Jagdtiger Abandoned in Neustadt

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Date: Friday, 23 March 1945
Place: Landauer Strasse, Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Photographer: Unknown
 

Panzerjäger Tiger Ausf.B mit 12,8cm PaK 44 L/55 "Jagdtiger"(Sd.Kfz.186) Nr. 331 of schwere Panzerjäger-Abteilung 653 after she was abandoned in Landauer Strasse in Neustadt an der Weinstrasse. The vehicles are shown here being examined by American soldiers from the 10th Armored Division, on 23 March 1945. Leutnant Kasper Geoggler commanded the Jagdtiger No.331, also the third Kampfgruppe from 3.Kompanie / sPzJg.Abt.653. Geoggler had nerves of steel, and was very keen to prove himself. He was awarded the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (German Cross in Gold) on 10 May 1943 whilst fighting on the Eastern Front. He had already had several kills to his credit with his Jagdtiger. In 22 March 1945, Geoggler had three Jagdtigers including his own placed into a good position north of Neustadt with a commmanding view of the approach roads to the town. From camouflage postions, the three Jagdtigers engaged in U.S. tank column; the first and last vehicles were shot up followed by the rest. The Shermans and M10 tank destroyer returned fire. Two Jagdtigers - Geoggler's and another, No.323 - were hit ten times between them. They withdrew into Neustadt. After the battle, 25 US tanks were claimed destroyed, while none of the Jagdtiger crew suffered any serious injuries! The thick sloping-armor had done its job.

Source:

http://ww2colorfarbe.blogspot.com/2015/01/jagdtiger-no331-of-leutnant-kasper.html

Abandoned Jagdtiger of Schwere Panzerjäger-Abteilung 653

Image size: 1600 x 1148 pixel. 581 KB
Date: Tuesday, 17 April 1945
Place: Morsbronn, Alsace, France
Photographer: Unknown

Feldwebel Erich Bonike's destroyed Jagdpanzer (Hunting Tank) VI Jagdtiger (Hunting Tiger) Ausf.B (Sd.Kfz.186, alternate designation 128mm (5.04 inch) PaK44 auf Panzerjäger (Tank Destroyer) Tiger), hull number 305012, identification number 314, from 3.Kompanie/schwere Panzerjäger-Abteilung 653, is examined by an American soldier. Feldwebel Heinz Telgmann's Jagdtiger 332 can be seen in the distant background. Jagdtiger 314 left 653's assembly area at Hollendorf on March 16, 1945, in company with five other Jagdtigers to attack American positions in Morsbronn. 653's commander preferred a night attack to neutralize the threat of "Jabos" - "Jager-Bombern" (fighter bombers) - but the attack was ordered to proceed. On the way to Morsbronn, Jagdtiger 301 was hit by a rocket in the radio compartment, burning radio operator Hans Sager. Jagdtiger 301 Unteroffizier Hans Appel was hit by shrapnel. While approaching Morsbonn, the unit came under heavy fire from 9th Air Force Republic P-47 Thunderbolts and artillery. 314 suffered drive train problems. 314 drove into the ditch you see in this view and was abandoned and blown up by the crew. 332 was hit by rocket fire and abandoned. Hull number 305012 was the last Jagdtiger with the Porsche chassis, one of eleven built. The rest of the 85 built had a Henschel chassis, which was more costly to produce. The Jagdtiger, like 314, often broke down. The entire vehicle had to move to target the main gun, and the constant wear on the transmission and tracks caused many problems that were never solved. Many Jagdtigers were abandoned rather than knocked out. 

Source:

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii0071

Jagdpanther of schwere Panzerjäger-Abteilung 559

Image size: 1600 x 970 pixel. 409 KB
Date: Friday, 15 September 1944
Place: Hechtel, Limburg, Belgium
Photographer: Unknown

Major Erich Sattler's knocked-out Panzerjager (tank destroyer) V Jagdpanther Sd.Kfz.173, 3rd Regiment, schwere Heeres-Panzerjäger-Abteilung 559, near the Hechtel, Belgium as it is inspected by Allied authorities. Note 88m (3.46 inch) anti-tank rounds next to the Jagdpanther. This vehicle is equipped as a Panzerbefehlswagen (command tank) with an extra radio. Dutch researcher Marcel Zwarts’ managed to interview the former commander of s.H.Pz.Jg.Abt 559, who told him the commander of this Jagdpanther, Major Sattler, was apparently injured not by enemy fire, but from a fall as he exited this vehicle! As the German 15th Army retreated into Belgium and Holland from the Allied advance in August 1944, Hechtel became a key defensive position, as it was at the intersection of two key main roads. The 1.Bataillon/Hermann Göring Regiment and Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 10 (Gramsel) were sent from Cologne to Roermond, Netherlands and then marched 50 kilometers (31 miles) to take up positions in Hechtel. The Fallschirmjäger (paratroopers) executed 22 Belgians (11 men and 11 women and children) as partisans, but it is likely they were simply hiding in their basements. In addition, the 3rd Regiment of the schwere Panzerjäger-Abteilung 559, commanded by Major Erich Sattler, with seven panzerjägers including at least three Jagdpanthers, were sent to prevent the Allies from gaining Hechtel. On September 8, 1944, the Welsh Guards, including Lieutenant W. Hugh Griffiths commanding a Cromwell tank, was engaged by Sattler's forces. Griffiths allowed Sattler to pass and Griffith's gunner Sergeant Ivor Wilcox fired four rounds into the Jagdpanther's rear-mounted engine. Griffith's tank was missed twice by the other Jagdpanthers, but three of the German tank destroyers were destroyed by the Welsh Guards. Sattler was rendered unconscious while evacuating the Jagdpanther and after recovering his senses, evaded capture and returned to German lines. The Guards Armoured Division, including the Welsh Guards, attacked Hechtel and encircled the town on September 10. On September 12, Allied heavy artillery complled the Germans to surrender. 150 Germans were killed, 220 wounded, and 500 captured. 92 British troops were killed. Fourteen Belgian civilians were killed during the fighting. A week later, the area was used as a springboard for Operation Market-Garden. Sattler's Jagdpanther was taken to England for evaluation and testing. Today it is part of the collection at the Imperial War Museum; you can still see the four hits from the Cromwell in the rear. The Jagdpanther has been cut open on left side to reveal the crew compartment. 

Source:

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii0069

A Knocked-Out Jagdpanther Being Examined by an American Soldier

Image size: 1600 x 1215 pixel. 869 KB
Date: Sunday, 1 April 1945
Place: Remagen, Rheinland Pfalz, Germany
Photographer: Unknown

A knocked-out Panzerjäger (tank destroyer) V Jagdpanther Sd.Kfz.173 is examined by an American soldier, probably of the 9th Army. While the date and place of this photo is disputed, the red primer on the vehicle, the soldier's uniform, and the absence of leaves on the trees probably indicate that it was taken during the Americans' advance into Germany in March-April 1945. Since civilians and sodliers would strip knocked-out tanks of anything useful, it's likely this photo was taken within a week of the tank being destroyed. It's possible this was a Jagdpanther from Kampfgruppe Paffrath/schwere Panzerjäger-Abteilung 654. The impact of anti-tank rounds can be seen along the road wheels. This vehicle has an early version of the 88mm (3.46 inch) Pak 43/3 L/71 gun that was a single tube; later versions of the Jagdpanther had two joined tubes that comprised the gun barrel. The gun mounting is a later version, indicating the barrel was replaced at some point with an earlier version, or this vehicle was built just as the factory was transitioning to the late model Jagdpanther. Widely considered to be the best tank destroyer of the war, the Jagdpanther was available in small numbers to units, as only 400 were made between December 1943 and the end of the war. 

Source:

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii0068