Article

2021-12-26 Europe

Battle of the Bulge: Struggle for St. Vith

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by badanov 2021-12-26 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11125 views ] Top

#1 Actually, though the defense of St Vith was important and the Fifth Panzer Army which attacked it was there to provide flanking cover to the Sixth Panzer Army, which was tasked with breaking through to the West of St. Vith and moving northwest to the plains of Belgium, destroying allied supplies to the Netherlands, and even capturing Antwerp and trapping our armies there.
Sixth Panzer army tasked three infantry divisions and a Panzer Deivision with the job of breaking through American lines facing them . These were held by the 99th Infantry which had arrived in Europe in November, and some unites of the Second Infantry.
Amazingly the Germans were never able to break through. Eventually the Sixth Panzer Army gave up and enwent through St Vith an effort to get around the seemingly unbeatable 99th Infantry.
The defense of Elsenborn Ridge put up by the 99th meant that the Fifth Panzer Army was trying to protect the flank of an attack that failed. Bastogne was in exactly the opposite direction from Hitler's goal, which was Antwerp. Our control of it denied use of roads running West from it that could lead toward Antwerp, Abandonment of St. Vith was not the smartest move, of the war.

The proximity fuse played an important role the success of the 99th, It was made available to our troops and first deployed on Dec 15. Unfortunately the Germans captured a supply dump containing that weapon which was used against our troops attacking down from the Eiffel.
The Germans rated the forces it faced, and considered the 99th Infantry to be the strongest dividion in the American Army.

Posted by Goober Choluque6459! 2021-12-26 01:17|| 2021-12-26 01:17|| Front Page Top

#2 Rantburg University for the win! :-)

The breadth and depth of knowledge here never fails to amaze me. Thank you, Goober Choluque6459!.

Posted by trailing wife 2021-12-26 01:21|| 2021-12-26 01:21|| Front Page Top

#3 ^Ditto that TW. I had the privilege to speak to those; a few, there at the time. The weather was extreme. Huge lighting storms, cold, snow a harrowing experience. Vivid memories lasting a lifetime. I couldn't tell in the video but I was told no rubber on caterpillar tracks. So a very great fear of being hit by lightning. An Officer afterward would always tremble when a lighting storm occurred for the rest of his life. Black Forest area as I recall.

Posted by Dale 2021-12-26 07:04|| 2021-12-26 07:04|| Front Page Top

#4 Thanks Badanov. An amazing piece of military history. Take Away.... US Troops under non-US commander.

Posted by Besoeker 2021-12-26 07:09|| 2021-12-26 07:09|| Front Page Top

#5 LIEGE by Christmas, Brussels by New Year's" was Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt's promise to his soldiers. But his operation backfired. Battle Babies—the men of the 99th Infantry Division—know why. For two days, Dec. 16 and 17, 1944, the 99th stood alone at a hot corner of the Battle of the Bulge—in front of Elsenborn, Krinkelt, Wirtzfeld, Bullingen—while the Wehrmacht's best troops lowered the boom against their thinly-held line.
Spread over a 20-mile front and without reserves, the green troops under Maj. Gen. Walter E. Lauer battled six divisions—the 12th, 246th, 277th and 326th Volksgrenadier, the 3rd Panzer and the 12th SS Panzer Divs., plus elements of paratroop outfits. This display of power called for a show of guts to face it, much less to beat it off.

Posted by Bertie Crains2651 2021-12-26 07:49|| 2021-12-26 07:49|| Front Page Top

#6 Lauer was promoted to Major General on January 15, 1944 and trained his division for deployment overseas. He led the 99th through major battles and campaigns in Belgium and Germany until VE Day.After the war he took command of the 66th Infantry Division from August to October 1945; the 80th Infantry Division from October to December, 1945; and the 66th Infantry Division. Lauer retired from military service on 31 March 1946, but remained in Europe to work for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration until early 1947.
Lauer returned to the United States and moved to Monterey, California near Fort Ord, the successor to Gigling Reservation, which he helped found and build in 1941 and 1942. Lauer died of cancer on 13 October 1966, at the Fort Ord Army Hospital. He was inurned at the Golden Gate National Cemetery near San Francisco on 15 October 1966.

Posted by Bertie Crains2651 2021-12-26 07:56|| 2021-12-26 07:56|| Front Page Top

#7 my father-in-law jumped into Normandy with the 82nd Airborne. He was there. Awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart. He never talked about it.

Posted by Deacon Blues 2021-12-26 10:50|| 2021-12-26 10:50|| Front Page Top

#8 The people who talk the best ballgame never pitched an inning. Keep your eye on the quiet guy.

Posted by M. Murcek 2021-12-26 10:53|| 2021-12-26 10:53|| Front Page Top

#9 My uncle Bob was in the 443 and was captured when the two regiments of the 106ID were surrendered. He spent the rest of the war in a German POW camp, and weighed less than 100 pounds when liberated. His pocket bible was filled with scribbled descriptions of food they talked about constantly. He never missed a meal for the rest of his life and hated all things German. They kept the galley on the troop ship coming home open 24/7 for the POWs but Mom said he was still a scarecrow whn she first saw him at Walter Reed.

Posted by NoMoreBS 2021-12-26 19:02|| 2021-12-26 19:02|| Front Page Top

23:57 Solomon Lumplump9917
23:57 Woodrow
23:55 Woodrow
23:19 Solomon Lumplump9917
22:51 Kofi Panda2845
22:20 Harcourt Whigum6336
22:09 Ebbomoger Speaking for Boskone4589
22:08 Skunky Gonque6856
22:01 USN, Ret.
21:59 Skunky Gonque6856
21:28 Helmuth, Speaking for Spuse6042
21:25 Helmuth, Speaking for Spuse6042
20:53 Chris
20:46 Chris
20:32 Solomon Lumplump9917
20:23 trailing wife
19:53 badanov
19:46 Frank G
19:42 Merrick Ferret
19:32 Merrick Ferret
19:26 Merrick Ferret
19:26 trailing wife
19:09 Merrick Ferret
19:07 Merrick Ferret