The German battle plan for their great Ardennes counter offensive called for three armies to smash their way through the heavily wooded Ardennes Forest of southern Belgium, cross the Meuse River in four days time, and capture the huge Allied supply depot of Antwerp. One of those three armies earmarked for this desperate and audatious operation was the Fifith Panzer Army.

Situated in the center of the battle line, the German Fifth Panzer Army was a potent force. The Army was under the command of a highly intelligent and tactically sound officer, General der Panzertruppen Baron Hasso Eccard von Manteuffel. He had earned a fierce fighting reputation while on the Russian Front, and was a genius when it came to armored warfare.

Manteuffel’s Fifth Panzer Army was comprised of nine divisions, divided into three separate corps. Specifically, the makeup of this force unfolded in the following manner. There were the 2nd Panzer Division, the Panzer Lehr Division, and the 26th Volksgrenadier Division. Together, they formed the XLVII Panzer Corps under the command of General der Panzertruppen Heinrich von Luttwitz, who was a very competent, and highly decorated officer.

Next came the famous 116th Panzer Division, and the 560th Volksgrenadier Division. Together, they comprised the LVIII Panzer Corps, which was commanded by another veteran officer, General der Panzertruppen Walter Kruger. Two infantry units, the 18th and 62nd Volksgrenadier Divisions rounded out the Fifth Panzer Army’s complement of forces. They comprised the LXVI Infantry Corps under the command of General der Artillerie Walter Lucht.

In addition, the German Fifth Panzer Army also contained two reserve divisions. They were the 9th Panzer and the 15th Panzer Grenadier Divisions respectively. Both were of high quality and contained many experienced officers at the regimental levels. All told, counting its reserves, The German Fifth Panzer Army would storm into battle during the great Ardennes counter offensive of December 16 1944 with 125,000 men, 440 excellent quality tanks, and nearly 7,000 armored vehicles.