WALLONIABELGIUM the Battle of the ARDENNES Down Memory Lane
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WALLONIABELGIUM The Battle of the ARDENNES Down Memory Lane WALLONIA. ENJOY A WARM-HEARTED WELCOME. www.wallonia-tourism.be E 17 AALST ROESELARE 6 21 6 18 19 12 20 7 2 5 19a 18 8 3 5 E 40 9 17 20 10 LEUVENE A 17 21 KORTRIJK 11 E 40 15 6 4 3 9 21 22 5 1 10 13 2 23 2 11 3 14 BRUXELLES 5 12 1 2 15a 16 BRUSSEL 5 17 1 2 13 HAMME 14 MILLE 17 3 MOUSCRON4 15 OING 4 3 FLOBECQ GREZ-DOICEAU 16 WAVRE ELLEZELLES 5 23 GENVAL 23 WATERLOO 6 LESSINES ENGHIEN R 0 BRABA 7 27 RIXENSART 8 26 25 24 17 ROUBAIX 28 A 8 WALLO 32 LOUVAIN-LA-NEUVE E 17 CORROY- 2 ITTRE 20 A 8 REBECQ 19 OTTIGNIES 9 LE GRAND 34 33 ATH 18 TOURNAI E 19 P BRAINE- 11 35 BLICQUY- BRUGELETTE LE COMTE RONQUIÈRES 32 AUBECHIES LEUZE-EN- CAMBRON- SOIGNIES 19 LILLEE 31 HAINAUT CASTEAU NIVELLES VILLERS- LA-VILLE ANTOING ECAUSSINES 20 GEMBLOUX 30 HAINAUT A 54 E 42 20 LENS FELUY SENEFFE 29 BELŒIL 3 PÉRUWELZ 28 21 20 2 21 19 13 12 27 BAUDOUR 23 22 E 42 RRAS 18 GODARVILLE 14 E 42 STRÉPY-THIEU 17 16 26 24 LA LOUVIERE 15 NNAMUR 24a 1 25 26 BOIS MORLANWELZ 24 DU LUC 13 GRAND MONS 12 2 HORNU FONTAINE 26 11 W E 19 L’EVÊQUE 3 BINCHE 10 PROFO 9 4 FOSSES- 5 6 CHARLEROI LE-VILLE VALENCIENNES ANNEVOI ROISIN MARCINELLE THUIN METTET MAREDSOUS WALCOURT FALAËN MAUBEUGE FRANCE FLORENNES BEAUMONT SILENRIEUX AN BOUSSU PHILIPPEVILLE NAMUR LACS DE L'EAU D'HEURE F HASTIER FROIDCHAPELLE CERFONTAINE RANCE SAUTIN VIRELLES MARIEMBOURG NISMES CHIMAY PETIGNY MOMIGNIES COUVIN 1 BAILEUX OIGNIES EN GREAT BRITAIN THIERACHE ARNHEM LONDON NORTH SEA NIJMEGEN DOVER NEDERLAND CALAIS BRUXELLES ENGLISH AACHEN MONS CHANNEL REMAGEN FRANCE DEUTSCHLAND Ste Mère Eglise BASTOGNE CAEN REIMS LUXEMBOURG AVRANCHES PARIS VERDUN METZ N TO T PA ROUTE 27 HASSELT VLAAMS 28 29 BRABANT 30 LEUVENN A 79 31 E 13 MAASTRICHT 24 E 25 NEDERLAND 32 AACHEN 25 33 1 DEUTSCHLAND 26 E 40 2 JODOIGNE 27 28 3 39 ANT E 40 29 30 34 34 HENRI-CHAPELLE WAREMME 35 BLEGNY THIMISTER- ON HANNUT 33 3 5 WELKENRAEDT 31 E 40 35 36 CLERMONT 6 38 32 LIEGE 33 E 40 2 37 ERWEZ JUPILLE 2 35 EUPEN 4 3 38 VAL ST-LAMBERT4 3 5 4 39 LAC DE LA E 42 CHAUDFONTAINE 5 EGHEZÉE 40 GILEPPE LAVOIR 6 7 SERAING 6 41 VERVIERS E 411 42 43 7 12 AMAY 4 8 44 MONSCHAU HUY THEUX 8 10a 10 9 E 25 LIEGE 9 SPRIMONT45 E 42 HAUTES BOTRANGE FAGNES 13 46 SPA 10 14 ANDENNE REMOUCHAMPS NAMUR COMBLAIN-AU-PONT 15 AYWAILLE MALCHAMPS ROBERTVILLE FRANCORCHAMPS MALMEDY 16 HAMOIR 47 WÉPION MODAVE 11 BÜTGENBACH BÜLLINGEN ONDEVILLE GESVES STOUMONT WAIMES COO STAVELOT SART-BERNARD 18 HAMOIS AMEL CRUPET 18b BARVAUX- 48 TROIS-PONTS S-OURTHE E DURBUY SOMME-LEUZE 13 SPONTIN 19 YVOIR HARRE E 25 WERIS E 411 49 ANHEE EREZÉE PURNODE HEURE 14 CINEY VIELSALM SANKT-VITH VALLÉE HOTTON MANHAY 15 DE L'OUR N 20 DINANT 16 50 BARAQUE de CELLES NSEREMME MARCOURT FRAITURE WALZIN 21 MARCHE-EN-FAMENNE CHEVETOGNE FALMIGNOUL LA ROCHE-EN-ARDENNE REULAND HOUYET GOUVY E ROCHEFORT 22 NADRIN HAN-S-LESSE 51 LAVAUX-STE-ANNE NASSOGNE BARRAGE DE NISRAMONT 22a OLLOMONT HOUFFALIZE CHAMPLON BEAURAING 52 23 FOURNEAU ST.MICHEL E 25 DOMAINE 23a DU BEAU VENCIMONT LUXEMBOURG DAVERDISSE PLATEAU TRANSINNE 53 24 SAINT-HUBERT REDU 54 BASTOGNE STE-ODE E 411 55 RECOGNE (BASTOGNE) 5 MAISSIN POIX ST.-HUBERT LIBRAMONT VAUX-S-SÛRE 56 2 WILTZ GRAND DUCHÉ PALISEUL 25 VRESSE 26 de DIEKIRCH 27 ROCHEHAUT BERTRIX NEUFCHATEAU FAUVILLERS ETTELBRÜCK ALLE FRAHAN MARTELANGE ECHTERNACH NOIREFONTAINE 28 LÉGLISE BOUILLON HERBEUMONT CORBION E 25 LUXEMBOURG 28a HABAY-LA-NEUVE CHINY 29 ARLON 30 FLORENVILLE 31 32 ORVAL 33 ST-LÉGER LUXEMBOURG AUBANGE VIRTON TORGNY “Without the willpower and determination of these men to stop a numerically superior invader, a different chapter would have been written in history.” Major-General Troy H. MIDDELTON Commander, US VIII Corps “The ‘Battle of the Ardennes’ was certainly one of the most difficult in which I was ordered to participate and where the stakes were significant.” Field-Marshal Bernard MONTGOMERY Commander 21st Army Group EDITORIAL The ‘Battle of the Ardennes was the final confrontation of the Second World War that took place on Belgian soil between 16 December ’44 and 28 January ’45. Many lived through it, others have heard about it, but nobody today can remain indifferent about this decisive episode. Every year, not only in Bastogne but also in La Roche-en-Ardenne, Hotton, Houffalize, Malmedy, Sankt Vith, Marche-en-Famenne, Vielsalm, or in Neuville-en-Condroz or Henri- Chapelle as well as in other places, villages and towns in Wallonia, we remember ! We remember with emotion, reverence and respect these soldiers who came from overseas to bring peace into our towns, villages and homes, and paid a very heavy price. It is our wish to express our “duty of remembrance” through this brochure that will guide you from towns to villages, from memorial stones to monuments, from museums to sites or military cemeteries. Also, it’s an opportunity to discover “down memory lane” the “present day” aspects of these regions of Wallonia, which, while not forgetting the “historical past”, offer you the most beauti- ful aspects of convivial tourism, in which the proximity and “the glow of living” punctuate our suggestions for relaxing or unusual discoveries. Enjoy your visit ! CONTENTS Introduction . .p. 5 The British in the battle . .p. 8 Bastogne . .p. 16 The breakthrough of the german 6TH panzer Army . .p. 22 The stopping of the 6TH and 5TH german panzer Armies . .p. 30 From Bastogne to Houffalize . .p. 36 The final days of the “Battle of the Ardennes” . .p. 40 Reflections . .p. 41 4 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION The Allied landing in Normandy on 06 June 1944 was a psychological defeat for the German Army. With a minimum loss of human life, within a few days the Allies had successfully achieved a massive landing of about 150,000 men. Within a month after the landing almost a million Allied soldiers were fighting in Normandy. Then began the lightning breakthrough, first across France and then across Belgium. Marche – British In the centre was the combat zone ‘Univer . (US Army photo)sal Carrier 1st US Army of General s’ rush to the HODGES, on his right the 3rd US Army commanded by General PATTON, and on his left the 2nd British Army headed by General DEMPSEY. Paris was liberated at the end of August; Tournai, Brussels and Antwerp were liberated by British troops in early September; Mons, Namur, Liège and the Ardennes by American divisions during the month st Canadian Battalion of September. Marche – Paras of the 1 crossing the town. (US Army photo) After a hasty retreat, the German units established their defences behind the Siegfried Line. The 1st Army of HODGES succeeded in capturing Aachen, while the 3rd Army of PATTON prepared to invade the Saarland. Between the two fronts, considering that the difficult terrain and the wintry conditions would dissuade the German Army from launching an attack in the Ardennes, General EISENHOWER, Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF), decided to “play for time” and to take the calculated risk of weakening the sector. Consequently, the Ardennes was considered as a sector to which the American divisions would go to re-form. Meanwhile, the American Hampteau – ‘Tommies’ of the 1st Manchester President ROOSEVELT Regiment. (Imperial War Museum photo) was thinking about the Yalta Conference with Stalin that, in February ’45, would split Europe into two zones of influence. Moreover, differences of strategy existed between the American and British High Commands, EISENHOWER wishing to invade Germany from the whole length of the front line, and MONTGOMERY demanding a lightning breakthrough to Berlin from nd Samrée – Sherman tank of the 2 US Armored the Netherlands. Division. (CEGES photo) 5 The German High Command took advantage of this respite to draw up plans for a large-scale offensive. These were to strike through the Ardennes, cross the River Meuse, re-take the city of Antwerp and its port infrastructure in order to prevent the transport of troop reinforcements and fresh supplies of fuel, munitions and food for the Allied armies, to isolate the British Army from the American Army, to force one or both to capitulate and thus obtain the signature of a separate peace on the western front. The German Army could then be transferred to the eastern front to halt the progression of the Russian Army. However, the success of the offensive would depend on Dochamps – Slippery ground for the Sherman tanks several factors : low and long-lasting cloud cover to pre- of the 2nd US Armored Division. (US Army photo) vent the intervention of Allied aircraft, a rapid initial breakthrough with the capture of Allied fuel dumps, the control of important crossroads, and subsequently the widening of the breach. According to the plans determined by the German High Command, the “main effort” of the offensive was to be ensured by the 6th Panzer Army of Sepp DIETRICH that would have to cross the Elsenborn ridges and cross the River Meuse between Huy and Liège. The 5th Panzer Army commanded by General Baron Hasso VON MANTEUFFEL was given the tasks of capturing important crossroads at Sankt Baronville – Sherman ‘Firefly’ tank of the British 29 Vith and Bastogne, crossing the River Meuse Armoured Brigade.