Acknowledgements
I owe a great deal of gratitude to a number of Battle of the Bulge researchers and authors.
Major General (Retired) Michael F. Reynolds, CB, gave me valuable research advice.
These gentlemen provided details about the tanks in the collections of their respective museums:
Mr. Charles Lemons of the Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor at Fort Knox, Kentucky
Dr. William F. Atwater of the U.S. Army Ordnance Museum at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland
Herr Ralf Thiel of the Panzermuseum at Munster, Germany
Gérard Grégoire and Benno Deckers were very helpful during my visits to La Gleize.
Dr. Gregory Jones assisted me in contacting veterans of s. SS-Pz.Abt. 501.
I would also like to thank the following individuals for their valuable insight and assistance:
Geoff Walden Frank Halmans
Timo Worst Hartmut von Holdt
Wilhelm Kiesselbach Ingbert Corbe
George Bradford James Blackwell
Tom Machnikowski Terry Keller
William Murphy James Butler
Paul Butler
Any errors are my own.
I also sincerely thank the American and German veterans of the Ardennes battles who freely supplied their personal accounts and helped me contact other sources. I am especially grateful for the information provided by Harry F. Miller, Secretary of the 740th Tank Battalion Association; Neil B. Thompson of the 740th Tank Battalion and the National Vice President of The Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge; Bill Edie, Past President of the 3rd Armored Division Association; Oda C. Miller, a veteran of CCA of the 3rd Armored Division; Aurio J. Pierro and A. J. Palfey, who fought with TF Lovelady of the 3rd Armored Division in the Ardennes; and Rolf von Westernhagen, a veteran of s. SS-Pz.Abt. 501 and the brother of the battalion commander. And most of all, I owe many thanks to the late Werner Wendt, former SS-Oberscharführer and commander of s. SS-Pz.Abt. 501 Tiger 133 in December 1944. Herr Wendt quickly and patiently answered the many questions I asked about his experiences.
My wife, Sue, and my sons, Robert and Alex, have my gratitude for enduring many trips to visit old tanks and battlefields in obscure places. Perhaps not many other boys have climbed on both of the remaining Tigers of Kampfgruppe Peiper! Their love and support are a part of this effort.
About the author:
I'm a retired US Army officer. I served in Armor branch, and spent most of my time in Cavalry units. I served three tours of duty in Germany during the Cold War. I was fortunate during the periods that I wasn't on border patrol to be able to visit the Ardennes many times, and see where the 501st Tiger battalion fought its battles. To me, the Ardennes region of Belgium is one of the most beautiful and historical areas of the world, and I continue to visit when I can.
--- Greg Walden