Documents will be on display through August 7, in the Rotunda About Contact Membership Donate. Past Featured Records. Read more. This interview focuses on the story surrounding the German's request for the American forces at Bastogne to surrender and the American General's response as witnessed by Lt. General Harry Kinnard, at the time of the siege of Bastogne, a Lt. These are some of his personal recollections. We got into Bastogne late on the night of 18 December, We were not well equipped, having just gotten out of combat in Holland.
We were particularly short of winter clothing and footwear. On the 21st of December we became completely surrounded by Germans and our field hospital was overrun by a German attack. We had put the hospital in what would normally have been a safe place, but no place is safe when you are completely surrounded. At this time, we were not able to receive air resupply because the weather was absolutely frightful.
It was very, very cold and snowy. Visibility was often measured in yards. Our lack of winter gear was partially offset by the citizens of Bastogne who gave us blankets and white linens that we used for camouflage. While we were still surrounded, on the morning of December 22, a German surrender party, consisting of two officers and two NCOs, and carrying a white flag, approached our perimeter in the area of our Glider Regiment, the th.
The party was taken to a nearby platoon command post. While the enlisted men were detained the officers were blind folded and taken to the command post of the th where they presented their surrender ultimatum. The ultimatum in essence said the st's position was hopeless and that if we elected not to surrender a lot of bad things would happen.
They brought the message to me, the G-3 and Paul Danahy, the G My first reaction was that this was a German ruse, designed to get our men out of their fox holes. But be that as it might, we agreed that we needed to take the message up the line. We took it first to the acting Chief of Staff of the Division, Lt. Ned Moore. Moore told General McAuliffe that we had a German surrender ultimatum.
The General's first reaction was that the Germans wanted to surrender to us. The typewritten response was given to Col. Bud Harper, who delivered it to the waiting and still-blindfolded Germans. Written or verbal, they asked. The American Commander. But they were still confused.
Harper discussed how to explain the American slang with Pfc. Ernest Premetz, a medic who spoke German. Instead, Premetz turned and faced the Germans. Despite the German threat, artillery fire never materialized.
Then the German air force began a four-day bombing campaign that failed to dislodge the American defenders. But McAuliffe inspired his soldiers even further with a Christmas Eve message to his troops that explained the situation. All true, but what has the proud Eagle Division accomplished with its worthy comrades the 10th Armored Division, the th Tank Destroyer Battalion and all the rest? The siege was finally broken on Dec. By Jan. But months before the Germans surrendered in May , an American intelligence report summarized what had happened on that cold day in Belgium, when the tables were turned and the Germans had the upper hand.
The catastrophic carnage of human lives resulting from the artillery barrage of astronomic proportions which was to be the fate of the defending troops failed to materialize. Reach out via email or find him on Twitter at paulszoldra.
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