It has been almost twenty years since I last explored the the Wacht am Rhein battlefield in the Ardennes, where Hitler launched the last great offensive on the Western Front in December 1944. Much has changed, some things for the better, and others for the worse. We hired a farmhouse near the strategically important town of Houffalize and planned an itinerary revisiting key locations in each of the three Wehrmacht attack areas. Firstly, the route of the German 6th Panzer Army pushing west in the lee of the Elsenborne Ridge, then Baron Monteuffel's 5th Panzer Army attacking on a central axis in the direction of Namur on the River Meuse and finally the flank attack by Brandenburger's 7th Army in the south (picking up the relief of Bastogne by the US 3rd Army).
 |
| 1st SS Panzer Regiment King Tiger at La Gleize |
In the north, the four battle groups of Mohnke's 1st SS Leibstandarte Panzer Division was the best equipped formation, ordered to spearhead the drive to Antwerp over the River Meuse. We followed the route of Kampfgruppe Peiper, which initially fielded 266 AFVs, 64 large calibre guns and approximately 4,500 personnel. They never reached the Meuse and eventually 'ran out of steam' in the area of La Gleize and Trois-Ponts. Stiffening opposition, blown bridges, weather conducive to Allied air attacks and lack of fuel combined to forestall any further advances. Those AFVs that had not been knocked out during the advance, were disabled and left. The remaining 800 of Peiper's men fought their way back to the German lines on foot. During the advance they had left a bloody trail of atrocities culminating in the infamous Malmedy massacre.
Parked outside the excellent December 44 Museum in La Gleize, one can find Tiger II 213, an original battlefield relic.
 |
| Display - December 44 Museum, La Gleize |
The furthest distance covered by the attacking armies, was to the south though. The 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich and Panzer Lehr almost made it to the Meuse River, eventually being stopped near the town of Dinant. Bastogne had been bypassed but not before Bayerlein's Panzer Lehr had allowed themselves to be drawn into an unnecessary stand-off which sapped momentum from their advance movement.
Bastogne has since become a focus of remembrance and whilst there is no doubt that the stoic defence of the town by the 101st Airborne Division was critical, many veterans felt that, as far as the entire battle is concerned, the plaudits should have been more widely distributed. Having said this, for the modern day visitor the 'Nuts' story is compelling and the way in which this episode has been brought to life in the excellent Bastogne Barracks Museum is extremely entertaining.
 |
| Sherman 'Barracuda' in McAuliffe Square, Bastogne |
Also within the perimeter of Bastogne Barracks is the War Heritage Institute who restore and refurbish AFVs, many dating from the Second World War period. One of their recent projects was the 'Houffalize Panther', an original battlefield relic which has been repaired, refurbished, repainted in new livery and renumbered correctly. The tank commands a wonderful position in the centre of Houffalize and as can be seen in the pictures below - now resides in a purpose built, covered installation with nearby explanatory display boards. This Panther V of the 116th Panzer Division was retrieved from the River Ourthe in 1948 having slipped off the town bridge when the Wehrmacht were pushed out of the town in January 1945. Images of the recovery and restoration work can be viewed here.
 |
| Panther V at Houffalize, 2005 |
 |
| Panther V at Houffalize, 2024 |
Whilst many of the battlefield relics in the Ardennes are well cared for (and there has been a huge amount of investment in many of the museums), the same cannot be said of the American Mardasson Memorial. The vast monumental structure at Mardasson commemorates the 76,890 American soldiers who were killed during the German Ardennes Offensive 16th Dec 1944 to 16th January 1945. when I last visited, the grounds around the memorial were beautifully kept, the memorial and the messages it conveyed were in seemingly tip-top condition and a walkway on top offered a panoramic view of the battlefield. The place was a magnet for veterans. On this last visit (September 2024) I was shocked to find the monument dilapidated and derelict, with locked gates blocking access to what is now an unkempt garden in the centre and the panoramic walkway.
 |
| A view through the locked gates - Mardasson Memorial |
With the 80th anniversary approaching it seems inexplicable that the American Battlefield Monuments Commission (ABMC) is not rushing to complete restoration work, already overdue, in time for the forthcoming commemorations. The work, if it ever does start, is in two phases. Phase 1: Cleaning and restoration of concrete, ironwork, gutters and painting of the monument and the crypt. Phase 2: Major restorations including the replacement of damaged stones, the installation of water-proofing and the rebuilding of damaged engravings and gildings. It seems that the ABMC only took responsibility for the site in 2020 so work was probably suspended because of the pandemic. Let's hope it resumes soon.
 |
| Achilles Mk 10 Tank Destroyer at Laroche |
 |
| 84th Infantry Division Mural - Marche-en-Femme |
To the north west of Bastogne, lies the rather pretty town of Laroche where an Achilles Tank Destroyer commands an excellent view over the river valley below. It is here that the British 51st Highland Division and the American 84th Infantry Division 'Railsplitters' closed the western part of the German 'Bulge' on the 11th January 1945. The route of the latter, is marked by an impressive mural at Marche-en-Femme further to the West - painted at the behest of veterans for the 1994 anniversary.
Our final day was spent looking at the southern flank of Wacht am Rhein where Brandenburger's relatively lightly equipped (very few AFVs) 7th Army Grenadiers shielded the two attacking Panzer Armies to the north. They also took the full force of the US 3rd Army's counter attack from the south, a remarkable feat of logistical prowess by the Allies, where Patton changed the axis of his advance by 90 degrees in order to punch through to Bastogne and beyond.
 |
| Patton Statue and Memorial - Ettelbruck |
In Luxembourg, Patton's liberation of the country is remembered vividly - and commemorated - to this day. Ettelbruck, home of the excellent Patton Museum and the Liberation of Luxembourg Memorial Park was known as 'Patton Town' for many years after the war (Patton, is of course, buried in Luxembourg City having been killed in a car accident shortly after the end of the war). On the occasion of our visit the town was full of jeeps and lorries displaying 1944 US Army livery. Re-enactors wore their WW2 era uniforms with pride and dance music from the likes of the Glen Miller Orchestra was being relayed through loud speakers on the High Street.
In finishing this blog entry, I must say that the Ardennes Battlefield is vast and in writing these words I've simply picked out a few elements that have pricked my interest. There is much more to say!
For my 2024 Battle of the Bulge Flickr Portfolio click here.
To read about my 2005 visit click here.
