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

28 BASTOGNE
north and west and going by way of Bizory got into the line of
the main American position (the 50lst's lines).
By about 1500 the fire from Mageret had subsided so appreciably
that a force composed of 18 infantrymen, two medium tanks
and a 105mm. assault gun were sent against the village, moving
through the fields on the right flank. One of the Shermans got
hung up on an embankment and drew a great deal of fire but
was able to return to the column. The rest of the force worked
its way into the northeast part of the village, receiving some shellfire
from the southeast of the village as they went. At the main
crossroads they could see a roadblock with one German tank and
an American M4. This armor did not move or fire and the party
concluded that it was already destroyed. In the southern part
of the village they could see two more German tanks, an American
half-track, a jeep and a German ambulance. The heavy guns
with the party could not find a position from which to fire and
the infantry could not do anything effective.
From the rear of his column Captain Ryerson was called by
his antitank officer, 2d Lieutenant Earl B. Gilligan, who told him
that twenty half-tracks loaded with men had just come in. Ryerson
said for Gilligan to get these men forward dismounted and
send along any tanks that he might see. The new men consisted
of about 200 stragglers from different units who had retreated
into the Bastogne area from other actions. They were mosdy
tankers. Lieutenant Gilligan got them out of the half-tracks, but
only forty of them, with three captains and two lieutenants from
Combat Command Reserve and a few officers from Hyduke's
section, moved up toward the fire fight. The others fled across the
fields to the north.
The forty men who stuck were organized into four squads
and at 1600, December 19, this force moved against the southeast
part of the village, supported by a section of medium tanks.
But the tanks could not get over the ground that lay south of the
road and the men were not inclined to go far ahead of the tanks.
Within the village several of the German vehicles which had
been to the south started to move north toward the main crossing.
To the amazement of Ryerson's men, the German tank forming