Figure 1.--These Belgian civilans alerted by the sound of artillery are fleeing west to escape the advancing Germans on December 16, 1944. At least they had a waggon. Many refugees were forced to flee with just the clothes on their backs.

The German invasion of France began in the Ardennes (May 1940). The war at the time quickly passed and the German occupation took hold. The Americans moved into the Ardennes as the Allies liberated most of Belgium (September 1944). The Germans commited a range of attrocities at the time, mostly in retaiation to scattered Ressistance attacks. The Germans were irritated by the attitude of the Belgian civilians and thus did not treat them gently. The Ardennes proved to be a quiet sector. The Americans occupied it lightly and the Germans wanted to create the impression that nothing was happening. This changed suddenly when German artillery open up and the Panzers started moving forward (December 16). Civilians along with the American soldiers woke up in the early morning hours to find themselves in middle of a fierce battle. Many civilians recalling the German behavior as they retreated, decided to get as far west as possible. Civilians near the front line huridly snatched what ever was handy and streamed in long lines west. Those further west had a little time to prepare. Few could comprehend that they were in the middle of the largest and longest battle fought in the West. Two massive armies collided in the Ardennes with the Germans attempting to break out again, this time to seize the all-important port of Antwerp. The civilians thus had good reason to fear the Germans, especially the SS-Division that Hitler commited to the offensive. The Americas at first had no way to stop the Germans or aid the refugees. And they complicated the task of the Military Police attemptingb to direct military traffic and identify German infiltrators. At one point 0.2 million Belgian and Luxenbourg civilians were on the road in freezing weather headed west attempting to escape the Germans. [Parker, p. 307.] Many were on foot. Some were in carts pulled by farm vehicles. Few were in cars or trucks because gas was virtually impossible go obtain. One American soldier recalls, "... thin lines of refugees streamed out of the east along a road winding through our camp. Not many were warmly dressed although the weather was cold enough for shaded patches of snow to persist throughout the day. Muddy ruts froze hard in the night. Most refugees looked frail. Many would break out of line when they caught sight of the garbage barrels outside of our mess tents. They would paw around inside the barrels then drift back into line. Mostly men. The scene was like a giant, silent movie. The actors made no sound. "Would they find safety among friends and relatives in villages to the west?" How safe was the west anyway?" [Baird]

The Ardennes

The German invasion of France began in the Ardennes (May 1940). The war at the time quickly passed and the German occupation took hold. The Americans moved into the Ardennes as the Allies liberated most of Belgium (September 1944). The Ardennes proved to be a quiet sector. The Americans occupied it lightly and the Germans wanted to create the impression that nothing was happening.

Belgian Attitudes

The Germans commited a range of attrocities at the time, mostly in retaiation to scattered Ressistance attacks. The Germans were irritated by the attitude of the Belgian civilians and thus did not treat them gently.

German Offensive

This changed suddenly when German artillery open up and the Panzers started moving forward (December 16). Civilians aling with the American soldiers woke up in the early morning hours to find themselves in middle of a fierce battle. Two massive armies collided in the Ardennes with the Germans attempting to break out again, this time to seize the all-important port of Antwerp. The Americas at first had no way to stop the Germans or aid the refugees. And they complicated the task of the Military Police attemptingb to direct military traffic and identify German infiltrators.

Fear of the Germans

The civilians thus had good reason to fear the Germans, especially the SS-Division that Hitler commited to the offensive. They had fought in the East and were prepared for war that gave no quater to either eneny soldiers or civilians. In some villages, the local gendarmerie and resistance had joined the Americans to fight the Germans. There were even German POWs in some of the local jails.

Refugee Stream

Many civilians recalling the German behavior as they retreated, decided to get as far west as possible. The refugee stream was one way--west. There were no refugees moving east. Civilians near the front line huridly snatched what ever was handy and streamed in long lines west. Those further west had a little time to prepare.

Fierce Fighting

Few could comprehend that they were in the middle of the largest and longest battle fought in the West. Not all the civilians could escape to the West. They had to hunker down in their homes and basements. And it as not forv a brief fight. Some villages changed hands four times as the fighting waged back and forth. And it was not just the Germans the villagers who stayed had to worry about. Once the Germanhsxwere stopped, Amjerican artillery and aircraft began puverizing anu location the Germans occupied. And this meant many of the villages. Villages were reduced to rubble.

Dimensions

At one point 0.2 million Belgian and Luxenbourg civilians were on the road in freezing weather headed west attempting to escape the Germans. Many were forced to wander the region foe weeks seeking sdj=helter and food. [Parker, p. 307.]

Condition

Many were on foot. Some were in carts pulled by farm vehicles. Few were in cars or trucks because even if they haf vehicles, whih few did, gas was virtually impossible to obtain. One American soldier recalls, "... thin lines of refugees streamed out of the east along a road winding through our camp. Not many were warmly dressed although the weather was cold enough for shaded patches of snow to persist throughout the day. Muddy ruts froze hard in the night. Most refugees looked frail. Many would break out of line when they caught sight of the garbage barrels outside of our mess tents. They would paw around inside the barrels then drift back into line. Mostly men. The scene was like a giant, silent movie. The actors made no sound. "Would they find safety among friends and relatives in villages to the west?" How safe was the west anyway?" [Baird]

Shelter

Ethnic Germans

Areader writes, "It is ironic that many of the Belgian civilians who fled their homes in the Ardennes mountains, and especially the ones who were caught in the middle of the fights between the Americans and Germans. actually were German-speaking citizens, whose ancestors had lived in the area of Bastogne, Eupen-Malmédy, St.Vith for centuries. Until 1918 they were Prussian citizens, after 1920 they again became Belgians till 1940 when the Nazis proclaimed the region to be part of Germany. Their sons were conscrioted into the Whermacht or Waffen SS where they (possibly) had to fight the American liberators while the rest of the family tried to move away from their burned houses." We wondered if the ethnic Germans were not pro-German. Our reader replied, "Of course, but that does not mean that they were pro-Nazi. As a matter of fact the daily German newspaper was very Catholic and anti-Nazi before the War. The publication was immediately verboten in 1940 after the Germans invaded Belgium. It resumed publication after May 1945." [Stueck]

Sources

Baird, Bob. "Dec. 16, 1944--Jan. 16, 1945, "the most stunning and confused battle fought on the Western Front in WWII," Choices Magazine (December 1993).

Parker, Danny S. The Battle of the Bulge: Hitler's Ardennes Offendive, 1944-1945.

Stueck, Rudi. E-mail message, July 8-9, 2013.

Created: 11:08 AM 7/8/2013
Last updated: 7:27 PM 3/25/2013