Background

"Wacht am Rhein", codename for the extremely daring and ambitious German counteroffensive that shattered the Belgian winter of 1944. Churchill would later call it the "Battle of the Bulge". Although driven back to the borders of their Fatherland by the victorious Allies, the German soldier was far from defeated. Badly mauled in the charnal house of the Eastern Front and having suffered severe reversals in Normandy and in the retreat through France, they remained a deadly fighting force.

Such was Hitler's faith in his vaunted Panzerkorps that he now rested his hopes on an all-or-nothing masterstroke that would sweep the Allies back to the beaches. Two Panzer Armees, von Manteuffel's 5th and Sepp Deitrich's 6th SS Panzer Armee, together with Brandenberger's 7th Armee in the south, would thrust through the hostile winter terrain of the Ardennes and drive for the all important supply port of Antwerp.

Directly opposing them was the US VIII Corps stretched along an eighty mile front and only lightly held by inexperienced and badly decimated divisions shattered in the brutal battles for Aachen and the Hurtgen Forest. The 6th SS Panzer Armee in the vanguard struck through the Losheim Gap on O-Tag, December 16, and slammed into the stunned US forces.

Comprising the elite SS divisions LSSAH, Hitlerjugend, DAs Reich, Hohenstaufen and their attached support units, the 6th SS was formed into I and II Panzerkorps. I Panzerkorps took the van and was spearheaded by special armoured battle groups formed around these divisions' Panzer Regiments. Of these, Kampfgruppe Peiper, commanded by SS-Ostubaf. Jochen Peiper (RKE) would gain both prominence and infamy as it attached westwards.

KG Peiper, predominantly a LSSAH cadre consisted of both Panthers and Panzer IVs, however it was also allocated the awesome Tiger IIBs of schwere SS Pz Abt 501, a Korps unit under the command of veteran SS-Ostubaf. Heinz von Westernhagen.

The so called "King" Tigers would create an indelible impression and launch a battlefield legend forever associated with the "Battle of the Bulge". The reputation of these 77 ton monsters, already encountered in Normandy, would precede them into combat and for the courageous and outgunned Allied tank crews the warning cry of "Tigers!" would send a chill into their hearts.

In his superb painting, Mike Howard has captured the might of the "King" Tiger as it looms majestically out of the winter mists. Hailed as his finest work to date, "Tiger Spearhead" depicts in wonderful historical detail the Stabskompanie (HQ) of schwere SS Pz Abt 501, officers and grenadiers of SS PzGren. Rgt 1 and fallschirmjäger of FJR 9 on December 20th. Ordered by Peiper to prepare a defensive perimeter for the Kampfgruppe's stand near La Gleize, they urgently site their field of fire. The skies are clearing ominously and in the open even the Tigers are vulnerable to dominant Allied air power. Command Tiger 007 is the mount of 501's commander, von Westernhagen, while 008 is commanded by the adjutant, Ustuf. Edouad Kalinowsky.

The Companion Print, "End of the Line" portrays the furthest penetration west by KG Peiper. SS Grenadiers of Rgt 1 in the classic assault role as they engage the Shermanns and infantry of Task Force Harrison near Stoumont railway station. Three Panthers, including 211, were lost during this engagement and the units would soon withdraw to La Gleize.

Together, these two images chronicle a turning point in the conflict on the Western Front. All along the salient the German advance juddered to a halt and their forces went over to the defensive. The ultimate objective of "Wacht am Rhein" had slipped from Hitler's grasp, and the final reckoning would be dictated in Berlin itself a few short months hence.

Print Specifications

Main Print:	"Tiger Spearhead" Limited Edition Print Limited to 750 Prints, Certificate of Authenticity provided Full colour, 33" (width) x 25" (height) Image Area: 27" (width) x 19" (height) Printed on 300gsm archival paper with fade resistant inks
Black & White Companion Print:	"End of the Line" Limited Edition Black & White Companion Print Limited to 750 Prints Black & White, 25" (width) x 17" (height) Image Area: 21" (width) x 12" (height)