Battle of the Bulge Kaiserbaracke




This is the location where the spearhead of “Kampfgruppe Hansen” stopped on Dec. 17, 1944, to determine which direction to take. Kampfgruppe Hansen, Rollbahn D, consisted of 3 battalions of the 1st SS Panzergrenadier Regiment. This location is now a traffic circle near an industrial park. De Kamfpgruppe was 1 of the 4 Kamfgruppen that started het Ardennenoffensief. The other 3 were Kamfgruppe Peiper, Sandig and Knittels, named after the commander of the attack group. Kampgruppe Knittel, Sturmbannführer Gustav Knittel, Rollbahn A tijdens het offensief. Kampfgruppe Peiper; SS-Obersturmbannführer Jochen Peiper, taxiway B tijdens het offensief. Kampfgruppe Sandig, SS-Obersturmbannführer Rudolf Sandig, taxiway C tijdens het offensief. Combat group Hansen; SS-Obersturmbannfühere Max Hansen, taxiway D and E tijdens het offensief. Objective what to reach the river Meuse, and from there to the Ports of Antwerp. Rollbahn D, eventually split into D and E and had as its terminus Hoei and Ombret-Rausa, both located on the Meuse River.
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Text by: Ed Lewandowski
Photo(s): Ed Lewandowski (1,3,4), U.S. National Archives / Public domain (2)