| A patrol of Company F, 3rd Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, searches the woods between Eupen and Butgenbach, Belgium, for German parachutists who were dropped in that area. Operation Stösser (“Operation Hawk”) was a paratroop drop into the American rear in the High Fens area during the Ardennes Offensive. Its objective was to take and hold the crossroads at Belle Croix Jalhay N-68 – N-672 until the arrival of the 12.SS-Panzerdivision Hitlerjugend (“Hitler Youth.”) Both roads were main supply routes, the N-68 Eupen and the N-672 Verviers up to Belle-Croix leads to either Malmedy or Elsenborn. The operation was led by Oberst Friedrich August Freiherr von der Heydte (March 30, 1907 – July 7, 1994), who was given 8 days to prepare the mission. The majority of the Fallschirmjäger (paratroopers) and pilots assigned to the operation were undertrained and inexperienced. Kampfgruppe Von Der Heydte took up a position at Porfays in the forest east of the N-68 and conducted some local skirmishes on small American convoys and even captured some soldiers. The mission was a failure, though. With only a single day’s food supply and limited water, on December 19, Heydte withdrew his forces towards the German lines. He used their limited ammunition to attack the rear of the American lines. Only about 1/3 reached the German rear. Heydte, wounded, frostbitten, and suffering from pneumonia, knocked on doors in Monschau until he found a German family. The next morning he sent a boy with a surrender note to the Allies. He was taken prisoner on December 23 and remained in custody until 1947. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0345.jpg |
| Image Size | 781.83 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2551 x 2045 |
| Photographer | Jonathan William Mitchell |
| Photographer Title | United States Army Signal Corps |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | December 24, 1944 |
| Location | |
| City | Ardennes |
| State or Province | Wallonia |
| Country | Belgium |
| Archive | United States Army |
| 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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