2. Panzer SS Das Reich Memorial (Panther) - Celles (Belgium)

German offensive extreme advance point during the "Battle of the Bulge" - Dinant (Belgium)

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Historical information

The Panther tank in Celles

On 24 December 1944 at the Celles crossroads, the lead tank of an armoured column of 2. Panzer blew-up on a mine and was immobilized. Believing that all roads towards Dinant were mined (thanks to a civilian who lied to Germans when being questionned), the commander of the column decided to move his tanks across country. However, the lack of fuel and ammunition prevented them from advancing and from taking effective action. In addition, the column was spotted and trapped in a pincer movement by tanks of the British 3rd Royal Tank Regiment and a unit of the US 2nd Armored Division as well as by Allied fighter-bombers.

The Commemorative stone in Dinant

During the evening of 23 December 1944, at the foot of the Bayard rock, a jeep-load of Germans wearing American uniforms forced through a check-point and detonated a daisy-chain of mines, laid by a section of British soldiers guarding access to the town and the bridge across the Meuse river. The stone marks the furthest advance of the German offensive and reminds us that the Germans NEVER crossed the Meuse river.

Location information

The Panther tank is located in Celles (Belgium) at 9 km from Dinant.

The small rock used as commemorative plate is located in Dinant just behind the "Bayard rock" (with a Belgian flag on top of it).

2. Panzer SS Das Reich (Panther) - Celles (Belgium)