Waffen-SS and Fallschirmjager troops in action

(18 Dec 1944) 111 ADC 2949 Waffen-SS and Fallschirmjager troops in action on 18th December 1944, the third day of Hitler’s Ardennes offensive on 6. SS Panzer Armee’s front on the northern shoulder of the Bulge: Shots laid on for the camera showing SS-Grenadiers from Kampfgruppe Hansen (I/SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment-1), wearing mottle camouflage uniforms, and thick winter greatcoats, advancing past burning and disabled M3 half-tracks, M8 armoured cars, jeeps, M5 Stuart light tanks and 3-inch anti-tank guns from Task Force Mayes (14th US Cavalry Group) on the road between Recht and Poteau near St Vith, sharing captured American cigarettes with men from 3. Fallschirmjager Division - a Jagdpanzer IV self-propelled gun armed with the long L/70 cannon is seen by-passing the wrecked US column and heading across-country. 10:13:14 Shots showing two Panzer 38 (t) 15cm sIG 33 self-propelled guns from bombarding US positions from a field outside Recht and two young radio operators reporting the results of the bombardment to the NCO in charge of the two guns. 10:13:52 Shots at the Kaiserbaracke road junction on the N23 road between St Vith and Malmedy showing old German road signs pointing to Malmedy and St Vith, a Steyr troop-carrier turning right towards Recht, a massive Konigstiger (King Tiger) from SS-Schwerer-Panzer-Regiment-501 rolling up at the crossroads carrying paratroopers from 3. Fallschirmjager Division en route to Stavelot in the Ambleve valley. a Sd Kfz 251 half-track APC turning right for Recht, two junior officers from SS-Panzer-Aufklarungs-Abteilung-1 strolling past several Sd Kfz 250 half-track recce, cars and conferring over a map on the bonnet of their Schwimmwagen amphibious recce. car, enjoying captured cigars with their driver, the heavily-armed paratroopers on the Konigstiger relaxing, smoking cigarettes 10:16:00 Shots showing SS-Sturmbannfuhrer Knittel, CO of Kampfgruppe Knittel (), conferring over a map with SS-Obersturmfuhrer Goltz, commander of his HQ company, in the hamlet of La Vaulx-Richard outside Stavelot, Waffen-SS troops riding in a Steyr truck and a VW Kubelwagen passing mobile flak detachments on 8t semi-tracks and an over-run American 3-inch anti-tank gun near a chapel at Merlscheid near Losheim. 10:16:41 Shots for the benefit of the Deutsche Wochenschau film editor showing young Waffen-SS grenadiers wearing thick winter coats advancing past the wrecked and abandoned Task Force Mayes column between Recht and Poteau and shots of M3 half-tracks on fire. #Waffen-SS #Fallschirmjager #WWII You can license this story through AP Archive: Find out more about AP Archive: