Hello fellows,
Tomorrow morning it will be 68 years ago that operation “Wacht am Rhein” started and I though it was a good idea to post one of my most typical battle of the bulge Soldbucher.
Adolf Spanner (°1924) was a farmhand from Seefeld in Austria;he started his military service in August ’44 and after his basic training he was assigned to the 5[SUP]th[/SUP] company of Grenadier Regiment 294 of the 18[SUP]th [/SUP]Volksgrenadier Division.
Just before the offensive started he was issued a MP44 and a snow camouflage jacket “Schneehemd”.
In the early hours of December 16 the grenadiers of GR294 moved up between Roth and Weckerath and they took the American troops by surprise in Auw.
The nextday commanded directly by their divisional commander, General Hoffman-Schönborn and backed by some Stug’s they attacked Schönberg and captured the Our river bridge.
On December21 GR294 attacks the strategic important town of Saint Vith from both sides of the Schönberg road and they managed to take the town, it was their big victory.
Their nextgoal is to take Stavelot but they fail and the whole offensive comes to a halt and the 18VGD is pushed back to the place from where they started the offensive.
It is during this second phase of the battle of the bulge that Adolf Spanner is hit by shrapnel; on January 17 ’45 he is admitted in to the field hospital in Pütschen(Bönn), two weeks later he is transferred to the field hospital in Reutlingen and finally in April ’45 to Lauingen to end the war in hospital.
Tomorrow morning it will be 68 years ago that operation “Wacht am Rhein” started and I though it was a good idea to post one of my most typical battle of the bulge Soldbucher.
Adolf Spanner (°1924) was a farmhand from Seefeld in Austria;he started his military service in August ’44 and after his basic training he was assigned to the 5[SUP]th[/SUP] company of Grenadier Regiment 294 of the 18[SUP]th [/SUP]Volksgrenadier Division.
Just before the offensive started he was issued a MP44 and a snow camouflage jacket “Schneehemd”.
In the early hours of December 16 the grenadiers of GR294 moved up between Roth and Weckerath and they took the American troops by surprise in Auw.
The nextday commanded directly by their divisional commander, General Hoffman-Schönborn and backed by some Stug’s they attacked Schönberg and captured the Our river bridge.
On December21 GR294 attacks the strategic important town of Saint Vith from both sides of the Schönberg road and they managed to take the town, it was their big victory.
Their nextgoal is to take Stavelot but they fail and the whole offensive comes to a halt and the 18VGD is pushed back to the place from where they started the offensive.
It is during this second phase of the battle of the bulge that Adolf Spanner is hit by shrapnel; on January 17 ’45 he is admitted in to the field hospital in Pütschen(Bönn), two weeks later he is transferred to the field hospital in Reutlingen and finally in April ’45 to Lauingen to end the war in hospital.
I will have to get out my Battle of the Bulge, Then and Now book by Jean Paul Pallud and find some photos of the area you mention.
