Bulge Today : A Grim PaK40 'Then & Now'

[Martin Bull]

A last little 'mission' from my Ardennes holiday last week. It's in several books and I'd always wanted to go and find it - it shows a knocked-out PaK40 near the village of Mabompre, again from the 116Pz Divn rearguard actions during their retreat through Houffalize. Reportedly it destroyed two vehicles before the inevitable return fire destroyed gun and crew. It was only a 5 minute drive away so I set out at 7:30 on a rather damp and chilly morning, once again having to 'park up' and walk to find the spot.

I'd often wondered why such a suicidal, exposed firing position had been chosen for the gun,assuming that it was covering the main Bastogne/Houffalize highway. I walked up the very narrow and twisty country lane ( behind me in the pic) up which the towing/ammunition vehicle must have driven and found the field.

Not apparent in either photo,but immediately obvious when you stand there, the gun has a perfect field of fire across the shallow valley to a a hillside curve on the left, and a T-junction on the right, both of which which would have carried the pursuing US forces across secondary forest roads from SW of La Roche and directly into Houffalize. Range approx 700-1000 yards. The main Bastogne highway,although quite close behind me, can't be seen from here

A rather bleak and lonely spot, and I paused to reflect on the bravery of the gun crew who only had the gun shield for protection.

I was glad to walk back to the car and turn the heater on......

[Peeloo]

Hi Martin, thank you for sharing with us!
Regards,
Peeloo

[The Devil's Bank]

Absolutely no protection on that lonely field, they must have known they would be targeted?

[Martin Bull]

I know they're the 'other side', but reading the 116th Panzer Division history (written by their own Intelligence Officer and containing many first-hand accounts ) is a remarkable story of 'phased withdrawal' across the Ardennes in January 1945,leaving small groups of dedicated men at every village and bridge,constantly delaying the Allied forces in awful weather so that the bulk of the Division (minus nearly all its armour) made it back 'home' . Very few were trapped when the American forces linked up at Houffalize, thus 'closing the Bulge'.