SS-Panzer-Brigade 150
Panzer-Brigade 150 (or SS-Panzer-Brigade 150) was formed to participate in the planned Ardennes offensive, during which it was tasked with capturing the bridges at Amy, Engis and Huy. The unit's cadre of 2,500 men consisted of members of all branches of the army - 1,000 from the Wehrmacht, 500 from the Waffen-SS, 800 from the Luftwaffe and 200 from the Kriegsmarine.
Part of the 150. Panzer-Brigade was the well-known Einheit Stielau, which included good English-speaking soldiers in American uniforms who were tasked with causing havoc behind American lines.
Its weaponry was also unconventional. It included several captured American vehicles, 22 Pather tanks modified to approximate the shape of an American M-10 tank fighter, and more.Two captured Shermanns were also sent to this unit, but due to technical problems they did not join the action.
When Operation Greif was launched, the 150th Panzer-Brigade was stuck in a massive traffic jam that caused numerous problems throughout the offensive. After two days lost in the jam, all original plans were more or less abandoned and the unit joined the fighting as a regular unit. The 150th Panzer-Brigade received orders to take Malmedy, but a German deserter leaked the attack plans to the Americans and when the attack was launched the unit found itself under deadly artillery fire and was forced to withdraw. Artillery fire continued to fall on the unit even after it withdrew from combat, and one shell even wounded Otto Skorzeny himself.
The brigade was finally withdrawn from the front on 28 December and reimbursed on 18 December. Volksgrenadier-Division.
Of the 44 members of the Stielau unit wearing American uniforms who managed to penetrate the American lines, 18 were captured and convicted of espionage.
Commanders
Oberstleutnant Wulf (? 1944 - 14 November 1944)
SS-Obersturmbannführer Otto Skorzeny (14 November 1944 - ?January 1945)
Order of battle
Kampfgruppe X (SS-Obersturmbannführer Willi Hardieck, later SS-Hauptsturmführer Adrian von Fölkersam)
HQ
3 x Infantry Company (Ford trucks)
2 x Armored Infantry Platoon
2 x Anti-tank Platoon
2 x Heavy mortar Platoon
Engineer Platoon
Signal Platoon
5 Panther tanks & 5 StuG III
Kampfgruppe Y (Hauptmann Walter Scherf)
HQ
3 x Infantry Company (Ford trucks)
2 x Armored Infantry Platoon
2 x Anti-tank Platoon
2 x Heavy mortar Platoon
Engineer Platoon
Signal Platoon
5 Panther tanks & 5 StuG III
Kampfgruppe Z (Oberstleutnant Wolf)
HQ
3 x Infantry Company (Ford trucks)
2 x Armored Infantry Platoon
2 x Anti-tank Platoon
2 x Heavy mortar Platoon
Engineer Platoon
Signal Platoon
edited by Siegfried, 19.10.2017
Panzer-Brigade 150 (or SS-Panzer-Brigade 150) was formed to participate in the planned Ardennes offensive, during which it was tasked with capturing the bridges at Amy, Engis and Huy. The unit's cadre of 2,500 men consisted of members of all branches of the army - 1,000 from the Wehrmacht, 500 from the Waffen-SS, 800 from the Luftwaffe and 200 from the Kriegsmarine.
Part of the 150. Panzer-Brigade was the well-known Einheit Stielau, which included good English-speaking soldiers in American uniforms who were tasked with causing havoc behind American lines.
Its weaponry was also unconventional. It included several captured American vehicles, 22 Pather tanks modified to approximate the shape of an American M-10 tank fighter, and more.Two captured Shermanns were also sent to this unit, but due to technical problems they did not join the action.
When Operation Greif was launched, the 150th Panzer-Brigade was stuck in a massive traffic jam that caused numerous problems throughout the offensive. After two days lost in the jam, all original plans were more or less abandoned and the unit joined the fighting as a regular unit. The 150th Panzer-Brigade received orders to take Malmedy, but a German deserter leaked the attack plans to the Americans and when the attack was launched the unit found itself under deadly artillery fire and was forced to withdraw. Artillery fire continued to fall on the unit even after it withdrew from combat, and one shell even wounded Otto Skorzeny himself.
The brigade was finally withdrawn from the front on 28 December and reimbursed on 18 December. Volksgrenadier-Division.
Of the 44 members of the Stielau unit wearing American uniforms who managed to penetrate the American lines, 18 were captured and convicted of espionage.
Commanders
Oberstleutnant Wulf (? 1944 - 14 November 1944)
SS-Obersturmbannführer Otto Skorzeny (14 November 1944 - ?January 1945)
Order of battle
Kampfgruppe X (SS-Obersturmbannführer Willi Hardieck, later SS-Hauptsturmführer Adrian von Fölkersam)
HQ
3 x Infantry Company (Ford trucks)
2 x Armored Infantry Platoon
2 x Anti-tank Platoon
2 x Heavy mortar Platoon
Engineer Platoon
Signal Platoon
5 Panther tanks & 5 StuG III
Kampfgruppe Y (Hauptmann Walter Scherf)
HQ
3 x Infantry Company (Ford trucks)
2 x Armored Infantry Platoon
2 x Anti-tank Platoon
2 x Heavy mortar Platoon
Engineer Platoon
Signal Platoon
5 Panther tanks & 5 StuG III
Kampfgruppe Z (Oberstleutnant Wolf)
HQ
3 x Infantry Company (Ford trucks)
2 x Armored Infantry Platoon
2 x Anti-tank Platoon
2 x Heavy mortar Platoon
Engineer Platoon
Signal Platoon
edited by Siegfried, 19.10.2017