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

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CHAPTER 8 ATTACK AND WITHDRAWAL COLONEL LAPRADE and Major Desobry wanted the high ground and this was their plan-that three tanks would strike northward along the Houffalize road and four tanks would hit east toward the high ground west of Bourey (Map 9, page 63). With this group of tanks would go one and one-half platoons of infantry fOl' their close-in support. In between these two armored groups moving along the road, laPrade's paratroopers would spread themselves over the middle ground. One company would advance south over the Bourey road, another .off to the left of it would extend to the Houffalize road and the third company would go toward the high ground at Vaux. In this way, armor and infantry would spread out fanwise as they left Noville and started for the commanding ridges. 1 However, the preliminaries were not propitious. Noville was already taking a pounding from the enemy artillery. The Germans were firing by the clock and dropping twenty to thirty shells into the defensive position every ten minutes. The houses and several of the vehicles were afire. A proper reconnaissance became impossible; the assembly went off badly. Still, the attack got away at 1430, December 19, though somewhat unsteadily.2 The line had scarcely moved out from the houses when an artillery concentration landed in the middle of Company C of the 506th Parachute Infantry, which was on the right Bank. 8 A number of men were hit but the company kept moving. Bullet fire from enemy positions on the high ground bit into the infantry ranks and slowed their advance. The little groups worked their way along, dashing on to favorable ground, stopping there to fire, then making a rush on to the next point of cover.& But elsewhere along the line, except .on the far left where Company B kept moving, the attack was already Bagging. The tanks and armored infantry decided the attack was impossible so moved back to their holes, not even realizing that the paratroopers were continuing to attack in any strength. I Company [62 ]
ATTACK AND WITHDRAWAL 63 Map 9 506-1 PLAN OF 1430 ATTACK ,. roe A was blocked by heavy tank fire immediately and after a small advance was forced to return to the village. But on the flanks, B and C went on until they reached the lower slopes of the objective ridges and started to climb. At that moment the enemy tanks came against them, supported by some infantry. A few of the paratroopers kept going; their snow-covered bodies were found on the ridges weeks later. 6 But the greater part of the two companies went to earth and sought whatever cover was at hand. Then they continued to slug it out with their small arms as best they could. They could hardly see the enemy at any time. The fog was closing down again and it was mixed with the smoke drifting over from the fires of Noville. They held the ground until dark. 7 Then Colonel LaPrade's men fell back on Noville. The fighting on the slopes had cost the battalion heavily but the; men thought they had caused equal
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ASTOGNE THEFIRST EIGHTDAYS S. L. A.
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RUNNING BA'ITLE FmsT ACTION AT MARV
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UNITS, COMMANDERS, STAFF MEMBERS, A
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2D BA'ITALION (Companies D, E, F an
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54m ARMORED INPANTRY BATI'ALION (LE
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CHAPTER 1 THE SITUATION THE SIEGE O
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otal Extent of the Bulge [ 3 1
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THE SITUATION 5 penetrated the posi
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THE CONCENTRATION ON BASTOGNE 9 tow
Page 30 and 31: 14 BASTOGNE bat Command B continued
Page 32: 16 BASTOGNE While there was still l
Page 35 and 36: THE CONCENTRATION ON BASTOGNE 19 In
Page 37 and 38: THE CONCENTRATION ON BASTOGNE 21 th
Page 40: 24 BASTOGNE tions over, Lieutenant
Page 44 and 45: 28 BASTOGNE north and west and goin
Page 47: FIRST MEETING WITH THE ENEMY 31 nin
Page 52 and 53: 36 BASTOGNE own fight. He had alrea
Page 54 and 55: 38 BASTOGNE make it easily possible
Page 57 and 58: EAST OF BASTOGNE 41 someone walking
Page 59 and 60: EAST OF BASTOGNE 43 fire, his own t
Page 61 and 62: EAST OF BASTOGNE 45 O'Hara of Comba
Page 63 and 64: EAST OF BASTOGNE 47 Map 7
Page 66 and 67: 50 BASTOGNE pressed in against the
Page 69 and 70: TEAM DESOBRY AT NOVILLE 53 clog the
Page 71 and 72: TEAM DESOBRY AT NOVILLE 55 knocked
Page 73: TEAM DESOBRY AT NOVILLE 57 points o
Page 76 and 77: 60 BASTOGNE the power of the Gennan
Page 80 and 81: 64 BASTOGNE losses to the enemy. Fr
Page 82 and 83: 66 BASTOGNE Colonel Sink, having ca
Page 84 and 85: 68 BASTOGNE and decided thatthis mu
Page 86: 70 BASTOGNE denly realizing that it
Page 89 and 90: I T CHAPTER 10 THE REPULSE WAS A NI
Page 92: 76 BASTOGNE twenty minutes. 1o Pris
Page 96 and 97: 80 BASTOGNE pushing rightward towar
Page 98 and 99: 82 BASTOGNE of the darkness and the
Page 101: THE REPULSE 85 of the enemy were ca
Page 105 and 106: RUNNING BAITLE 89 drivers were alre
Page 108 and 109: 92 BASTOGNE ited attack forward to
Page 111: RUNNING BATTLE 95 tain William G. S
Page 114: 98 BASTOGNE aged or destroyed many
Page 117 and 118: FIRST ACTION AT MARVIE 101 At 1125,
Page 119: ACTION AT MARVIE 20 DECEMBER o soo
Page 122 and 123: 106 BASTOGNE During all that time,
Page 124 and 125: 108 BASTOGNE the driver to make for
Page 126 and 127: no BASTOGNE Now, on the 21st, McAul
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THE RESPITE 113 Later in the mornin
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116 BASTOGNE Division Headquarters.
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118 BASTOGNE The main event for tha
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122 BASTOGNE slowly. The German inf
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126 BASTOGNE provide a target for t
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130 BASTOGNE stayed in their holes
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132 BASTOGNE Higgins reasoned that
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CHAPTER 17 SUPPLIES ARRIVE 1 FROM D
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144 BASTOGNE was always Team O'Hara
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CHAPTER 19 WEST OF BASTOGNE FOR SIX
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WEST OF BASTOGNE 149 they guessed t
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152 BASTOGNE tered a small detachme
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154 BASTOGNB left Bank of the high
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CHRISTMAS. EVE 157 usual pressure f
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160 BASTOGNE heavy aitillery fire a
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162 BASTOGNE pinned them down with
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164 BASTOGNE north and northwest. U
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BATTLE A1 CHAMPS ZS DECEMBER I PHAS
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CHRISTMAS EVE 169 of Champs, but by
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172 BASTOGNE tanks moved in among t
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THE ENEMY STORY 177 The onfall of X
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THE. ENEMY STORY 179 terence produc
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THE ENEMY STORY 183 he was constrai
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186 BASTOGNE at Neffe was something
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.... 00 00 Map 27: Destruction of t
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THE ENEMY STORY 191 concluded that
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THE ENEMY STORY 193 he was temporar
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198 BASTOGNE grenadier Division got
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KEY TO NOTES 201 M45A-Narrative Sum
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210 BASTOGNE 22 Kinnard and Danahy
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214 BASTOGNE and 84 enlisted men wo
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2. Colonel (now Brigadier Generall
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4. Brigadier General (now Major Gen
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6. Lieutenant Colonel Paul A. Danah
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8. Lieutenant Colonel (now Colon el
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J 3 and J 4. Bomb damage in Bastogn
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16. Vehicle in Bastogne camouflaged
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[ 232 ]
Page 250 and 251:
[ 234 ] .. •
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2 J. Neffe, scene of heavy flghting
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23 (top'. Wounded in the hospitals
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[ 240 ]
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[ 242]
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29. Command Post of Company F, 327t
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32 (top). Members of the 101 st Air
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37. Pine plantation near Bastogne,
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40. Men on guard in a pine plantati
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42. Colonel Danahy, General McAulif
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PIN:100429-000
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