A brief Allied capture of a Siegfried Line crossroads immediately preceded the Battle of the Bulge, leading directly to the defensive Battle of Elsenborn Ridge.
Key Facts
- Battle start date
- 15 December 1944 (one day before the Bulge)
- Objective
- Capture crossroads as jumping-off point for Roer River dams
- Crossroads captured
- Late 15 December 1944, after 3 days of fighting
- U.S. unit engaged
- 2nd Infantry Division, U.S. V Corps
- Distance from Krinkelt-Rocherath
- 5.6 miles
- Withdrawal trigger
- German offensive on 16 December threatened Allied rear areas
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
In early December 1944, the Allies sought to capture the Roer River dams, which the Germans could use to flood river crossings and halt Allied advances. Having failed to destroy the dams by bombing, U.S. V Corps moved the 2nd Infantry Division north to Krinkelt-Rocherath to assault the Wahlerscheid crossroads on the Siegfried Line as a staging point for the dam assault.
Beginning 13 December 1944, U.S. forces attacked the heavily defended three-way junction at Wahlerscheid on the Siegfried Line. The first two days produced significant American losses with no advance. On the third day, a platoon infiltrated German lines, and by late 15 December the crossroads was captured. The following day, Germany's Ardennes offensive began, threatening to cut off the American position.
With the German offensive on 16 December threatening their rear, U.S. forces withdrew from the newly captured crossroads to the twin villages of Krinkelt-Rocherath. The defense of those villages and the adjacent Elsenborn Ridge became the only sector of the entire Battle of the Bulge where Allied forces did not yield ground to the German advance.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent