The Battle of Arracourt
When the German Atlantic Wall was breached after the invasion of Normandy in June of 1944, the Wehrmacht knew that it was a matter of time before they had to withdraw from France. Underpowered and ill-trained German ghost divisions fought desperately against overwhelming odds, as American forces were eager to take the fight into the heart of Berlin. As a counter-offensive to recapture the Allied-occupied Lorraine region in north-eastern France, German forces clashed with American troops in the Battle of Arracourt during September of 1944. The battle confronted two World War I veterans who specialized in tank warfare. US Colonel Bruce Clarke and his 4th Armored Division faced the relentless 5th Panzer Army of General Hasso von Manteuffel. Although the German general knew that Hitler’s idea of a renovated offensive was unsupportable by then, he opted to fight bravely by surprising the Americans with an unexpected armored attack. The encounter became the most significant armored confrontation between US and German forces up to that point in the war.
Credit Dark Docs
