Place Chronology
Suippes / Sissonne
Champagne, France — SHAEF Airborne Reserve, December 1944
Camp Suippes and Camp Sissonne were former French Army barracks in the Champagne region where the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions rested and refitted after Operation Market Garden. The billets were stone buildings with mess halls, running water, and intact windows; regimental films were shown in the camp chapel at Suippes.Booth and Spencer, Paratrooper, pp. 242–243. The barracks had been used by both the French and German armies; the troopers considered them palatial after the foxholes of Holland. By airborne standards, it was luxury. Generous passes to Paris reflected their status as SHAEF’s strategic reserve, earmarked for the Rhine crossing.LoFaro, The Sword of St. Michael, 2011, p. 277. Both divisions had spent 56 days in the line in Holland during Operation Market Garden.
On the evening of 17 December 1944, a telephone call interrupted dinner at the division commander’s quarters in Sissonne.Gavin, On to Berlin, 1979, pp. 204–205. Gavin had heard ominous news on the radio whilst dressing for dinner; “knowing our thinness in that area and the paucity of reserves, I was quite concerned.” Within hours, military police were scouring bars and brothels as far as Paris, troopers were pouring out of theatres and champagne parties, and two hundred replacements who had arrived at 03:00 were loaded straight onto trucks without orientation. By morning, the camps were empty. Two airborne divisions, under-equipped and under-clothed, were racing 150 miles through fog and rain towards a battle they knew almost nothing about.LoFaro, The Sword of St. Michael, 2011, pp. 277–278. Neither Ridgway (in England) nor Taylor (in Washington) could be reached; Gavin, a brigadier general, found himself acting corps commander of two divisions.
The deployment from Suippes and Sissonne to Werbomont and Bastogne, accomplished in under forty hours from the initial alert, with some combat elements in position in under twenty hours, is one of the fastest large-scale emergency movements of the European war.Adams, “Operations of A Company, 508th PIR”; 82nd Airborne Division, “After Action Report,” 1945. Within two hours of the last 82nd elements passing through Houffalize, the town fell to the German advance.
Camp Sissonne & Camp Suippes — Champagne, France
Camp Sissonne (82nd Airborne Div. HQ, 504th PIR) and Camp Suippes (505th PIR, elements). Rheims lies 30 km south; the Ardennes front approximately 150 miles to the northeast.
Refitting after Market Garden
82nd Airborne DivisionMaj. Gen. James M. Gavin
101st Airborne DivisionMaj. Gen. Maxwell Taylor (in Washington)
Nov–Dec 1944
SHAEF strategic reserve
Both divisions were recuperating from fifty-six days in the line in Holland. A light training schedule prevailed: discipline inspections, route marches, sports. Generous passes to Paris were available. The divisions were preparing for Operation Eclipse, the Rhine crossing. Corps commander Ridgway was in England supervising the 17th Airborne Division; Taylor was in Washington advocating for increased divisional strength. (LoFaro, The Sword of St. Michael, 2011, p. 277; Gavin, On to Berlin, 1979, p. 204)
Camp Suippes505th PIR, elements
Camp Sissonne504th PIR, Div. HQ
Early Dec
Camp life
Old French barracks with stone construction, mess halls, running water, and intact windows. Regimental films were shown in the camp chapel at Suippes. Growing fatigue and anxiety prevailed among veterans concerning further combat jumps and possible Pacific deployment. (Booth and Spencer, Paratrooper, pp. 242–243)
The 456th Parachute Field Artillery was enjoying a champagne party: Sergeant McKenzie had procured fifty cases. McKenzie recalled little of the evening that followed, having drunk himself into unconsciousness; he awoke in the back of a weapons carrier headed for the front, fully outfitted in his combat gear. (LoFaro, The Sword of St. Michael, 2011, p. 277)
The Alert: 17 December, Evening
Maj. Gen. Gavin82nd Airborne, Div. Commander
Col. “Doc” EatonXVIII Airborne Corps, Chief of Staff
17 Dec
19:00
The phone call at dinner
Gavin was hosting dinner at his quarters in Sissonne. His guests were Colonel Rupert Graves and Lieutenant Colonel Melvin Zais of the 517th PIR. Lieutenant Rufus K. Broadaway answered the telephone: it was Colonel Ralph “Doc” Eaton, XVIII Airborne Corps chief of staff. Eaton informed Gavin that SHAEF considered the Ardennes front critical; the airborne divisions were to prepare to move within twenty-four hours. Ridgway was unreachable in England. Taylor was in Washington. Gavin was the acting corps commander. (LoFaro, The Sword of St. Michael, 2011, p. 277; Gavin, On to Berlin, 1979, p. 204)
Broadaway recalled: the voice on the other end was “almost so panicky that I didn’t understand initially what he was talking about.” (LoFaro, The Sword of St. Michael, 2011, p. 277)
Gavin returned to the table, maintained composure, and smiled: “Let’s get on with dinner.” It was only after dessert that his “expression and attitude suddenly reflected a complete reversal.” Zais: “It was a vivid example of a leader who could keep his cool, hide his emotions, organize his thoughts, and, at the appropriate time, turn on the heat.” (LoFaro, The Sword of St. Michael, 2011, p. 277)
Division StaffWar Room, Sissonne
17 Dec
20:00–21:30
Movement orders
By 20:00, Gavin had assembled his staff in the War Room at Sissonne, where the situation map was posted with the latest intelligence. At 21:00, a movement order directed the division to concentrate in the vicinity of Bastogne, departing at 09:00 on 18 December. At 21:30, Eaton called again: the corps was to move “without delay in the direction of Bastogne.” XVIII Airborne Corps had been placed under the operational control of First Army. Gavin decided the 82nd would move first, being in a higher state of combat readiness; the 101st would follow with a tentative departure time of 14:00. He notified Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe, commanding the 101st in Taylor’s absence, and Brigadier General Andy March at Suippes. (LoFaro, The Sword of St. Michael, 2011, p. 277; Gavin, On to Berlin, 1979, pp. 204–205; 82nd Airborne Division, “After Action Report,” 1945)
The Recall
505th PIRCamp Suippes theatre
17 Dec
evening
Ballet interrupted
The 505th’s troopers were in the theatre at Camp Suippes watching a performance of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo when calls began going out for staff officers to report to the regimental command post. At Camp Sissonne, the 325th Glider Infantry was watching a film; the screen went dark, the lights came on, and an announcement ordered everyone to return to barracks immediately. (LoFaro, The Sword of St. Michael, 2011, p. 277)
Sgt William L. Blank: “They started calling for the highest ranking officers, and the calls kept coming on down the ranks.” Blank and his buddies joked they would be calling the sergeants next. They were right. (LoFaro, The Sword of St. Michael, 2011, p. 277)
82nd Airborne MP PlatoonCol. Wienecke, Div. Chief of Staff
17 Dec
night
Scouring Paris
Colonel Robert Wienecke, the division chief of staff, telephoned the commander of the 82nd’s Military Police Platoon. Military police scoured bars and brothels as far as Paris. Troopers already in custody were given a reprieve and ordered to rejoin the division. (LoFaro, The Sword of St. Michael, 2011, p. 277)
MP platoon commander: “Colonel, I’m up to my ears in wild troopers, and the jails are filled.” Wienecke: “Sheriff, cut everyone loose. Mark them for duty, and get the hell over here.” (LoFaro, The Sword of St. Michael, 2011, p. 277)
504th PIR, 2nd BnLt. Col. Wellems
17 Dec
c. 22:30
Officer briefing
Lieutenant Colonel Wellems briefed his company commanders: “Germans made breakthrough near Bastogne. 106th Division overrun. We move out tomorrow at 0900 hours in ten-ton semi-trailers.” Ammunition and K-rations were issued through the night; one .50-calibre machine gun was mounted per truck cab for air defence. Some 250 replacements bound for the 504th had just disembarked at Sissonne station; an officer walked up and greeted them with the news that they were moving out in the morning. (LoFaro, The Sword of St. Michael, 2011, p. 277; Adams, “Operations of A Company, 508th PIR”)
Equipment Crisis
505th PIRMaj. Harris, S-3
508th PIRMaj. Medusky, S-3
17–18 Dec
overnight
Weapons in ordnance, clothing in the laundry
Major William J. Harris, the 505th’s S-3, reported that the “equipment situation was bad. Many of the weapons were in ordnance, there were shortages in food and ammunition, clothing was in the laundry, [and] winter clothing had not been issued.” The 505th departed with only three 81mm mortars and seven or eight 60mm mortars for the entire regiment. Major J. W. Medusky, the 508th’s S-3, confirmed it was “impossible to recover many of the mortars, BARs, and light machine guns which were still in ordnance.” The 307th Airborne Engineer Battalion was short of explosives and mines. The only navigation aids available to convoy commanders were mimeographed strip maps. (LoFaro, The Sword of St. Michael, 2011, p. 277; Adams, “Operations of A Company, 508th PIR”)
Replacements200 men, arrived 03:00
18 Dec
03:00
Replacements thrown straight in
Two hundred replacements arrived at Suippes at 03:00. There was no time for orientation, classification, or proper distribution. Rifle companies received approximately thirty per cent new men, requiring rapid assignment, equipment checks, roster updates, and briefings, all before departure. Sergeant Spencer Wurst’s only outer garment was a field jacket. (LoFaro, The Sword of St. Michael, 2011, p. 277; Adams, “Operations of A Company, 508th PIR”; Alexander and Sparry, 2010)
Lieutenant Rusty Hays, better prepared than most, counted his layers: cotton underwear, long underwear, wool trousers and shirt, field jacket, combat trousers, wool overcoat, combat boots, wool gloves, knit cap, cocoon sleeping bag, two wool blankets. “I was lucky. There were some men who, for one reason or another, did not have many of these items and had to leave for combat without them.” (LoFaro, The Sword of St. Michael, 2011, p. 277)
Loading & Departure
82nd Airborne DivisionAll regiments
18 Dec
08:00–09:00
Loading: the “well-organised scramble”
Lorries diverted from across north-western Europe arrived through the night: ten-tonne tractor-trailer rigs with uncovered flatbed trailers and panel sides. Approximately fifty men were packed into each truck, most standing. Senior NCOs “arrested” any rear-echelon type who challenged them, procuring some five hundred trucks and “virtually kidnapping” three hundred drivers. By the time the 101st arrived, only cattle trucks remained. (LoFaro, The Sword of St. Michael, 2011, p. 277; Verier, 82nd Airborne: “All American”, 2001)
Pfc. Malcolm Neel, one of the fortunate few in a covered lorry, overheard a comrade looking out at the open flatbeds: “Boy, I feel sorry for the first Germans those guys get hold of.” (LoFaro, The Sword of St. Michael, 2011)
504th PIRHead of column
18 Dec
10:17
Departure
The 504th PIR, at the head of the column, departed Sissonne at 10:17. The route ran via Charleville-Mézières, Recogne, Sprimont, and Houffalize to Werbomont, a distance of approximately 150 miles. Light rain fell, fog thickened, and blackout conditions prevailed. Private First Class Ed Bayley of A Company recalled: “Cold and misting all day long as we trekked along a one hundred fifty mile drive.” Within two hours of the 82nd’s last elements passing through Houffalize, the town was taken by advance elements of the German attack. (Adams, “Operations of A Company, 508th PIR”; 82nd Airborne Division, “After Action Report,” 1945)
The Convoy
Maj. Gen. GavinAdvance party, by jeep
17–18 Dec
23:00–09:00
Gavin drives to Spa overnight
Gavin departed Sissonne at approximately 23:00 in an open jeep with Lieutenant Colonel Al Ireland and Captain Hugo Olson. They covered more than one hundred miles through the darkness, arriving at Spa around 09:00 on 18 December. Gavin reported to General Hodges at First Army headquarters. The decision was taken: the 82nd was to divert to Werbomont to block Kampfgruppe Peiper’s northern thrust; the 101st would continue to Bastogne. (Gavin, On to Berlin, 1979, pp. 205–206; LoFaro, The Sword of St. Michael, 2011, p. 277)
“It was a wickedly miserable night. There was a steady light rain, considerable fog, and quite a few bridges were out.” (Gavin, On to Berlin, 1979, p. 205)
[DISCREPANCY: Gavin gives his departure time as 23:30 in On to Berlin (1979, p. 205); LoFaro records 23:00 (The Sword of St. Michael, 2011, p. 277)]
Maj. Gen. RidgwayXVIII Airborne Corps, from England
18 Dec
02:00–10:30
Ridgway flies from England
Ridgway was awakened at his command post in Wiltshire at 02:15 by a call from First Army at Spa: the Germans were smashing through the Ardennes in great force and Eisenhower had released XVIII Airborne Corps from theatre reserve. Ridgway took off at dawn with his entire UK-based corps staff. Fog was so thick the pilot navigated to Rheims without ground contact. He landed at approximately 10:30 and continued by car towards Bastogne through fog and rain. (Eisenhower, The Bitter Woods, 1969, p. 243; Gavin, On to Berlin, 1979, p. 205)
82nd AirborneConvoy, open trucks
18 Dec
all day
150 miles in open trucks
“Progress was painfully slow,” recorded a 504th report, “with the convoy seldom attaining a speed in excess of fifteen miles per hour.” Driving under blackout conditions over slick, unfamiliar roads, the convoy was further slowed by hundreds of refugees and soldiers from broken units clogging the roads. (LoFaro, The Sword of St. Michael, 2011)
Sgt Wurst: “We leaned out and hollered at retreating men: ‘Hey, you guys are going in the wrong direction.’ They would look back at us and earnestly say, ‘Oh no, you guys are going in the wrong direction.’” (LoFaro, The Sword of St. Michael, 2011)
Pfc. Tom Holliday: “Hell, everything was streaming to the rear, but we just kept going up.” (Nordyke, Four Stars of Valor, 2006)
Arrival at Werbomont
82nd Airborne DivisionLead serials
18 Dec
c. 20:00
First trucks reach Werbomont
Gavin returned to Werbomont from Bastogne at approximately 20:00, having issued McAuliffe his orders to organise Bastogne for all-round defence. Minutes later, the first lorries carrying 82nd troopers drove up. The troopers were hustled into position around the village, a scene repeated throughout the night as lorry after lorry found its way to the crossroads. (Gavin, On to Berlin, 1979, p. 217; LoFaro, The Sword of St. Michael, 2011)
[DISCREPANCY: The 82nd Airborne AAR gives the arrival of the leading serial at Werbomont as 17:30; Gavin and LoFaro place it at approximately 20:00. Megellas (All the Way to Berlin, 2007) also records 17:30.]
82nd Airborne DivisionComplete
19 Dec
dawn
Division closed; perimeter secure
By daylight on 19 December, the Werbomont crossroads were completely enclosed within the division’s perimeter. The 82nd had covered 150 miles in under forty hours from the initial alert; some combat elements were in position in under twenty hours. The camps at Suippes and Sissonne were empty. The champagne party was over. (LoFaro, The Sword of St. Michael, 2011; Gavin, On to Berlin, 1979, pp. 218–219; Adams, “Operations of A Company, 508th PIR”)
150
Miles to Werbomont
<40
Hours, alert to positions
~500
Trucks procured overnight
2
Divisions deployed