Battle for the Twin Villages: Rocherath & Krinkelt, Battle of the Bulge lecture series 2024-25

This was our 2nd lecture of our 2024-25 Battle of the Bulge Lecture series. It is presented as after action reports from the viewpoints of the opposing commanders. We had to redub the audio so it may not match with the presenters presentation but the graphics are at the correct positions for the script. Rocherath & Krinkelt were two villages in Belgium that became the scene of some fierce fighting between American and German troops in the first days of the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. The German 277th Volksgrenadier Division tried to push Americans of the 99th Infantry Division out of the two adjoining villages, which contained an important road junction that could lead to the Elsenborn Ridge–which the Americans needed to hold the northern shoulder of the “bulge.” American resistance was fierce and both sides threw more troops into the desperate fighting. In the end, the Americans held the twin villages for three days before executing a withdrawal, stymieing the attempt of the 12th SS Panzer Division to break out and giving the Americans time to set up a defense along the Elsenborn Ridge that the Germans would never crack. It was a prime example of the tough fighting by American infantry that won the Battle of the Bulge.