The King Tiger tank in La Gleize
- Wandervogel123 Florian
- Sep 17, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 24
A massive 70 tons of steel! Watch the video below for more.
The King Tiger of La Gleize is a fascinating piece of German military history and a testament to the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. This heavy tank, number 213, belonged to the Waffen-SS Kampfgruppe Peiper and played a crucial role in the battles for the Belgian village of La Gleize.
Why is the King Tiger of La Gleize so special?
Symbol of German military might: The King Tiger was one of the heaviest and most powerful tanks of the war.
Link to the Battle of the Bulge: It played a significant role in one of the most dramatic and controversial campaigns of WWII.
Unique history: Its capture, use as target practice, and subsequent restoration make it a one-of-a-kind artifact.
A reminder of the war: The tank serves as a powerful reminder of the human cost of conflict.
A Visit to La Gleize
La Gleize itself bears the scars of war. The military museum, with the King Tiger 213 as its centerpiece, offers visitors a chance to explore the tank and learn about its history. Other relics and memorials throughout the village commemorate the events of the Battle of the Bulge.
Some pictures of the King Tiger:
The King Tiger tank in La Gleize: A Beast of the Ardennes
The Königstiger, or King Tiger, was one of the most formidable tanks of World War II. Stationed at La Gleize during the brutal Battle of the Bulge, this particular tank, number 213, was at the heart of some of the fiercest fighting of the conflict.
Part of Kampfgruppe Peiper: The King Tiger 213 was part of Kampfgruppe Peiper, one of the most elite units of the Waffen-SS. This unit was tasked with penetrating deep into Allied territory and destroying vital transportation hubs.
Deployment in La Gleize: On December 24, 1944, Kampfgruppe Peiper reached La Gleize. The King Tiger 213 was commanded by Obersturmführer Wilhelm Dollinger. Due to technical issues with his own tank, Dollinger took command of the 213.
Abandoned and destroyed: After heavy fighting and a failed attempt to blow up a bridge, the King Tiger 213 was abandoned by its crew and captured by American forces. The Americans subsequently used the tank for ammunition tests, which is evident today from the visible bullet holes in the armor.
Why is the King Tiger from La Gleize so interesting?
The King Tiger in La Gleize is so historically interesting and famous for several reasons, primarily due to its direct connection to the Ardennes Offensive in December 1944.
It is the tank with turret number 213 of Kampfgruppe Peiper, which was encircled in this Belgian village during the last major German counter-offensive. It is a rare and impressive testament to the dramatic failure of this operation, as it and many other vehicles had to be abandoned in La Gleize due to lack of fuel.
The most famous anecdote that makes this tank so special is that after the war, a village resident, Jenny Geenen-Dewez, acquired it from the American salvage crews in exchange for a bottle of cognac to save it from being scrapped. As a result, the tank was preserved and stands today as the central exhibit in front of the December 44 Museum in La Gleize, making it one of the most famous and historically significant King Tiger exhibits worldwide. It thus embodies not only the technical prowess but also the chaotic and unfortunate end of the offensive on the Western Front.
History of the Königstiger
The Königstiger (official designation: Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. B "Tiger II") was a heavy tank of the German Wehrmacht in World War II.
Here are the most important facts about its history:
Development: It was designed as the successor to the Tiger I, combining its heavy armour with the sloped armour of the Panther.
Production: Production by Henschel (chassis) and Krupp (turret) ran from early 1944 to March 1945. Only about 492 units were built.
Characteristics: It was one of the heaviest tanks built in series during the war (almost 70 tonnes) and featured extremely thick, heavily sloped armour (up to 150 mm on the front). Its main weapon was the powerful 8.8 cm KwK 43 L/71, which could destroy Allied tanks at very long distances.
Deployment: Its initial deployment took place in the summer of 1944 in Normandy. It was mainly used on the Western and Eastern Fronts in heavy tank battalions (schwere Panzer-Abteilungen), including in the Battle of the Bulge (Ardennes Offensive).
Weaknesses: Despite its superiority in firepower and armour, the Königstiger suffered from high fuel consumption (a major problem towards the end of the war) and mechanical issues due to its enormous weight, which led to breakdowns and the loss of many tanks due to abandonment.
Although it was a feared opponent on the battlefield, it arrived too late and in too small numbers to significantly influence the course of the war.
The King Tiger in La Gleize - A Conclusion
The King Tiger in La Gleize, known as Number 213, is far more than just a tank monument; it embodies the dramatic failure of the German Ardennes Offensive and marks the end point of the devastating advance of Kampfgruppe Peiper in December 1944. As a technically superior, almost 70-ton behemoth, the Tiger II was unsuitable for the narrow Ardennes roads and became a symbol of the war-economic gigantism and logistical overstretch of the Wehrmacht. Trapped in the so-called "La Gleize pocket," Kampfgruppe Peiper had to abandon its entire vehicle fleet, including numerous of these heavy tanks, due to a lack of fuel and overwhelming enemy forces, in order to retreat to the German lines on foot. The fact that King Tiger 213 could only be saved from scrapping by the brave bartering of a local woman with US troops underscores its exceptional status as a unique specimen remaining at its historical deployment site. Today, standing in front of the "December 44 Historical Museum," it serves as a monumental, albeit damaged, testament to the last major German offensive in the West and as a memorial to the brutality and victims of the Second World War.
My King Tiger Video La Gleize:
More Tanks in the Ardennes
In the Ardennes, particularly in Belgium and Luxembourg, several German tanks and other vehicles from the time of the Battle of the Bulge (December 1944 – January 1945) are still on display.
The most famous German tank types that can be seen in museums or as monuments include:
Panther (Panzerkampfwagen V Ausf. G)
The Panther was the standard tank of the German Panzer divisions during the offensive:
Houffalize (Belgium): In the center of the town stands a Panther tank, recovered from the bottom of the Ourthe River, which serves as a memorial to the Battle of the Bulge, during which the town was heavily destroyed.
Other Vehicles and Artillery
Bastogne War Museum / Bastogne Barracks (Belgium): In the Bastogne region, various vehicles and artillery pieces are on display in museums and the surrounding areas, even if they are not always complete tanks that were directly destroyed during the offensive.
Manhay (Belgium): In a small square, you can see the restored remains of a PaK 40 (7.5 cm anti-tank gun) and another Panther tank, which were used near the crossroads.
Other Museums: Numerous smaller museums in towns such as Clervaux (Luxembourg), La Roche-en-Ardenne (Belgium), or Diekirch (Luxembourg) house collections of equipment, uniforms, and often smaller vehicles or tank parts from the offensive.
Most of the displayed tanks and vehicles that can be seen in the area were either abandoned by the Germans because they ran out of fuel or had mechanical defects, or they were damaged in combat. Today, they serve as poignant memorials to the last major German offensive in the West.
