#Story
The Grandmenil Panther rescued from the fighting
Next to the Manhay History 44 Museum is a German Panther Ausf. G. Decommissioned during the Battle of the Bulge, it is one of the few visible traces of the terrible tank battles that took place around the village of Grandmenil. In this sector, the advance of the 2nd SS Panzer Division was definitively halted.
After firmly holding the Baraque de Fraiture crossroads, Major Arthur Parker had to withdraw with his troops in the face of the arrival of the 2nd SS Armoured Division. On Christmas Eve, the fighting closed in on the Manhay crossroads, where elements of the 7th American Armoured Division had been ordered to withdraw and form a straight line from Trois-Ponts to Manhay. Some of the inhabitants had already fled to the north-west.
In the confusion of the fighting that was raging south of the town, a German Panther tank found itself alone in the lead and crossed the American lines without being immediately detected. When its crew realised that it had broken through the Allied defences, it opened fire, destroying two tanks. Around the Manhay crossroads, the American units tried to reorganise in the panic caused by this sudden breakthrough. The armoured group took advantage of the situation to continue its advance towards Erezée and attacked the village of Grandmenil along the main road.
The first German tanks were surprised by two American M36 Jackson tank fighters, ambushed in what is now the Rue Alphonse Poncelet. One of the vehicles took a direct hit and burst into flames, blocking the road at the entrance to the village. The following tanks then decided to go around the obstacle via the field to the south of the main road. The snow had fallen and they were unaware that the ground had been mined a few hours earlier by the men of the 238th American Engineer Battalion.
Among the many casualties, five Panther tanks had to be abandoned by their crews. Only a few elements of the 2nd SS Armoured Division managed to overtake Grandmenil before being stopped again, this time by bazooka fire from Corporal Richard Wiegand at a place called “Trou du Loup”.
After the war, one of the Panther tanks was saved and moved near the roundabout. Initially, it was given a red anti-rust covering. Then, in 1994, it was repainted with an imitation of its original camouflage. Its historic number was also added, but subsequent research revealed that the number was wrong. Despite a few missing parts, it remains a valuable record of the armoured battles that took place in the area.