| Original caption: “American troops walking through city of Bastogne, Belgium, in ruins during the Battle of the Bulge.” United States Army 801st Ordnance Company, 101st Airborne Division paratroopers patrol on the Grand Rue in Bastogne after Combat Command “R” of the 4th Armored Division, 37th Armored Regiment, under Colonel Creighton W. Abrams Jr. (September 15, 1914 – September 4, 1974) broke through the German encirclement to relieve the 101st Airborne and other detached units of the 10th Armored Division, on December 26, 1944. The night before, on Christmas Day, Luftwaffe aircraft attacked Bastogne, killing 21 Belgians and Americans at the main aid station. That air attack, and repeated shelling, caused the damage seen in this view. A major problem for the 101st Airborne Infantry Division was the constant shortage of supply and maintenance troops, The 801st Ordnance Company started for Bastogne on December 19. 5 miles from the town, the Germans ambushed them. At 2200, an enemy attack cut off the Division service area; the majority of the 326th Airborne Medical Company was captured. The 801st Ordnance Company and the 426th Quartermaster Company escaped capture with only slight losses. The Allied command then diverted the unit and placed it under VIII Corps’ control until December 29. Therefore, the division had no direct support maintenance or evacuation capability until after the Allies broke the German encirclement. When the enemy succeeded in encircling Bastogne there were approximately a 100 of the Division’s trucks in rear areas. Only a few of those which had been sent back for supplies succeeded in returning to the Bastogne area prior to the encirclement. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1713.jpg |
| Image Size | 297.22 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2200 x 1467 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | United States Army Signal Corps |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | January 1, 1945 |
| Location | |
| City | Bastogne |
| State or Province | Wallonia |
| Country | Belgium |
| Archive | Rue Des Archives |
| Record Number | |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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