Then there is the issue of the entrys ambiguity in regards to the Tiger tank that was knocked out. Greyhound vs. Tiger at St. Vith - Tank Encyclopedia var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; Because the Our had ceased to be a barrier anywhere else, General Hoge felt that there was little to gain in continuing to overextend his command to hold the low ground along the river. The sector now defended by CCB, 9th Armored extended across five miles of rugged terrain that was primarily held by the three infantry companies making up the 27th AIB. The colonel ordered the troop east along the road to Schoenberg to delay a German tank and infantry team approaching St. Vith from that direction. Beevor, Antony. Design, Production & Modifications. Rapidly, the M8 advanced to within 25 yards (23 meters) of the Tiger I and quickly pumped three rounds into its rear. One gun, firing from the house that had been the 14th Tanks command post an hour earlier, disabled two of the Shermans, but the other tanks managed to knock out the four antitank guns plus three German command vehicles. One Day at Stavelot, a Tale of Two Archives The Tiger II vs US Tank Destroyers in the Ardennes. VGD captured St. Vith, winning a great victory. Armour Plate Porforation [sic: Perforation] of Tank and Anti Tank Guns. Elements of the 62nd Volksgrenadier had taken the eastern half of Winterspelt during the night, and at daybreak reinforcements finally drove Colonel Reids 1st Battalion from the village. Plastic Models - Page 8 - Esswex Hobbies CCBs new position blocked the main Winterspelt-St. Vith highway and the valley of the Braunlauf Creek, a second natural corridor leading to St. Vith. 560th Volks Grenadier Division (15-29 Dec. 1944) and 12th VGD (1-28 Jan. 1945). Orders for CCB, 9th Armored to move to a new defensive position were issued at 1600. General Hoge set up his command post in the Belgian village of Faymonville, approximately 12 miles north of the town of St. Vith, unaware of the pivotal role his command was to play in a very different battle. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating the 571st Volksgrenadier Division. On his way to St. Vith, General Hoge stopped in Faymonville to alert his command to be prepared to move immediately. 281st Security Division (281. However, it cannot be definitively stated that this is another version of the M8 Greyhound versus Tiger story due to its ambiguity. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating 571.Volksgrenadier-Division.Under the command of Gnther Hoffmann-Schnborn, the new division absorbed elements of the 18th Luftwaffe Field . Troop D, 89th Recon held the sector from Steinebruck to Weppeler while A Company, 27th AIB put up a defensive line anchored on the high ground east of Maspelt. Osprey Publishing, 2013. Excellent deductive research! Hoge departed Faymonville at approximately 1800, arriving at General Joness headquarters in the St. Josephs Kloster about a half hour later. The next move was up to General Lucht and his corps. Ninth Armored and its attachments traveled southwest on N26 to the junction with N33 west of Beho, then turned north on N33 to Salmchateau, and finally west on N183 through Lierneux to Malempre-Jevigne, southeast of Manhay. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division was to attack along the two roads from Schoenberg, with the Fhrer Escort Brigade assaulting from the north. Manteuffel met near Wallerode with Model and Lucht that day. VGD division was absorbed into the 26. The American armor of the 7th and 9th Armored Divisions plus supporting units were being pressed into an area in which motorized forcestanks, half-tracks, self-propelled artillery, tank destroyersoperated with great difficulty. This article already explains ballistics and mentions that while Panther was vulnerable to lower-caliber AT guns, the Tigers were almost immune to them. Both assault groups suffered heavy casualties. The Fifth and Sixth Panzer Armies were to advance abreast, cross the Meuse River, and then drive for the Belgian port city of Antwerp, a major staging and supply center for the Allied armies in western Europe. The next notable version of this tale comes from a 1966 book by the US Army Armor School titled The Battle at St. Vith, Belgium 17-23 December 1944: A Historical Example of Armor in the Defense. VGD led by Heinz Kokott, Heinrich Himmler's brother-in-law. Panzer Tracts No. The other, the 62nd Volksgrenadier Division, bore the number of an infantry division destroyed on the Eastern Front, which had been reconstituted. Similar events have happened more than once, though on the Eastern Front. Osprey Publishing, 2010. The column came upon stragglers from the 424th Infantry retreating in disarray toward St. Vith. 18th Volksgrenadier Division Wikipedia Republished // WIKI 2 #WW2 . Ministry of Supply, 1945. Soon after General Hoge left 106th Division headquarters for the drive back to Faymonville, Jones received a call from Middleton informing him that a combat command of Brig. Troop D, 89th Recon had positioned its troop headquarters and first platoon to cover the bridge over the Our. One task force was made up of A and B Companies of the 14th Tank Battalion, B Company of the 482nd Antiaircraft Artillery, and another platoon of the 14th. Hoge and Clarke agreed that Hoges entire command should be withdrawn west of the railroad tracks. Wikizero - 281st Security Division (Wehrmacht) At about 1700, the enemy attacked along the Schoenberg road from the east; at 1830, they came down the Malmedy road from the north, and at 2000, an attack started from the southeast along the Prum road. This one, however, most likely did not. What he claimed was that the fight wasnt as easy as it is presented here. VGD) was a volksgrenadierdivision of the German Army(Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. Hoge has just reported an attack. Two regiments of the 62nd Volksgrenadier Division attacked 9th Armored positions early that morning, their goal to gain the Salm River at Salmchateau. The entry only states that a Tiger tank was knocked out. I am weighing toward a stray Panzer IV or maybe a SP gun like the one you described. which, in principle, is comparable to the 37 mm American gun. However, I am not so emotionally attached to my favorite LAV that I cant see the improbabilities. Which specific Tiger II this was is unknown. 18th Volksgrenadier Division - Wikipedia Although it was beaten off, the attacking Germans were identified as new to the area, soldiers of the 9th SS Panzer Division, a cause for considerable concern at this point in the battle. 18th Volksgrenadier Division - Wikiwand Jentz, Thomas, and Hilary Doyle. 301 sentences with 'poor shape'. Sell, buy or rent Panzers in Winter: Hitler's Army and the Battle of the Bulge (Praeger Security I 9780275971151 0275971155, we buy used or new for best buyback price with FREE shipping and offer great deals for buyers. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating 571. Its supporting field artillery battalion was at Kalterherberg, two miles south of Monschau, engaged in firing missions for the 2nd and 99th Infantry Divisions. After Action Report, Month of December, 1944. Slayden, knowing that the nearest units of the 7th Armored Division were at least 60 miles away in the Netherlands, had serious doubts that a whole combat command could reach St. Vith on the 17th, much less by 0700 hours. The last of the St. Vith defenders to come out were Task Force Jones and the 112th Infantry Regiment. Two hits were scored on the enemy tank in the rear, and its crew evacuated. (function (d, s, n) { At approximately 0530 on December 16, eight German armored divisions and 13 infantry divisions launched their all-out attack on five divisions of the U.S. First Army. Field Marshal Montgomery, believing that Ridgways Corps could not attack successfully toward Vielsalm and that the American forces within the goose egg could better be used in support of other forces committed to the northern shoulder defense, decided upon a general withdrawal. He also hoped the 3rd Armored Division soon might attack to remove all threat of encirclement. Infantry divisions would begin the attack along the entire length of a 50-mile front, forcing a rupture along the Allied line and giving the German panzer divisions freedom of movement in the unoccupied ground beyond the front. Schiffer Publishing, 1996. It is stated as being reported to Major Boyer by one Captain Walter Henry Anstey of Company A of the 38th Armored Infantry Battalion, who is said to have been a witness to the event. I think we can make it now. Gen. Herbert T. Perrin, assistant commander of the 106th Infantry Division, drove up carrying a message from General Jones. With the unexplained disappearance of D Troop from the 89th Reconnaissance Platoon, Company B, 27th AIB became the leading element. This is an issue because there were two distinct types of German Tiger tanks, both of which took part in the Battle of the Bulge: The Tiger I and the Tiger II. 'poor shape' in a sentence. Within the Kloster, General Hoge found a division headquarters staff in a state of disarray and confusion. 223 223. September 18th, 1944: Kdr. Clerks were running everywhere and junior staff officers were arguing among themselves; upstairs, however, Hoge found General Jones remarkably composed. Volksgrenadier-Division. German Division Nr. The troop was to hold until relieved by the 27th Armored Infantry Battalion (AIB) and then reconnoiter farther down the road toward Winterspelt. 194311 The 18th Volksgrenadier Division (18. While on its way, the platoon was commandeered by a colonel from the 106th Division. Ten tanks, numerous supply vehicles, armored cars, and jeeps were lost to enemy action. Little offtopic here but another misidentification might be the 1 destroyed 88mm assault gun (Ferdinand). Anderson, Thomas. Although the 62nd Volksgrenadier Division drove the American defenders from Winterspelt, all was not going well for the Germans. In minutes, a platoon of medium tanks from A Company of the 14th rolled across the bridge at Steinebruck and placed high explosive and heavy machine-gun fire on the enemys position in the woods and along the draw. Osprey Publishing, 2010. Fortunately for Colonel Reid, word came at about 1730 that his 424th Infantry Regiment was to withdraw immediately. Although the Germans were facing stiff resistance all along the American defensive line, they were determined to take St. Vith. Staff Sergeant Frank Mykalo knocked out a German machine-gun position, enabling the men in the lead half-tracks to dismount and deploy along the side of the road. 18th Volksgrenadier Division (Wehrmacht) - Unionpedia, the concept map I wanted to focus on the M8 vs Tiger story, I already noticed the Ferdinand claim, but decided not to mention it. He said that the fight took about ninety minutes and that they used almost all their ammunition. 18. Volksgrenadier-Division - Axis History Schneider, Wolfgang. 2014. It contained the 293., 294. and 295. grenadier regiments, Panzerjger-Bataillon 1818, Pionier-Bataillon 1818, Fsilier-Bataillon 1818 and Artillerie-Regiment 1818.[1]. Inside the command post, General Hoge learned that the Germans had launched a heavy assault on Winterspelt against the men of the 424th Infantry. General Frederich Kittel, the division commander, ordered his mobile battalion up from his 164th Regiment reserve at Pronsfeld and into the attack along the Winterspelt road. Therefore, Montgomery ordered Ridgway to attack to the southeast until Vielsalm could be reached, ensuring an escape corridor for those trapped within the defense. At 0600 Im going to start to move.. United States 106th Infantry Division on the 16th and 17th of December 1944 (the first two days of the battle of the Ardennes were as follows: 1. During the rest of the day and on into the evening of December 17, CCB, 7th Armored moved into St. Vith and began a buildup that resembled a large horseshoe on the high ground to the east of the village. Since St. Vith should have been taken on December 16 or the 17th at the latest, he decided to leave his command post at Waxweiler and spend the night with the 18th Volksgrenadier Division at Schoenberg. Luftwaffe-Feld-Division. Counter to the plan laid out earlier by General Jones, Hoge had decided to launch his attack on Winterspelt with the entire 14th Tank Battalion as the lead element rather than with the more vulnerable infantry of the 27th AIB. VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army (Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. This moment marked the beginning of the famous Battle of the Bulge, Germany's last major offensive on the Western Front in World War II. Company A of the 27th AIB had been assigned to the 99th Infantry Division and was in the process of being retrieved when the march to St. Vith began. The fact that there were Panzer IVs attacking the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron (minus Troop B) and the similarity in appearance between the Tiger I and Panzer IV would account for both Troop Es account and Troop Ds potential account of this event. On 18 January 1945, the final alignment became (XVIII Corps, U. S. First Army, 12th Army Group) -- the alignment in the hierarchy given here. Jentz, Thomas, and Hilary Doyle. Personally I have not believed this event at all. 120th Infantry Regiment (30th Infantry Division) 307th Airborne Engineer Battalion 319th Field Artillery Glider Battalion 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment German Units 3d Parachute Division 12th SS Panzer Division 18th Volksgrenadier Division 246th Volsgrenadier Division 884th March Battalion 905th Assault Gun Brigade Stackpole Books, 2015. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division(18th VGD) was a volksgrenadierdivision of the German Army(Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. Both B and C Companies pulled back to the vicinity of Neidingen, near the battalion command post, while the 14th Tank Battalion established a perimeter defense around its assembly area near Breitfeld about halfway between the Our and St. Vith. It saw action in France before taking part in the fighting in the Ardennes where it suffered heavy losses, it continued fighting on the western front until the end . By 1300 on the 21st, the entire line was ablaze with German artillery, rockets, tanks, and infantry. Infanterie-Division Hamburg 19453 . By that time the 62nd Volksgrenadier Division should have the bridge at Steinebruck rebuilt, at least two regiments of the 18th Volksgrenadier Division should be forward, and the Fhrer Escort Brigade should be ready to make the principal thrust down the Ambleve highway into St. Vith. While walking to avoid the traffic congestion, Manteuffel encountered his superior, Field Harshal Model. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division (18th VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. It appeared now that the fate of his two northern regiments was sealed. This German World War II article is a stub. Jentz, Thomas, and Hilary Doyle. of the Army, 1965. Unable to advance, it pulled back to the nearest high ground and dug in. In the early afternoon of the 22nd, he arrived at General Hasbroucks headquarters in Vielsalm to plan the withdrawal. Volksgrenadier Division 2. Boyer, Donald P. St. Vith The 7th Armored Division in the Battle of the Bulge 17-23 December 1944 A Narrative After Action Report. The resulting blast damaged the bridge to such an extent that the Germans would not be able to bring vehicles across for at least 24 hours. Each attack was preceded by an intense artillery barrage lasting from 15 to 35 minutes. The closest primary German armored thrust route to the south ran through Burg Reuland, also about five miles from St. Vith. It was around 1200 hours and all was quiet when suddenly a German heavy tank was spotted slowly approaching the American line, a Tiger I. The capture of St. Vith was, however, important for three other reasons: to ensure the complete isolation of Allied troops that might be trapped on a nearby ridge called the Schnee Eifel; to cover the German supply lines unraveling behind the armored corps to the north and south; and to feed reinforcements laterally into the main thrusts by using the St. Vith road net. The division, which was under the command of Gnther Hoffmann-Schnborn, absorbed . The southernmost battle group of the 18th Volksgrenadier would also undertake a mobile thrust and, finally, the 62nd Volksgrenadier would break loose at Heckhuscheid and drive for the Our River Valley. 223 () - Wikiwand Please click for detailed translation, meaning, pronunciation and example sentences for 18e volksgrenadier division in English All in all, the only things that the American claims concerning the famed M8 Greyhound versus Tiger engagement can agree on are that on the 18th of December 1944 an M8 Greyhound from some unit of the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron killed some sort of German tank in or around the town of St. Vith. The ground was frozen solid. The division fought in the Ardennes, inflicting on the 106th US Infantry Division the worst defeat suffered by U.S. forces in the ETO, when over 8,000 US soldiers surrendered to the volksgrenadiers. Fortunately, a tank destroyer from Vielsalm turned up and hit the leading two German panzers, which drove the rest for cover. js.src = "//player.ex.co/player/710cf52d-720a-4250-8e95-fc85dcedab01"; The 18th Volksgrenadier Division was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. 4 Grosstraktor to Panzerbefehlswagen IV. Contents 1 Allied Forces 1.1 12th Army Group 1.1.1 U.S. First Army 1.1.1.1 V Corps 1.1.1.2 VII Corps 1.1.1.3 XVIII Airborne Corps 1.1.2 U.S. Third Army 1.1.2.1 III Corps 1.1.2.2 VIII Corps 1.1.2.3 XII Corps Armored Champion, The Top Tanks of World War II. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division (18th VGD) was a volksgrenadier division of the German Army (Heer) during the Second World War, active from 1944 to 1945. Schneider, Wolfgang. According to British penetration diagrams from 1944, the 37 mm M6 gun firing its standard round, the 37 mm APC M51, could, under ideal conditions, penetrate the 80 mm thick rear hull armor angled at 9 degrees when firing at an angle of 0 degrees, albeit just barely. However, just as the Americans began their pursuit, the Germans noticed them and began traversing their turret to face them. During ceremonies observing the 20th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, General Clarke was able to talk to General Manteuffel and discuss German operations against St. Vith. Early on the 19th, the Germans made reconnaissance probes. Battle of the Bulge 1944 (1): St Vith and the Northern Shoulder. In my opinion, the only definite conclusion that can be made from all this is that some American vehicle engaged something at St. Vith on the night of the 18th. Close. With the enemy inside Steinebruck and excellent direct fire by the German artillery, what was left of 2nd Platoon, 89th Recon withdrew along the St. Vith road. Our database is searchable by subject and updated continuously. General Jones and his staff had pulled out of St. Vith on the morning of the 18th for Vielsalm. WAR DEPARTMENT - Indiana Military Established in 1941, the unit was deployed in German-occupied areas of the Soviet Union, in the Army Group North Rear Area. War Department Field Manual FM 2-20 Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop Mechanized. At approximately 0100 on December 18, a German force of about 30 men tried to cross the Our at Steinebruck after a brief artillery barrage. Troy Middletons VIII Corps. js.className = n; Office of the Chief of Military History, Dept. Volksgrenadier-Division. Company B was stationed east of Galhausen and maintained contact with the nearest elements of the 7th Armored Division on 9th Armoreds left flank. 18e volksgrenadier division English translation: 18th volksgrenadier division (wehrmacht).. A scratch force made up of one platoon of riflemen from Company A, 27th AIB and a platoon from Company B, 9th Engineers were sent to contain the Germans. Seventh Armored Division Association 2517 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Washington 8, D.C., 1947. Still quite a feat for a little Greyhound, though well probably never know conclusively. Having first conferred with General Jones, Hoge ordered a withdrawal from the river to begin after nightfall. The move had scarcely begun when an enemy attack hit the junction between Company B, 27th AIB and Company D, 14th Tank Battalion. Infanterie-Division 19398 . As the offensive steam came to an end in the Ardennes, the division went on the defensive, and there they would stay. However, once a closer look is taken at this story, cracks begin to appear, and soon enough one begins to wonder whether or not this story really is too good to be true. The Ardennes 1944-1945: Hitlers Winter Offensive. . The new sector assigned to CCB was on the fringe of territory the Sixth Panzer Army had mapped out for its further maneuvers. . Troop D, 89th Recon and Company D, 14th Tank Battalion formed a line from Grufflingen to Thommen, and Companies B and C of the 14th Tank Battalion took up positions between Thommen and Maldange. After putting down a heavy concentration of artillery fire, the Germans moved their infantry across the river east of the position held by the 2nd platoon of D Troop, 89th Recon. The Ardennes 1944-1945: Hitlers Winter Offensive. The circuitous march up one road and down another led to a new line just a few hundred yards to the west of the old one and was miraculously carried out while under attack without the loss of any men or equipment. This battalion hit the 424ths Cannon Company at the Weissenhof crossroads. One task force encountered reconnaissance probes on N27 conducted by units of the 1st SS Panzer Division approximately 1,000 yards north of St. Vith. I have come to believe is that this type of fight happened more than once. Could an M8 Greyhounds 37 mm M6 gun even penetrate the rear hull armor of a Tiger I? After conferring with Clarke, Ridgway wanted to talk to one more man in whom he had supreme confidenceBrigadier General Hoge. I should also note that reconnaissance doctrine was to disengage if at all possible and in no way engage enemy armour beyond scout elements. Three times the grenadiers [German] tried to rush their way through the foxhole line held by the 38th Armored Infantry Battalion (Lt. Col. William H. G. Fuller) and B Troop of the 87th astride the Schnberg road. Soldiers of the 18th Volksgrenadier Division infiltrated the American lines at the villages of Roth, Weckerath, Kobscheid, and Auw before the artillery barrage began. Volksgrenadier-Division; 18. The Sherman tanks of B Company repulsed the enemy with fire from their 76mm guns. The village of St. Vith lay approximately 12 miles behind the front lines on December 16, 1944, the day the offensive code-named Operation Watch on the Rhine began. These German tanks would later be specified to be Panzer IVs or Mark IVs. The 16th Field Artillery also pitched in, as did a battalion of 155mm howitzers sited around Commanster. American Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force Choose a Unit. Stackpole Books, 2015. German 18th Volksgrenadier Div. The hardest hit, though, were the armored infantrymen of the 27th AIB with nearly 300 battle casualties. 19454 This is puzzling, to say the least. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating 571. However, it cannot be safely assumed that the tank killed in this engagement was a Tiger I or a Tiger II. 18th Volksgrenadier Division (Wehrmacht) Wiki One would think that Lieutenant Colonel Boylan, or at the very least Troop A, would make some sort of mention of this fairly notable engagement. 2014 Rebuilding the blown bridge to get their assault guns across was their first priority. By 1245, the original line was restored, and the antitank guns of Company A, 811th Tank Destroyers were recovered. List of German divisions in World War II (wikipdia) / List of Foreign He is being outflanked and is retiring west another 2,000 yards refusing both flanks. It was at full strength and supplied with the latest equipment. Given the unreliability of the American accounts of this supposed event and the lack of any supporting documentation from the Germans, it is safe to say that neither a Tiger I nor a Tiger II was knocked out by an M8 Greyhound on 18th December 1944 in or around the town of St. Vith. Volksgrenadier Division 5. During his meeting with Hoge, General Ridgway became convinced that defending this area any further would be futile. The Germans were now on the high ground north of Eigelscheid overlooking the road to Winterspelt. Having failed to find a soft spot to the north, the Germans then moved against Hoges 9th Armored command in the south; however, even before this attack got going three German tanks were knocked out and the rest of the probing force withdrew. At the close of the first day of battle, General Lucht could look with some satisfaction at the days events, although his 62nd Volksgrenadier Division had yet to break through the American line. Fire from the 16th Field Artillery broke up other enemy formations trying to assemble on the high ground to the south. Im going to guess that they just created this all up in their head. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division (18. Join historians and history buffs alike with our Unlimited Digital Access pass to every military history article ever published (over 3,000 articles) in Sovereigns military history magazines. Add to cart. As each unit joined the rear of the column, it took its turn being the rear guard. The failure to capture St. Vith was preventing the linkup of the Fifth and the Sixth Panzer Armies. The staff officer wanted to know if 9th Armored could spare some desperately needed help. Out of this grand battle would come a too-good-to-be-true story symbolic of the stiff American resistance put up against the German offensive, that of how an M8 Greyhound armored car destroyed a Tiger I heavy tank. It can be safely assumed that the armored car that Lieutenant Olson is talking about in his story is an M8 Greyhound due to the fact that the only armored cars that the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron fielded were M8 Greyhounds. The 62nd, like the 18th, included three regiments of two battalions each. The town was also in Fifth Panzer Armys area of advance. Infanterie-Division 193510 [1] 22 22. Hoge could not see much sense in making an attack, taking ground, and then turning right around and coming back, especially if the attack was successful. In the 27th AIBs move to take the high ground, B Company advanced along the center of the road. While a single troop of the 14th Cavalry Group continued to resist the German spearheads, the 106th's engineers dug in to block the crucial Schoenberg road 2 miles east of St. Vith, a last ditch defense, hoping . Combat Interviews of the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, 7th Armored Division: The St. Vith Salient, December 17-23, 1944. It was a new and inexperienced division made up of Luftwaffe personnel, former Kriegsmariners out of a January 1945 World War II Combat Interviews of the 7th Armored Division During the 27th AIBs assault, a call went out for the 14th Tank Battalion to join the action. In addition, elements of the 116th Panzer Division and the 560th Volksgrenadier Division were moving against the weakly held southern flank of St. Vith defended by remnants of the 424th Infantry Regiment of the 106th Infantry Division and the 112th Infantry Regiment of the 28th Infantry Division. As stated above, a 37mm cant penetrate the armor of an Tiger tank. The Tiger I was a 57 tonne German heavy tank that has become one of the most famous tanks in history. Then, four German antitank guns covering the Grufflingen-Maldange road were encountered. The division was formed in Denmark, in September 1944, by redesignating 571. Company B of the 9th Engineers and D Company of the 89th Recon joined the line to supplement the armored infantry. The southernmost battle group of the 18th Volksgrenadier would also undertake a mobile thrust and, finally, the 62nd Volksgrenadier would break loose at Heckhuscheid and drive for the Our River Valley. Created as 22.Infanterie-Division in 1935, one regiment participated in the 1939 Invasion of Poland; the rest of the division stayed in garrison on the Siegfried Line in case of a French attack in defense of Poland.