26th Infantry Division: frontline near Roullingen
The fierce fightings in the area of the Schumann crossroads were the bloodiest combats in the Battle of the Bulge on Luxembourgish soil. From December 27, 1944 with the night attack on Nothum until the liberation of Roullingen on January 20, 1945 and Wiltz on January 21, 1945, it mainly opposed the 26th Infantry Division to the 9. Volksgrenadier Division, but also other U.S. and German units.
The frontline outside Roullingen was held by the 101st and the 104th Infantry Regiments of the 26th Infantry Division. It passed along the edge of the woods whereas the Germans held the village and were dug in on the other side of the Schumann-Roullingen road.
The U.S. regimental and battalion command posts (CP) were in Büderscheid, Kaundorf, Nothum, Saint-Pirmin and Mecher-Dunkrodt. The latter was called Mike-Dog town by the GIs as they couldn’t pronounce it properly. Reliefs had to be made in these steep hills under continuous fire. Rations and ammunition had to be brought up from the CP to the frontline. POW and wounded had to be brought back to the CP. And then there was the cold. Lieutenant Colonel James N. Peale Jr. reports: “I asked First Lieutenant George A. Stager, our supply officer, to replace the lost blankets so that each man had four of them. This request probably caused consternation at division headquarters, but keeping warm was extremely necessary for our survival.”
In an interview, Mr. Norbert Steichen from Roullingen told that he had heard about a red-haired U.S. officer that had been declared MIA during the combats just outside Roullingen. After the combats, he found the upper part of a head hanging from a fir tree with some red hair still attached to it. At the foot of the tree laid a broken stretcher and two shoes with the feet still inside. At the time of the interview he still wondered if it had been the missing U.S. officer or not…
Consulted documents:
-Yankee Doings - Special Issue - 50th Anniversary of Ardennes Campaign edited by the Yankee Division Veterans Association
-The Ardennes-Offensive in the sector of the 9 Volks Gren Div by Werner Kolb, Generalmajor der Reserve edited by the National Archives of the United States (MS # B-521)
-D’Schluecht am Raum Wooltz. René Flammang, 2007. Kayl: Fry-Video.
-Schumanns Eck – 1944-45 Liberation Memorial
Lest we forget…
To the multi-cache. This quite challenging hike of approximately 4,5km on historical ground takes you from the Büderscheid-Schumann valley road up to the frontline outside Roullingen and back. You will walk along many foxholes and sometimes on paths, but mainly you’ll have to move across the woods.
Be aware that you move in a former combat zone and that live ordnance is still unearthed these days! So take your time: history becomes alive.
Leave your car at N 49° 56.406’ / E 5° 54.614’
This should be no problem when you come from Büderscheid. When you come from the Schumann crossroads, drive to the parking place of the Saint Pirmin chapel and turn there to drive back to the given coordinates.
WP1: Look for an inscription on metal. The 6 numbers following 5 letters are A, B, C, D, E, F.
Enter the forest at N 49° 56.390’ / E 5° 54.640’ and pass along the first foxholes.
WP2: Move up to the big oak at N 49° 56.(B+F)E(BxD)’ / E 5° 54.(A+B)D(BxD)’ and look for a round metal plate: G, H, I, J.
The object on the oak is basically made of: - plastic K=7 / L=1 // - wood K=8 / L=3 // - metal K=6 / L=2
WP3: Walk towards the Roullingen sector of the frontline at N 49° 56.KKG’ / E 5° 54.KIJ’
Of what initial color is the bottom of the object on the oak? Convert to numbers: M, N, O, P, Q.
WP4: Continue along the wood and step in the foxhole at N 49° 56.NIH’ / E 5° 54.NLC’ and look at the high metal object right in front of you. This is the area mentioned in Norbert Steichen’s interview. The Germans held Roullingen just behind the hill.
What’s the color at the top? 2nd letter to number=R / 3rd letter to number=S
WP5: Follow the frontline along the edge of the wood right into the foxhole on the corner at N 49° 57.C(Q+L)B’ / E 5° 54.(S+S)(R-S)D’
What is the height in meters of this spot? Txxm // Go to the multi-tree at 5° and count all the holes in the plates = U
WP6: Head southwest along the frontline in the wood. The 9th Volksgrenadier Division was dug in along the woods on your right side. Then take the easy way down to the entrance of the wood. TTTm from WP5 turn left and continue for DRRm until you reach a path.
Your reconnaissance tour through the Roullingen frontline is almost done.
So after a last effort you’ll find the final at N 49° 56.HON’ / E 5° 54.(U-L)R(S-T)’
I took azimuth. It's both interesting and spectacular.
Logs in English please.