Cliff Hope: Any thought that the counteroffensive might be only a small-scale affair was dispelled. "It was not apparent," the after action report spelled out, "that the enemy counteroffensize was an all-out attack supported by about fourteen divisions, including five armored divisions." Our 106th Division, on Schnee Eifel Ridge, was surrounded. Its positon was critical. The enemy had made good progress toward Bastogne in the 28th Division sector. Some corps artillery installations were overrun.
My own account of the Sunday in December was written two days later. By then, I wrote, I had had a "a very sketchy, yet panoramic view of the American Army in retreat." Both of our survey parties went out only to be called back in by Lt. Tyler in about two hours. Withdrawn from the front, the armored Division tanks were massed in the forest and some were firing from open fields. There was considerable air activity as well. A 4.5 inch gun battery moved into the back of the schoolhouse in Aldringen at noon. Survey went out again in the afternoon. Again we were called back in after two hours. By now, retreating 155 mm howitzers were moving into Maldingen. There was movement everywhere, all of it moving back from our (starting) positions. I carefully stuck my Michelin Map No. 4 inside one of my leggings. Who knew how long we'd be together as a unit?
In blackout , we hastily packed, loaded the vehicles, and headed for Langlir. Shelton drove our weapons carrier into the ditch twice on the way and also hit a Belgian gendarme on a bicycle. After waiting around in a field for a considerable length of time. we bedded down in a barn. Langlir was a small village directly west of our starting point and north of Cherain and Houffalize.
We soon learned that 217 December was indeed Black Sunday. Kampfgruppe (Combat Group) Peiper, had begun murdering prisoners. To the north of us, the Kampfgruppe shot 19 unarmed Americans at Honsfeld and another 50 at Bullingen. Then, at a crossroads south of Malmedy, they intercepted B Battery of the 285th field artillery Observation Battalion. This battalion was on its way to join ours; its advance party, in fact, was already with us. About 150 GIs were marched into an open filed and mowed down by machine gun and pistol fire. At least 86 were killed. This was the infamous Malmedy Massacre. The war continued to worsen.
Marilu-Suddenly I realize that "there but for the grace of God..." These last GIs were doing the same job in the same area as Lu and his buddies.... I'd always thought he was fairly safe, but now I realize the Battle of the Bulge put him in deadly danger in a very chaotic and confusing on the ground action. His dad later expresses how concerned he was for Lu's safety, and he was totally justified in that fear.
For a more complete account of the Malmedy Massacre and its' far reaching effect check this link out. https://www.historycentral.com/ww2/events/battleofthebulgemassacre.html The text is a little hard to read, small and light, but the information is very interesting.
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| Artist conception of the start of the massacre |
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| Investigation in January |
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| A Main Perpetrator of the massacre at this war crimes trial |
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