Ardennes Counteroffensive
The German 5th Panzer Army getting ready to roll.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.ww2incolor.com/gallery/german-forces/56054/ardennes-counteroffensive
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.ww2incolor.com/gallery/german-forces/56054/ardennes-counteroffensive
In August 1944 the remaining elements of Panzer Group West were reorganized as 5th Panzer Army, with a combat formation remaining in action under the title Panzer Group Eberbach. After a brief period under Sepp Dietrich, command of the army passed to Hasso von Manteuffel. The army saw heavy combat on the German border against Allied forces, the panzer divisions suffering heavily from Allied ground attack aircraft. In November, the 5th Panzer Army began forming up in the Ardennes, alongside the newly formed 6th SS Panzer Army under Dietrich. Both formations took part in the Battle of the Bulge, the Fifth Panzer Army suffering heavy losses in battles around Bastogne and in the armour battles around Celles and Dinant, the furthest-west points of advance. After the offensive was cancelled, it continued its fighting withdrawal to the German border. In March, it was involved in efforts to eliminate the American bridgehead over the Rhine at the Ludendorff Bridge in Remagen. The 5th Panzer Army was encircled and trapped in the Ruhr Pocket, and surrendered on 17 April 1945.[taken from wiki)