Operation Panther-Stellung (ii)

panther position

The 'Panther-Stellung' (ii) was a German defence line in the Netherlands (October 1944/45).

During their occupation of the Netherlands, the Germans made use of the Dutch 'Grebbelinie' as the basis of their own 'Panther-Stellung' (ii). It was on 26 October 1944 that Generalfeldmarschall Walter Model, the commander of Heeresgruppe 'B', initiated the construction of the 'Panther-Stellung' (ii), though in a revised form as by this time it had become clear that the Allies would advance into the Netherlands not from the west but from the south. The Germans wanted to protect the area protected by the 'Grebbelinie' as it was from this that V-2 rocket attacks were being on London. The Germans were unwilling, of course, to lose their capacity to continue this missile bombardment and also wanted to prevent the Allies from reaching the IJsselmeer. The Germans therefore made some changes to the layout to cover against the perceived threat from the south, but from Veenendaal to Amersfoort the 'Panther-Stellung' (ii) had the same layout as the original 'Grebbelinie'.