Battle of St. Vith

Battle of St. Vith
Part of Battle of the Bulge
St. Vith, Belgium
Date 16–21 December 1944 Location St. Vith, Belgium 50°16′55″N 6°7′36″E / 50.28194°N 6.12667°E / 50.28194; 6.12667Coordinates: 50°16′55″N 6°7′36″E / 50.28194°N 6.12667°E / 50.28194; 6.12667 Result German victory
Belligerents
United States	Germany
Commanders and leaders
Bruce C. Clarke	Walter Model Hasso von Manteuffel
Units involved
U.S. VIII Corps 7th Armored Division 9th Armored Division 106th Infantry Division	5th Panzer Army 116th Panzer Division Führer Begleit Brigade 18th Volksgrenadier Division 62nd Volksgrenadier Division
Strength
22,000 men	100,000+ men 500 tanks
Casualties and losses
12,500 KIA, WIA, POW, or MIA 88 tanks, 25 armored cars	Unknown

U.S. VIII Corps

5th Panzer Army

The Battle of St. Vith was part of the Battle of the Bulge, which began on 16 December 1944, and represented the right flank in the advance of the German center, 5th Panzer-Armee (Armored Army), toward the ultimate objective of Antwerp.

The town of St. Vith, a vital road junction, was close to the boundary between the 5th and Sepp Dietrich’s Sixth Panzer Army, the two strongest units of the attack. St. Vith was also close to the western end of the Losheim Gap, a critical valley through the densely forested ridges of the Ardennes Forest and the axis of the entire German counteroffensive. Opposing this drive were units of the U.S. VIII Corps. These defenders were led by the U.S. 7th Armored Division and included the 424th Infantry (the remaining regiment of the 106th U.S. Infantry Division), elements of the 9th Armored Division's Combat Command B and the 112th Infantry of the U.S. 28th Infantry Division. These units, which operated under the command of Generals Robert W. Hasbrouck (7th Armored) and Alan W. Jones (106th Infantry), successfully resisted the German attacks, thereby significantly slowing the German advance.

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