Lee John - Those who hold Bastogne: the true story of the soldiers and civilians who fought in the biggest Battle of the Bulge

Copyright 2014 Peter Schrijvers

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Schrijvers, Peter, 1963

Those who hold Bastogne: the true story of the Soldiers and Civilians who fought in the biggest battle of the bulge / Peter Schrijvers.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-300-17902-6 (alk. paper)

1. Ardennes, Battle of the, 19441945. I. Title.

D756.5.A7S34 2014

940.54519348dc23

2014006368

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

For Tom

That on occasion he may travel to Bastogne and remember his uncle

Thus, in the days of fables, after the floods and deluges, there came forth from the soil armed men who exterminated each other.

M ONTESQUIEU

De lesprit des lois

CONTENTS

A rare photo of African-American gunners of the 969th Field Artillery Battalion readying their heavy 155mm pieces just west of Bastogne as the Germans approach from the east.

A drawing by Horst Helmus, a soldier from Kokotts 26th Volksgrenadier Division, depicts a German anti-tank team in action at Assenois, just south of Bastogne, during the siege on December 21.

A blurred image of medics of the 101st Airborne at work inside Bastogne as winter tightens its grip.

The wreckage of an L-4 Grasshopper near Sibret. The light and agile spotter aircraft played a crucial role in bringing down American artillery barrages on enemy targets all around Bastogne.

Pathfinders of the 101st Airborne set up their equipment on a pile of bricks on December 23. They have just been parachuted into town and will guide C-47s loaded with urgently needed medical supplies and ammunition to the drop zones inside the besieged towns perimeter.

A crashed P-47 Thunderbolt near Marvie. German troops feared the powerful fighter-bomber, which they called the Jabo, more than anything else.

Another drawing from the hand of Volksgrenadier Horst Helmus shows Germans scanning the horizon at Assenois, the village through which Pattons 4th Armored Division would force its way into Bastogne from the south on December 26.

A 4th Armored Division half-track passes German POWs on a road south of Bastogne.

Belgian civilians stream out of Bastogne with few belongings. The photo appears to have been taken at the end of December, not long after the arrival of Pattons spearheads.

In Bastogne at the end of December, General Maxwell Taylor, commander of the 101st Airborne, congratulates Colonel William Roberts on receiving the Silver Star. The commander of the 10th Armored Divisions Combat Command B played a vital role in helping the paratroopers withstand the German siege.

Another Silver Star from the hands of General Taylor in the same ceremony. Here the recipient is Colonel Clifford Templeton, commander of the 705th Tank Destroyer Battalion, an outfit that proved equally crucial in the Belgian towns defense.

American anti-aircraft artillery in position on Bastognes perimeter. Although the Luftwaffe proved very weak in the Ardennes, several bombing raids caused massive destruction and much mayhem in and around the town.

American radar equipment joins anti-aircraft artillery on Bastognes outskirts to help stave off more air attacks against the devastated town.

Troops and vehicles of Kilburns 11th Armored Division mass southwest of Bastogne. These soldiers belong to the 63rd Armored Infantry Battalion.