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Diekirch and surrounding areas during the "Bulge"
December 16, 1944 - January 21, 1945
During the Nazi occupation, the city of Diekirch became an administrative center
of the NSDAP (Nazi party), responsible for the smaller communities in Northern
Luxembourg. At the same time, Diekirch was also a secret site of Luxembourg
resistance against the German occupants.
On September 11, 1944, the City of Diekirch was liberated in the morning hours
by armored and mechanized infantry elements of the 5th Armored Division,
after patrols of the 85th cavalry reconnaissance Bn, had touched base with several
local civilians to find the town no longer held by the retreating Germans. Prior
to abandoning the town, the German troops blew up the Sauer river bridge on
September 9 during their retreat in direction of Germany (only a few kilometers
away). The news of the first Americans spread like a blaze, and within minutes,
thousands of civilians poured into the streets to welcome their U.S. liberators
with flowers, drinks, but above all with tears of joy in their eyes. Church
bells rang, children rode Sherman tanks, people and soldiers danced in the street
in an indescribable atmosphere of liberation.
Whereas military operations continued in Belgium, and near Wallendorf, (German
border town) normal life gradually returned to the town, where in the meantime
a detachment of the U.S. Civil Affairs, headed by Lt. Col. Charles Matthews,
had established its headquarters in Diekirch to assume responsibility of the
north district. In early October 1944, the remaining elements of the 5th Armored
division were replaced by units of the 8th U.S. Infantry division, which developed
extensive patrol and combat intelligence activity on the German border, operating
from Diekirch. No reportable combat activities occurred during that time.
The 8th Infantry division in its turn, was replaced by the 28th Infantry Division
"Keystone Division, later on nicknamed the "Bloody Bucket, which after
suffering heavy casualties in the battle of the Huertgen Forest (Germany), was
reassigned to the "quiet" sector in Luxembourg to rest and regroup.
The division’s 109th Regiment, commanded by Lt. Col. James Rudder was assigned
to the greater Diekirch area with two battalions on the defensive "front"
line overlooking the Our river, and one battalion in reserve position in Diekirch
itself. The weary troops received hot showers, new clothes, but above all the
hospitality of the citizens of Diekirch.
The locals often entertained the GIs and were themselves entertained. USO shows
were active in the area, and Marlene Dietrich and Mickey Rooney visited the
troops of the 109th Rgt. in Diekirch. Apart from sporadic artillery and counter
battery fire, there were no aggressive actions neither on the part of the American,
nor the German side. (During that time the Germans were already fielding troops
to the Siegfried line to counterattack). Again numerous combat intelligence
and reconnaissance missions were carried out, to find out about weaknesses in
the German defensive line. From time to time, German patrols crossed over into
Luxembourg to check to U.S. positions. It looked as though there was some kind
of a "gentleman’s agreement" between both opposite sides, as the effects
of war could hardly be felt any longer.
Thanksgiving Day with the traditional turkey dinner turned out to be a unique
American-Luxembourg friendship event, where the people of Diekirch enjoyed very
much that typical American custom. Needless to say that the children cherished
the Hershey bars, chewing gum, and candies, whereas their parents invited the
GIs to sample local specialties. By beginning of December 1944, the Regiment
was re-organized, new recruits arrived, and the regimental sector of responsibility
redefined. As a consequence, the 2nd and 3rd Bn were assigned to the front-line
(with each to companies on line), whereas the 1st Bn with its 4 companies remained
in reserve in Diekirch; the regimental headquarters were moved to Ettelbrück.
The Regiment was backed up by the batteries of the 107th and 108th Field Artillery
Bns, and had Sherman tanks of the 707th Tank Bn attached. In case of emergency
nearby artillery batteries of the 9th Armored division, Combat Command A (3rd
FA Bn) as well as other units of the 28th Inf. Div. Could be called upon for
support. The weather during the second week of December was very cold: there
was light snow on the ground that often turned into mud, there was rain, snow,
sleet, and above all, fog.
The GIs in their foxholes tried to keep warm and dry and were eventually all
dreaming of Christmas and a not too distant end of war.
On December 16,1944 at 05:30 a.m., all hell broke loose when unexpectedly the
German artillery opened up with a deadly intense rain of shells and rockets.
The 30-minute barrage was so dense that it pinned down the soldiers of the 109th
Rgt, who were unable to realize what was going on. Whereas the U.S. defensive
line was ploughed by shells, numerous buildings in Diekirch got also hit and
started burning. The artillery barrage was followed by massive German infantry
attacks, crossing the river Our and charging the high ground on the opposite
U.S. side. This was the beginning the "Battle of the Bulge." At the
first light, all U.S. companies of the 109th Rgt. That were on the defensive
line stretching from Vianden to Wallendorf, reported problems with communications
and attacks by German infantry. In the 3rd Bn sector, enemy troops of the 915th
and 916th Regiment of the 352nd "Volksgrenadierdivision" carried on
with ferrying troops across the swollen Our river, and harassing the U.S. troops
with small arms fire, whereas the GIs of the 2nd Bn on the line were primarily
attacked by German troops of the 914th Rgt. And by units of the 5th Parachute division.
Backed up by the Regiment’s own 81 mm mortars and supported by the 105 mm
howitzers of the 107th Field Artillery Bn, commanded by Lt.Col. Rosborough,
and the 155 mm batteries of the 108th F.A. BN (both units on the highground
north of Diekirch), the front-line companies defended themselves well. Enemy
progress was only achieved in the 2nd Bn. Sector, where the U.S. garrison of
Fouhren was surrounded and taken prisoner. German pressure increased considerably
on December 18 and 18, and harsh fighting continued through the morning of the
19th, when on regimental orders, the exhausted troops were told to abandon their
sectors to pull back behind Ettelbrück to establish a new defensive line.
The 3rd Bn moved through Bettendorf and Gilsdorf after destroying the Sauer
river bridges to defend enemy use, and reached Diekirch in the late afternoon
of December 19, after having suffered considerable losses. Together with the
local authorities, resistance fighters and police, the 3rd Bn.’s executive officer,
worked out and emergency evacuation order for the population of Diekirch in
such a way not to interfere with the retreat of the U.S. troops.
The civilians left Diekirch around midnight via the still intact railway bridge
and went south, whereas the remaining troops of the 109th Regiment established
new positions on the highground overlooking Ettelbrück. According to civilian
eyewitness’ reports (Some had missed the evacuation), the first German troops
closed in Diekirch in the wee morning hours of December 20.
The German advance continued through Ettelbrück on direction of Feulen.
Mertzig, Michelbuch, Pratz and Bettborn, where around Christmas 1944, their
advance elements were counterattacked by units of the 80th U.S. Infantry division
of Patton’s Third army, that pushed through Luxembourg from the south to hit
the flank of the German attack. Ettelbrück was liberated already on December
23rd. and the more advanced German elements with no tank and inadequate artillery
support, were engaged by the units of the 109th Rgt. in the sector of Mertzig
and attacked by elements of the 80th Inf. division. After a desperate struggle,
they gave up all their heavy equipment, and those German troops that had not
been killed or captured, tried to exfiltrate and retreat behind the north banks
of the Sauer river in the Diekirch-Bettendorf sector to establish a defensive
line. In the meantime units of the 5th U.S. Infantry division (again of Patton’s
Third Army)
had reached the high ground overlooking the south banks of the Sauer to build
up positions to deny any additional attempt to the Germans to cross the river
and counterattack. Early January 1945 found the U.S. troops well established
on this new line, waiting for orders to counterattack, while the Germans tried
to hold the same sector on the opposite shore. After the heavy late December
snowfall, temperatures now kept on going down, and weather conditions became
most adverse. On the U.S. side extensive patrol activity was carried out by
the 10th Inf. Rgt and the 2nd Rgt (of the 5th Inf. Div.) to probe for weaknesses
in the German defensive line. On January 10th, 1945, a 6-man patrol of the 10th
Inf. Rgt penetrated into Bettendorf during a nighttime action and brought back
German prisoners, one of them an NCO with valuable papers on him. These documents
were of great help to Lt. Col. Breckinridge
and his staff to finalize the plans for the division’s attack in this sector.
On the left flank, the neighboring 2nd regiment found out that Diekirch was
heavily defended only in two areas.
The American counterattack in the Sauer river sector (Diekirch-Bettendorf)
by the 5th Inf. Division jumped off at 3 a.m. on. January 1945, whereas the
right flank neighbor, the 4th U.S. Inf. Division) joined in from Moestroff-Wallendorf.
The objective was to cross the River, push 20 kilometers north until Hoscheid,
and clear the remaining German pockets of resistance. Relying on the element
of surprise, the two U.S. divisions did not call upon their artillery to support
the attack, until stiff resistance was to be encountered.
Units of the 7th Eng. Bn. ferried the infantry of the 2nd Regiment across the
icebound Sauer river near Diekirch and the companies of the 10th Inf. Rgt near
Bettendorf. Unfortunately the Germans, having no adequate troops to defend the
sector, had heavily mined the banks of the Sauer river.
The mines, most of which were of non metallic type, and as a result, were very
hard to detect, caused a great number of casualties, in addition to the nourished
automatic weapons fire. Sporadically German "Nebelwerfer" rocket batteries
were skipping shells on the crossing site. On January 19th, a two-prong attack
by the 2nd U.S. Inf. Rgt resulted in the retaking of the major part of Diekirch,
while the 10th Rgt had already recaptured Gilsdorf and Bettendorf. After the
U.S. bridgehead had been consolidated near Diekirch, Sherman tanks were brought
over to break up the German resistance in the north part of Diekirch. Around
noon of January 21, 1945, the last German troops surrendered on the highground
north of Diekirch, and the city was thus definitely liberated.
About 60% of the buildings in town had suffered more or less heavy shell damage.
The civilians returned to their shot-up city in March 1945, after the mines
in the area had been cleared by U.S. engineers.
(Compiled by Roland Gaul, curator, NMMH, author of
« Battle of the Bulge in Luxembourg - The Southern Flank » Vol 1 and 2)
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