by Leo Barron
NO SILENT NIGHT
NO SILENT NIGHT
THE CHRISTMAS BATTLE
FOR BASTOGNE
Leo Barron and Don Cygan
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Copyright © Leo Barron and Don Cygan, 2012
Maps by Chris Erichsen
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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA:
Barron, Leo.
No silent night: the Christmas battle for Bastogne/Leo Barron and Don Cygan.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN: 978-1-101-60273-7
1. World War, 1939-1945—Campaigns—Belgium—Bastogne. 2. Ardennes, Battle of the, 1944-1945. I. Cygan, Don. II. Title.
D756.5.A7B257 2012
940.54’219348—dc23 2012007136
Set in Granjon
Designed by Patrice Sheridan
Printed in the United States of America
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers, Internet addresses and other contact information at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors, or for changes that occur after publication. Further, publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.
ALWAYS LEARNING PEARSON
“Möge die Welt nie mehr solche Weihnachtsnacht erleben! Nichts ist schrecklicher, als fern von Mutter, Frau und Kinder, von Waffen niedergerestrckt zu werden. Entspricht es der Menschenwürde, der Mutter, einen Sohn zu rauben, der Gattin den Ehmann, den Kindern ihren Vater? Das Leben wird uns geschenkt, um einander zu lieben en zu achten. Aus den Ruinen, dem Blut und dem Tode wird wohl eine bruderlisch Welt geboren werden.”
—Ein Deutscher Offizier
“Let the world never see such a Christmas night again! To die, far from one’s children, one’s wife and mother, under the fire of guns, there is no greater cruelty. To take away a son from his mother, a husband from his wife, a father from his children, is it worthy of a human being? Life can only be for love and respect. At the sight of ruins, of blood and death, universal fraternity will rise.”
—Discovered by schoolmaster Monsieur Schmitz and several Americans written on a chalkboard at the local school in Champs, Belgium, after the Christmas Day battle. The author was likely a German officer from the 77th Volksgrenadier Regiment.1
To Carl Koonsman, a teacher who sparked my interest in World War II
—DON CYGAN
To Blake Russell and all the other Screaming Eagles who
made the ultimate sacrifice
—LEO BARRON
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Introduction: “Let the world never see such a Christmas night again!”
Chapter One: “We gamble everything!”
Chapter Two: “I don’t think this is a feint.”
Chapter Three: “Come any way possible to Bastogne, but get there.”
Chapter Four: “If you don’t understand what ‘Nuts’ means, in plain English it is the same as ‘Go to hell….”
Chapter Five: “This is our last withdrawal. Live or die—this is it.”
Chapter Six: “I was just here to wish you a merry Christmas.”
Chapter Seven: “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing!”
Chapter Eight: “All I know is that I wish we were out of here.”
Chapter Nine: Panzer Angriff
Chapter Ten: “A small lesson in tank warfare”
Chapter Eleven: “Let the shit hit the fan!”
Epilogue: “Out of blood and death…”
Works Cited
Endnotes
Index
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
In writing this book, the authors compiled and reviewed extensive archival data, letters, written accounts, photographs, and maps from a vast number of sources. Both authors, veterans of the U.S. Army, walked the battle sites and conducted multiple simulations and field tests to help understand all the aspects of what transpired during the Christmas Day battle. Many interviews were conducted with noted survivors of the struggle.
First and foremost, this story is about the battalions that fought in the Christmas Day battle. Therefore, most of our attention focuses on the 1/401st Glider Infantry, 1/502nd Parachute Infantry, elements of the 705th Tank Destroyer Battalion, the 463rd Parachute Field Artillery Battalion, and the 406th Fighter Group. On the German side, we highlight the contributions of the 77th Volksgrenadier Regiment and the 115th Panzergrenadier Regiment. We also spend a great deal of time on the commanders who made the crucial decisions: Oberst Heinz Kokott, General der Panzertruppen Heinrich von Lüttwitz, Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe, Lieutenant Colonel Steve Chappuis, Lieutenant Colonel John Cooper, Lieutenant Colonel Ray Allen, and Oberst Wolfgang Maucke.
We decided to tell the story of No Silent Night in as close to a narrative style as possible, as seen through the eyes of the participants, but grounded in this historical research. In several points in the book (primarily dialogue where actual quoted conversations were not available, or the actual account was brief and dry), we took the liberty of creating conversations or thought processes based on transcripts, notes, or accounts of what was said or done—particularly during some of the command briefings. Notes taken at these briefings were often written without elaboration, but when we compared the information from other sources, certain logical deductions could be made and constructed to create a more complete picture for the reader. In other words, we know what was discussed at these meetings, and we know what documents were produced as a result of what was discussed at these meetings. Therefore, we can infer from these primary sources the thought process involved. As a result, instead of presenting a dry and boring account of what was said, we decided to make it more engaging by presenting them as conversations between the participants. Do we know the exact words that were said? No. But the substance of the conversations is accurate, according to the historical record. An example of this would be the operations briefing for the German plan for the Ardennes offensive. Colonel Heinz Kokott, who was the commander of the 26th Volksgrenadier
Division, attended the briefing in Kyllburg. We know that for a fact. We also know who else was there, thanks to Kokott’s notes and those of others. Finally, we know what was discussed due to subsequent interviews with Kokott and his commander, General Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz. To flesh out the operations briefing, we quoted from the operational order—named Christrose. Therefore, the staff officer’s words are actually the contents of the order. The result is a balanced snapshot of the briefing: one that provides the reader context as well as the actual information from German records.
In most other situations, we let the extensive record of personal interviews, letters, and reports tell the story, particularly on the American side, where we were blessed with an abundance of this information. We also rely heavily on S. L. A. Marshall’s combat interviews for the senior officers in the 101st Airborne. In the last few years, historians have called into question Marshall’s research methods. We have found that his combat interviews tend to be accurate in our case, and so we used them throughout the book. In fact, many of the veterans in other interviews refer back to his book Bastogne: The First Eight Days as an honest account of the siege. Therefore, if it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for us.
Moving on, serious historians will notice that we left some units off the various maps in the book. We did this on purpose so that the maps will include only the units directly involved in the Christmas Day battle. Therefore, the reader will not have to search endlessly for the various units on cluttered maps. Next, on these maps, the reader will discover that American companies are typically designated by letters (e.g., A Company, B Company, etc.). In addition, battalions usually received a numerical designation, such as 1st Battalion, 2nd Battalion, etc. On the other hand, the Germans typically numbered their companies. Hence, one of our main characters belonged to 6th Company, 2nd Battalion, of the 77th Volksgrenadier Regiment. We hope this will clear up any potential confusion for those who are not familiar with military organizational nomenclature rules.
Finally, we tend to use German and American rank equivalents throughout the book. This is on purpose, since many of the German ranks match their American counterparts. For example, an Oberst or colonel holds the same position in the American Army. An Oberstleutnant is a lieutenant colonel, and both typically commanded regiments at this point in the war. Hence, we used them interchangeably.
This book could not have been written without many others who took their personal time to help us with this story by acting as hosts, researchers, mentors, guides, primary sources, or just offering expert or practical opinion. We apologize in advance if we left anyone out; it was certainly not our intention. If you assisted us in some fashion with this book, we are grateful and in your debt.
The authors would especially like to thank the veterans who offered their time, memories, and information for multiple interviews spanning almost five years. We could not be in more agreement when Tom Brokaw referred to these men as “the Greatest Generation.” They are true heroes, as the story will show, whether they would be willing to admit this today or not. Their humble spirit, candor, and friendliness went a long way in helping tell this amazing story. Sadly, so many are passing away at the time of this writing that capturing their accounts seems to be an even more urgent goal for historians and future generations.
First off, we must thank four gentlemen who were of invaluable help in this project—Anthony D’Angelo of the 705th TD Battalion (who, sadly, passed away during the writing of this book), Carmen Gisi of the 1/401st, Ken Hesler of the 463rd PFAB, and Charles Asay of A/502nd PIR. We would like to thank the Chappuis family and Joseph Pangerl, Willis Fowler of A/502nd, Paul Krick, Robert O’Mara and Robert Lott of 1/401st. Also, we offer many thanks to Trish O’Malley, daughter of Lieutenant “Gus” Ryan, for providing her father’s diary and other information. From the 705th: Wayne Tennant, Frank McCurdy, Tom E. Toms, John “Jack” Dibble Jr., and Anthony Breder. From the 377th: Jim Robinson. From the 463rd: Victor Tofany. Belgians: Michel Marecaux for providing a tour of McAuliffe’s headquarters. Bernard Maus (the grandson of Madame Maus de Rolle) was of great assistance in showing off the Rolle Château grounds and nearby battlefield, and a wonderful host and guide. We would be remiss if we didn’t mention Filip Willems, who has done extensive research on the 463rd and maintains a great Web site; and Pierre Henri-Darliguie, for his help in researching the 77th Volksgrenadier Regiment. Germans: Ludwig Lindemann of the 77th for his account, and his daughter Marion and granddaughter, Nina, for their assistance in translating. Thanks to Hannes Spreigl and Dieter Stenger for their help in translating German reports as well. To Benjamin Haas, who found those German records in the German Federal Archives that provided us with key answers to some of our more important questions. Others: Josh Coates, owner of one of the few working M18 tank destroyers left in the United States for answering our technical questions and letting Don crawl through the interior and even fire the main gun of his vehicle. Thanks to Jon Parshall, coauthor of the wonderfully detailed account of the Battle of Midway Shattered Sword, for his advice, experience, and mentoring on our project. Ditto for other authors who helped and encouraged: Kirk B. Ross, author of The Sky Men, and Michael Tolhurst, author of an outstanding guide to the Bastogne battlefields. We are greatly in debt to Jim and Lois Pawley Wick for their work on the history of the 705th, as well as Frank Knafelc, who also wrote about the 705th. In addition, we certainly would like to mention Jill Hughes and Jeanette de Beauvoir for their help in editing our submission chapters and developing our initial book proposal. Furthermore, we would like to thank Tim Frank and Susan Strange for their services in combing through the National Archives to find those after-action reports that were so crucial to our story. To Danny S. Parker and Lynn Gamma, both of whom provided valuable assistance in researching the air war over Bastogne. To Randy Black, who provided us some great photos of his father, Layton Black. To the folks at the U.S. Army Historical Education Center, who gave us access to the George Koskimaki collection to assist in the development of a training exercise, which we later used in our book. To the staff at the Donald F. Pratt Museum who provided us access to their archives and helped Leo write his first article. To George Bick, our agent, who adopted our vision as if it were his own, and to Mark Chait, our editor, who decided to give our story a chance.
Don Cygan would like to thank his wife and sons for their infinite patience, and Lou Zoughby, a local friend and Battle of the Bulge veteran of the 17th Airborne Division. Last, but certainly not least, my coauthor, Leo. Sharing a mutual passion for this story is what made the dream of writing this book a reality. Leo Barron would like to thank Don Cygan for pushing him to write a better tale than just a string of facts in a paragraph. To my friends and colleagues at the U.S. Army Intelligence Center, thank you for allowing me to use my Bastogne research to teach U.S. Army captains the valuable skills needed on today’s battlefield. Finally, I would like to thank my wife, Caulyne, who allowed me to disappear and write for endless hours while she raised our son and did everything else. Without her support, this book would have remained a dream and not a reality.
INTRODUCTION
“Let the World Never See Such a Christmas Night Again!”
Sunday, Christmas Eve, 1944
6,500 feet over eastern Belgium
For the people of Bastogne, it was as if the Magi had brought bombs instead of gifts this Christmas. The harmless presents of gold, frankincense, and myrrh had been replaced with the far deadlier ones of five-hundred-pound high-explosive and fragmentation ordnance dumped on the American soldiers and hapless civilians below. These Magi were not wise men from the countries of Persia, but rather the crew members of Staffel 1, Kampfgeschwader 66 (KG 66), a Luftwaffe attack bomber unit based out of Dedelstorf, Germany. They flew twelve Junkers 88 medium bombers in tight formation. Each Ju 88 was carrying nearly seven thousand pounds of high-explosive munitions in its bomb bays, and each Ju 88 could deliver this payload with lethal accuracy.
On C
hristmas Eve, holiest of nights for the many Christian peoples of Europe, Adolf Hitler was unleashing the full fury of his remaining Luftwaffe bomber force on Bastogne. For Bastogne was the holdout city, center of Allied resistance to his Wacht am Rhein (Watch on the Rhine) offensive—the German surprise attack in the west that would become known among the Allies as the Battle of the Bulge. Frustrated with epic resistance from the U.S. forces trapped inside the Belgian city of Bastogne, Hitler had authorized a bombing mission that was debatably military in scope and nature. Instead, it was more a punishment for the people of Bastogne. Der Führer had had enough of the American resistance in the encircled town and was preparing the outlying areas for a final ground assault to break the resistance and capture Bastogne. Civilian targets would be hit indiscriminately, and numerous Bastogne citizens would be killed on this Christmas Eve, buried in the rubble of their homes and shops. Collateral damage was not Hitler’s concern, but to him, it was a fitting by-product for their support for the Allies.
Unteroffizier (noncommissioned officer) Karl Heinz Struhs was the bombardier for one of the pathfinder Ju 88s that night. His Ju 88, tail number Z6 FH, was part of the lead team of six aircraft. Their mission was to mark a target, which was the town of Bastogne, on Christmas Eve so that another team of bombers could release their payload accurately. As they approached their target, homing in on a radio transmission known as a Y-beam, Struhs stared through both the aircraft’s Perspex nose and targeting reticule to precisely target his deadly payload, and then, instead of dropping bombs, he released bright magnesium flares to illuminate the target.1
Bomber Z6 FH had a young but experienced crew. At twenty-two years old, Struhs was the oldest crew member on a team of three. His pilot, Leutnant (Lieutenant) Peter Schulz, was the youngest, at twenty, while the radio operator, Unteroffizier Karl-Heinz Oldenburg, was in the middle, at twenty-one. These men had started their careers in KG 66 in May 1944, when it had become operational as part of a pathfinder unit to mark targets over England. Before arriving in France, the crew had been part of Staffel 4 of KG 54 and had flown seven missions in Italy. Now, as part of KG 66, they had already flown ten missions over England. After the disaster at Normandy, the crew had abandoned their base at Montdidier and eventually established themselves in the town of Dedelstorf. For most of the summer and fall, the crew had languished. Finally, on 4 December 1944, they conducted their first mission in months—a weather reconnaissance operation over the North Sea near the Thames estuary. After beginning with twelve aircraft, their Staffel now numbered only nine.2