December 17th, 1944 - The Battle of St. Vith

Conflict: World War II

Combatants: Americans vs. Germans

Location: Belgium

Outcome: German victory

Crucial to the success of the Ardennes Offensive (a.k.a. the Battle of the Bulge), German forces sought to capture Allied fuel and communication centers in the areas around the Belgian towns of St. Vith and Bastogne. At St. Vith, the American 7th Armored Division under command of Brigadier General R. W. Hasbrouck stubbornly resisted the advance of General Sepp Dietrich's Sixth Panzer Army seven days. The delay at St. Vith along with the defense of Bastogne by the 101st Airborne helped doomed the German offensive.

Snow-suited (American) Soldiers Walk through the Snow Covered Streets of St. Vith, Belgium (US National Archives)

Points of Interest:

• On this same day in Malmedy, Belgium, Waffen SS soldiers executed 84 captured American soldiers.

• Dietrich was arrested twice and spent over a decade in prison for his involvement in the Malmedy Massacre.

Major General Robert W. Hasbrouck by an unknown US Army photographer

General Joseph Sepp Dietrich by an unknown photographer

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Sources:

Dupuy, Trevor N., Johnson, Curt, & Bongard, David L. (1992). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military Biography. New York: Castle Books (HarperCollins).

Dupuy, R. Ernest & Dupuy, Trevor N. (1993). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military History. New York: HarperCollins.

Eggenberger, David (1985). An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.