Alamo in the Ardennes

John C. Mcmanus

Description

At last, here is a book that tells the full story of the turning point in World War II’s Battle of the Bulge—the story of five crucial days in which small groups of American soldiers, some outnumbered ten to one, slowed the German advance and allowed the Belgian town of Bastogne to be reinforced. Alamo in the Ardennes provides a compelling, day-by-day account of this pivotal moment in America's greatest war.

Sujets

• Histoire
• Germán
• Military
• World War II
• German
• History

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 01 février 2007
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781620459645
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Additional Advance Praise for Alamo in the Ardennes
John McManus shines a light on the lesser-known battles that made the historic defense of Bastogne possible. His excellent research puts the reader on the icy battlefields of Belgium, where threadbare American retrograde fighting frustrated Hitler s last offensive in the west.
-Kevin M. Hymel, author of Patton s Photographs
John McManus has deftly woven a wide range of previously untapped sources into a dramatic and finely detailed account of events that set the stage for the successful defense of Bastogne during the Ardennes counteroffensive. In doing so, McManus pays a long overdue and heartfelt tribute to the brave men of the 110th Infantry Regiment, Combat Command R, 9th Armored Division, and CCD, 10th Armored Division, without detracting from the epic stand of the Screaming Eagles of the 101st Airborne Division.
-Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Mark J. Reardon, U.S. army historian and author of Victory at Mortain
ALAMO IN THE ARDENNES
Also by John C. McManus

The Americans at Normandy: The Summer of 1944 - the American War from the Normandy Beaches to Falaise

The Americans at D-Day: The American Experience at the Normandy Invasion

Deadly Sky: The American Combat Airman in World War II

The Deadly Brotherhood: The American Combat Soldier in World War II
ALAMO IN THE ARDENNES
THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE AMERICAN SOLDIERS WHO MADE THE DEFENSE OF BASTOGNE POSSIBLE
JOHN C. McMANUS

John Wiley Sons, Inc.
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Copyright 2007 by John C. McManus. All rights reserved
Maps on pages xxx-xxxv 2007 by Rick Britton
Wiley Bicentennial Logo: Richard J. Pacifico
Published by John Wiley Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
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Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and the author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
McManus, John C., date.
Alamo in the Ardennes : the untold story of the American soldiers who made the defense of Bastogne possible / John C. McManus.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-0-471-73905-0 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Ardennes, Battle of the, 1944-1945. 2. Bastogne (Belgium)-History, Military-20th century. 3. United States. Army-History-World War, 1939-1945. I. Title.
D756.5.A7M35 2007
940.54 219348-dc22 2006019135
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To Nancy, with all my love
CONTENTS

Preface

Acknowledgments

Staff Positions in the U.S. Army

Typical Unit Structure in the World War II U.S. Army

Cast of Characters

Maps

Introduction

1. Before the Fury

2. Friday, December 15

3. Saturday, December 16

4. Sunday, December 17

5. Monday, December 18

6. Tuesday, December 19

7. Wednesday, December 20

Postscript

Notes

Photo Credits

Index

Illustrations begin on page 123 .
PREFACE
Bastogne. The very name conjures up familiar images: deep snow; bitter cold; the 101st Airborne surrounded, fighting a desperate battle; Patton s armor breaking the siege. All of these images are seared into the memories of anyone who has ever heard or read about what took place at Bastogne, Belgium, in the winter of 1944-1945. The 101st Airborne Division s epic defense of the town during the Battle of the Bulge is well known, as is the 4th Armored Division s triumphal relief of the town on December 26, 1944.
All of this is only part of the story, however. None of these heroics ever would have happened if not for the self-sacrificing efforts of a ragtag, battered collection of American soldiers who absorbed the brunt of the German offensive along the Ardennes frontier east of Bastogne. Over the course of several days in December 1944, numerous outfits, including the 28th Infantry Division, Combat Command Reserve (CCR) of the 9th Armored Division, Combat Command B (CCB) of the 10th Armored Division, plus various other smaller units, including elements of the 101st Airborne, fought a bloody delaying action against powerful, numerically superior enemy forces. If these Americans had not detained the vanguard of the German offensive, the 101st Airborne Division in its entirety could not have made it to Bastogne before the Germans, thus denying them control of this crossroads town, and the Battle of the Bulge might have turned out much differently.
In making this statement, I do not mean to suggest that the successful defense of Bastogne won the Battle of the Bulge for the Allies. Far from it. Indeed, one could argue that the most vital fighting took place on the northern shoulder of the Bulge in such places as Elsenborn Ridge, St. Vith, Werbomont, and along the Meuse River approaches. The goal of the German offensive, after all, was to cross the Meuse and make a dash for Antwerp. They failed to do so because Allied soldiers on the northern shoulder kept them from crossing the Meuse. In a larger sense, hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers and not any group in any one sector fighting within a large battle area over the course of six weeks, collectively won the battle.
That said, there is no question that capturing Bastogne was crucial for the Germans. They needed the town for its road net and for its communications. They needed it as a place to bring up supplies and reinforcements. They needed it because whoever controlled Bastogne controlled the Ardennes. So if they had taken the town by the second day of their offensive, as they originally planned, they would have achieved a crucial element for success. Obviously the German offensive was a major gamble. Its success depended almost entirely on speed. German armored formations needed to move quickly through the Ardennes, turn north, cross the Meuse, and get to Antwerp as quickly as their wheels or tracks could carry them. All of this had to be done before the Allies could counterattack with their numerically superior air and ground forces. For the Germans, Bastogne was the vital pivot point they needed to exit the Ardennes swiftly, but they failed to take it.
The Germans failure to occupy this strategic location was the work of two distinct groups of American soldiers. History has largely focused on the group that endured the siege from the evening of December 20 through December 26. Most of these siege defenders were members of the 101st Airborne Division, and they fought with tenacity and resolve. But I would argue that the contributions of another group-those who fought east of Bastogne and in its outskirts from December 16 through December 20-were every bit as vital and noteworthy. Some of these men were from the 101st Airborne Division, but the vast majority were not. Most were members of the 28th Division, CCR of the 9th Armored or CCB of the 10th Armored. These soldiers fought a desperate delaying action. They were outnumbered and outgunned. In some cases the odds were ten-to-one against them. They absorbed the brunt of Hitler s last-ditch gamble in the West.
They fought in what I term the Bastogne corridor, the area roughly along the twenty-five-mile front that the 28th Infantry Division held when the battle began. This front stretched from Lutzkampen in the north all along the Luxembourg side of the Our River, through such towns as Heinerscheid, Marnach, and Hosingen, down to Bettendorf and Reisdorf. The most vital objectives were in the sectors held by the 110th and 112th Infantry Regiments. Any sustained and rapid breakthrough in those sectors would lead the Germans west on roads that inevitably led to Bastogne, some twenty miles to the west. Over the course of five furious days, the fighting that took place in this part of the Ardennes decided the race for Bastogne. Those five days are the primary focus of this book.
I contend that, in a way, the siege of Bastogne was anticlimactic. By that time, the German timetable was blown, American reinforcements were rushing to the Ardennes, and the Germans found themselves enmeshed in a bitter battle of attrition they could not win. In saying this, I am not minimizing the exploits of those Americans who held off the Germans during the siege of Bastogne. I am simply saying that Bastogne was much more valuable to the Germans on December 17 than on December 25.
Even as the Germans attempted to destro