Many of us still remember the date June 6, 1944, as D-Day, when Allied forces invaded Normandy. This terrible struggle has gone down in history books as the “beginning of the end” for Hitler’s war machine.

Fifty-five years later, a Saguache boy, Dan Hayes, stood on Omaha Beach, accompanied by his grandsons, Daniel 15 and Nathan 14. Before embarking on this tour of European battlefields, these two boys had heard stories from their granddad about his time of service in the army. Dan earned five battle stars while serving with the 3468th Ordnance Co. in France, Belgium, Luxembourg & Germany. Their job was to repair & service artillery pieces, tanks, trucks & instruments. 

An interesting story was told while Dan’s group was touring a battlesite in Belgium - enclosed is “The Story Of Lanzerath.”

Throughout France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands are many monuments, memorials and markers erected to honor those soldiers who participated in the battles of WWII; nearly all battles of any consequence are so honored.

Our tour bus had proceeded on a rather narrow roadway to a point on the outskirts of Lanzerath, Belgium and some kilometers from Bastogne. We stopped near a small building identified by a small sign as “Cafe Palm”; we dismounted from the bus and gathered on the side of the road. Here Ron Drez, our tour guide, told the story of Lanzerath.

The 99th Infantry Division and, the 106th Infantry Division had been brought from the States and put on the line just a few weeks prior to the start of the “Battle of the Bulge”. The men of these Divisions had no combat experience and were placed in the Ardennes in a widely separated front to form a holding action.

Lt. Lyle Bouck, of the I & R Platoon, the 394th Regiment of the 99th Division, commanded a platoon of eighteen men – this platoon was assigned a sector of road leading into Lanzerath to be defended in case of a German advance. Bouck and his men dug in positions on the high ground above the roadway, whereby they had good observation and a good field of fire.

Colonel Pieper, then a young fanatic SS Trooper, who was responsible for the “Malmedy Massacre” had ordered a Battalion of German Infantry to proceed down this road, pass through Lanzerath and go lickety split to Bastogne. This was December 16, 1944 the beginning of the “Battle of the Bulge”. This developed into the biggest and most bitterly fought battle of WWII on the western front.

From an observation post, Lt. Bouck’s men spotted the Battalion of German infantry approaching their position - by radio Bouck called for artillery fire on the sector of road on which the Germans were advancing - unfortunately, no artillery responded. (Regimental Headquarters had ordered Bouck to hold their position “at all costs” which meant no retreat or falling back). Bouck instructed his men to hold their fire until the enemy troops were in open range. Just as the lead Germans passed by a small brown house directly below Bouck’s troops, a small girl ran out of the house and pointed up toward the high ground. Bouck, thinking the girl was pointing to their positions, opened fire.

The Germans deployed and attacked up the hill - they attacked again and again and left more than three hundred dead soldiers on the slopes of the high grounds. Finally Bouck and his men fell back toward Lanzerath, having run out of ammunition, they were forced to surrender. As prisoners, they were taken to the “Cafe Palm” and forced to lie on the floor where Bouck held in his arms a Corporal who had his jaw shot off. A German doctor treated the wounded prisoners - this happened often, American Medics treating German soldiers and vice versa.