Ersatz Panther

In preparation for the Ardennes offensive, Hitler had given Otto Skorzeny and his commandos the task of infiltrating American positions to create as much general havoc behind enemy lines as possible and capture key bridges. Skorzeny, who had shot to fame due the successful rescue of Benito Mussolini in September 1943, conceived a daring two-part plan.

The first part required special English-speaking troops to infiltrate enemy lines and create chaos while the second required Panzer Brigade 150 to capture and hold the critical bridges that were so vital to the success of the offensive.

A vital part of any success Panzer Brigade 150 would enjoy would be its equipment, all American in origin. However, upon inspection, Skorzeny was less than impressed. In the collection sent to him, there were no operational armored vehicles other than a few armored cars and no tanks whatsoever. To beef up the numbers, Skorzeny was able to acquire five Panthers tanks and StuG III G assault guns.

Orders were given to disguise the Panthers to resemble the American M10 tank destroyer while the StuG III Gs were intended to look like the M7 Priest. All of the vehicles were painted green and given large white stars to complete the illusion. While the vehicles were far from convincing, at least Skorzeny now had the numbers he required to secure a route to the Meuse.