Advance and Destroy: Patton as Commander in the Bulge

13. The Harlange Pocket, January 5–8

13 The Harlange Pocket, January 5–8 My soldiers were battle weary. Nevertheless Regiment 13 bravely held out in the forests east of Harlange. —Heilmann The intense fighting around Bastogne since December 30 had taken its toll on Middleton. Gay visited him on January 5 and observed, “It was quite remarkable to note the difference in the attitude of the commanders .” Middleton was “quite depressed and felt that he could not attack, and also questioned if he could hold against the enemy’s attacks.” On his own authority Gay advised Middleton to postpone his next attack in order to re-form his divisions and improve his attitude. The commanding officer of the 194th GIR/17th Airborne Division appeared more positive, telling Gay, “God, how green we are, but we are learning fast and the next time we will beat them.”1 On January 5 his regiment had been pushed back with significant losses near Renaumont once again. The 17th Airborne Division spent the day reorganizing. The 193rd GIR moved into positions north of Senonchamps, while the 507th PIR occupied the high ground north of Pinsamont. On Miley’s left the 347th CT defeated a counterattack near Bonnerue at 0730 and then cleared the woods east of Pironpré while the 346th CT moved up on the right to tie in with Miley’s paratroopers. On the corps’ right the 101st Airborne Division faced little pressure during the day. On January 5 the 9th SS PD withdrew from the Bastogne front and began moving to Sixth Panzer Armee. Only small Kampfgruppen remained. The 26th VGD once again assumed responsibility for the sector. Middleton’s negativity was understandable, up to a point, because although January 5 was a quiet day on VIII Corps’ front, prisoners had been captured from Map 13.1. Third Army Operations, January 5–8, 1945 Bonnerue Jenneville Pironpré Bras Vesqueville St. Hubert Flamierge Moircy Remagne Rondu Flohimont Neufchâteau Vaux-les-Rosières Libramont Amberloup Fosset Hubermont Morhet Jodenville Lavaselle Brul Ortheuville Champlon Ourthe R. III 345 III 346 87 XX Sprimont Longlier III 347 Magerotte Cobreville Tronle Rosières Rechrival Bethom Lavacherie Gerimont Morning Jan 1 Wiompont Adv Jan 1 Adv Milloimont I. 0 1 2 26. VAK 766. 902. POSCHINGER KG N 117 XX XX 11 XX 1507 III 1193 III 1513 III 3. 3. LEHR. FBB. Houmont Chenogne X 11 B S Rear X 11 A B Bois de Valet Pinsamont A Co 1194 III 29. NEUMANN I./902. KG Tillet Bercheux X 11 B X 11 B Corps Reserve Jan 3 11th Armd Div in Corps Reserve Jan 4-11 XXX VIII Bois de Haies de Magery BASTOGNE Noville Bizory Longvilly Oubourcy Michamps Bourcy Villeroux Marvie Hompré Remonfosse Lutrebois Bavigne Sainlez Harlange Bras Tarchamps Wardin Nothum Buderscheid Roullingen Livarchamps Surré Tintage Boulaide Baschlieden Assenois Sûre R. Villers-laBonne -Eau Lutremange Vellereux Bertogne 35 XX 320(-) III 137 III 134 III III 328 101 III 5 P Z X X X X 7 Berlé Liefrange Bonnal 26 XX Martelange Chaumont mont Bois Jacques Wandebourcy Foy Wiltz R. 12 SS Artillery Arsdorf Wiltz Grumelscheid Doncols Senonchamps Champs 4 Miles 3 Compogne Recogne Longchamps Hamiville Cobru Benonchamps Derenbach Oberwampach Niederwampach ch Schimpach VAK 388. Allerborn 901. HAUSER KG 1101 XX 6 XXX VIII FGB. 1. 9 VGD. 167 VGD. 340 VGD. 26 VGD. 9. 15. VGR 116. 104 III Arrives Jan 2 12. I. Sibret X 10 B Mande-St. Étienne Bois de Fragotte ts X 9 A X 6 B Monaville X 6 A VGR 78. 1 6 7 X X 1 S S 5 FJD. Mageret X 11 A rps Reserve Jan 4 XLVII. Brachtenbach VAK 401. Winseler Fuhrman Farm I SS XXX XLVII I SS XXX XXXIX Arloncourt 276 VGD. X 4 B X 4 A J a n 6 7 Jan 8 Hostert Rambrouch Bigonville 357 III Lead Elms 90th Inf Div begin arriving Jan 6 357 III Jan 7 3 5 X X 2 6 Eschdorf 90 XX Jan 7 359 III TF SCOTT TF FICKETT Jan 5 264 The Incomplete Victory the 9th PD, indicating that the spearhead was falling back on Bastogne.2 This signaled harder fighting for VIII Corps in the days to come. Millikin handled the pressure of his first two weeks of combat fairly well, but his division commanders were showing the strain. The 6th Armored Division used artillery to break up attacks...