Here there are still some original old buildings dotted about, but, as with the rest of the area, it took its share of destruction. (John Jamele died May 25, 2011 with a memorial mass was held by Rev. Follow the road across the bridge of the Ihrenbach stream – it starts to climb again. The 106th’s 424th Infantry Regiment is sent to Winterspelt. American forces retook the town on 23 January 1945. Retrace your steps and come back up to ‘Skyline Drive’, turn left. This later went on to inspire him to write the classic novel, Drive south-west out of town for about one mile and you will see what used to be Bleialf railway station. The high wooded mass south and to the left of Brandscheid is the Schnee Eifel. He turns over defense of the area to Clarke. Roads in the area are marked L: (Landes) = Country, K (Kreis) = County and B (Bundes) = National. COL Charles Cavender of 423rd Regiment counterattacks, which retakes the village of Bleialf. In the centre is the Church, it was around this, that there was particularly vicious fighting those first few days. This main tarmac road was not there during the war, but the unimproved trail to the left was then the main access. It was here that we found 105mm ammunition in evidence and numerous hastily dug foxholes, ammunition boxes etc. This fact has caused many to lose sight of the importance of St. Vith and the gallant stand made for its defense by elements of corps troops, by remnants of 106th Division and by [Combat Command B (CCB)] of 7th Armored Division. At 9 a.m., 422nd and 423rd’s positions come under artillery bombardment. Quite a pleasing site after scrambling around the rugged terrain. The locals have a knack of blending the new with the old, so that it is difficult to distinguish between the two. In the centre is the Church, it was around this, that there was particularly vicious fighting those first few days. The Losheim Gap is a 5 miles (8.0 km) long, narrow valley at the western foot of the Schnee Eifel, on the border of Belgium and Germany.Most accounts of World War II describing the Battle of the Bulge focus on the attack by the Germans around the Siege of Bastogne and the Battle of St. Vith, while the Germans' primary ambitions were actually anchored in taking the Losheim Gap. Drive south-west out of town for about one mile and you will see what used to be Bleialf railway station. The Germans then advance to the critical bridge at Steinebruck and past it, but are thrown back by a CCB 9th Armored Division counterattack. Cross the stream and head off up the hill. WAHLERSCHEID – The terrible Wahlerscheid Crossroads Battle “Heartbreak Crossroads” (99th Infantry and U.S 2nd Division). This is bad enough, but then tanks appear behind them and it is the last straw – the Americans are under fire from all sides and running low on ammunition. The 106th Infantry Division took over position for position. The Siege of Bastogne was an engagement in December 1944 between American and German forces at the Belgian town of Bastogne, as part of the larger Battle of the Bulge.The goal of the German offensive was the harbor at Antwerp.In order to reach it before the Allies could regroup and bring their superior air power to bear, German mechanized forces had to seize the … Around 9:30 p.m., Clarke orders American forces to withdraw to the west. Approaching the centre of town from the north, a large crossroads will be found with a roundabout. At the bottom is the hamlet of Ihrenbruck. Later as a prisoner of war he witnessed the destruction of Dresden by Allied bombers. Unless you visit the area in the depth of winter when there is two or three foot of snow on the ground and the temperature is well below freezing you cannot start to imagine how much the men suffered. These units come mainly from 7th and 9th Armored Divisions but include troops from 424th Regiment of 106th Division, and various supporting artillery, tank and tank-destroyer battalions. The road that goes right leads to Brandscheid, a village held at that time by the Germans. The History Guy examines a tank duel during the Battle of the Bulge at St. Vith, Belgium. When the local priest emerged after the initial battle bodies were strewn everywhere, both American and German. Figure 2. The Germans overrun Bleialf and Andler. Above all try and cast your mind back to that terrible December in 1944 and give your respect to those brave soldiers of both sides. Hastily dug foxholes and the remains of a 50 calibre ammunition box near the Ihrenbach Stream. This marks the most extensive defeat suffered by American forces in the European Theater of Operations. You can get back on track by, Into Schonberg, this is another place that has been rebuilt, even the bridge across the Our River is in a slightly different location. At 4 p.m., this surrender is formalized, and the two regiments of 106th Division and all their supporting units, some 7,000 men, become prisoners of the German army. If you, The next hamlet along ‘Skyline Drive’ is Radscheid. The 106th Infantry Division (422nd and 423rd Regiments), a “green” unit, replaces the veteran 2nd Infantry Division Dec. 11 in the area of St. Vith and the Schnee Eifel (Snow Plateau). Now all is calm, the stately fir trees give welcome shade from the sun, but even now, standing alone next to a front line foxhole, starts the mind racing on how it must have been. The actual front-line foxholes of the infantrymen, are in the woods to the right of the road, about 300 to 400 yards on the forward slope. More than 8,000 Americans were captured as German formations rampaged west, All villages have at least one. Monument to the 106th Infantry Division in St Vith. About one hundred yards was where the 589th FAB had its outpost on 16 December. This was an average Belgian town, with a population of a little over 2,000 and sufficient billets to house a division headquarters. This was the sight of Divisional Headquarters. As you come out of the woods there is a, Here there are still some original old buildings dotted about, but, as with the rest of the area, it took its share of destruction. Just look for the ‘Bit Burger’ signs, an excellent local brew. Holding St. Vith has become more of a liability to the Americans than an asset. Although another battle in the overall Battle of the Bulge, the battle for Bastogne, is better known, Armor and Cavalry defensive actions at St. Vith helped break the back of Hitler’s Ardennes offensive. On reaching the end of the Schnee Eifel, turn left on the B265 and travel for a short distance, turn left again and head for the villages of Roth and Auw. Here the 590th Field Artillery Battalion were in position, with Its firing batteries in the woods on the left of the road. By Dec. 23, as the Germans shattered their flanks, the defenders’ position became untenable, and U.S. troops were ordered to retreat west of the Salm River. Attacks from 1st SS Panzer Division have cut the Rodt-St. Vith road. By nightfall both regiments had regrouped for a counterattack, covering three miles to the base of the ridge forming the east side of the Our River valley, and are prepared to attack and capture the bridge at Schoenberg at 10 a.m. the next day. The American attack on Schoenberg launches at 10 a.m. as scheduled, but comes under German assault-gun and anti-aircraft gunfire from armored fighting vehicles on the ridge to their front and from German troops firing small-arms fire. It is now being used by the school. From Andler proceed back down the N26 towards Schonberg. Parts of 106th are deployed east, with most of its force isolated on the Schnee Eifel. under way in the 7th Armored zone, Rodt was the junction point between CCA, still holding the division north flank, and CCB, raising a new line along the low hill chain that extended south of the village. This attack cuts up most of the telephone wires the U.S. Army uses for communications. You cannot go any further by car. From the ferry port of Ostende, take the main motorway number E40 and head for Brugge, Gent, Brussels, Liège. The defenders’ battleground is the Ardennes. Great care must be taken when parking, not to block the trails, these are not in constant use, but farmers or loggers have a nasty habit of creeping up on you and get fed up if they cannot get by. This order, and the slow German southern arm, gave more Americans a chance to escape, but since they had newly arrived in the area and had few compasses or maps, most were unable to take advantage of the opportunity. He did not capture it until the night of 21 December and did not control the St. Vith area until 23 December when CCB withdrew on order. To get to this part of Europe it is best to drive. It’s quite a walk! Devine is sent to a higher commander to make a “personal report.” With the appearance of German scouts on the hills east of town, Jones decides he has had enough. Come back into Bleialf and pass the Church on your left, follow the road out and round until you come to a cross roads at the foot of the Schnee Eifel. Also there, is a petrol station, where somebody will serve you, chat about the weather and give the kids a sweet whilst they fill you up. Jones had given the troops east of the Our River permission to withdraw at 9:45 a.m., but it was too late to organize an orderly withdrawal by that time. If in doubt about anything lying around, DO NOT TOUCH. Company B, 423rd Infantry Regiment positions were in the woods to the right. Msgr George J. Ryan at St Anastasia Roman Catholic Church in Douglaston, NY, with military and NYFD firefighters as pallbearers.) Battle of the Bulge; Part of the Western Front of World War II: American soldiers of the 117th Infantry Regiment, Tennessee National Guard, part of the 30th Infantry Division, move past a destroyed American M5A1 "Stuart" tank on their march to recapture the town of St. Vith during the Battle of the Bulge, January 1945. Editor’s note: The U.S. Army marks the 70th anniversary of the Battle of St. Vith in mid-December 2014. This goes for the entire battleground. Hence the bunker line alongside of it. In the centre of the ridge is the Schwarzer Mann, the highest spot around. St. Vith represented the right flank in the advance of the German offensive, which intended a pincer movement on U.S. forces through the Losheim Gap and toward the ultimate objective of Antwerp. Therefore St. Vith was a “must capture” by the German LXVI Corps and its 5th and 6th Panzer armies. Among the prisoners is PVT Kurt Vonnegut of 423rd Infantry Regiment, whose experiences as a prisoner of war form the basis of his novel Slaughterhouse-Five. Jones also controlled the 14th Cavalry Group, which occupied a line of strong points in the Losheim Gap, just 3 north of St. Vith, in th6 "gap" between V and VIII Corps. This road was called ‘Skyline Drive’ or ‘Skyline Boulevard’ by the Americans. Munitions are still lying about and are very dangerous, be careful what you pick-up. The Battle of the Bulge was the name given to a major German counter-attack launched against US forces in Belgium. The 1st and 2nd Battalions were here behind Hill 536 at daybreak on 19 December. Proceed straight across into Klosterstrasse and about a quarter of a mile on the right can be seen a monument dedicated to the 106th Infantry Division. Many German units came this way during the attack. This whole area was jammed with vehicles from the regiment, unable to cross the boggy ground. 'Bulge' refers to the German penetration of the US lines during the battle. This is the southern end of the Losheim Gap. Supporting 14th are 820th Tank Destroyer Battalion, with 12 three-inch towed anti-tank guns, and 275th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, with 18 M7 Priest self-propelled howitzers. Be prepared to do a lot of walking over rough terrain, so dress accordingly. The Germans also use radio-jamming stations that made wireless communications difficult. It was down this stretch of road that the right-hand pincer arm of the 18th Volksgrenadier Regiment advanced on the 17th December. Both St Vith and Prum have railway stations, the line to Bleialf is now closed. There is a memorial on the left at the top of the heights to the men of the Engineers. This later went on to inspire him to write the classic novel Slaughterhouse Five. Opposite, there used to be a dance hall, owned by Herr Kessler, captured American Officers were brought for interrogation. At Spineux (Wanne), in the centre of the village there is a monument dedicated to the men of the 424th Infantry Regiment of the 106th Infantry Division and also to the men of the 112th Regiment of the 28th Infantry Division. This is because the area was fought over for quite a long time, and many units passed through during the conflict from September 1944 to the beginning of February 1945. Viewing south from this point, you will see where the main effort of the German attack came from, in their final onslaught to take Bleialf on 17 December. The majority of these bunkers, not destroyed during the conflict, were finally blown by the French in 1949. Just south-west of Laudesfeld a high hill will be observed, in this area on 19 December, approximately 500 men from all different units made a perimeter defence, and held on until finally surrendering on the morning of 21 December, 1944. The large hill on the left, covered in trees, is the famous Hill 504. This is the start of the famed Schnee Eifel. On leaving St Vith the road twists and starts to climb into the forest. It is a simple, inscribed cross, the monument was erected by the people of Meyerode in honour of Lieutenant Eric Fisher Wood of the 589th Field Artillery Battalion. It was one of several battles on December 16, 1944 constituting the opening of Germany's Ardennes counteroffensive (more commonly known as the Battle … The 423rd Infantry crossed here, on its way to Hill 504. In their push towards the ultimate objective of Antwerp, the German 5th Panzer Army had to cross the vital road junctions of St Vith. The Battle of St. Vith was part of the Battle of the Bulge, which began on December 16, 1944, and represented the r Arriving in Europe in late 1944, they were immediately, and with very little battle experience, thrust into battle at St Vith. The Battle of St. Vith was an engagement in Belgium fought during the Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine in World War II. You are now in the thick of it, as they say. Continue on the main road, follow it to the top of the hill where it comes out on a curve. Continuing through, you will come back out onto the main road between Bleialf and the Schnee Eifel. Figure 1. The Ardennes’ most populous cities are Verviers in Belgium and Charleville-Mézières in France, both exceeding 50,000 inhabitants. However, they are blocked by the enemy and lost to the division. On the same day, the Germans were able to take St. Vith and Bastogne. 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