Peiper's Last Advance
by Nicolas Trudgian
What became known as 'The Battle of the Bulge' was Hitler's last attempt to win back the initiative in the west by smashing towards the Allied lines by the unlikely and difficult route through the Ardennes. Five armoured spearheads, one of which was commanded by the highly regarded Obersturmbannfuhrer Joachim ‘Jochen’ Peiper, were to penetrate these steep and wooded valleys under the cover of poor weather which had brought deep snow. Although a battle-hardened commander, Peiper soon found the conditions most unsuitable for his heavy armour, especially his prestigious but very large 'King Tigers' which were forced to hold back and give cover while more maneouverable tanks went on. After meeting strong opposition from three U.S. Divisions, whose engineers had also quickly destroyed vital bridges ahead of the German advance, Peiper's force soon became scattered. Now fighting a hopeless defensive action and suffering a lack of fuel and ammunition, Peiper was eventually forced to withdraw, on the 23rd December, leaving his King Tigers behind. For Peiper as well as Germany this had been the final advance in the west. |
Overall size: 25" x 35½" | Available in the following editions |
350 | Ardennes edition | Signed by three fighter pilots and two Panzer crew | $240 |
170 | King Tiger edition | Signed by thirteen Knight's Cross recipients | $595 |
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Ardennes edition signatures | ||
Erich Rudorffer - (Luftwaffe) | Hans Ekkehard Bob - (Luftwaffe) | Hugo Broch - (Luftwaffe) |
Erwin Kressmann - (Panzer) | Wolfgang Müller - (Waffen SS panzer) |
Ardennes edition signatures | ||
Erich Rudorffer - (Luftwaffe) | Hans Ekkehard Bob - (Luftwaffe) | Hugo Broch - (Luftwaffe) |
Erwin Kressmann - (Panzer) | Kurt Dahlmann - (Luftwaffe) | Wilhelm Weidenbrück - (Panzer) |
Heinz Gunther Guderian - (Panzer) | Norbert Kujacinski - (Panzer) | Albert Kerscher - (Panzer) |
Otto Schultz - (Luftwaffe) | Gerhard Fischer - (Panzer) | Otto Carius - (Panzer) |
Willy Bachor - (Panzer) |
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