Tiger II and Das Reich in Wacht am Rhein?

[collectorGD]

Hi guys,

has SS Panzer Division Das Reich used Tiger II during the Ardennes Offensive?

cheers
Tom

[WARNACH]

Tiger II ardennes

Hello Tom,
Das Reich had in this time-frame:
- 28 StuG
- 58 Pz V
- some (8) FLAKPz

Only LAH had them (assigned from Corps)
Cheers
peter

data: Thomas L.Jentz

[collectorGD]

Ok, thanks for the information,

cheers
Tom

[Mark C. Yerger]

Only "Totenkopf" retained its Tiger Kompanie until all eventually lost, "Das Reich" and "Leibstandarte" give up their heavy Kompanien and used attached Korps elements.

[collectorGD]

thanks Mark for the information!

regards

[Greg]

Tom,

Only two units equipped with Tiger II fought in the Ardennes Offensive - s. Pz.Abt. 506 of the Heer, and s. SS-Pz.Abt. 501. As mentioned above, the latter was a 1. SS Panzer Korps unit. It was attached to Kampfgruppe Peiper of the LSSAH during the Ardennes to act as the second battalion of SS-Panzer Regiment 1.

s. SS-Pz.Abt. 502 was built around the former "Das Reich" heavy company, but it didn't fight in the Ardennes.

Best,
Greg

[collectorGD]

thanks Greg for the additional information

with great joy, I look forward to your book 'Tigers in the Ardennes'

[collectorGD]

Greg,

why my question about Das Reich and the use of Kingtigers...

I know a veteran of 92 years old. He was member of the 5 kompanie of 2 Regiment of SS Panzerdivision Das Reich. When he lost his Panzer IV during the Ardennes offensive, a SS Standartenführer of the LAH ( ? Knobelsdorfer ?) asked him to become a member of a Kingtiger. This SS Standartenführer was a kommandeur of a panzerunit. Their kingtiger was disabled by the crew in the region of Celles because it had no fuel anymore.

Has anyone information about this SS Standartenführer? Does there exist pictures about this Kingtiger that was left by a crew in the region of Celles?

Thanks in advance

[collectorGD]

No extra information available?

[Aiceman]

Tiger im Focus?
On this forum you can know everything from the all tiger tank (I-II) and you can ask from the mods.

[WARNACH]

No extra information available?

Celles ?
IMHO only the 2. PzDiv reached this area and had no Tiger ...
There is a monument near Celles that is a stripped down Panther.
Peter

[collectorGD]

Hi Peter, I've seen in the book of Pallud that in the region of Celles, more than one panther was left after the fighting. But no kingtigers were seen on pics of that region...

I hoped with the name of Knobelsdorfer, some historians could helped me. I will check the Tiger im focus forum, thanks for the info Aiceman.