Battle of the Buldge
21 December - Early February
When Patton ordered the troops to turn and head north to assist in the Battle of the Bulge, he didn't expect many of his troops to get lost in route. 808er Ray Followell told me they were lost. They had no idea where they were, weren't sure where they were supposed to be and ran smack dab into a German platoon. All men, US and German, were startled to say the least. The 808 came to their senses quicker than the Germans did and began pounding on them before they could even get themselves into some kind of offensive or defensive position. The Germans not killed either surrendered or ran off.
Below is a synopsis of the official account of the events.
It would seem sometime during the great third army "turn-around" at the
beginning of the Battle of the Bulge most of the 808
ended up more or less lost. They were no longer attached to the 80th
Infantry, they were not yet attached to the 76th Infantry and were 100%
involved in the great German attempt at breaking through the allied
lines during the Battle of the Bulge. The 808, acting as a single
offensive unit of the 3rd army, gave it all they had. When they encountered
the Germans, after being startled by the surprise of finding Germans where
they were, beat them down and kept on beating until they ran off (a term
officially named "fell back") or surrendered.
16 December, 1944 - Battle of
Bulge - Ardennes Forest, between Monschau
and Trier, was aimed at recapturing Antwerp and splitting the British and
American armies. The 3rd army had been continuing operations along the
Saar River until news of the German offensive was received. At that time the 808 joined
the Battle of the Bulge.
On the morning of 16 December 1944, twenty-eight German divisions fell upon only five American divisions along a seventy-mile front known as the Ardennes. Nazi Germany's last offensive began well. Within hours they were ten miles inside allied territory. Within five days they had taken 25,000 American prisoners and destroyed 350 tanks.
At dawn, Eisenhower met with his senior commanders in a cold, damp squad room in a barracks at Verdun, the site of the greatest battle ever fought. There was but one lone potbellied stove to ease the bitter cold. Eisenhower's lieutenants entered the room glum, depressed, embarrassed as they should have been, given the magnitude of the intelligence failure and the faulty dispositions of their troops. They kept their faces bent over the coffee cups.
Eisenhower walked in, looked disapprovingly at the downcast generals,
and boldly declared, "The present situation is to be regarded as one
of opportunity for us and not disaster. There will be only cheerful
faces at this conference table."
Patton had already seen the obvious: the Germans were putting their heads in a noose.
By attacking the southern shoulder of the salient with his Third Army, Patton could cut the enemy supply lines, isolate the tanks inside what was already being called "the Bulge," and destroy them.
Before leaving for Verdun, he had told his staff to begin preparations
for switching his attack line from east to north. Thus when Eisenhower
asked him
how long would it take the Third Army to turn two corps facing
east to facing north and then attack the German southern flank, Patton
boldly replied, "Two days." The other generals laughed — but in fact
Patton was already halfway into the movement.
Thus Patton again proved his superior abilities to command an
army.
We had been surprised by the Germans with their huge forces early in the
battle. However, we were not going to stand for that, we do not like
getting kicked around. We do not
appreciate having to retreat.
Eisenhower's and Patton's armies had decided they were going to make the
enemy pay.
Patton pulled his troops out of the line, marched them north some 75 miles in cold, wet, snowy weather in two days and threw them right into action against the Germans. Even the Germans hadn't considered that this could be done.
People today criticize Patton because they say he sacrificed his men for
glory. Patton realized that by fighting a battle with as much ferocity as
possible, it is possible to save lives. I have yet to hear anybody say that
Patton's amazing swing and march to Bastogne did anything
other than save lives and win the Battle of the Buldge.
The offensive also allowed the Allies to severely deplete the cream of the German army outside the defenses of the Siegfried Line and left Germany's remaining forces in a poor state of supply, thus greatly easing the assault on Germany afterward.
The 808th Tank Destroyers were the first allies to bust through the Siegfried Line
The images of memorials are just a few of those found all over the US and Europe to honor those who fought and/or lost their lives in the Battle of the Bulge. A larger version can be viewed by clicking on the picture, they will all open in a new window.
Next - The 808th is Attached to the 76th Infantry
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