German Jagdpanther - Polish Forces | Gallery

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#1

German Jagdpanther

Soldiers of the Polish 1st Armored Division pose with a destroyed German Jagdpanther SD.KFz 173. This vehicle originally belonged to the Schwere Panzerjäger-Abteilung 559 (heavy tank destroyer battalion) and was knocked-out during the Battle of Hechtel, Belgium (September 6-12, 1944). The Jagdpanther (German: "hunting panther") was a tank destroyer built by Nazi Germany during World War II, based on the chassis of the Panther tank. It entered service late in the war (1944) and saw service on the Eastern and Western fronts. The Jagdpanther combined the very powerful 88 mm PaK 43 cannon of the Tiger II and the characteristically excellent armor and suspension of the Panther chassis. http://homepage.eircom.net/~safc/iwmj.htm

This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.ww2incolor.com/gallery/polish-forces/51202/german-jagdpanther
#2

The battle for Hechtel was fought between elements of the Guards Armoured Division and elements of General Student’s 1st Falschirmarmee who were sent to reinforce the front between Geel and Hasselt.
After they crushed a German column, 3 Coy, Welsh Guards had to withstand counter-attacks from the SS and Landsturm Nederland.

Afterwards they hit the positions of the 20th Falschirmregiment, which was reinforced by training units from the Luftwaffe. Through a flanking manoeuvre, across the area of Leopoldsburg, the Irish and Grenadier Guards took the bridge across the Scheldt- Meuse canal at Neerpelt.

After six days of heavy fighting, Hechtel was taken by the Allies. During the battle, 127 Germans, 623 British soldiers and 35 civilians lost their lives.

The Germans felt boxed in and forced several families out of their shelter and shot them randomly. 124 houses were completely destroyed or burned down.
If these soldiers are from the Polish 1st Armored Div,they probably were sightseeing some time after the battle.

#3