December 26th, 1944 On December 26th, CCR of the 4th Armored Division pushed along the road toward Remichampagne, and by 3:00pm they had reached Clochimont. The plan at that point called for turning northwest on Sibret, but Creighton Abrams didn’t … Continue reading
25 December 1944 McAuliffe’s memorable Christmas message to the troops defending Bastogne arrived just before the bombing on the night of the 24th. It likely provided some measure of encouragement to the defenders, who came under attack at about 3:00 … Continue reading
December 24, 1944 On the 24th, Patton sent McAuliffe a radio message: “Xmas Eve present coming up. Hold on.” This was an example of Patton’s grandstanding more than his success as a commander: it took CCA until midday on the … Continue reading
December 23rd, 1944 The 4th Armored Division continued its charge toward Bastogne on the 23rd. CCA didn’t make it into the fight until late in the evening, and CCB bore the brunt of the fighting that day. They passed through … Continue reading
December 22, 1944 George Patton requires little introduction. I’ll let MacDonald do so anyway: Like the 21st, the 22nd was not a quiet day, but not an eventful one as it relates to Bastogne. Patton had three divisions for his … Continue reading
December 21, 1944 Around Bastogne, the 21st was neither a calm nor a quiet day, but it was a largely uneventful one. The action played out mainly to the south and west of the town, as kampfgruppen from the 26th … Continue reading
December 19, 1944 On the night of the 18th and into the morning of the 19th, Colonel Gilbreth’s headquarters at Longvilly drew the remains of Task Force Harper, Company G, and what remained of Seely’s men from Fe’itsch. With the … Continue reading
December 18, 1944 By dawn on the 18th, the Germans had eliminated the last pockets of American resistance east of the Clerve and captured the crossings at both Drauffelt and Clervaux. With the 110th Infantry Regiment almost completely destroyed, except … Continue reading
December 17th, 1944 As the second morning of the Battle of the Bulge dawned, the 110th Infantry Regiment stood firm along the Skyline Drive. The 112th and 109th Regiments to the north and south had both faced determined attacks, the … Continue reading
December 16, 1944 It’s several hours before sunrise in the Belgian Ardennes, on the eve of the Third Reich’s last desperate offensive: To start there, however, would be to tell the middle of the story before the beginning, and I … Continue reading
