Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein

A change of the weather!
The sun was shining, the clouds were gone.
It was the first time since the German offensive that the Allied airforce could show its strength and full power.
Above the front and in the rear area of Heeresgruppe B 3170 planes showed up.

There were no changes in 6th armee situation, Peiper was ordered to break out to the east.
5th armee had more succes that day.
47th corps is now only 9km away from Dinant and the river Meusse.

07.00
Dawnbreak sun shines, all Us forces are looking at the sky, waiting for the airforce.
10.00
All available planes in the air were directed to critical points to support the defenders.( these were fronts were the US troops ran out of ammo for the artillery)
AT first German AAA did not join the fight, afraid to give away their positions.
But losses were very heavy and the guns had to support their tanks.
Often the pilots could see were tanks went to by following the track of a tank.
11.50
The first wave of 17 Dakota planes show up with supplies.
12.00
12 panthers and infantry from the 26th VGD came out of the forest south of St Hubert.
The tanks stopped at Cochelonval and shoot at Us positions.
Counterartillery fire drove them back.
16.00
240 planes dropped 1446 planeloads of supplies(1446 tons) in an area about 1,5 km width.
17.00
Most of it is artillery ammo, ready for use.
However there still is a shortage of ammo.
17.25
At Marvie the men of 2nd batallion 327th gliderregiment take heavy German artilleryfire.
17.35
The Germans attacked, out of the forest many tanks and supporting infantry emerged.
18.00
From the west 115th panzergrenadierregiment attacks, they were lead by colonel Maucke an experienced/battleproved officer.
At the start of the evening the Germans destroyed the roadblock at Flamierge.
18.40
In Marvie the fighting raged on, at hill 500 the US defenderes were surrounded.They had to give up soon.
Team Harper has no more reserves left to mount a counterattack to retake the hill.
21.45
From this hill the Germans aquired a perfect spot to breach the US line and to move to bastogne.
However the Germans hesitated too much and before they could advance the US troops managed to close the gap.
General Kokett was informed that 5th paradivison had to fall back under pressure of attacks by the US 4th tankdivision.
He sent 5 MK VI tanks to support them.
Now the weather favors the Americans, the allied airforce showed up.
The luftwaffe was ( as so many times before) not able to support/defend the ground units.

The German advance is brought to a standstill everywhere, 6th and 5th armee cant get forward anymore, its 116th and  9th panzerdivisions are down to only 30 tanks.
7th armee 5th para division suffered under heavy pressure from the Americans.
General Kokett ordered his units to attack Bastogne at night at 03.00 to avoid losses by the allied airforce.
The city should be under German control by 08.00.
The co from 26th VGD ordered an encirclement from Champs and Hemroulle.
The Germans again attacked on the unit border of 502 pararegiment andd the 327th gliderregiment.
03.00 The German attack starts.
05.00 German tanks now also approched from Mande St Etienne followed by numbers of panzergrenadiers.
US 705th TD regiment attacks the German armor frontally, they took heavy losses but managed to destroy all German tanks except 1.
GE 115th regiment lost 18 tanks and about 2 batallions worth of infantry.
15.00
A convoy of US vehicles approached Bastogne, however these were Germans in US vehicles, the UAF quickley destroyed them.
Slowly the US troops drove the Germans back with help of the artillery.
The Germans waisted the third and last attempt to capture Bastogne.
Von Manteuffel now knows he can never fullfill his task to reach the Meuse.
Bastogne has became the primary objctive for 5th armee.
From its assemble area the CC-R from  4th US tankdivision reached Remoiville after heavy fightings(north of bastogne)

Overall situation.

The German armies advance came to a standstill, almost everywhere on the front, units have no fuel or great lack of fuel.
And at many places US counterattacks forced the Germans into the defense losing the initiative.
Between midnight and dawn the luftwaffe bombed Bastogne again, causing even more heavy damage to the city.

01.00
First US reinforcements reached Bastogne.
The 64th medical unit has transported over 600 wounded men to safety in a short time.
700 German prisoners were send bak along the same Assenois corridor back to the US rear to prisonercamps.
16.00
General Taylor arrived at bastogne, in a short meeting McAuliffe explained the situation and gave back command of 101st division to taylor.
Befor the evening falls the Germans attacked two more times.
Both attacking divisions suffered heavy losses in men and vehicles.
80 tanks, 1000 men and 674 vehicles lost.

The weather above the battlefield is clear, the sun shines, a perfect day for the weary US soldiers.
US probing patrols were sent out to recon the German positions.
meanwhile convoy after convoy brought supplies to Bastogne.
This time the US artillery received the new fuzes, which explode above the ground befor impact.

The weather turned favourable for the Germans again, it snowed the entire night.

08.00
The remaning units of 26th VGD attacked Bastogne again, backed up by artillery.
At the same time hill 490( west of Champs) is under attack to.
Again the attacks failed.
12.00
Another german attempt to attack Bastogne and again the US defenders hold the line.
Bastogne received new reinforcements with the arrival of the 6th and 11th US tankdivisions.
Both units were immediately used to counteraatck the Germans,mainly the 11th division suffered heavy losses.
The next day both sides had a calm day, accept for some skirmishes between recon patrols.

This time the US launched a big counteroffensive.
The weather was bad and this offensive would be the most difficult one  ever made by the western allies in Europe.
1st US army and 30th UK corps aatcked from the north.
3rd US army attacked from the south.
Main target: Houffalize.

12.00
2nd and 3rd batallion of 501st para regiment entered the forest at Boid- St Jaques with orders to clear the forest and secure the road Foy-Michamps, this in order to ensure succes for the attack on Noville.
A thick fog hangs over the area and sometimes it snow, but allthough the US troops meet heavy resistance they continued advancing.
13.00
All objectives are taken and both US batallions dug in at the railroad crossing near Bastogne-Bourcy.
13.20
At that time the attack of both SS divisions commenced as well, targets: Champs,Longchamps and Monaville.
Heavy fog also decrease LOS.
The 26th panzergrenadier regiment and the 12th division attacked through a gap in the US line along the railroad Bastogne-Bourcy.
14.30
After heavy fighting the SS men deployed in the open field near Michamps, the US troops reacted with artilleryfire, causing the Germans to retreat.
16.00
Several SS units succeeded to near the US troops in the rear, however their move is quickley spotted and this attack was beaten off.
16.20
US reinforcements reached Champs, stabilizing the front.
Both sides suffered heavy losses.
At night US forces filled the gap andrestored their defensive line again.