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History of War 2022-114

History of War 2022-114

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302 views84 pages

History of War 2022-114

History of War 2022-114

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centauroki
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SCBRITAIN'S BEST MILITARY HISTORY MAGAZINE e From the Bulge to Berlin: How Hitler's fanatics met their bloody and brutal end HISTORY LESSONS How the Kremlin should have learned from its bloody past How Trading Company men jin built an Empire in blood Inside the Confederate victor ‘that stunned the Union KING & COUNTRY rom Ancient Egypt and Rome all the way up to the two great World Wars of the 20th Century... and beyond. We have the people, the ern een nee certian ee J oe King & Country's broad span of histor cal subjects that suit all kinds of eeeneeten Ren eerie ‘exciting items or any of King de Country’ eee Cer een are eat ce eT ae ‘Also on display are King & Country's two Cae res ee ete ~ cy aoe oa plus ees MAGPIE . eg rte rery oy oer Cre ae crs Tralee roe td Co = . Worcestershire, WR11 4DA. England UK pe Pree Cerro pater vd baprpen Cera acs hte St oY SE Pe rere ioe ecs zg ANTHONY TUCKER ONES eelgenefew h ee 4. “eps raring om te tet rit 18 On page 25 tae he ira bet oth Wen S, trent Bat athe Bug ‘allot Bo Maria KOS near ané cnet ina ron page 2b scents tho scatageaerot one th Second War arma "een ojumalss eM DRMARK GAOT rte isan oma pressor tUnhoty Calos Londo eat bt Son & as Evopea Sues, Se hae ee CL MUTA a NEWSLETTER [cigs ? 2 rthony Tucker ones recaunts the final desperate 5S, rom their savagery inthe Bulge to their ~~ : Li PP Fata fol tend er Ton Tim Withamson 4 2 (p= FOLLOW THE HISTORY OF WAR TEAM Q@/HISTORYOFWARMAG QQ@HISTORYOFWARMAG CONTENTS issue na WAFFEN Anthony Tucker-Jones recounts the bloody final campaigns of Hitler's ‘elite’ troops FRONTLINE R Trough ees a Company iain (ray conquers he subcontinent 6 cI From hemi 6rhcenry the Kingdom of Mysore was caved py he Bish ite B Theonemihty Mera Enpte defends borders agen! he Bitishfor over dD years a ThefastIndla Company'ssunpasedprivae = OG 0 amd forces were igh rane detective Shuming imager from trughou istry . 2 26 4 8 thi centr the Sh Ene inthe From te ule o Bread how his Paribrenon was war ith rsh forces fara ite fought the ite end f Aber ee oun sting Coneerte vaca he os butt aheay east How is young Yoquecover made became an iconic wr correspondent and ohooraber Inferuary 145 his youn Marine stormed te beaches and NG nests of Mo ra Helo hare, is US Nay e-bonber nnetaless also rovediobe hel for heereny ow 686 rhe Due of Monmouth mauris toored uprising past ares I Orr Gleam onhow herein should have lead fam Russia past mistakes HOMEFRONT Samer istyinspraton Aoudupf extn encolectans Xey Willer ison 8 yersag0 Teatst itary history fs antonks Ada AO-ZAdoe WAR FOCUS BATTLE OF JERSEY WAR. FOCUS ACROSS THE DMIDE WAR, FOCUS ‘OLD BALDY a Bra Sa EA a SM ELEN fights many wars with Indian Tulers as it grows into a colonial AUT EEL as British rule on the subcontinent ANGLO-INDIAN WARS sao heey aa GHANIStTA 3 Led te | h |} acrtmaran ee 1858 PRESIDENCY ARMIES presidencies (provinces) that it contol: Benga, Macias and Bombay. They ar contol by the ‘Company unt stor he Inka Rebelion of 1857 whan they come undo oct Crown conto 14 ANGLO-INDIAN WARS ' ANGLO-SIKH WARS Sesint the Sh Emote. The ins | GWALIOR CAMPAIGN ¢ In two battles at Maharsjpore and doteat the ast remnants a th ‘tate of Gnalorn central Inia The ris disband the Maratha army an instal force base at Gator Ft ‘The future Duk is at major ‘Te dnt of jor SIEGE OF BATTLE OF MIANI ¢ SERINGAPATAM 530000 Tape a sige of Mn. Te ty oto A combined IC and ‘Company to contol pats of Sindh, which ste st etary it controls In modem Pakistan. bocoming a famous chapter In Bish tary history. ya eer A was a Mysorean soir, who rose to prominence asa miltary leader As commander inchit he oested a modern ‘army and equipped and trained itaiong European ines, with assistance frm the French, which would ster pose a significant heat tothe Bish. As Witiam Dalrymple writes in The Anarey: “Having teamed moder infantry warfave by obsering French tacts, he offered stong resistance tothe East Inda Company, {ining his most notable victor... at Plilur in 2780." TR would be around 1761 that Al became de facto leader of Mysore. He would conquer Bednore and Kanara, as well as the pety feudal chiefs in southern India. His texpansionism Worred Asa Jah I the nizam of Hyserabad, land Machavrao | the peshwa ofthe Maratha Empire. Al's Involvement with the French equaly alarmed the Bris. 1 1766, the rizam joined the Bish In war against the Brtish sacking territorial concessions in exchange for thelr heb, However folowing tei invasion of Mysorean ‘ertitry, Al was able to persuade the nizam to defect 0 his side while the Maratnas adopted a neutral stance. "Now facing al alone, the war went boy forthe British ‘and Macras tse became threatened. This forced the Bish to seek a negotiated peace, resulting inthe Treaty of Madras on 4 Roi 1769. ‘Second Anglo-Mysore War Renewed confiet between the East india Company (E10) ‘and Mysore flared up in 1780. Mysore had continued tobe inyolved with the French, and the American Rovolutionary War Bravght matters toa head fr the Britsh in nia, ‘Again, Aland his army performed well against the British, tna lttar sufrng los fa, Vil toy woud ean Sree eae tannery {following Britain’s declaration of war against o. theDuth. au deoln December 17eznd was $A Serene Tp Suton tthe conclusion ef te Amecan va the Frecends th airy sur fe Tas, the tah soup to end he wa i negations thd ne own yer te Teaty of Margao ws Sioned on 31 Wah, ecordng tote tet ot th Vet ul sie ost at > restos exch obers tooo the sats tho ot bebe he Bch hd permed badly onthe bat A the histran awonce James wes nts book RBs prose sore ees ne the Company’ ny boata nate ove. oreo eral ceeeeciee foc oro, bitaine string wos Gino toupout nse, Reverses sutered ot ine hands of Hao laure the 700.1 Wyere wa eeery trated he Companys roptatns Third Anglo-Mysore War ‘While the Fst and Second Mysore Wars had not gone wel forthe British, the Td in the series would end in their vietory. This latest confit was sparied when Tipu invaded Travancore in ‘sxc of te 759 Sten of Serngoptam in ‘ihe Soton wes ted Alane Her A commoner Ce Nore fen (ete Company ANGLO-INDIAN WARS 41789, a kingdom he had long had his eye on. Unfortunately {or Tipu, the invasion oid not go well and his army suffered {2 Serious defeat atthe hands of Raja Kesavadas, a dewan oF Travancore The Btish viewed Travancore as anally and were ‘angered by Tpu's resurgence. As James notes, when it was ‘scovered Tipu was acquiring French weapons va Dutch ‘ims dealers: “Detals oftheir shopping ist were clscovered ‘by Admiralty ntligence. This infermation conrmed what was well known from other sources: Tipu was bent on 3 new ‘Wal of strength wit the Company whieh, ihe trumped, ‘woul restore the boundaries and fortunes of Mysore.” Bris forces wee initially ld by Wiliam Medows, but CCharies Comwails, the governor general of the Presidency ‘of Fore Wiliam, fel him a weak commander and £0 personally assumed command. The war dragged on for three years, during which Tipu would unsuccessfully attempt ta get France to enter the fray on his i ‘he conte ended folowing the Siege of Seingepstam (6 February 18 March 1792), in when the British were Jeined by armies fom the Maratha Empire anc the nzam ‘of Hyderabad, Tipu eventualycapituated andthe Teaty of Seringapatam was signed on 18 March 1792. Under the terms ofthe treaty, Mysore was forced to cede hats tertory othe other signatories, Fourth Anglo-Mysore War ‘The tinal Anglo Mysore contet began in 1798. Tipu had continued his allance with France, which the British, once ‘again a war wth the French, considored unacceptable. ‘gain, Mysore was attackea nt ony bythe Griish but also bythe armies ofthe nizam of Hyderabad and the Maratha. ‘Te decisive victory of the war again came at Serngapatam, which was besiege from 5 Xp to & May £799, in which Artur Wellasiey, the future duke of Welington, took part. Tiou himself was kilo on the ‘inal day ofthe slege as British forces broke Fi roushthe city's walls. with his death came the effective end the war. As Mohammad Moienudain wrote In his Book Sunset at “Srangapatam, the death of Tipu prompted General Ey George Harts to remark: “Now nga urs.” 1G) The Briish and hor alles annexed much of the Mysoreanterttory. However, some tertory emained and was gen over to prince of y tne Wodeyar dynasty, a dynasty that had ‘once ruled Mysore before Al. Tis tiny ‘tate of Mysore would endure unt Indian Independence in 1947 Aver: tu stan was fren a5 eT of ‘ior etme Contain anor a7 ee AT This series of conflicts between the British East India Company and the Maratha Confederacy stretched over 40 years. The eventual destruction of the Confederacy helped Britain tighten its grip on the Indian subcontinent 1en Machav Rae I ied in 31772, ne was succeeded as peshna ofthe Maratha Confederacy by his brather Narayan Rao. His reign ended abrupty the folowing year when he was murdered and was tum succeeded by his uncle Raghunath Rao. Unfortunately for Raghunath, Narayan's wife was pregnant when ber husband dies and subsequently gave bith to @ son aso Called Madhav Rao. Nana Fadnavis, a Maratha chit, saw the young Macaw Rao a the rightful peshwa, and Nana Wanted to act 2 nis chief regent. Raghunath Rao did not Ine the ide of being deposed and looked towards the Bish at Bombay for heb, signing the Treaty of Surat on 6 Mareh 1775. The British receved terrtory and revenues, an in tum they promi mitary suppor. Unfortunate forthe desperate pestwa, the Supreme Council of Bengal at Calcutta, te highest British authority in india atte time, objected tothe weaty and replaced it with the Teaty of Purandhar in March 4776, Raghunath Reo was fored to abandon his claim as peshwa and ett ve under the protection ofthe rtish. Nana, ‘meanwhile, fatefuly upset the Bultish when he allowed the French the use ofa port onthe west coast. Hosts between the Marathas and British broke out but the latter suffered defeat at the Battle of Wadgaon (4243 January 1779). Nevertheless, the British fought on ‘nt May 4782, aly agreeing the Treaty of Slba, which restored the status quo antebellum. ‘Second Anglo-Maratha War Peace between the Marathas and Grtsh endured unt the second war broke out in 1803, Bah Reo, the son of Raghunath Rao ald himsotf wth the Seinaia of Gwalior and clashed with the forces of Yashwanta Holka, ruler Of Indore, at the Battle of Poona on 25 October 1802. Bj Rao was defeated and subsequent fed tothe Brilsh, with whom he signed the Treaty of Basseln n December. The torms of the treaty coded territory tothe Britsh, who promised to station a military force wit the peshwa, To Bali Roo's chagrin, some ofthe Maratha ene, in particular the Sends and Bhonsale, were apposed Yo this Fatest agreement with the British, and what became known as the Second Anglo-Maratha War began. ef: hfe, db Artur, dfested te Marah a the {at a assye on 23 Sperber 803 ‘evn arth eases ep urendeing the tho 2618 ANGLO-INDIAN WARS “RAGHUNATH RAO DID NOT LIKE THE IDEA OF BEING DEPOSED AND LOOKED TOWARDS THE BRITISH AT BOMBAY FOR HELP” (On 8 August 1803, Arthur Wellesley took the fortified town Pettan of Ahmednagar, and its adjacent fort surrendered Several days later. On 11 September, the Marathas were Goteated by Gerard Lake a the Battle of Delhi, and again (028 September by Wellesiey atthe Battle of Assaye. Yet ‘another defest was suffered bythe Marathas on 21 October tnhen the Asrgam Fert fl, and this was followed by Brtish Vetoes at the Battles of Laswar (1 November and Argaon (29 November) Following these defeats, the Bhonsale of Nagpur signed the Treaty of Deogaon with the Brsh on 17 Devember, while the Sinaia signed the Treaty of Sur-Anvangaon onthe 30th, both ceding terttory othe rtish. The British then clashed with Yashwanttao olka in Ap the following year, who was eventual forced to agee the Treaty of Rahat, which was ‘Signed on 24 December 1805, The second cnet was at an fend, with mach tnttory ceded to the Bit sh The end ofthe Second Anglo Maratha War also saw the ectine of French influence in India, As historian Wiliam Darymple wrtes of Wellesley's campaign in his Book The ‘Anarchy: "By this ime [1803] he had expelled the last French units from Iaia and gon the East India Company ‘conel of most af the subeontinent south ofthe Punjab. Third Angio-Maratha War ‘Te final contict came in 1817 and began when Lord Hastings, the British governor general of Inca since 1813, launched miltary operations agains the Pindar, who had Conducted raids aginst EIC interests. In response to British ‘actions, the Maratha rulers of Pune, Nagpur and Indore revolted against them. The Seindia of Gwalior, however, Gecided 10 remain neutral folowing talks with the British, ‘The war wert wel forthe Bish, who soon defeated their Maratha opponents and captured ji Rao I. Much Maratha temitary was annexed bythe Bombay Presidency, walle ‘other smaller kingsoms - such as Indore, Gwabor, Nagpur ‘and Jhansi ~ were alloned to become princely sates, albeit Under heavy Bish influence. The Beiish now contaied the \ast majority oftrtory in india south of the Suto) River. 19 Frontline The East India Company's formidable private armies were vital to the expansion of British interests in the subcontinent nen a group of merchants and explorers ‘tin Lendon to form the East Inia ‘Company (E16) in 1600 they cout nave conceied it would eventualy ann one ofthe largest private mitay forces in colrial histo The EC was founded to rade in Asian goods ‘and produce andi erested trading posts along the inion Coastine during the 171 century prospered by buying land ftom local rulers, and such was the EC's success that guards ‘were employed to protect ts trace posts and factors. ‘Company lands became so extensive that these teritores were named ‘residencies’ and incuded lage “Presidency Towns’ such as Madras (Chennai), Bombay (Mumbal and Calcutta kota). At fst the EIC had the consent to trade bythe Mughal and Maratha Empires butte Presidencies ‘became s0 large that several armies were formed to defend Company intrests in nda, Ba TUTE a Se TR ate Ta Taek The tracing post guards were eventualy placed under one miltary commander ~ Major General Stinger Lawrence —in 4748, They were primarly composed of Inaian ‘sepoys' Uinantrymen) who were led by European (primarily British) cffeers. Each EIC Presidency had its nn armed forces, ‘nhih led othe creation of the Bengal, Madras ané Bombay 2rmies. A pioneer ofthese units was Robert Give, who ‘suggested thatthe Bengal Ay have sepoys who were ‘ressed and rained the same as regular Bris redcoats. ‘The EIC armies benefited from European traning and weapons as well as detachments from te British Ar, Under ives command, the Bengal Amy won a decisive Victory atthe Battle of Plassey in 1757 against the nawab fof Bengal and his French aie. Despite being heavily ‘outnumbered, Plassey enabled the EIC to annex Bengal and lai the foundations forthe Company to seize contrl ver ‘most of Ina —_ = ry Colonial power Thanks tots armies, the EIC was now much more than 1 ading company and it became a colonial administrator In India on behalf of the British government. The relationship between the British my and ts IC counterparts was technicaly separate but they neal intermingled. Britsh ‘Army regiments were stationed in India frm 3753 wih their loffcets often commancing Company solders, This included Arthur Welleste, the future duke of Wellington. twas the Company rather the British government, that pala for regular army regments to be deployed in naa and they were contracted for 20-year tours to guarantee Securit inthe totitories under EIC contro. From 1809 ‘here waa even a Company training academy in Surrey called Adgiscombe Miltary Seminary. Serving asa counterpart to the Royal Miltary College at Sandhurst, Adciscombe taught cadets both soldering and Inala languages. The EIC's own armies became 80 large tat their combined strength numbered 250,000 t0008 by the teary 13th century, withthe Bena Amy Being the most powerful. Company forces were much bigger than the actual Brtish Army, with their numbers being bolstered bythe presence of many sepoys Although the EIC existed to make profits fr its Bish stakenoWers, it was canny enough to recrult sepoys into its armies by respecting Indian miltary traditions. In adition, sepoye were well pai in eomparisan to ‘the armed forces of local rulers and Company service was considered an honourable profession by many (out otainy natal) Incians ANGLO-INDIAN WARS Nabobs and cartridges The Presidency armies were rch and powerful and by the 4850s the EC govemed the majorly of Indi, However, ftom the beginning of ts miliary dominance, the Company was deaged by corruption. From the 1750s, commanders Tike Clive were gven the nickname nabeb, which described Company men whe made huge personal fortunes in Inga atthe expense ofthe Indians themselves, though the Bish goverment public ertcised the nabobs, ther protests were tomporad by the vast revenues the Company tontibuted tothe Treasury. EIC mismanagement of governing colori India went wally unchecked fora century untl the Indian Rebelion (0f 1857-59 almost destroyed Bish power Inthe ‘svacontinent, Beginning in the Bengal Army, the rebelion ‘arose from the EC's mistreatment of sepoys. Tis included ' lack of oppartunities, a decine in pay and the racist fatetuces of Bris officer, Such was the insensitivity ofthe ‘Company that it had inlroduced tite carvidges greased in cow ana pi fat, angering both Hindu ane Muslim soars. Hundreds of thousands of people were kil in the ensuing rebelion, which shook the Brish government's Colonial policy tothe core. The EIC was dissolved and ‘Company rule In india passed directly tothe Crown, which began the eva of the Bish Ra}. What remained of the ‘Company's armed forces was divided, restructured and twansterred into the British army and what became the Indian Army. The E1C was hquidated in lsgrace bu there is ro doutt that ite armies were crucial in establishing British ‘ule in naa a station that would last uni 1947 enters Bereteyrrae tin ear 22 Between 1845-46 and 1848-49 two conflicts were fought between the forces of the East India Company, supported by troops from the British Army, and those of the Sikh Empire in the Punjab ‘th the 1845-46 ond 1848-49 wars, waged by the East india Company (EI), ended in Sikh defeat and partial subjugation followed by full ‘annexation of Sikh terntory. nthe aftermath ‘ofthe second conti, t alsa brougnt the British into contact with the Pashtun tribes ofthe North West Frontier which the Brtlsh were to contend with for the next century. During the early 19th century the Sikh Empire, under the leadership of Maharaja Rant Singh had maintained ‘relations withthe Beh, Nevertheless, the Sikh ‘ur established a strong army to safeguard Sikh tertitony from the dual treats posed bythe Aighans and Pasthun treemen, a¢ wel as from any polenta tertora expansion ofthe British The Sikh army was equipped ana vaines along European lines, and thus presented a formidable foe ‘When Ranjt Singh clea in 1839, 9 period of poitical instabity folowea, with successive rulers dying in suspicious creumstances. Several factions emerged wing for power, while the Sikh army expanded rapidly in size = rom 29,000 in 41839 to 80,000 by 1845. What olowed was more political upheaval. Watching ‘these affairs were the Bris, who were concerned by the wert Sikh military andthe ongoing politcal turmoil, but ‘av opportunity for expansion, Te Britsh annexed Sindh in 41843 and but up thelr military forces near the Sh border Tensions between the two Began to rise. ‘airs came to ahead In 1845 when a British force under the command of Sir Hugh Gough began moving to Ferazepur where the British had estabiished a mitary cantonment. In Fesponse, the Sikh army, under the command of Raja La 10, 35 author Amarpal Singh points out in his book gl Skh War, would botray his on poople by Information tothe British), crossed the Sule ver in December, whch the Bris viewed a5 a hostile act, The First Anglo Sikh War bogan on 11 December “ine contlet saw more tan halt@-dezen actions belng feught between the two beligerents. Principal among these were the Bate of Much! (8 December 1845), the Battie ‘he Bite ding te Ft Ag is Wor, of Forozestan (21/22 December 1848), tho Bato of Awal (28 January 1846) ana the Battle of Sodraon (10 February |1846)~ al of which ended in British veto. Following tel sties of dafeat, tho Sikhs signed the ‘Weaty of Lahore on 9 March 1846, which brouent the war to tan official end, Under te terms of he treaty, tha Sikhs were forced to code teritory located betwoon the Beas and Sut) rivers, The tertories of Kashmir and Jammu were also Getached trom the Sikh Empire, uh ther army was to be Fited to 20,000 infantrymen and £2,000 eavalymen, and 18 Brtsh resident installed at Lahore. In 1848 a rebelion broke out in he cy of Multan. The city was govered by Dewan Mula who had fallen behing Inhis reverue payments tothe British. Mura attempted to pass power ta his son but the British wanted to replace him with Kahan Singh 88 governor and install Patrick Vans Agnew as poltica officer. Following his entval at Multan, ‘Vane Agnew and another Btsh fficer were murdered on 29 Ap 1848, As news of he kings Spread so Gd rebelon Mary Sikh solders left thei regiments to jin inthe unrest and the revolt came national ‘Gough was once again to command Betis forces in what became the Second Angjo-Sikh War. However, he delayed ‘aking action inorder to build up adequate forces powerful ANGLO-INDIAN WARS ‘enough to subjugate the ene Punjab, since the unest ha become so widespread. Major military operations bbegan in November, although several actions were fought orto this. "Notable engagements ofthe war included the Battle cof Ramnagar (22 November 1848) and the Battle of Chiianwala (43 January 1848). Both went badly forthe Bris, the later resulting in pariculaty heavy casuatios ‘and a severe shock to Bish itary prestige. However, the Secisve action ofthe war came at the Battle of Gujrat (22 February 1848), in which Gough ificted detest on a Sikh ‘army under the command of Sher Singh Atarvalla, The Stns surrendered the following month, biaing the ‘Second Arlo Sikh War to an end. Tis ime the British ecided to annex the whole ofthe Punjab the offi ‘annexation being proclaimed by Lord Dalhousie, the {overor general of Inca, on 29 March 1849, Despite the brutality ofthe fighting. the British nea thoi Sikh opponents In high regara, wth mary Sikhs joining the amis ofthe EC ‘and late the British indian Army. ‘As Lawrence James wits in Ra: "The sucond Sin War tended the process of piecemeal conquest which [Rebert] Clive hac begun; Britain now possessed the whole of Inia” Britains rp on India was now complete 23 ym GS WRAPPED UP SUBSCRIBE TODAY & GET THE VIETNAM WAR BOOKAZINE Visit www.magazinesdirect.com/WARXMAS22 AUREUS RRQ CUD ifTSKeRY, © . REASONS TO SUBSCRIBE... VaR z POA CTO RISE TS GOT Er HR CRA © Brilliant value - save money on the cover price ee PRINT & DIGITAL £14: a0) EVERY 3 MONTHS LAST STAND OF THE WAFFEN-SS _ 4 * wf a ei x» & «a a LAST STAND OF THE WAFFEN-5S In the closing months of the war in Europe, the Waffen-SS fought desperately to secure Hitler victory. When they failed he disowned them nas TORRES Uutside the battered Reichstag the sound of arilery ana smal arms fe echoed across the run ofthe Kenigspatz. The bling shook ‘as chunks of stone were tor off in great showers of debris. Inside coveted the remains lof Hein Himmier’s mighty Watten SS. How had his private ‘army that once numbered almost 40 visions been reduced to this? Hier, inthe closing months of Wor War Il vany hoped thatthe Waffen SS could tum the tide on beth the Wester and Eastern Fronts, Ever since the assassination ‘attempt on his if on 20 July £944 he had refused to trust the German armed foras - especially tha amy, Instead Fle put his fain Hinmler’s Nal fanaties ana asthe SS who spearheaded his last wo offensives.Fstin. the Ardennes to halt the British and Une Americans, and then In tungary to stop the Soules. These operatlons reqresente Files ast stared yet both were characterised by poor planning and poticalinfghtng. The result was defeat ana Hitler angly denounced the $5. was onl Inthe dng days ofthe Third Reich, as they fought to defend the Naz captal, that ier found tin is eucidal heart to thank the SS, Rejuvenated SS The Alles became aware in late September 1944 that Hitler vas withdrawing his amour trom the Wester Font to bull up avery large panzer reserve. nteligence indicted that the 15¢ $5 Lelbstandarte Ado Hitler, 2nd S Das Reich, ‘th SS Hohenstaufen and 12th SS Hitlenugend Panzer Dkisions were being refted for renewed combat. Most notably the two 8S Panzer Corps were swift rebult as the strike frce of SS-Oberstgruppenfihrer Sepp Dietrih’s new 6th Panzer Arn, Ths was not offeally designated an 8S amy until 1945 as it also eluded army cisions, but nevertheless ed by the Waffen SS was considered ae Such “Te two panzer Ghsions of SS-Gruppentunrer Herman Priess' | SS Panzer Corps were each brought upto bout 22,000 men; Lebstandarte was supplemented with Tiger tarks ofthe 502 SS Heavy Panzer Bataion and Hiverugend, now under SS-Srigadefuhrer Hugo Kraas, was ‘ebuit though lacked experienced junior officers. Das Reich, re-assigned to SS-Gruppentitrer Herz Lammersing, and Hohenstaufen reassigned to SS-Grgacefunrer Syvester Stadler of SS-Obergruppenfitrer Wil Bitrich's ISS a x 8 28 ‘my witha total of 450 tanks, assault guns and soe propeled guns and General Hasso von Manteuffe's Sth Pnzer Ary supported by about 380 armoured fighting vehicles. The 7th Army under General Erich Brandenberger ‘only had few battalons of tanks and assault guns, [Antwerp was their goal: 6th Panzer Army was to breakout between Liege and Aachen and Sth Panzer Army between [Namur and Lage. It was an all-ornothing gamble Dietrich flabbergasted Dietrich, who answered to Field Marshal Gra von undstedt, Commander Chief West was fabbergasted atthe scope ofthe operation. "Reach the [Rive] Mi in two days, coss it, take Brussels goon and Antwerp?” he exclaimed. “Ana tis ite prorar be executed inthe depths of winter ina region where. ve wil have snow up to our midles. Do you call that Serius?” He hoped o reason with Hiller, but the Futwer woul not See im. Detih was aviey aware that although the SS panze

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