ARDENNES
At precisely 0530 on the Morning of 16th December 1944, the quiet "Ghost Front" of the Ardennes was savagely awakened by thousands of thunderous explosions. Artillery shells of every caliber from mortars, howitzers, rocket launchers, 88mm, and 14 inch railway guns screamed overhead and pounded upon the sleeping American troops. The greatest and largest land battle of the Second World War had commenced. The Battle of the Bulge, as it came to be known from the large protrusion of the offensive on the maps, was a battle of epic proportions. The Battle lasted from December 16, 1944 to January 28, 1945. More than one million men participated in this battle including some 600,000 Germans, 500,000 Americans, and 55,000 British. The German military force consisted of two Armies with ten Corps (equal to 29 divisions). While the American
military force consisted of a total of three armies with six Corps (equal to 31 divisions). At the conclusion of the battle the casualties were as follows: 81,000 U.S. with 19,000 killed, 1400 British with 200 killed, and 100,000 Germans killed, wounded or captured. On that fateful morning of December 16, 1944 eight German armored divisions and thirteen German infantry divisions launched an all out attack on five American divisions of Lt. General Courtney Hodges's 1st Army. Thick swirling fog had socked in the area and the weather was overcast. The Germans turned on their search lights and bounced them off the low overcast skies. Their light had a false moonlight effect and lightened the way for the advancing Germans. The 5th and 6th Panzer armies which equaled eleven divisions broke into the Ardennes through the Losheim Gap against the thinly dispersed American divisions protecting the region. The 6th Panzer Army under the command of SS General Josef "Sepp" Dietrich headed North while the Fifth Panzer Army under the command of Generalleutnant Hasso von Manteuffel went south. The Sixth Panzer army attacked the two southern divisions of U. S. V Corps under the Command of Major General Leonard Gerow at Elsborn Ridge,
but accomplished little. The inexperienced 99th and veteran 2nd Infantry Divisions managing to hold their ground. At the same time the 5th Panzer Army was attacking the U. S. VIII Corps under the command of Major General Troy S Middleton, some 100 miles to the south. This corps was one of the greenest in Europe at the time and their lack of experience was exploited by the Germans. The Golden Lions of the 106th Infantry division were holding an area in the Schnee Eifel (Snow
Mountains) their position was a precarious one. Protruding some six miles beyond the Siegfried line the men of the 106th
Infantry Division were badly exposed. During the 1st day of the offensive the 422nd and 423rd Infantry regiments were quickly surrounded by Manteuffel's troops and had to surrender or be slaughtered. On December 17 The U.S. 7th Armored division arrived from it's all day and night movement from the Aachen sector, fighting traffic jams the entire trip. The 7th formed a horseshoe perimeter defense around ST. Vith and waited for the Germans. They Didn/t have to wait long the next morning they engaged Dietrich's leading elements of the Sixth Panzer Army. At St. Vith
there was a major road that led to the Meuse River and on to Antwerp the intended goal of the offensive. After 5 days of fighting the 7th armored had to withdraw its forces or be destroyed. The Germans finally entered St Vith on December 23rd. The 7th division was successful in slowing the German advance and this caused the Germans to take a path that was out of the way. This slowed the Germans down considerably and altered the timing of the German attack plan. That same day some 149 Americans were taken prisoner at Baugnez and were
shot by SS Colonel Joachim "Jochen" Peiper's unit while on a road headed for Malmedy. Of the men taken prisoner 86 were shot and 43 managed to survive to tell the story of what had happened. Rumors of this event spread quickly through the American divisions causing the Americans to fight much harder and with more resolve. On December 16th The 83rd division was still fighting in the
Huertgen sector. The 331st regiment was fighting for possession of Lendersdorf. Resistance was heavy during the morning of the 17th but by 1730 hrs with tank support, enemy resistance was overcome and the town was occupied. On the 18th of December the regiment continued to maintain and improve defensive positions. Artillery fire decreased and was intermittent, enemy air activity increased. Activity consisted of patrols and limited skirmishes in this sector until 22 December when the division was ordered to be relieved by the 104th Infantry division and ordered to the vicinity of Aachen, Germany as part of the Ninth army reserve.
Meanwhile the German offensive continued. General Manteuffel's 47th corps under the command of GeneralMajor Heinrich von Luttwitz had surrounded the crossroads town of Bastogne and trapped the 101st Airborne Division and the CCB of the 10th Armored
Division. Luttwitz quickly bypassed the town when it seemed that the defenders wouldn't be removed so easily. The drive continued slowly for another week and The 2nd Panzer Division had gotten as far as Marche, Belgium, only 15 miles from the Meuse river before they were stopped in
their tracks by the tankers of the U.S. 2nd Armored Division. After an ensuing tank battle and aircraft bombardments, that lasted all day, the Germans exhausted and short on fuel were stopped cold in the snow. The offensive was finished. Even though the German offensive had stalled the Germans were in pushed deep into the Americans territory. Now came the decision by Eisenhower to push the Germans back. Starting from the north, General Collin's VII Corps, and General Matthew Ridgeway's XVIII Airborne Corps would push towards the south. General Patton's 3rd army after relieving the 101st Airborne and 10th Armored at Bastogne on December 26th pushed north.
After a Christmas dinner at Aachen the division received new orders to move, On the 26th of December they were transferred to General Collin's VII Corps and moved to Ossonge, Belgium. The 83rd was moved to reinforce the defensive positions along the northern flank of the German bulge penetration. The Division remained in this area until the 29th of December when they received additional orders to move to the vicinity of Ottre, Bihain, and Buissonville to support the 3rd armored "Spearhead" Division. Once again the division was ordered to fortify defensive positions. The next day the 329th started the attack. With the 2nd armored division on it's right flank, and the 331st on it's left, the 83rd launched it's assault to stop von Rundstedts winter offensive. The 329th's mission was to secure the ground south of the L'Homme River. The attack
which started late in the afternoon caught the Germans completely by surprise. The Germans not willing to give up Rochefort that easily counterattacked all night and throughout the next day. "B" company became isolated and cut off from the regiment. The Germans tried to dislodge the Americans with tanks and infantry, even so much as moving them to point blank range inside the first floor of the occupied houses. After a prolonged fight the Germans gave up and withdrew from the town. The 329th was then relieved by the 100th regiment of the British 53rd Division on 30th of December.
The Allies launched a counteroffensive two days before the New Year. This counteroffensive involved the U.S. Third Army striking to the North while the U.S. First Army pushed to the South. They were supposed to meet at the village of Houffalize to trap all German force. The Germans did not go easily however and the Americans had a rough time. Day after day, soldiers wallowed through the snow. Newspapers were put under clothes as added insulation.
On January first, Hitler launched a plan he called "The Great Blow." The goal of this plan was to eliminate the Allied air power. At 8:00 A.M. German fighter airplanes swarmed over Belgium, Holland, and northern France. For more than two hours Allied airfields were bombarded. By 10:00 A.M. 206 aircraft and many bases
laid in ruin. Hitler's plan had a great deal of damage to Allied aircraft. However, the price he paid for this was devastating. The German Luftwaffe lost 300 planes and 253 trained pilots, a loss he could not afford.
Meanwhile the 331st infantry Regiment was held in reserve behind the Buckshot regiment. After the move from the Roer River area to the Bulge, Uncle Rolland and the rest of B Company settled into their new surroundings in Scy, Belgium the men set up their defensive positions behind the 329th RCT while they took Rochefort. The 1st Battalion made a series of moves from Scy to Hogne, then finally to Fisenne. The 2nd and 3rd Battalions made similar moves before ending up at Lieurneux and Vesleumont. These series of moves were to move slowly up to the German lines. The 331st ‘s mission was to reinforce the defensive positions on the northern tip of the Bulge penetration, while preparing for an upcoming offensive. The 83rd division along with the 3rd Armored was to push the Germans back towards Houffalize and link up with the 3rd Army which was pushing north. While they waited for the orders to attack the men prepared their defenses by laying mines, digging foxholes and gun positions, building roadblocks, and stringing obstacle wire. The Americans weren’t taking any chances and wanted to ensure that the Germans were not going any further. The men worked on the defenses during the short daylight hours and then kept warm at night by staying in the hospitable Belgians houses and barns. The weather was still a serious problem, over a foot of snow had fallen since the 83rd ‘s arrival, and the
temperatures were well below zero. On January 2nd the 331st regiment moved up to the vicinity of Villiers St Gertrude and for the next few days they stayed in reserve. New replacements were received and assigned to the various units. Fresh from the states and very young, the Army was now nearing the bottom of its manpower pool. The new recruits were mostly 18 year olds fresh from basic training. Many of the veterans were shocked and fearful at how young the new men were since most of the veterans were in their early to mid twenties. Some officers thought that this was the absolute worst time for the division to be accepting and training new replacements. The losses inflicted on the division during the Huertgen Forest campaign was heavy and the division didn’t have any time to train the men prior to the new offensive. Many young men were killed in the days ahead and it was very difficult for the veterans to see this. The objective of this new assault was to advance to and cut the St Vith-Houffalize road. By cutting the road the Germans would be cut off from their supplies. The assault took place on the morning of January 9th the first day’s objective was to move towards the Langlir River and the villages of Langlir and Petite Langlir. Once there they were to seize the villages and establish a bridgehead over the river. At 0700 1st battalion jumped off the LD and closed in on Lieurneux the rest of the regiment pushed off with the 2nd battalion on the right and the 3rd on the left. After a slow start in the deep snow the regiment ran into
considerable resistance as the enemy fired upon the GI’s with tanks, artillery, and antiaircraft gunfire. Rolland and the rest of B Company moved towards the area around Bihain, and the men advanced into the forest of St Pierre-Hez. This planted forest was full of men from the 9th SS Panzer Division “HOHENSTAUFEN". As the men from B Company advanced into a clearing, the Germans opened fire on them. The GI’s quickly ran towards the far end of the clearing and laid down a suppressing fire of small arms and automatic weapons. As soon as the men from B Company reached the far side of the clearing the GI’s killed several of the Germans and while the rest of SS Troops broke and began to run. During their dash across the field the Americans over ran several of the Germans positions. It seems they had caught several of them by surprise. The Germans were dug in their foxholes, the holes were covered
with tree branches, and snow had covered them up. When they broke to the surface they soon realized that they were surrounded by the Americans and they gave up. After mopping up the rest of the area the B Company secured the woods. The next morning the 331st continued it’s major push towards the Langlir. The 1st battalion remained in reserve as 2nd and 3rd battalions advanced. 2nd battalion was counter attacked by the Germans and 3rd battalion ran into an enemy stronghold on the outskirts of Petite Langlir. 3rd battalion’s L Company in an enveloping movement circled around and attacked from the
flank but was stopped cold. Then the tankers from the 774th rolled in and fired point blank at the Germans countered with Panzerfausts and tank fire and drove the Shermans back after two were destroyed. 2nd and 3rd battalion‘s men held their positions for the night. Later that night the battalions shifted to better positions. The next morning at 0900 the Germans counterattacked with their armor. The attack didn’t amount to much and the
Germans retreated after losing three tanks and several men. 1st battalion was committed and attacked south and east towards
Langlir. 
155mm Artillery from the 908th joined in the battle and blasted the strongpoint that had stopped 3rd battalion and the 774th tankers still stuck at the German strongpoint from the previous day. After an intense artillery barrage the Germans retreated their strongpoint with artillery fire chasing them across the fields. The 3rd battalion then advanced into Petite Langlir and was mopping up the town well into the morning hours. 1st battalion advanced into Langlir while the 2nd battalion held a defensive position on the outskirts of the town. Then the 2nd battalion of the 329th relieved the 1st battalion at Langlir. Uncle Rolland’s B Company led the battalion and moved through the woods south of Langlir. They moved through the woods all night and dug in the next morning. They didn’t have to wait long as they were relieved by the 3rd armored division. Meanwhile the 329th left their line of departure at 1130 on an east west line running through the town of Ottre. 3rd battalion was on the left and 2nd on the right 1st battalion was in reserve. The days first objective was the town of Petite Langlir the terrain were all woods except for a few hundred yards of ground just before the town. The battalions advanced into the woods and resistance was moderate. Once the GI’s reached the open ground the came immediately under heavy tank and machine gun fire. The Germans repulsed the attack and the soldiers from the 329th spent the night in the freezing woods. During the night the battalions shifted positions to try a different approach. The next morning on the 10th of January 2nd battalion jumped off at 0800. The weather was having a profound effect on the advance. Subzero temperatures, deep snow, and thick low overhanging pines made progress extremely slow. F Company ran into an enemy strongpoint and the men assaulted it until it was finally taken at 1400. The GI’s captured 40 prisoners and killed approximately the same number of men. 3rd battalion was delayed in its advance by an artillery barrage that lasted a half an hour. After the barrage lifted the 3rd Battalion pressed on but were quickly stopped in their tanks by concentrated tank and machine gun
fire form Petite Langlir. The incessant tank, mortar, and machine gun fire was killing and seriously wounding many men. Not only were the casualties mounting from the shells and bullets, but also the weather was taking its toll on the men. Large numbers of trench foot and frostbite cases from the subzero weather were thinning the 83rd ‘s ranks of men. Finally on January 11th after a coordinated attack with the 331st infantry the 2nd battalion entered the western part of Petite Langlir, and soon afterwards Langlir fell to both regiments.
After securing the two Langlir towns the 83rd expanded its bridgehead over the Langlir-Rance River so the 3rd Armored division could pass through and drive south to cut the St Vith -Houffalize road. After shifting positions towards the woods and facing east the 83rd proceeded to attack towards the towns of Honyelez, Bouvigny, and Courtil. On the morning of the 14th the 329th regiment attacked through the woods. After attacking all day they reached a clearing just before the objectives. A decision was made to wait until dark. With tank support from the 629th TD battalion the men made a quick assault across open ground. The men rushed into the town of Honyelez. The GI’s were eager to get inside the town after a week of living and fighting in the field exposed to the cruel winter weather.
Quickly they overpowered the weaker enemy forces capturing many
prisoners. Meanwhile, the 331st regiment was advancing from Langlir towards Courtil and Bouviny. Uncle Rolland’s B Company led the way again as first battalion advanced into the woods. They fought up to and knocked out an enemy strongpoint at a crossroads east of Courtil taking 20 prisoners. Later that night L Company from 3rd battalion advanced into Courtil, but was stopped by enemy action. In what would result in an all day seesaw battle K and L companies fought for control of the entrances into Courtil but were repulsed. On January 16th the 2nd and 3rd battalions shifted positions and attacked in conjunction with the 329th towards Bouvigny. The battalion reached these new positions around midnight. The 3rd battalion continued to encounter stiff enemy resistance until artillery fire forced the Germans to retreat towards Bouvigny. The next day the 1st battalion cut the road into Courtil and 2nd battalion established a blocking action from the south to southwest. The Germans launched a counter attack on the 1st battalions left flank with ten Panzers and about a company of infantry. The attack was broken up by concentrated artillery fire on the Germans. Three tanks were destroyed and the infantry was decimated by shellfire. The Germans quickly retreated back towards Bouviny. The next few days the battalions continued their attacks to take Courtil and solidified their positions around the town. On January 19th the Americans captured Courtil and on the 21st captured Bouvigny. The 83rd’d mission was accomplished the 3rd armored cut the vital highway and the Germans were now on the retreat.
On January 20th the 331st’s regiment gave its positions up to the 84th Infantry division and moved to rear area positions in Aisne, La Becle, and Fay Belgium. While the 1st Battalion at Aisne, Uncle Rolland checked into an aid station for his frozen feet. During the push towards Courtil and Bouvigny Rolland was fighting for three straight days with no sleep. After the third day of the attack he fell asleep in a ditch full of water and during the night the temperatures dropped well below freezing and he was frozen from the waist down. He received severe frostbite to both of his feet. But true to his buddies he remained on the line until the end of the fighting. He was evacuated out of Belgium never to return to the 83rd Infantry division.
By mid January Adolf Hitler ordered his troops to withdraw from the tip of the Bulge. This indicated
that he had realized his offensive had failed, when the Third and First Army had joined at Houffalize. Before long the Allies controlled the original
front prior to December 16th. On January 23, St. Vith was retaken. Finally, by January 28 the Battle of the Bulge was officially over. The Battle of the Bulge was very costly in terms of both men and equipment.
Hitler's last ditch attempt to bring Germany back into winning the war had failed. During this battle the Germans had expended the majority of their Air power, men, and resources. The Allies however had plenty of men and equipment left. With few forces left to defend "The Reich" the Germans could not prolong the inevitable. Germany's final defeat was only months away.
