Thursday, 21 December 1944 — The Battle of the Bulge

The sixth day of Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein marked the decisive containment of Kampfgruppe Peiper, the definitive failure of the 6. SS-Panzerarmee at Elsenborn, and the fall of St. Vith. The German High Command formally shifted the offensive’s Schwerpunkt from the northern to the central axis, acknowledging the complete collapse of the original operational plan. At Bastogne, German forces completed the encirclement of the 101st Airborne Division.

The Front Line — Thursday, 21 December 1944

Traced from: U.S. 12th Army Group, Situation Maps, 1200 hrs daily, 16 Dec 1944 – 25 Jan 1945. Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, G5701.S5 (LoC ict21195–ict21235). Approximate positions; interpolated between key dates.

At Cheneux, the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment completed a costly two-day battle against SS forces, capturing Kampfgruppe Peiper’s last bridgehead south of the Amblève. Peiper, trapped at La Gleize with no prospect of relief, ordered all forces to concentrate around the village. General Ridgway authorised the withdrawal from St. Vith at 18:00, recognising the six-day delay had achieved its purpose. Patton’s III Corps began its attack to relieve Bastogne.

Northern Shoulder

La Gleize Pocket

Peiper was completely trapped. At noon he convened his commanders at Froide-Cour château and decided to concentrate all forces around La Gleize. Tiger II 213 and 221 at Wérimont Farm engaged fifteen approaching US tanks but missed; American return fire destroyed both tanks. As the perimeter contracted, German forces abandoned outposts at Stoumont and Cheneux, withdrawing toward La Gleize and leaving behind 14 Flak guns, five 10.5 cm guns, and numerous vehicles, all out of fuel.

Elsenborn Ridge

The consolidated American defence held firm against final German attempts. The 3. Panzergrenadier-Division’s assaults on the 99th Infantry Division were decisively repulsed. The 12. SS-Panzer-Division abandoned attacks on Dom Bütgenbach. American patrols later counted 300 German dead in one sector alone; Graves Registration found 782 enemy bodies. After this day, the front became static.

Second Attack on Malmedy

Panzer-Brigade 150 launched a second, larger attack on Malmedy on two axes: Baugnez–Malmedy and Ligneuville–Pont de Warche. At the Baugnez roadblock, Company B, 120th Infantry fought off two German companies, destroying eleven vehicles. Skorzeny was wounded in the leg and above the right eye; von Foelkersam was also wounded. A Stielau commando detachment in American uniforms was discovered through poor English.

Cheneux Captured

The 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment completed the capture of Cheneux after two days of brutal fighting against elements of the 1. SS-Panzer-Division. The assault cost 225 casualties, with B Company reduced to 30 men under a staff sergeant. Cheneux was the first town taken back from the Germans in the Battle of the Bulge. The 1st Battalion received the Presidential Unit Citation.

Central Sector

Fall of St. Vith

The Germans launched their first coordinated, large-scale assault on St. Vith. A preparatory bombardment opened around 11:00. The main assault came in the afternoon from the 18th Volksgrenadier-Division from the north and elements of the 62nd from the east. The American line broke around 20:00; General Clarke ordered withdrawal at 21:30. The defence cost approximately 5,000 American casualties and 88 tanks from the 7th Armored Division alone.

Baraque de Fraiture

The 589th Field Artillery Battalion group continued holding Parker’s Crossroads. Before dawn, a large patrol from 560. Volksgrenadier-Division attacked, but the defenders’ quad .50 anti-aircraft half-tracks cut the patrol to pieces. Gavin reinforced the position with a battalion of the 82nd Airborne and a company of the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment.

Bastogne Siege Begins

Bastogne was fully encircled by troops of General von Manteuffel’s 5. Panzerarmee. The siege of the 101st Airborne Division began, with ammunition and food supplies running low.

Southern Shoulder

III Corps Attacks Toward Bastogne

Patton’s III Corps began its attack to relieve Bastogne. The 4th Infantry Division repelled attacks toward Consdorf and Osweiler but was out of communication with troops in Echternach.

Hotton and the Ourthe

The 116. Panzer-Division reached Hotton but could not secure the town. During the night, German infantry with seven tanks penetrated Hotton; CCA elements of the 3rd Armored Division organised a defence with one tank, bazookas, and machine guns, destroying two German tanks by noon. A relief force under Major Jack Ficherson reinforced the garrison.

Allied Command

VII Corps Assembly

General Collins reported to First Army on 21 December and began assembling VII Corps with the 2nd Armored Division, 3rd Armored Division, and 84th Infantry Division. The 2nd Armored Division was designated the “savage rabbit”—Montgomery’s concept for a corps that would hold defensive positions but periodically strike at German Panzers before falling back.

Formal Schwerpunkt Shift

The German High Command formally decided to shift the main strategic emphasis from the 6. SS-Panzerarmee southward to the 5. Panzerarmee, acknowledging the complete failure of the northern thrust. The original plan—a rapid advance through the Losheim Gap to Antwerp—was now irretrievably compromised.