Approx. 110 illustrations
Greg Walden, distinguished member on this very forum, has made the very special effort to present us readers with a detailed study on the s.SS-Pz.Abteilung 501 fighting during the Ardennes Offensive. The book is a true “labor of love” and clearly the result of decades of dedicating time, money and efforts at recompiling information on this unit, which fought only for a very short period at the end of the war.
The book gives insight on the technical features of the Tiger II tank, the unit, it’s most important officers and men. The Ardennes fighting is focused on the unit’s specific actions on a daily/hourly basis, supported by maps and mostly unpublished photos from the war and the specific places today (Then/Now). Veterans comment on their first-hand experiences during the fighting and rare award documents are being shown.
Most impressively for me were the 30 pages the author dedicated to the history (and specific technical details) of almost each and every tank of the s.SS-Pz.Abt. 501, their crews, and what had happened to the vehicles after the war.
The forward, written by Wilhelm Kiesselbach, nephew of Heinz von Westernhagen, the commander of this infamous unit, makes a very worthy introduction for this long overdue work.
It is a must-have-work for anyone interested in the history of the “Leibstandarte,” the Ardennes Offensive and German World War II tanks in general.
A highly recommendable work which finally and perfectly recounts the short, intense and tragic history of the Heavy Tank Batallion and its men.
Markus
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