Tank memorial, Tank memorial in Houffalize, Belgium.
The Tank memorial is a Panther tank displayed on a low concrete plinth at the corner of Rue de Bastogne (N30) and Rue Saint-Roch in the south of Houffalize. The vehicle is painted in tan and dark brown camouflage, with a long gun barrel extending from its rounded turret. White markings on the turret side read "401" beside a dark cross, and a single headlamp sits on the front slope.
On 19 December 1944 the 116th Panzer Division, part of LVIII Panzer Corps and the 5th Panzer Army, took Houffalize. After the American counterattack began on 3 January 1945, German troops withdrew east by 15 January, leaving this Panther overturned in the Ourthe west of town. On 20 September 1948 engineers from Namur pulled it from the river; in 2017 it was dismantled for a two-year restoration.
The white "401" and the dark cross painted on the turret are the markings visitors photograph most; the number identifies this Panther, one of three remaining in the Ardennes alongside those at Celles and Grandmenil. The tank stands at the corner of Rue de Bastogne (N30) and Rue Saint-Roch, in the south of town.
The tank stands on a low concrete plinth at the junction of Rue de Bastogne (N30) and Rue Saint-Roch, in the south of Houffalize. It is outdoors and reachable at any hour; the sloping hull, side armour and running gear are best examined up close on foot.
The white "401" and dark cross on the turret side are the markings a visitor can pick out from the pavement. The vehicle is a Panzerkampfwagen V Panther, and it is one of only three Panthers left in the Ardennes, alongside those at Celles and Grandmenil.
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