333rd Field Artillery Battalion (United States) - Ardennes Offensive & The Wereth 11

Ardennes Offensive & The Wereth 11

The 333rd FA Group (333rd {155mm}, 969th {155mm} and 771st {4.5-inch} FA Battalions) initially supported the 2nd Division and its replacement, the 106th Infantry Division. At the onset of the Battle of the Bulge they were eleven miles behind the front lines. With the rapid advance of the Germans, the 333rd FA Battalion was ordered to withdraw further west, but C and Service Batteries were ordered to stay behind to give covering fire to the 106th Division. On 17 December they were overrun with most killed or captured.

Eleven of its soldiers became separated from the unit after it was overrun early on the second day of the battle. In an effort to reach American lines they made their way to the hamlet of Wereth, Belgium (near Amel), where a farmer, Mathias Langer, sheltered them. However, later that day, a Nazi sympathizer revealed their presence to members of the 1st SS Division. They surrendered, but were taken to a field, where they were tortured, maimed, and shot on 17 December 1944. Their remains were found by Allied soldiers two months later, after the Allies re-took the area. The soldiers had their fingers cut off, legs broken, and at least one was shot while trying to bandage a comrade's wounds.

A memorial now stands on the site of their murders, dedicated to the 11 (Wereth 11) and all African-American soldiers who fought in the European theatre. It is believed to be the only memorial to African-American soldiers of World War II in Europe.

The remnants of the 333rd FAB were ordered to Bastogne and incorporated into its sister unit the 969th Field Artillery Battalion. Both units provided fire support for the 101st Airborne Division in the Siege of Bastogne, subsequently being awarded the Presidential Unit Citation.

The 333rd Field Artillery Battalion suffered more casualties during the Battle of the Bulge than any other artillery unit in the VIII Corps. Six officers (including the commanding officer) and 222 enlisted men became either casualties or prisoners of war.

The 333rd FA Group subsequently served in the Central Europe campaign until the end of the war, while the 333rd FA Battalion subsequently served in the Rhineland Campaign.