The Battle of the Bulge Chapters Forces Units Bibliography EN/FR
23
Day 39 of the Offensive

Tuesday, 23 January 1945

Excellent flight weather; sky clear, air crisp; below freezing; massive Allied air activity destroyed or damaged approximately 1,500 motor transports.

Day thirty-nine of the Ardennes campaign. German forces continued an orderly retreat toward the West Wall. The 6. SS-Panzerarmee was being pulled out of the front for transport east. The Luftwaffe was almost entirely absent, and Arado 234 jet operations were frustrated by continuous Allied fighter screens.

The Front Line — Tuesday, 23 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 7th Armored Division’s Combat Command B recaptured St. Vith, the critical road junction that had been the focus of intense fighting in mid-December. The 30th Infantry Division reached the outskirts of Rodt, northwest of St. Vith. General Quesada reported so many Allied aircraft were out that “you couldn’t see the sun.”

Northern Shoulder
Elsenborn Ridge
V Corps continued its southward counter-offensive toward St. Vith. Excellent flying weather allowed massive Allied air support across the front.
Salm River
The 82nd Airborne Division continued moving to relieve the 7th Armored Division. The 517th Parachute Infantry was attached to the division. The 508th Parachute Infantry was relieved by the 7th Armored Division and moved to the Trois-Ponts–Basse Bodeux area.
Rodt
The 30th Infantry Division continued its advance in the St. Vith counter-attack, with soldiers observed in the outskirts of Rodt, northwest of St. Vith.
Central Sector
St. Vith Recaptured
Combat Command B of the 7th Armored Division was given the honour of retaking St. Vith. The Americans were met by the “ghostly ruins” of the devastated city. Lieutenant Wilson recalled that “Nothing was undamaged; there was no sign of life.” The town’s liberation marked the near-complete reduction of the German salient.
Southern Shoulder
Allied Command
Massive Allied Air Operations
Allied fighter-bombers and medium bombers hunted German targets in the Prüm area and east of St. Vith, accumulating approximately 1,500 motor transports destroyed or damaged along with innumerable railroad cars and armour. General Quesada reported that there were so many Allied aircraft out that “you couldn’t see the sun.”
Luftwaffe Absence
The German Air Force was almost entirely absent. Five attempts by Arado 234 jets to take off from Rheine were fruitless due to continuous Allied fighter screens over the airfield.
Malmédy Massacre Graves Registration
Work was underway at the Baugnez crossroads to handle the victims of the Malmédy massacre. Men of Company C began sweeping snow from the bodies, which were uncovered and designated with numbered markers.