Ancient history

Bastogne:The main effort is contained

The 501st Reg., meanwhile, had moved and encountered the enemy at Neffe, about 1,800 m east of Bastogne. Confused fighting raged throughout the day as the paratroopers sought to occupy good defensive positions, the outposts of the Div. tanks retreated and the Germans tried to get through. There were some acts of heroism:Private Bernard Michin, of the 158th Bn. of Gn. of combat, under the orders of the 501st, stopped a German armored thrust on Neffe by destroying the lead tank with its bazooka at a distance of only 10 meters; moreover, at Wardin, south-east of Neffe, one of the self-propelled guns that the Germans had engaged to clear the locality was put out of action by a paratrooper who calmly came out into the street, fired and was then shot down. a storm. At the end of the day, the 501st was in position on the eastern outskirts of Bastogne, straddling the main road, and the various American outposts were in the process of retreating inside the perimeter that was forming. With the arrival of these isolated units, McAuliffe eventually had about 18,000 men under his command.

What the Americans, however, failed to realize on the 19th was that up to that time they had had no contact with the bulk of the Panzer Lehr and the 26th Volksgrenadier Division, which were still occupied north- east, between Mageret and Longvilly, where they destroyed the Combat Command R of the 9th Div. shielded. A thick fog had hampered the efforts of both sides for most of the day, making it difficult to see clearly in the confusion of the fight, a fact that would become more widespread over the following days.