Battle of the Bulge
| 40 Bridge Street Row | Battle of the Bulge |
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| Chester CH1 1NN | ||
| Tel:01244 340777 | ||
| Fax:01244 319555 | ||
| Email: | Official Tour Operators to the Normandy Veterans' Association |
| On 16th December, 1944, German tanks and infantry emerged out of
the early morning mist to strike a series of blows against the
weakly held American line in the Ardennes. The Battle of the Bulge had begun. The ultimate
objective was to capture capture the port of Antwerp and, in so
doing, not only drive a wedge between the British and the Americans
but also cut the former off from their supply lines. Sepp Dietrich's 6th SS Panzer Army and Hasso von Manteuffel's 5th Panzer Army were assigned to the task of achieving the breakthrough. Their southern flank was to be protected by Erich Brandenburger's 7th Panzer Army. Whilst the initial onslaught had taken the Allied commanders by surprise and a massive bulge had been formed along the front, staunch defence at the key road junctions of St Vith and Bastogne prevented the Germans from achieving a complete breakthrough. Gradually, the tide of battle turned in the Americans' favour and the ensuing counter-offensive confirmed the failure of Hitler's over-ambitious gamble. |
Battle of the Bulge Battlefield Tour |
Losheim Gap & The Schnee Eifel |
| The Losheim Gap was one of the main routes for the German thrust
into Belgium cutting through the heavily-forested ridge of high
ground known as the Schnee Eifel. To the south of the Gap, the
ridge was held by two regiments of 106th US Infantry
Division. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division of Manteuffel's 5th Panzer Army broke through on both and the surrounded regiments were eventually forced to surrender as pressure on St Vith prevented any reinforcements from arriving. From the junction known as "88 Corner", the importance of capturing the road behind the Schnee Eifel becomes apparent. |
The Prummerberg |
| The important road junction of St Vith was a key target of von
Manteuffel's advance. Dominating the roads leading to St Vith
was the Prummerberg Hill where US 168th and 81st Engineer Combat
Battalions dug in and prepared to fight a delaying action in
which they were to repel four German assaults before being
forced to withdraw in small groups on the 21st
December. The Memorial to the 168th Engineer Combat Battalion now stands on the crest of the Prummerberg. |
St Vith |
| Combat Command Teams of the US 7th and 9th Armored Divisions
prevented a rapid breakthrough by resisting attempts by the
German 18th and 62nd Volksgrenadier Divisions to capture the
town. In four days of fighting, the Germans gradually captured the outlying villages and forced Combat Command B to fall back to the south-east of St Vith along the Winterspelt-St Vith Road. On 22nd December, Montgomery now in command of the northern shoulder of the "Bulge", ordered a withdrawal from St Vith towards Vielsalm. The defence of St Vith is commemorated at Vielsalm by the 7th Armored Division Memorial. Although eventually forced back, the US 7th and 9th Armored Divisions had successfully delayed 5th Panzer Army's advance beyond the point where a rapid thrust was possible. |
The Malmedy Massacre |
| The massacre of American troops in fact took place at Baugnez. Kampfgruppe Peiper intercepted a supply column forcing it to surrender. As the main body of Peiper's force continued its advance, SS troops still in the village opened fire on the captured Americans in a field by the side of the main road. A Memorial to the victims of the massacre now stands near the spot. |
Kampfgruppe Peiper |
| Peiper's battle group was the spearhead of 6th SS Panzer Army's
thrust to the Meuse. As they made their way from the Losheim Gap
in pursuit of their objective, the Malmedy Massacre was one of a
number of instances in which American prisoners and Belgian
civilians were shot. Intending to cross the Meuse first at Stavelot and then Trois Ponts, Peiper was checked by determined American resistance before being cut off at La Gleize. It was 6th SS Panzer Army's furthest penetration. Outside the museum at La Gleize stands a Royal Tiger abandoned by Peiper. The museum contains a number of other artefacts from the battle. |
Bastogne |
| The Skyline Drive was the name given to the main access route
for the German thrust into Belgium from the Dasburg crossing via
Clervaux towards Bastogne. The Americans attempted to hold up
the advance of 2nd Panzer Division and Panzer Lehr by blocking
the road with infantry and tanks at a number of villages and
road junctions along the route. Around Bastogne, three combat teams from Combat Command B, 10th Armored Division formed road blocks at Noville, Neffe and Marvie which were subsequently reinforced by units of 101st US Airborne Division. Bastogne was completely encircled but the defenders held out until the US 4th Armored Division of Patton's Third Army broke through at Assenois on 26th December. Much remains today which bears witness to the momentous events of December, 1944. Buildings used as command posts, and here and there foxholes dug by American infantry, most notably those of Company E, "Easy Company", 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment near Foy can still be discerned. Outside Assenois, the pillbox silenced by Lt Charles Boggess' Sherman tank now stands as a Memorial to the breakthrough. In Bastogne itself, the visitor can see the Hotel Lebrun and the Heintz Barracks, respectively the command posts of CCB, 10th Armored and 101st Airborne Divisions. A marker stone signifies the end of Liberty Highway in Place McAuliffe and near the Mardasson Memorial is the Bastogne Historical Centre Museum. The town is also ringed by a series of marker stones topped with the turrets of Sherman tanks. |
The Celles Pocket |
| "Lightning Joe" Collins' VIIth Corps stopped Panzers at Marche
before trapping von Manteuffel's leading units in the "Celles Pocket" with support from the British 29th Armoured
Brigade. At Foy Notre Dame, von Manteuffel's spearhead unit, the 2nd Panzer Division, was destroyed by American and British forces by 26th December just a few miles short of the Meuse. It was the deepest penetration made by German forces in their bid to gain a victory which their ultimately limited resources could not achieve. Reflecting on what Winston Churchill called "the greatest American Battle of the Second World War", visits can also be made to one or more of the US cemeteries at Henri-Chapelle, Neuville-en-Condroz and Hamm in Luxembourg where Patton lies and the British cemetery at Hotton should your group wish to include these locations in the itinerary. |
Four or Five Day Tours |
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| Tours include local pick-up, coaching throughout, return ferry crossings via Dover, B&B hotel accommodation, tour notes. Guide optional. | |
Suggested Itinerary | |
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| Further visits may be possible including the US Cemeteries at Hamm in Luxembourg, Henri-Chapelle and Neuville-en-Condroz as well as Hotton British Cemetery depending on the duration of your tour & proximity to Dover. Please telephone, email or use our contact page to outline your requirements. |
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