to the Lorraine under Gen. Johannes
Blaskowitzand waged a stubborn but unsuc-
cessful attempt to stem the advance of Gen.
George S. Patton’s Third Army. In early De-
cember 1944, Manteuffel was ordered back to
confer with Hitler for a final time. The Führer
had been planning a grandiose offensive
against Allied forces in the Ardennes region
that was intended to capture Antwerp and cut
off their supplies. Manteuffel was directed to
lead the assault in concert with the Sixth SS
Panzer Army under Dietrich. However, Man-
teuffel and Gen. Walter Modelstrongly ob-
jected to the attack, citing Allied superiority
in numbers and complete control of the air. “It
was incomprehensible to me,” he emoted,
“that not one of the 80 senior officers present
dared speak out in order to clarify obvious
discrepancies or ask questions, not to men-
tion supporting us in this matter of life and
death.” Hitler nonetheless insisted, and the at-
tack proceeded as scheduled on December
16, 1944.
Manteuffel proceeded with his usual care-
ful planning and staff work. He was aided by
thick fog, which neutralized Allied airpower,
and declined to employ an artillery bombard-
ment. Attacking across a wide front with
three panzer and four infantry divisions, his
troops advance steadily, covering far more
ground than Dietrich’s Sixth SS Panzer Army.
He captured most of the 106th U.S. Infantry
Division and, after a stout fight, the important
crossroads at St. Vith. American resistance
stiffened in the vicinity of Bastogne, another
vital junction, which was held by Gen. An-
thony C. McAuliffe and the 101st Airborne Di-
vision. When Manteuffel failed to take Bas-
togne after several attempts, he surrounded
and bypassed the defenders. His leading
panzer elements under Gen. Fritz Bayerlein
came within 10 miles of the Meuse River be-
fore the offensive was finally called off in the
face of Patton’s counterattack. Manteuffel
pleaded with Berlin for reinforcements, no-
tably the five panzer divisions sitting idly in
the rear of Dietrich’s command, but by the
time Hitler ordered a transfer it was too late.
The siege of Bastogne ended when an ar-
mored column under Col. Creighton Abrams
rolled through enemy positions and into
town. By January 1945, the Germans had been
forced back to their original starting posi-
tions, minus 100,000 casualties. Hitler had
squandered his last strategic reserves.
Defeat in the Ardennes did not detract
from Manteuffel’s reputation, and in February
1945 Hitler awarded him with the prestigious
Ritterkreuz(Knight’s Cross) and command of
the Third Panzer Army. This was a force in
name only, but Manteuffel fought several
tenacious rear-guard actions against Soviet
forces until finally driven back. In April 1945,
he led his forces westward one last time and
surrendered to the Americans. Manteuffel
was detained in captivity until 1947; following
his release, he worked in industry and also
served as a municipal councilor at Neuse on
the Rhine. In 1953, he parleyed his popularity
into politics and won election to the Bun-
destag (national legislature), where he served
until 1957. Manteuffel was also a popular
speaker, and he frequently visited the United
States to lecture at the U.S. Army War Col-
lege. Not surprisingly, he won over many for-
mer enemies through the same cheerful,
friendly demeanor that made him so well
liked in Germany. Manteuffel died at Diessen
in the Austrian Tyrol on September 28, 1978,
one of the most accomplished tank leaders of
World War II. In a age of total war, he proved
himself a gallant and chivalrous foe.See also
Arnim, Hans-Jurgen; Bayerlein, Fritz; Blaskowitz, Jo-
hannes; Dietrich, Josef; Hitler, Adolf; Model, WalterBibliography
Barnett, Correlli, ed. Hitler’s Generals. New York:
Grove Weidenfield, 1989; Brownlow, Donald G.
Panzer Baron: The Military Exploits of General
Hasso von Manteuffel.North Quincy, MA: Christo-
pher, 1975; Fraschka, Gunter. Knights of the Reich.
Atglen, PA: Schiffer, 1994; Humble, Richard. Hitler’s
Generals.Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1974; Koski-MANTEUFFEL, HASSOVON