"...Things Are Hot!" WTO (id:#67266)

(ASL Journal #16 ID: J269)   [next]   [previous]

Herrlisheim, France 1945-01-17 (13 others)

Overview:

The American 7th Army struggled to regain the initiative even as the German Operation NORWIND sputtered out. Appalling weather had hampered their ability to exploit setbacks suffered by the Wehrmacht in the ill-fated offensive. Seventh Army commander Lieutenant General Alexander Patch ordered the 12th Armored Division to attack the German Bulge at Herrlisheim. The 12th was untested in combat and had yet to work out the kinks of tank-infantry cooperation. To make matters worse, the tanks of the 17th Armored Infantry Battalion-in the rush to get to the front-had not been fitted with rear deck "tank-infantry" phones, meaning that the accompanying infantry taken under fire would be unable to communicate with the tankers inside. Halftrack crews advanced with the infantry, their dismantled machine guns at the ready. After a harrowing approach to the town where the concealed German anti-tank guns raked the American armor, the 17th Armored Infantry Battalion, with some surviving tanks grabbed a foothold in the southern end of the town. The defending Volksgrenadiere, stiffened by the presence of SS-Panzer-Division 10 "Frundsberg", launched a ferocious counterattack to expel the Yankees.

Defender: American (17th Armored Infantry Battalion, Combat Command B, 12th "Hellcat" Armored Division)  

Errata (source)