WW2 Battle of the Bulge: How 22 Americans Held Off 500 Germans at Lanzerath Ridge

WW2 Battle of the Bulge: How 22 Americans Held Off 500 Germans at Lanzerath Ridge December 16, 1944. Eighteen American soldiers of the Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon, 394th Infantry Regiment, were ordered to watch a road above the Belgian village of Lanzerath — not hold it. What they did instead held up the entire German offensive at the opening of the Battle of the Bulge for 12 hours, made them the most decorated platoon in American history for a single action, and was almost forgotten for nearly 40 years. Dug into snow-covered foxholes with nothing but a jeep-mounted .50 caliber machine gun, a light .30 cal, and a handful of BARs, this reconnaissance platoon — built for patrols, not for stopping a regiment — watched 500 German soldiers march down the road toward a junction that would open the way into the heart of Belgium. Rather than report and withdraw, 22 men (18 from the platoon, reinforced by a handful of others) chose to stand in front of them for as long as they possibly could. This is the story of Lyle Bouck and the I&R Platoon's stand at Lanzerath Ridge — one of the opening actions of the last great German offensive of the war, and one of the most remarkable last stands in American military history. 📚 Sources: Robert Kershaw's It Never Snows in September, John Toland's Battle: The Story of the Bulge, Charles Whiting's work on the Bulge's opening hours, and Lyle Bouck's own interviews with historians from the 1970s onward. #battleofthebulge #ww2history #lanzerathridge #militaryhistory #ww2 #usarmy #wwiihistory #ardennesoffensive #lylebouck #decoratedplatoon