Description: 

This book describes the combat that took place at the Losheim Gap during the Ardennes Offensive. This area was part of the sector assigned to the American 99th Infantry Division from December 15th to the establishment of the American defensive positions along Elsenborn Ridge. The information presented is based on official U.S. Army documents (AARs - After Action Reports), combined with numerous interviews with members of the 99th Infantry Division and its supporting troops, complemented by eye-witness testimonies of several members of other units that fought in the area. Official documents from the German side also grace the story, as well as eye-witness testimony from several former members of German combat units that fought in this sector of the Ardennes Offensive. The book describes the action at the "Northern Shoulder" of the Ardennes Offensive - Losheimergraben, Lanzerath, Krinkelt, Bucholz Station, Mürringen, Wirzfeld and Elsenborn Ridge - from December 16th, 1944 until the retreat of U.S. forces and the establishment of a new frontline at Elsenborn. The "Northern Shoulder" was where the main thrust of the German Army was halted. After nearly six years of research in the area, and with the help of many veterans of both German and American units who fought there, an in-depth account of the combat in this sector of the Ardennes Offensive is presented. Many first-person accounts are provided to supplement the operational details found in the original U.S. and German Army documents. The text is supplemented by numerous period black & white photographs, maps, copies of original documents, and color photographs of the area as it appears today. The many present-day photographs from the area will cause the reader to feel like they are stepping back in time, because, even with the passing of nearly sixty years, many of the "wounds" are still visible.

FOREWORD BY B.O. WILKINS, Jr.

"The Battle of the Bulge," the greatest battle ever fought by the U.S. Army, was not just one battle. It was hundreds of battles, some of battalion size and some of squad size and smaller. This book is the sum of many stories of many different battles-stories by individual men of the infantry, artillery, engineers and others, by leaders of squads, platoons, companies, battalions and even divisions and armies.

The varied topography of the Ardennes greatly influenced the pattern of the different, yet similar experiences related by men on both sides of the battle. Thick forest of tall trees, sparse areas of shorter trees (mortar positions), snowy fields, muddy trails, hills and valleys, log-covered foxholes, uncovered holes, shallow holes in ground too frozen to dig into-all contributed to the different action at the individual places of combat as well as the perception of the combatants. These terrain features, while allowing some secrecy and protection for the German troop movements, posed much difficulty for advancing any appreciable distances. The same features also provided for well-prepared defensive positions for the early part of the action, positions that were held in many places by the American defenders although there were wide gaps between small units, mostly outposts.

The difficulty of the terrain and the inability of the attacking units to perform reconnaissance, plus the fog that was to have been an advantage for surprise, all combined to create great confusion for the attackers. The confusion that helped stymie the German advance of large units also lent initial confusion to the American commanders so that the magnitude of the attack could not be accurately determined.

While there were many bits of intelligence sent back from the front lines prior to that fateful December 16, there was a mind-set in the higher levels that the Germans were running out of steam, and that the thinly-held Ardennes front was ideal for breaking-in two inexperienced divisions and refitting two well-worn ones. The fact that the surprise attack did not follow Hitler's plan at the north shoulder is revealed in the many stories in this book, stories that show the lack of in-depth leadership on the German side, while showing individual entrepreneurship among many Americans, even when there were only two or three engaged. The many actions of this scale afforded precious time for reinforcements to be brought into the area, and effectively blunted the main thrust of the German offensive.

Although I have not met the author personally, I've grown to know him through our e-mail correspondence over a period of more than a year. This young Dutchman, Hans Wijers, has impressed me with his investigative energy and his deep passion for learning all he can about the events of this important piece of history. His presentation of the many stories, colored by interviews of participants from both sides, adds interesting highlights to the already large volume of writings on this battle. From another standpoint, his presentations also gave me, as an editor, considerable opportunity for understanding the European terminology and putting it into a more readable American/English frame of thought. It has been a pleasure to be a part of this adventure.

B.O. Wilkins, Jr., K Company, 393rd Infantry
Houston, Texas USA