It was six months since the start of the Normandy Invasion on June 6, 1944, and four months since the Liberation of Paris. The advance had not slowed, with the German Army ceding more ground as the year progressed. Then came December, with winter setting-in for France, and an exhausted Allied army unprepared for the coming storm. Having marshalled its remaining available strength at the behest of Hitler’s mania, Germany launched their last-ditch gamble through the Ardennes Forest on December 16. Their hope was to cut the Allied Offensive in two. What instead occurred is considered one of the bloodiest and largest battles in American history, sealing defeat for the German Reich in the west. This battle bears many names, but the most popular is that of the Battle of the Bulge.
The Allied armies under S.H.A.E.F. (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force) were of two minds when it came to the war as of late 1944. The primary strategic objective, crossing the Rhine and advancing into Germany, had not been met; however, the Allied armies had still made great gains over the past several months. They did this by constantly hammering against the German lines and pushing them further back into France and the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands). According to a Center for Military History journal written for the 50th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge (“The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge”) by the time of the German all-out assault of the Allied lines, the First Army was exhausted after near continuous fighting over the past month-and-a-half.
Likewise, the 84th Infantry as a part of the United States Ninth Army VIII Corps, had been attacking portions of the network of defensive fortifications built by the Germans just before World War II, known as the Siegfried Line. Indeed, they were still engaged at the beginning of the Ardennes Offensive, and only began shifting south on December 20, four days after the initial German assault. Within the 84th Infantry, otherwise known as the Railsplitters, several local men from Bossier Parish and the vicinity served: Sandy J. Spataro, W. C. Holland, Willis M. Evans, Woodrow Harrison, Emmett E. Cope, Benjamin W. Napper, James D. McLendon, Willie J. Gann, Clyde L. Hamiter, Claude S. Ballard, and Rayford H. Odom. These men, some 5000 miles from home, fought on the frontlines of the entire Ardennes campaign, serving under Major General Alexander Bolling.
The 84th Infantry became involved in some of the heaviest fighting in the European Theatre, and the desperate fight against the German offensive was no different. The division had been reassigned to the U.S. First Army and ordered to secure the Belgian town of Marche. They arrived just before the German advance and defended the town against two Panzer Divisions. The American Infantry bitterly resisted, holding out against the tide of incoming German steel. This defense of Marche, it should be kept in mind, was concurrent with the desperate fighting at the Belgian city of Bastogne to the South, as well as the German drive west towards the coastal city of Antwerp in the north.
After December 26, ten days after the start of the German push, the Railsplitters were able to leave the defensive posturing and return the favor to the German war machine. Working with the 2nd Armored Division, the Railsplitters were given the crucial instruction to begin the drive south, with the intention of closing the Bulge. On January 5, 1945, the advance began, taking ground and prisoners, only to slow as the weather turned against them. With heavy snow in a highly forested region, the advance shifted from the infantry supporting the armor, to the inverse. By January 10, the 84th had managed to advance to Laroche, Belgium, and according to the unit history, the fate of the Bulge was all but settled. However, this did not mean the fighting ended or became any easier. It would take another two weeks before the Railsplitter’s participation in the wider Battle of the Bulge came to an end.
When discussing battles and campaigns of this scale, it is easy to lose sight of the very human cost. The 84th Infantry was one singular division in a sea of Armor and Infantry, tasked with an area only slightly larger than Bossier City. While the 11 local men that entered the Ardennes with the Railsplitters survived, many more did not. The final death toll for the Battle of the Bulge saw approximately 19,000 dead for America alone. With this 80th anniversary, remember not just the great triumph, but also the great cost it took to achieve it.
If you have any photos or other information relating to the history of Bossier City or Bossier Parish, the History Center may be interested in adding the materials to its research collection by donation or by scanning them and returning the originals. Call or visit us to learn more. We are open M-Th 9-8, Fri 9-6, and Sat 9-5. Our phone number is (318) 746-7717 and our email is history-center@bossierlibrary.org. We can also be found online at https://www.facebook.com/BPLHistoryCenter/ and http://bpl-hc.blogspot.com/
Images:
- Photo 1: 84th Infantry Howitzer at the Battle of the Bulge / Courtesy of " The 84th Infantry Division In The Battle Of Germany, November 1944-May 1945"
- Photo 2: 84th Infantry Division Insignia / Courtesy of Wikipedia
- Photo 3: 84th Infantry at the Battle of the Bulge / Courtesy of "The 84th Infantry Division In The Battle Of Germany, November 1944-May 1945"
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