The Siege of Bastogne

The Siege of Bastogne was a pivotal engagement in December of 1944 between American and German troops at the Belgian town of Bastogne. The siege was part of the larger Battle of the Bulge, a German offensive that planned to take the harbor at Antwerp to relieve supply chain issues in the region. The German’s had their backs against the wall going into this battle, as they needed to capture the harbor before the Allied forces could bring their superior air power to bear and crush the exposed German troops. The single standing order left by Allied General Troy Middleton gave incoming General Anthony McAuliffe was “Hold Bastogne”. Both sides view Bastogne it’s surroundings as key holdings.

Before the actual siege of Bastogne, the Germans first had to cross the Our and Clerf rivers. On the evening of December 15th the 26th Volksgrenadier established a line on the west bank of the Our river. They moved quickly, allowing them to offload a large number of troops. At 5:30 in the morning the Germans coordinated an artillery strike on the Americans closest to the Our, this attack succeeded in driving the Allies back toward Bastogne. German engineers completed bridges over the Our before nightfall, and tanks began to support the front lines, making the Allies position untenable. Despite a large disparity in numbers, the Allied forces fought hard enough to slow down the much larger German force, allowing those behind the line time to prepare for the upcoming battle. By the 19th of December the Germans had drawn close enough to Wiltz, a large village south of Bastogne, that the Allies transferred their command to Bastogne itself, to protect the officers in charge. It was here, in Wiltz, that the 3rd Battalion of the 110th Airbor...

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...proved to be an impossible task. As the Wehrmacht plowed through the line, the 333rd lost half of its troops and its commanding officer. Retreating to Bastogne the black troops were not initially given weapons until they linked up with their sister unit and continued to viciously defend their sector. Each man had 10 rounds of ammunition per day and food was scarce, however the 333rd persevered. The unit was eventually awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for their bravery, and had succeeded in dispelling the notion that African-Americans were lesser soldiers.

Overall, the Siege of Bastogne, and the entire Battle of the Bulge, was critical to staying the German advances east. The victory here reenergized the Allied forces and gave them hope and courage. Despite being outnumbered 5 to 1 at times, the Allied spirit won the day and eventually, the war.