Ardennes Offensive

As 1944 drew to a close, Hitler made his final gamble of the war, mounting a massive strike force aimed at splitting the Allies forces advancing upon Germany. His armor, supported from the air, would rip through the Ardennes to Antwerp, capture the Allied fuel supplies, and cut off all the opposing forces to the north. Hitler's commanders were dubious of the outcome but nevertheless obeyed orders, and the operation was launched on 16 December.

Allied intelligence had discounted any German counterr-offensive and the initial wave, comprising 8 Panzer divisions, took the Allied forces completely by surprise. A parachute drop of English-speaking German soldiers in American uniforms behind the assault zone added to the confusion. Advancing some 30 miles, and almost in sight of the River Meuse, by 26 December the SS Panzers had ground to a halt with empty fuel tanks, and were at the mercy of Allied counter-attacks. By 16 January the German penetration was repulsed and Hitler's beloved Panzer units retreated in tatters. The Fuhrer's last gamble had failed.

Nicolas Trudgian's action-packed painting depicts the Fw190s of JG1 providing close support to the 9th SS Panzer Division, as they spearhead Germany's final major offensive of World War II. Seen advancing on the 82nd Airborne Division, the King Tiger tanks, with the aid of Luftwaffe ground-attack fighters, drive the Americans back through the snowy fields of the Ardennes on Christmas Day, 1944. It was the last, short-lived, and ultimately unsuccessful advance made by German forces during World War II.

Oberst Eberhard Stephan
After serving in the Polish and French Campaigns, Eberhard Stephan joined the 14th Panzer Division in 1941. In Russia he led his tanks to the Caucasus, and led one of the Panzer groups trying to break through to Stalingrad. With the 5th Panzer Division he took part in the biggest tank battle in history at Kursk. He was a commander in the 116th Panzer Division during the D-Day Invasion: he fought at Caen, and the Battle of Arnhem. In the Ardennes Offensive, he led a crack unit of the 5th Panzer Army, and was awarded the Knight's Cross. He was one of the leading Panzer commanders of World War II.

Obertsleutnant Hans Lutz
Joining the Wehrmacht in 1938, Hans Lutz served in the Polish and French campaigns before being posted to the Russian Front in 1941. In 1944 he was transferred to the 116th Panzer Division on the Western Front and was awarded the Knight's Cross for his actions during the Ardennes Offensive. Hans Lutz is one of the last surviving Knight's Cross holders from this battle.