BASTOGNE - THE SEVEN ROADS TO HELL

 

Bastogne was where some of the most vicious fighting took place during the Battle of the Bulge.

When Eisenhower and his staff realized the gravity of the German offensive in the Ardennes their attention was immediately focused on the small town of Bastogne as there were seven roads leading towards it and it was also a railhead for the area. An excellent account has been written by an ex member of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment called The Seven Roads to Hell.

General Troy Middleton commanded the troops in the area and he ordered his men to defend the roads into Bastogne. Teams were sent out to set up roadblocks and they took the full brunt of the German offensive. Heavily outnumbered and outgunned they fought tenaciously and took heavily losses. They conducted strategic retreats setting up new defensive points until they were completely overwhelmed and the survivors withdrew to Bastogne. Nevertheless enough time had been bought for reinforcements to come in. Middleton set up a perimeter defense around Bastogne as they were completely surrounded by Germans

Eisenhower sent 101st and 105th Airborne (Screaming Eagles) under General Tony McAuliffe to relieve the defenders. This unit had been very successful in Normandy and were highly trained and motivated but had just begun a period of R&R (rest and refitting) after Montgomery’s failed assault at Arnhem (A Bridge Too Far) – they had only gotten 3 days of relation and no refitting of equipment and uniforms

As Middleton’s units had borne the brunt of the surprise attack by the Germans those that survived were withdrawn as they were completely battle shocked and were unable to continue fighting.

McAuliffe assumed command of Bastogne and set up perimeter defences as far out as feasibly possible to try and hold the German assaults. These units came under continuous and vicious artillery, armoured and infantry attacks but they fought back tenaciously. Often they were forced into making strategic withdrawals from their forward positions and to reestablish new ones closer to Bastogne.

Eventually Bastogne was completely cut off and under siege. Fuel, ammunition, medical suppliers and other privations had to be rationed. The weather was atrocious and no supplies could be air dropped to them.

At this point the Germans believed that they had Bastogne in their hands. An emissary was sent by the German commander with a written note demanding that unless the Americans surrendered they would be annihilated. McAuliffe wrote a simple reply “NUTS”. It needed an American soldier to explain to the German officer that what McAuliffe meant was “GO TO HELL”.

 

The Germans promptly launched aerial and artillery assaults on the town and then resumed their armoured and infantry offensive. The Americans were cut off from the outside, had the inclement weather against them, were outnumbered by 3 to 1 and were heavily outgunned but they still managed to hold off all the attacks. They were also encouraged by the knowledge that General Patton was bringing up his 3rd Army to assist them.

Fortunately at the critical point the weather broke and clear skies prevailed. The US Airforce could drop supplies into the town and American fighters and bombers attacked the German ground forces.

Eventually the Germans called off their offensive and retreated to the east.

The “Battled Bloody Bastards of the Bastion of Bastogne” had won the day but at a terrible cost – 75% of the 506th PIR had either been killed, wounded or missing in action.

We visited the area north of Foy in which the famous Band of Brothers defended a position in the woods. We walked through the woods and saw that many of their fox holes still exist and can be easily identified.

 

 

 

 

 

These soldiers fought for over a week under equipped, in summer uniforms where the temperature was -10 degrees celcius, no hot meals, no showers and almost no sleep. They were frozen to the bone, suffered from frostbite, trenchfoot and trenchmouth. At times the fighting became so vicious that hand to hand combat took place where soldiers were stabbing and bayoneting each other, sometimes even using their helmets as battering instruments. It was literally hell on earth.

There is an extremely impressive memorial to the US forces at Bastogne. Across the top is displayed the names of all the American States. Next to it is an excellent museum.

 

 

We also visited the German Military Cemetery near Foy at Recogny where some 6,000 German soldiers are buried. From there we proceeded to Houffalize where heavy fighting took place.

 

To those of you who believe that the Americans only come in at the end of a war and steal the glory, forget it – the Battle of the Bulge was won by brave American troops fighting against a larger and far better equipped army. They were the heroes of this battle and all credit is due to them.