Map of 117th Infantry Regiment....St. Vith Offensive...Jan. 13th to 24th, 1945 Left Click on Red Thunderbolts for pictures and descriptions. St Vith, Lion in the Way by Colonel R Ernest Dupuy, reprinted by The Battery Press, INC, The Official Divisional History Last Assault by Charles Whiting, Leo Cooper, 1994, Healing the Child Warrior by Richard W Peterson Ph.d (A member of the 106th Division) U.S. Army in World War II The Ardennes, Battle of the Bulge by Hugh M. Cole, Deputy, Theater Historian, European Theater of Operations, U.S. Army. Here there are still some original old buildings dotted about, but, as with the rest of the area, it took its share of destruction. There is still much to see on the top of the hill, numerous foxholes and shell craters. 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. Come back to the crossroads and turn right on to the N26. This track was used by the 423rd Regiment and 590th FAB on their way to attack Schonberg. At the bottom is the hamlet of Ihrenbruck. 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. After Liège the signs will start indicating Aachen and Germany. Both sides of the road were littered with German and American dead. TANKS OF THE 7TH ARMORED DIVISION in a temporary position near St. Vith. Map of St Vith drawn 15 November 1944. Turn right for Bleialf. Ernest Hemingway also was here. 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. Under orders from Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, 7th Armored gave up St. Vith Dec. 21, 1944, and U.S. troops fell back to positions supported by 82nd Airborne Division to the west, as noted. In mid 1995 a new memorial was erected in front of the old. It is now a private house. Hidden from Allied air surveillance, the Germans massed their forces to attack through the Ardennes hoping to reach open ground beyond the Meuse for a dash to the coast. Some further good reading on the subject: A Time for Trumpets by Charles B MacDonald. Attacking after dark at 5 p.m., the tanks fire star shells into American positions, blinding the defenders, and follow up with armor-piercing shells, destroying American defending vehicles. It was here that Cavender joined them and finally gave the order for the 423rd to surrender. A different group of scattered American soldiers numbering some 500 men surrender later, and by 8 a.m. Dec. 21, all organized resistance by U.S. forces in the Schnee Eifel pocket ends. Down that trail came men from Klinck’s 3rd Battalion, Company L and met the American Sherman tank manned by Germans. This transforms them into isolated strongpoints guarding road intersections. COL Charles Cavender of 423rd Regiment counterattacks, which retakes the village of Bleialf. 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 … Monument to the Combat Engineers on the Prumerberg Heights. 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. This whole area was jammed with vehicles from the regiment, unable to cross the boggy ground. Come back to the crossroads and turn right on to the N26. Enjoy your break or holiday in this part of the Ardennes, the scenery is breath-taking. Both St Vith and Prum have railway stations, the line to Bleialf is now closed. The town was virtually flattened in December 1944, little now exists of the original town buildings, although the road lay-out still remains the same. Msgr George J. Ryan at St Anastasia Roman Catholic Church in Douglaston, NY, with military and NYFD firefighters as pallbearers.) Monument to the 106th Infantry Division in St Vith. As the German plan called for the capture of St. Vith by 6 p.m. Dec. 17, the prolonged action in and around it presented a major blow to their timetable. Digging or metal detecting is not encouraged, in fact it is forbidden. It is possible to stop alongside any forest area in the region, and only after a short walk into the woods find evidence of fighting. Bunkers are abundant left and right of the road. On 22 December 1964, at a press conference in Watertown, New York, 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. 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 five 2-D maps are fine (strategic situation, German planned routes, initial attacks of 6th Panzer Army, destruction of the US 106th Division, and defense of St Vith) but the maps do not fully portray the US defense of the Elsenborn Ridge and even Peiper's route is difficult to follow with these maps. (John Jamele died May 25, 2011 with a memorial mass was held by Rev. The German plan - LXVI Corps, 5th Panzer-Armee was assigned the capture of St. Vith. Approaching the centre of town from the north, a large crossroads will be found with a roundabout. The building behind the flags was the original memorial which was built in the mid 50’s. One is at La Gleize, the furthest point Kampfgruppe Peiper reached in the attack. After a brief rest in January 1945, the Division returned to positions near St. Vith, attacked, and re-captured the town on 23 January 1945. In other villages, the cavalry troops are forced to withdraw earlier in the day to avoid being surrounded and cut off. Moving along the Schonberg road towards Heuern (81st Combat Engineers HQ) look out for a decorative wrought iron works on the right, immediately, If you stay on this small road and get to Meyerode, there in the village outside the school is a German 75mm anti-tank gun. Leaving the car here, by two solitary buildings one of which was the 590th headquarters, you can walk to the right, down a farm track, passing open fields, and into the woods. The defenders’ battleground is the Ardennes. It’s quite a walk! 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). Village strongpoints set up by the U.S. cavalry groups, plus sustained artillery fire from VIII Corps reserve units and 106th Division units, deny German units the roads. 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. From the ferry port of Ostende, take the main motorway number E40 and head for Brugge, Gent, Brussels, Liège. If you look up the open slope to the top of the hill, you will see where the 422nd Infantry came out of the woods and saw below them (where you are) vehicles ‘bumper to bumper’, the occupants of which then proceeded to open fire on them. Turning right immediately at the far end of the hamlet, will take you to the village of Laudesfeld where the 592nd FAB with its 155mm howitzers was emplaced. Opposite, there used to be a dance hall, owned by Herr Kessler, captured American Officers were brought for interrogation. 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. Or, carry straight on looking out for a sign for Bleialf. Moving on will eventually bring you to Hill 504. 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. St. Vith (German: Sankt Vith; French: Saint-Vith; Luxembourgish: Sankt Väit, pronounced [ˌzɑŋkt ˈvæːɪ̯t]) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège, and in the German speaking Community of Belgium.It was named after Saint Vitus.. On January 1, 2006, St. Vith had a total population of 9,169. This marks the most extensive defeat suffered by American forces in the European Theater of Operations. 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. Battery B and C were to the right and just inside the tree line, Battery A was to the left and on the edge of a patch of woods just under half a mile away. Many are still in evidence. December 21 st, 1944 – United States forces were able to re-take Stavelot, Belgium. The German Ardennes-Alsace Campaign attack is thrown in force at U.S. 106th Infantry Division. Quite a pleasing site after scrambling around the rugged terrain. The 106th Infantry Division took over position for position. Just look for the ‘Bit Burger’ signs, an excellent local brew. This spot was where the Germans started nosing up the hill towards the 589th FAB. 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. He is now buried in the American War Cemetery at Henri Chapelle. The people are very friendly on both sides of the border, each village no matter how small, seems to have a bar. This was the sight of Divisional Headquarters. Drive into the tiny hamlet of Herzfenn; the 589th FAB were based in and around here. St. Vith sector. This area was being held by Company A, 423rd Infantry, on the morning of 16 December. Proceed up this road, first left will take you to Schlausenbach; Descheneaux of the 422nd had his headquarters in the Inn here. This monument was erected by the 106th Infantry Division Association and is cared for by the people of St Vith. Continuing through, you will come back out onto the main road between Bleialf and the Schnee Eifel. Many of the characters in this article give their personal reflections of the battle there.) The offencive started on 16 December 1944 The Germans tried to repeat their 1940 performance and drive the Allies to a new Dunkirk Company L, 3rd Battalion, 423rd Infantry Regiment, came onto the Schonberg road at this point and met the captured Sherman tank, which opened fire on them (see page 108). Opposite the school is a bar, this was once Dietrich’s Headquarters for a time. In Auw turn left again by the Church. They were successful in holding up the 2nd SS Panzer Division and 560th Volksgrenadiers Division long enough to enable the 82nd Airborne to get into position. The southern part of the Ardennes is also the northern section of Luxembourg, and on the southeast, the Eifel region continues into Germany. Six of the titan Tiger tanks attack from the Schoenberg-St. Vith road against American positions on the Prumberg. WAHLERSCHEID – The terrible Wahlerscheid Crossroads Battle “Heartbreak Crossroads” (99th Infantry and U.S 2nd Division). LTG Courtney Hodges, commander of First Army, and Middleton commit combat commands of 7th and 9th Armored Divisions to support the 106th Division’s defense. This main tarmac road was not there during the war, but the unimproved trail to the left was then the main access. 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. St. Vith was largely destroyed during the ground battle and subsequent air attack. In this building was housed Company A, 331st Medical Battalion, serving the 422nd Infantry Regiment and the 14th Cavalry, it was used as their Aid Station. Read on! 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. Show Larger Map Battle of the Bulge summary. Over the course of almost a week, 7th Armored Division – plus those elements of the 106th Infantry, 28th Infantry and 9th Armored Divisions – absorbed much of the weight of the German drive, throwing the German timetable into disarray before being forced to withdraw west of the Salm River Dec. 23. 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