Footsteps of WWII · Belgium & Luxembourg
St Vith
Town · 16–21 Dec 1944; retaken 23 Jan 1945
The story
St Vith, a German-speaking town transferred to Belgium in 1925, controlled a road junction the German plan expected to take by 18:00 on 17 December 1944. Instead Brigadier General Bruce Clarke's Combat Command B of the 7th Armored Division, with the 424th Infantry of the 106th Division, CCB of the 9th Armored Division and the 112th Infantry, held the approaches until 21 December, wrecking the German timetable. Meanwhile the 106th's 422nd and 423rd Infantry, cut off in the Schnee Eifel, surrendered on 19 December, about 7,000 men. American and RAF bombers destroyed the town on 25–26 December, and American forces retook it on 23 January 1945.
What to look for
Almost nothing pre-war survived except the Büchel Tower. Look for the 106th Infantry Division monument on Klosterstrasse, the 2nd Infantry Division memorial and the plaques in the park on Pulverstrasse. The Prümerberg, just east of the town, was the last defensive line.
Plan your visit
A town stop; the memorials are outdoors and free. Combine with the 106th Division POW memorial at Schönberg and the 168th Engineer Combat Battalion memorial on the Prümerberg. Ask the local tourist office for walking routes.
Things change, so check opening times before you travel.
Nearby sites
- Baugnez: Malmedy massacre memorial · 15 km
- December 44 Historical Museum, La Gleize · 25 km
- Houffalize and its Panther tank · 29 km
- Recogne German war cemetery · 37 km
- Bois Jacques foxholes, Foy · 38 km
- Bastogne War Museum · 40 km
All 160 sites in Footsteps of WWII →
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