Anyone know any more about this Panther, where it was exactly & what happened to it. Photos from here. Magnum Photos
Though the caption says Belgium it looks quite French. Road sign points to Cernay & Reims. Seems like Lorraine or region west of the Vosges 1944 to me.
Shame the road-sign isnt in shot abit more. There is a Cernay in Reims and a village outside it too Cernay-lès-Reims - Wikipedia Any pics of it in ATB Ruckmarsch ? edit : chap on twitter seems to have found location. Can't work out where village is yet though. Peter De Cauwer on Twitter EDIT: ok found it Berru. https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@49.2...JlZ6CHSz2CLNM3-goQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1 not far from German Cemetery. https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@49.2...ZCOmazufObAR0NQztw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1
Flicked through Ruckmarsch and haven't spotted it. (Had forgotten what a pleasing book it is.) I like the reversed turret. Obviously as likely to have been kids in the intervening years, but perhaps something symbolic of a desperate retreat there.
Gun pointing west towards Reims, vehicle pointing east towards Germany Anyone know what US units were operating east of Reims ? Reims liberated 30th August 1944. XX Corps of Third Army I think going by this map. http://www.westpoint.edu/history/SiteAssets/SitePages/World War II Europe/WWIIEurope66.gif
Yup, Third Army's XX Corps. The 7th US Armored Div swept through the area by the end of August 1944. CCB bypassed Reims to the south on 28 August in a dash to the Meuse River. Next day CCB and CCR, which had reached Fismes on the Aisne, wheeled eastward and cut off the roads north of the city. The 5th US Infantry Div then liberated Reims on 30 August without difficulty. By noon of the 31st the 7th Armored Division tanks were across the Meuse at Verdun. See Martin Blumenson's "Breakout and Pursuit", p.667/668. HyperWar: US Army in WWII: The Breakout and Pursuit [Chapter 31] Opponent? Have to delve into that, but a likely candidate is the Panzer Lehr Division.
From the enemy perspective in about the same timeframe; filmshots of retreating Germans in Paris. Maybe our Panther is on the images:
Opponent: Panzer Lehr Division The retreat of the Panzer Lehr beyond the Seine led through Reims. See the attached map taken from Helmut Ritgen, "Die Geschichte der Panzer Lehr Division im Westen, 1944 - 1945" The Panther most likely - you never can be sure, because the situation was extremely fluid - belonged to Kampfgruppe Ritgen of the Panzer Lehr Division. The following is a (free) transcription of page 192 of Ritgen's book: On the evening of 28 August the Division, under command of LXXX Korps, took up position in a defensive line anchored on Jonchery - Chambrecy - Pourcy, which covered Reims in a wide arc. On 29 August this line was attacked by the 5th US Infantry Division and after a short fight the weak German forces fell back to the edge of Reims and the northern bank of the Aisne-Marne-Canal. Unexpectedy the enemy attacked again at 23:00 hrs and seized the village of Beine-Nauray. After some confusion the Panzer pulled back to the Suippes-sector [Suippes River] near Warmeriville [NE of Reims]. The city of Reims was lost. After enemy armor [7th US Armored Div] threatened Warmeriville with encirclement, the Gruppe Ritgen received permission to fight its way out to Vouziers. The vigorously pursuing enemy was slowed down by road blocks of felled trees and tanks, an observation plane was brought down by infantry weapons. In the afternoon of August 30th, Kampfgruppe Ritgen established a bridgehead defense at Vouziers.
