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This month Panzerwrecks have produced their third in the
popular series of “Duel in the Mist” trilogy – with many not before seen
photographs in a large format and typically informative text and maps we thought you needed a review so you could see a little close into the mist...
Duel in the Mist
Vol.3
The Leibstandarte during
the Ardennes Offensive
Author: Simon Vosters, Timm Haasler and Hans Weber
Language: English text
Format: Hardcover, 8.5" x 11"
Pages: 272
Photos: 110 B+W wartime photos
Maps: several in colour
Publisher: Panzerwrecks Publishing, UK
ISBN: 978-0-9898459-1-5
Price: $54.95/ £36.99 /€43.65
How do you follow up two of the most well respected and popular accounts so far of the battle of the bulge in the Ardennes in 1944/5 - How do you top yourself? I would suggest more of the same and even better. Otherwise it’s not worth publishing don’t you think? It is with these high expectations that we picked up the third of the “Duel in the Mist” series – number 3, written by the team of Timm Haasler, Simon Vosters and Hans Weber.
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This book is a landscape format in hardcover (8.5" x 11") with full
page format period snaps in black and white. Our
recent review of the Panzerwrecks 16 book had some pictures that are
actually related to this book. But I think that this book took the cream of the
photos that could have gone to another of the Panzerwrecks publications. Like
the other special books from this from this publisher the cover is a hard
pictorial cover with no dust jacket (thank goodness those things just get torn
anyway) my book has been touring around with me for a week or so in my bag and
as you can see has held up alright.
At 272 pages it is a little heavy to cart around with you. It
is a weighty volume with a lot of text. I did think that there were going to be
more pictures and less text but the writing team must have done a bunch of
research and interviews to get these many gems from this confusing battleground
from 70 or so years ago.
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I suppose this book can be seen as a complete stand-alone
tome on the battle. It is true though that it is a complimentary volume to the
two earlier books – the 2007 volume I book examined the events of the 19th of December
1944, and the actions of Kampfgruppe Peiper in the Stoumont region whilst the
second book detailed the 20th and 21st of December in the Stoumont and La Gleize areas. This - the
third volume in the series examines the stories of Kampfgruppen, Peiper, Hansen
and Knittel during the Ardennes offensive and tells also of the stories of the
soldiers that opposed them on those dark December days.
Each notable battle or encounter sees a large form map with
the placement and movement of units of the allied and German forces. These are
really helpful to those not familiar with the terrain. Different sized of maps
are included through the book – some maps even including various landmarks and
utilities such as sawmills and houses. Having these maps with the roads on them
is a great help to the massive amount of text. It does help you orientate yourself
a little easier.
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The other feature outside the story are the pictures of this
book. Mostly in a large size of a page to a picture these snaps are of a good
quality and are placed in random places throughout the book. Some are captured
around the time of the battle but several of these were taken a little after
the battle which is fair enough. The events of the 22nd were confusing enough
and if you don’t count in a mist that only gave a mile or so visibility I can
imagine photographers were thin on the ground over these days. The text
included with the captions explains in a helpful way the relevance of the shots
to the text.
There are several full page sized pictures of several of the
vehicles used by the Germans and the allies in the conflict – featured heavily
are vehicles like the Tiger II, a whole
family of Panthers and Panzer Pz.Kpfw.IVs – but also there are shots of the ,
Pz.IV/70(V), Hummel, Flakpanzer Wirbelwind, Grille Ausf.M, Sd.Kfz.251/1,
Sd.Kfz.251/3, Sd.Kfz.251/7, Sd.Kfz.251/9, Sd.Kfz.251/17, Sd.Kfz.251/21,
Sd.Kfz.10/5, M4A3 Sherman, M7 HMC, M12 GMC, M4 High Speed Tractor, an M4A1
Mortar Carrier.
This book is divided into twenty three chapters of only a
few pages each and these chapters are placed within two main parts of the book.
The first part of the book is a “Prequel” of ninety-two pages describes the
events that led up to the main part of the book which happened on the 22nd.
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To better explain what really is in this book I have made
notes along the way as I have read it and ill explain the main points of this
book chapter for chapter. If you don’t
want the read you can skip straight to the conclusion – but you would be
missing out! I’ll try to keep it brief….
Chapters:
Part I: Prequel
1. Engineers in the way
2. Events at Trois-Ponts, Dec. 17th-18th 1944
3. The bridge at Neufmoulin, Dec. 18th 1944
4. Events at Trois-Ponts, Dec. 19th-21st 1944
5. North of the Amble`ve River, Dec. 21st 1944
In the “Prequel” section of the book we see an overview of
the battle and some of the events of the 19th, 20th and 21st of December.
Starting off with the dispositions of the engineers of the 1111th Engineer
Combat Corps and the defences and support to the front line that would prove to
be invaluable in the defence of the bulge in the following days. The book takes
you through roadblocks, checkpoints and defences as well as early encounters
with the lead elements of the German spearheads from both sides.
Even early in this book we hear some great personal
accounts. The Germans intercepting an American jeep and the killing of the
driver as well as the perfect execution of a roadblock and destruction of a
German column at the bridge of bridge at Neufmoulin. Even early in the piece
you can see that the authors just want to tell the facts and to let you judge
the material. I like this approach very much as it leaves the parochial B.S.
out of it and just gives it to you straight.
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This introduction is rounded out by a short summary of the
events up until now. This sets us up for the battle to be played out and the
main part of the book. To make the contents of this second part a little easier
to follow I have broken each chapter into a brief description so I don’t just
ramble on…
Part II: December
22nd 1944
In Endgame in
Stoumont we start by looking at the battle order of the American forces in
the Stoumont area as well as the important scene-setter which is the weather outlook
for the 22nd. This part includes several pictures of the US forces
in the snow and mud of that time.
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“A castle turned into
a hospital” talked less about the hospital in the title but more about the abortive
attempt by the Germans to supply their troops with more gasoline. Almost a
laughable result I am sure dismayed the Germans and consequences of having fuel
in a building that was shelled by the allies.
A very concise map and description of Pieper’s men and
machines in is discussed in “The Germans
in La Gleize” – this chapter shows you on the map just where the large
forces of Germans were to defend against the Americans in this – the last stand
by in this village. Several of the German’s vehicles were disabled or unusable
due to mechanical issues or fuel shortages and there are several great pictures
of the Germans dumped half-tracks that had run out of fuel in the woods near
Les Montis. Several Panthers have been captured next to houses with a fair bit
of information attached to the pictures throughout the end of this chapter.
This is the best and most relevant set of pictures of any in this book.
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With a map to accompany the information the G.I’s on the opposite
side of the town are discussed in the next chapter “the Americans east of La Gleize”. The maps and text show La Gleize
covered by the Americans on almost three sides and in great strength (not to
mention with petrol). Task force McGeorge
was poised to strike from Boroumont and Roanne.
The story of a firing squad and capital punishment of the
worst kind is discussed in the next chapter “A break in the battle” - which is accompanied by some great
pictures of a destroyed Grille in La
Gleize.
“A cornered beast”
details the surprise German counter-attacks on Borgoumont. From a bunch of
excited RT phone chatter about the attacking German tanks by the Americans to a
German who relayed the action then ultimately to the break-up of the attack by that
combined panzers and infantry. This chapter further illustrates just how much
of a beating the large Tiger II tanks could take – and just how superior in
resources of fire that the Americans could bring to bear.
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After attacking the town with the aid of smoke shells and
firing phosphorous into buildings to make fires and extra smoke (although the weather
was clearing) “Task Force McGeorge
enters La Gleize” tells how the American did just that, and first-hand accounts
from the German defenders and American prisoners of war add to the richness of
the account.
The events of the defence of the Trois-points area from the
Germans is next in “505th PIR defending
the Salm Line” (the Salm is the river line the GI’s were defending). A
fruitless anti-tank patrol with gammon grenades and likewise activity from the Germans
is described before the next chapter “The
bridge incident” describes a mishap of a Jagdpanzer IV that inadvertently broke
a bridge under their own weight at Petit Spai. Details of the trapped infantrymen
and the attempts to bravely restore the spans of the bridge are a good read and
the pictures show just how the aftermath looked.
Kampfgruppe Knittel on the outskirts of Stavelot and their defence
of that town is discussed in “Squeezing
Kampfgruppe Knittel”. This passage features several stories of the attack
by the Americans and the well dug in Germans who’s stories seems to overlap (a
great tip to the researcher’s hard work). Disconcerting stories of first-hand
witnesses to a civilian massacre by the Germans also make for disconcerting
reading but again they are told in a very neutral manner to the credit of the
authors.
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“ Surprise!
Kampfgruppe Hansen strikes back” details a very unusual attack by the
Germans on waiting GI’s that tried to breakthrough to the embattled Germans in La
Gleize, while “Confusion west of
Stavelot” tells of the attempted rescue of some comrades out of a basement
of a house by a lone Tiger (133) of which we saw in an earlier picture disabled
at Petit Spai bridge. The story is told by both sides and it is all the more interesting
for the two accounts. Again a good book has been made into a great one through
research and first hand interviews.
It is the evening of the 22nd before the book talks
about the “Counterattack at Coo”
that saw tanks and a handful of infantrymen try to re-take the aid station at
Coo and the carnage that this action saw. Lasty “At the end of
the day” is a wrap up of this dramatic day and all I have explained here.
This is why I took the time to show you just how much is captured here in this
book and the lengths the writers have gone to bring you as much of it that
still exists in people’s minds and in print.
At the very end of the book the authors provide a full
overview of each of the tanks and their crews of SS-Panzer-Regiment 1 and
s.SS-Pz. Abt.501 during the Offensive. What happened to them and whether they
indeed saw battle at all – several that I noted in this section broke down on
their way to battle or ran out of fuel going from one battle to another or
because of something easily fixed with the right resources. A surprising amount
of broken down and empty vehicles that make you better understand why the
capture of fuel dumps was so important to the Germans and why they desperately
tried abortive supply drops.
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This is a massive undertaking. To get all these accounts
first-hand and from reports of the time is an outstanding achievement and I am
sure this is why there is some time between volumes. The more you read the more
engorged into the details and the more you understand the terrain and the
situations of both the protagonists. I like the way the facts are given to you
straight and the way the book is presented, the maps and pictures do add a lot
to this title as well.
I have heard of and indeed I am assuming there is going to
be fourth book in this series. I hope there will be if it is anything like this
and it’s two siblings.
Research, pictures and writing at it’s best in this genre. If
you are at all interested in this battle and fancy a bit of a read this is a
great book.
Adam Norenberg
This book is now
available to order from the Panzerwrecks site. Thanks to them for sending us this book to
finish off our trilogy. Here's hoping its one more for the road.
