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Crossroads 68 in the Ardennes

Discussion in 'Western Europe 1943 - 1945' started by neffnan, Jun 22, 2013.

  1. neffnan

    neffnan New Member

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    I'm trying to find out exactly which crossroads was "Crossroads 68" in the Battle of the Bulge, in the vicinity of Remonval and Steinbach (near Waimes/Weismes). There was an skirmish there on 15 January involving a couple of companies from the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 23rd Infantry, 2nd Division taking a farmhouse in which some SS troops had been holding out for days. My father was shot there, and I'm trying to find out more info about the action, specifically to locate Crossroads 68, which is the way the location is identified in both the After-Action Report and Robertson's "Combat History of the 2nd Division in WW2". I haven't been able to find any military maps for WW2 on-line, and the map in Robertson's book is useless (no detail, towns positioned incorrectly relative to each other, cartoonish). I've attached a map of the area today. View attachment 18979 Can anyone give me any leads? Thanks!
     

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  2. Earthican

    Earthican Member

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  3. TD-Tommy776

    TD-Tommy776 Man of Constant Sorrow

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    After looking at the maps & Google Earth, the intersection of Rue de Rôbroû and Voie des Allemands (at 50° 23' 52'' N 6° 06' 07'' E) seems to me to be the best candidate for Crossroads 68. That would be the intersection near the question mark on the left.

    The relationship with Remonval on the 30th ID map differs from Google, but the features of the roads in the area suggest that intersection.
     
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  4. neffnan

    neffnan New Member

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    @Earthican and TD-Tommy776 -- fantastic! I'm blown away by how fast I got helpful responses. Yes, I agree that the crossroads near the upper-left question mark is a good match for what's indicated on Earthican's map. (I had put those question marks there as being my best guesses based on the A/A report and Robertson's book.) On the satellite view in google maps, there's even a dirt track from that intersection down and over to Remonval, making it a real "crossroads".
    Thank you for your responses. My Dad has always wanted to go back to Belgium--he fought in the 2nd Division from October 1944 through Jan 1945--and I had scheduled a trip for us to go over next week, but he fell a couple of weeks ago and isn't recovering very well. Maybe showing him what we've tracked down will encourage him to get up and moving again. Thank you!
     
  5. TD-Tommy776

    TD-Tommy776 Man of Constant Sorrow

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    I am very sorry to hear about your father's fall and injury. Please pass on our wishes for a speedy recovery. Also, please pass on our appreciation and thanks for his service. I hope you will consider sharing stories from his service in the Those Who Served section of the Forum. It would be great to get his first person perspective. However, if he is not up to it, that is understandable.
     
  6. WARNACH

    WARNACH Member

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    Good evening
    Crossroads 68 - CR 68 (Objective for the January 15th attack by the G-Coy - 23 RCT and taken at 1130Hrs) is as indicated by erthican on the Battle for Thirimont map.
    I compiled some years ago this map and posted it on the great - thanks Warren - 30 US Inf Div site .
    For the moment I'm working on a battlefield tour for this limited area of the north shoulder.
    It is one of those locations where things happened you could not imagine - almost hilarious (except for the fact that many people died there).
    Enjoy the summer
    Peter
     
  7. Earthican

    Earthican Member

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    Welcome WARNACH,

    We very much appreciate your work to study these battles in detail from both American and German views.

    Warren does a great job at oldhickory30th.com. Thank you for sharing with his site.

    Recently I came cross the Stephens' maps, although a copy of his Infantry School student paper is not posted.
    map:
    https://www.benning.army.mil/library/content/Virtual/Donovanpapers/maps/StudentMaps/StephensJohn%20M/Map%20D.jpg
    index:
    https://www.benning.army.mil/library/content/Virtual/Donovanpapers/wwii/index.htm
     
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  8. neffnan

    neffnan New Member

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    Earthican, your post makes me think this is the forum for me to post another question. In all the reading I've been doing about the BoB, especially that about the 2nd ID, plus my Dad's stories, I've become really interested in Capt. John M. Stephens, Jr. I'm really grateful for your link to the student maps. I'm going to post a request for info about him separately.

    However, WRT Crossroads 68, I thought you guys might be interested in my experiences there in my recent trip to the Ardennes. My Dad couldn't go because of bad health but I went to all the sites he has told me about, including Crossroads 68. Rue des Allemands is one of the roads at the crossroads, but the other is now called Rue de Wehre at that spot. One of the farmhouses is still there, and a woman still alive who'd been a 16-year-old in 1945. She told us all about her and her family's experiences during the German occupation and the American liberation. She was very welcoming, especially when she learned I was the daughter of a veteran of the battle for her farmhouse. Hearing her, and indeed my whole trip, was a fascinating and very moving experience. Thank you all for helping me locate the crossroads.
     
  9. TD-Tommy776

    TD-Tommy776 Man of Constant Sorrow

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    On your Google map, it shows the road named Rue de Rôbroû north of the crossroad and Rue de Wehre south of the crossroad. Of course, Google could very well be out of date.

    What a great trip that must have been. It's too bad that your father couldn't have made the trip. I would imagine that he was very pleased that you could do so on his behalf.
     
  10. Earthican

    Earthican Member

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    I am glad you were able to travel to Belgium, meet the people who witnessed those events and bring those expressions of gratitude back to your father. That is a special role that you can cherish.

    In the hard fought battles there were no cheering crowds for liberation. Soldiers and civilians each suffered and were often at odds on filling their immediate needs.


    If you come across someone with access to Fort Benning it might be possible to find a hardcopy of John Stephens' student paper. While these were written for the purpose of military instruction they often contain touching sentiments of admiration for the men they commanded.

    Title: Operations of Company G, 23d Infantry Regiment (2d Infantry Division) in securing Ondenval Pass in the vicinity of Ondenval, Belgium, 15 –20 January 1945. (Ardennes –Alsace Campaign) (Personal experience of a Company Commander)
    Author: Stephens Jr., John M. CPT
    Subject: Infantry with attached tanks attacking over open, rolling terrain
    Location: Archives, microfilm D –490


    Remarkably there are three other student papers from the 23d Infantry, two from the 2d Battalion (but from Normandy).

    Calder, Henry L. Jr. CPT, "Operations of the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry, 2nd Division, in the attack on Hill 192, west of Berigny, France, 12-16 June 1944" (Normandy Campaign)

    Fuller, Ellis L. CPT, "Operations of the 3rd Platoon, Company L, 23rd Infantry, 2nd Infantry Division, in the Odenvallveldingen Pass, Belgium, 17-19 January 1945" (ARdennes Campaign)

    Hamele, Louis F. LTC,"Operations of the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry, 2nd Infantry Division, East of St. Lo, 26-29 July 1944" (Northern France Campaign)
     
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  11. Natman

    Natman Member

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    Page 2 of the 741st Tank Battalion December 44 AAR mentions the actions with the 23rd IR: At 0830 they were involved in a fight, while assisting Company G, at "a crossroads strongpoint" and later moved east (possibly on the dirt track?) to Remonval.

    The 741st AAR's are located at CARL: http://cgsc.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p4013coll8/id/3512/rec/2

    Sounds like you had a nice trip to Belgium. I was able to visit Houffalize this summer and duplicate some of my Dad's photos. Way too much to see over there!!
     

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