"The Fall of the Golden Lions" Topic

"The first German shells came as a jolt. It was 0530 on a wintry Saturday morning, December 16, 1944. American troops atop the ridge known as the Schnee Eifel weren't expecting much action that morning. In fact, the 106th Infantry Division had just gotten to the front a few days before, relieving the 2nd Infantry Division in the Ardennes Forest, a sector of the front so quiet and uneventful that the GIs had started calling it the "Ghost Front." It was a perfect place for a green unit to get acclimated to the rigors of life in the field and to the routine of front-line duty. By World War II standards, it was almost idyllic.

But now, as the Germans suddenly opened up with everything from nimble 3-inch mortars to massive 16-inch railway guns, the Ghost Front didn't seem quite so peaceful. The "battle of the Bulge" had begun. The men of the 106th–the "Golden Lions," they were called—didn't know it, but they were about to plunge into one of the worst disasters in US military history. Within days, their division would be destroyed, and most of them would be spending the rest of the war in German POW cages…"

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Armand

Yes but the Division suffered from being over cadred and 1 regiment fought valiantly through the rest of the campaign.

Late to the war, green, stuck in a bad position just a short time earlier, poorly commanded, etc., what happened to them should not have been a surprise.

By late 1944, the US Army, like all their other participants in the war, were scrapping the bottom of the barrel for qualified soldiers, NCOs and officers. Units were being rushed to Europe as the per-invasion plans had not counted on reaching the German frontier as quickly as it so happened. Veteran divisions had been hollowed out in the prior months while attempting to reach the Rhine (the high command with its ideas that the Germans were collapsing). The 106th replaced one of those divisions with the view that it was a "quiet" part of the front, that it could hold an extended frontage and that while green, it would have time to toughen up and gain experience.

The US Army did it in both world wars and Korea.

"one of the worst disasters in US military history."
How true is that?

Number-wise how did it compare with Kasserine or Bataan?

In the former the US Army soon rallied and, for novices to the battlefield, did all that could be expected. In the latter, it was a massive surrender, but only after months of fighting with no hope of support. It was far more creditable than the performance of British and Commonwealth forces in Malaya and Singapore.

and if anyone met with disaster in The Bulge, it was not the Allied Armies

The 106th was placed in a very precarious position. The previous occupants (the 2nd ID, I believe) recognized just how dangerous it was in the event of a German attack and had prepared fall-back plans just in case. When they turned the position over to the 106th, the 2nd didn't bother to share their plans. The 106th's commander quickly realized there was a danger and had prepared fall-back plans which were nearly identical to what the 2nd had created. He was going to distribute them on December 16th. Just a bit too late.

It was pretty bad – at Kasserine the casualties were just over 6,000 – with only about 500 or so KIA. But this figure seems to include all of the other battles that made up the Kasserine Pass 'series' – Sidi Bou Zid, Sbiba, Bou Chebka – as well as the Kasserine Pass over 5 days. So the collapse of the 106th on the Schnee Eifel in one fell swoop with 7,000+ POW and other KIA/WIA on top of that, in two days, does indeed make it the worst defeat the USA suffered in the West. At the time the US army was none too pleased with the effort of the 106th with Hodges remarking that even if they were cut off the two surrounded regiments should have been like wild cats in a bag – or something rather critical of that nature.

I strongly disagree with the article to the extent that it equates the 28th Divisions performance with the 106th Divisions. This cannot be – one of the reasons why the Bulge failed was that the 28th Division did have units cut off and it did take very heavy casualties but it fought extremely well and slowed down the Germans for the vital 48 hours that was needed for the 101st to get into Bastogne.

I would recommend the 'Pen & Sword' DVDs on 'The Bulge'. As a Brit, I had been under the impression that, taken by surprise, the US troops collapsed… until Bastogne.
The reality was that 'weak' forces somehow managed to 'hold' for 'just long enough'… with great courage… and disrupt the German plan until it 'stalled' against the Bastogne defence and the hurried reinforcement.

Not many 'Command', showed up well at all, initially… but the combat troops did.

For 'battlefield' views, 'modern' DVD presentations can be a 'must see', compared to my 'old' history books and 'newsreel' propaganda film.

The time delay at St Vith was also critical to the allies so they could backstop the main line. We ended up losing St. Vith so it doesn't get the press that Bastogne does but holding it for a while gave time for the 82nd airborne to block the river behind it.

I agree with you Murvihill. What ever slim chance the operation had of success was lost at St Vith.

Thanks!.

Armand

I don't think it has to do with St. Vith ultimately falling into German hands. I think it is because that because the prolonged defense of St. Vith so bolloxed the German plans, most Americans don't understand how important the quick capture of St. Vith was to the Germans. At Bastogne OTOH the Americans were facing German troops that had already broken through.

Both what happened at Kasserine and the Bulge were disasters, etc. But like a good boxer it's not if you go down but how quickly you get up again swinging ! 💪👊

The quality of the germans what not the best also….

Armand