The Battle of the Bulge Chapters Forces Units Bibliography EN/FR
08
Day 24 of the Offensive

Monday, 8 January 1945

Winter conditions continued with temperatures below freezing.

Hitler ordered the first withdrawal of German forces from the Bulge, directing units to pull back to a line from Dochamps to Longchamps. The German supply crisis deepened with acute fuel shortages and depleted ammunition stocks. The 12. SS-Panzer-Division seized Hill 510 west of Mageret in what proved the last German offensive action in the Ardennes, but could not hold the position against American artillery.

The Front Line — Monday, 8 January 1945
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.

The 82nd Airborne Division consolidated along the line Grand Sart–Salmchâteau–Trois-Ponts and cleared Comte. The 2nd Armored Division drove on Samrée. The 3rd Armored Division gained its intermediate objective line, taking Hebronval, Ottre, Joubieval, and Provedroux. German counterattacks west of Bastogne drove the 87th Infantry Division from Bonnerue and forced the 17th Airborne out of Flamierge.

Northern Shoulder
Elsenborn Ridge
The defensive line along the Elsenborn Ridge remained stable. The front in the V Corps sector was quiet.
Grand Sart–Trois-Ponts
The 82nd Airborne Division consolidated positions along the Salm River from Trois-Ponts to Salmchâteau, eliminated enemy pockets at Petit Halleux and Rencheux, and took Comte. Major William N. Holm replaced Lt-Col. Wood G. Joerg as commander of the 551st Parachute Infantry Battalion. The few remaining men of the 551st repulsed a small counter-attack at Rochelinval.
Central Sector
Hotton–Houffalize Axis
The 2nd Armored Division drove on Samrée, with divisional artillery firing approximately 12,500 rounds in preparation. The 3rd Armored Division gained its intermediate objective line, taking Hebronval, Ottre, Joubieval, and Provedroux. The 84th Infantry Division pursued the enemy to Marcourt and Cielle.
Southern Shoulder
Bastogne Front
The enemy drove the 87th Infantry Division from Bonnerue and maintained pressure in the Tillet region. Elements of the 17th Airborne Division were forced out of Flamierge. The 6th Armored Division recovered lost ground in the Neffe–Wardin sector.
Hill 510: Last German Offensive
The 12. SS-Panzer-Division attacked Hill 510 west of Mageret with 81 men of the 2. Kompanie, SS-Panzer-Pionier-Bataillon supported by von Ribbentrop’s panzers and division artillery. The hill was seized at 09:39 after close combat with explosives and flamethrowers, but American artillery made the position untenable. By 11:00 the SS soldiers crawled back to Mageret. This was the last German offensive action in the Ardennes.
Allied Command
Hitler Orders First Withdrawal
Hitler ordered the first withdrawal of German forces from the Bulge, directing units to pull back to a line from Dochamps to Longchamps. He also instructed Heeresgruppe B to release two panzer corps, four mobile formations, two Volksartilleriekorps, and two Werferbrigades as an intermediate reserve northeast of Sankt Vith and east of Wiltz.
German Supply Crisis
The 5. Panzerarmee reported acute fuel shortages and critically strained ammunition supplies. The 6. SS-Panzerarmee reported no stocks of light or medium field howitzer ammunition. Allied air attacks against German lines of communication intensified on 6–8 January, including strikes on bridges, marshalling yards, and supply nodes.