Bastogne: The Story of the First Eight Days - US Army Center Of ...

THE RESPITE 109
complete. Roberts, a veteran tank commander, was particularly
concerned that the armor be used properly, used to the maximum
effect and not wasted. He strongly resisted the attempts of infantry
commanders to use tanks as roadblocks. He worked specifically
to get his armor quickly released after each engagement so that
there would always be a maximum strength in General Mc­
Auliffe's mobile reserve for the next emergency. In the middle
of the siege he published a mimeographed memorandum to the
infantry officers on the right ways to use tanks. ll
The order to Combat Command B on December 21 from VIII
Corps to ''hold the Bastogne line at all costs" gives a key to General
Middleton's view of the situation during this period. On the
evening before, he had talked with McAuliffe and had expressed
a doubt whether the strength at Bastogne was sufficient for the
task. 12 All along he had been willing to make the gamble of an
encircled force at Bastogne, and for a few hours he may have felt
that the gamble was dubious. Now he had come to believe the
gamble would succeed and that the battle must be fought out on
that line. There was no longer any doubt or question anywhere
in the camp. From this hour the action of all concerned, the VIII
Corps commander, the WIst Division commander, and the armored
force commander of Combat Command B-Middleton,
McAuliffe, and Roberts-became wholly consistent with the resolve
that Bastogne could and would be held. IS
General McAuliffe now had the answer to all of his questions.
No 'situation could have been more clearly defined. During the
first two days he had entertained many doubts and had continued
to wonder just what the situation was. He had heard about various
groups from the 28th and 106th Divisions which were still
out fighting somt!where and might fall back upon him. The 7th
Armored Division was supposed to be somewhere up around St.
Vith. He had also had to worry about the organization of stragglers.
At the first, part of the 28th Division had been screening
him on the south Hank. Its commander, Major General Norman
D. Cota, had called him on the morning of December 20 and
said, "I'd like to see you," and McAuliffe had replied, "I'm too
damned busy." Cota then said, "I'll come up to see yoU."14