Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright

The 36th had captured most of Haguenau and the Germans held only the northern outskirts across the Moder River. The river was crossable by infantry but an obstacle to American vehicles. The small four-house bridgehead was expanded on the 13th …

1945-03-13

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The 36th had captured most of Haguenau and the Germans held only the northern outskirts across the Moder River. The river was crossable by infantry but an obstacle to American vehicles. The small four-house bridgehead was expanded on the 13th by a surprise attack by the 143rd Regiment. At night however came a German counterattack led by Tiger tanks, one of which was christened ‘The Monster’ by the hard-pressed defenders. T/Sgt Morris E Crain was to posthumously receive the Medal of Honor for his eff orts on this day.

Haguenau, Germany

The Fortified Sector of Haguenau was the French military organization that in 1940 controlled the most easterly section of the Maginot Line, to the north of Strasbourg. The left (western) wing of the Haguenau sector adjoined the Fortified Sector of the Vosges, includes two of the largest Maginot fortifications, Ouvrage Hochwald and Ouvrage Schoenenbourg. The right wing, started after 1931, was progressively scaled back in order to save money during the Great Depression, abandoning plans for four petit ouvrages and substituting casemates. The sector's northern and eastern sides bordered on Germany. To the south the sector borders the Fortified Sector of the Lower Rhine, from which it received several casemates in a boundary shift in 1940.

Wikipedia: Fortified Sector of Haguenau

German

American