German armored units in Paris, August 1944

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Romeo
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German armored units in Paris, August 1944

#1

Post by Romeo » 24 Aug 2004, 13:15

Hello all,

This is my first post here and, as I always learn something when reading your posts, I wonder if someone have datas, histories, pictures of german AFV units engaged during the Paris insurection, in august 1944.

My own researches indicates that many captured french tanks were used, but aldo Panthers and Panzer IV. Do someone have informations or pictures (that would be great) about that ? Were complete units involved in the battle, or just some retreating vehicles and scattered formations ?

Also, as the fighting in the french capital was mainly (I'm not talking about the comabt against the french and US armor) an infantry fighting, what was the exact purpose of these vehicles in the city ? Isn't that in contradiction with the general employment of AFV ?

Finally, when Shermans and M10 arrived in the city, did they engaged many tank vs tank fightings, and where ?

Thanks in advance.

Andreas
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#2

Post by Andreas » 26 Aug 2004, 11:42

There is one picture I posted in:

this thread on captured French material in Axis use.

All the best

Andreas


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redcoat
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#3

Post by redcoat » 26 Aug 2004, 12:32

I did read (forgotten the source :( ) that the Germans had around 17 tanks with their formations in Paris, and that these appear to have been mostly captured French light tanks.

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Romeo
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#4

Post by Romeo » 26 Aug 2004, 13:05

Thanks for the replies !

Effectivelly, there are many pictures and memorial displays in the streets of Paris actually. Some shows panzers and captured french equipment. I actually try to find links to show here the pictures shown at the Sénat exhibition (which shows many pictures of the liberation of Paris, including some FT17, Somua or Hotchkiss tanks, and also a destroyed Panther on the Concorde place).

Movie archives also show Panthers rolling in the streets (Ile de la Cité, quai de Seine...), but it's impossible to find a link :?

Anyway, here is a small picture of the courtyard of the Sénat, just after its liberation, showing captured french equipment and buses :

Image

Patrice
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#5

Post by Patrice » 26 Aug 2004, 20:56

Hello.
Von Choltitz had approximately 20.000 men,80 Panzers(20 Panther and Tiger) 23 guns of 105/150mm,35 guns of 75/88mm,6 other guns and some Waffen-SS units for the defense of Paris.
Some informations on the Panzers in Paris from an old VéMil n°11.
One Panther A given up in front of L'Odéon.
One Renault R-35(number 51) destroys rue de Rivoli.
Two Panther A and two R-35 Renault (n°516 and 517 the 516 modified)given up in the Jardin du Sénat .
Two Sd.Kfz 251/17 given up in front of the Sénat blockhaus.
There are pictures of these Panzer in this magazine(not a visible markings on Panther).
Other informations from this magazine:
1°arrondissement.
August 20,several car are taken by resitance(Peugeot 402 and DK5J,Citroen Traction B and BI,Kubelwagen and other cars).
August 21,attack of two Opel Blitz and one Ford.
August 22 one Panther attack the post office rue du Louvre.
2°arrondissement.
August 19 and 20,two Demag and other Tiger and Panther attack the post office building rue du Louvre and rue Etienne Marcel.
August 22 two Tiger and one Panther and a armoured car attack the town hall of the 2° arrondissement.
6°arrondissement.
August 20,Panzers (one Renault FT17,one Demag,one Hotchkiss H39)circulate coming from the Jardins du Luxembourg toward the Seine.
August 23, two Tiger and some armoured cars attack the barricade at Pont Neuf.
August 24,the resistant try to built a barricade rue Bonaparte but are prevent by four Panzers (three Panther and one Tigre).
7°arrondissement.
August 21, a MAN truck of ammunition and a Kubelwagen burn.
August 24 German occupies the Military academy(400 men) and the Maubourg Tower(700 men) and the House of Commons(100 men)
some Tiger,Panther and Hummel circulate on the Boulevard Saunt-Germain and Raspail.
8°arrondissement.
August 21,the Germans does not dare any more circulate,but keeps under control some place (the barracks de la Pépinière,the military circle place Saint Augustin,the Hotel Crillon,place de la Concorde and the Hotel Majestic avenue Kléber.
13°arrondissement.
August 19,taken of the Town Hall by the resistance.
August 20 attacks by a patrol of the Feldgendarmerie equipped with two BMW R75 and a Mercedes-Benz Staff-car of a Resistance place Avenue des Gobelins.
August 21,several attacks by the Germans with Red -Cross van, a white Daimler-Benz,a Opel Blitz on resistance barricade without results.
August 22, attack by two Panther and one armoured car of a barricade Porte d'Italie
Boulevard Kellermann,a Tiger kill 13 F.F.I and 4 civilians.
August 23 attack of the Gobelins barricade by three Panzers one Tiger,one Pantherand one Somua,which succed in crossing it allowing 17 German Trucks to pass
August 24 attack of tanks and half-tracks against the barricade des Gobelins without result.
14°arrondissement.
August 23 during various operations the French resistance captures several Opel Blitz,Panthers, B1 bis,and a Anti Aircaft gun.
August 24,a Renault of the F.F.I is attacked without successed by two Kubel and one Horch Boulevard Raspail.
Unfortunately I do not have the names of the commited units.
Patrice.

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Romeo
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#6

Post by Romeo » 27 Aug 2004, 09:18

Woot ! That's very interesting !

Thanks Patrice 8)

Lodieu Didier
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Paris - 44

#7

Post by Lodieu Didier » 13 Nov 2005, 01:15

All my consideration for this list. Modestly I discoverd in archivs that a Besatzung (équipage) from the StuG Abt. 200 (Becker) was captured. By coincidence, from another source i Have a StuG in picture which coiuld be a StuG from this unity. .I found also that the 5th Battery of the StuG Abt. 200 is stayed near Paris in a train in those days. An Historian English affirms that this battery was engaged for Goodwoog. But I get the rapport of the members of the 2nd Armored Div. (French) in hand) that they discovered this StuG and belonged to the 5th Battery.
Recently I put the hand of a crewman from a Pz. SS who was prisoner by the civils.. He was an SS-VT.
Best regards.

Kelvin
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Re: German armored units in Paris, August 1944

#8

Post by Kelvin » 12 Nov 2009, 12:25

I remember German 1st Security regiment had Panhard armored car.

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