Tiger 334 rests beside a destroyed Sherman from TF McGeorge on the road from La Gleize to Bourgomont.
In the midst of these hardships on 22 December the 3rd Armoured Division launched its most successful attacks against La Gleize. TF McGeorge initially tried to push down the road from Bourgomont, to be turned back by tank fire from the Hassoumont farm area. However, Tiger 334 was knocked out during this action, its hulk blocking the road from Bourgomont. Late in the day McGeorge tried an advance from a new direction, moving his tanks down the road from Francorchamps which TF Lovelady had used earlier and turning west to approach La Gleize over relatively open ground.
The open fields of fire gave the Tigers an opportunity to use their superior firepower to advantage. SS-Hauptsturmführer Möbius, firing his 204 from a commanding position at the eastern edge of the village, knocked out a Sherman at a range of 2,400 meters with two shots. Tigers 213 and 211 along with the Panthers at the Werimont farm engaged the TF McGeorge tanks at ranges up to 1,500 meters. They kept up a hot fire, but the numerical superiority of the American tanks soon told. The crew of Tiger 211 abandoned their tank after several hits to the turret knocked out the sensitive electrical firing system and the tank commander, SS-Untersturmführer Hantusch, was wounded in the head. Shortly afterwards the crew of Tiger 213 followed suit after accurate American fire blew off the front third of the tank’s gun. Darkness brought McGeorge’s advance to a halt, but despite a fierce defense the day’s actions had seen three of the Königstigers in La Gleize put out of action.
As Rolf Ehrhardt put it, “Our trump card had failed when we needed it most.”