Buchholz Station

The original German opening for the Battle of the Bulge was somewhat subdued. German infantry, with little armor was to seize key road junctions early so the armored formations could quickly pass through and exploit a breakthrough. One such key …

1944-12-16

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The original German opening for the Battle of the Bulge was somewhat subdued. German infantry, with little armor was to seize key road junctions early so the armored formations could quickly pass through and exploit a breakthrough. One such key place was the town of Buchholz which sat alongside an abandoned railroad. It was held by a company of American infantry who were lined up for chow outside the town when a company of the German 27th Fusilier Regiment came down the road. Neither side had expected to find the other here, and there was a moment of mutual surprise as both sides scrambled to deploy. The fighting opened about 7 a.m. with neither side able to gain a decisive advantage. Losses were given and taken and the battle would probably go to the first side to receive reinforcements.

Buchholz, Belgium

The Battle of Lanzerath Ridge was fought on December 16, 1944, the first day of the Battle of the Bulge during World War II, near the village of Lanzerath, Belgium, along the key route for the German advance on the northern shoulder of the operation. The American force consisted of two squads totalling 18 men belonging to a reconnaissance platoon and four forward artillery observers, against a German battalion of about 500 paratroopers. During a day-long confrontation, the American defenders inflicted dozens of casualties on the Germans and delayed by almost 20 hours the advance of the entireist SS Panzer Division, the spearhead of the German 6th Panzer Army.

Wikipedia: Battle of Lanzerath Ridge

German

American