Belgian partisans during Battle of the Bulge (?)

[Viktor.S]

Hello everyone,

Did members of the Belgian resistance take a combat role during the German offensive in winter 1944-45? I recall hearing that, after the liberation, the Belgian government tried to disarm the partisans, but I don't know if this is true or if any Belgian partisans took up arms in defence during the Battle of the Bulge. I'd like to know some details.

To be clear, I'm asking about the local para-military partisans, not the Free Belgian Army.

Thanks.

[Prosper Vandenbroucke]

Hello,
There were never Belgian "Partisans". All those men belonged to the Belgian Resistance.and No they don't took the arms during the 'Battle of the Bulge, There were only men who belonged to the "Batallions de Fusiliers Belges" (Belgian Regular army), attached to the U.S. or British armies and they assumed only the guard of railways and amunition depots during that battle
The whole Belgian Resistance was desarmed by the Belgian Government after the Liberation of the country in september 1944
Sorry for my poor english but's not my native language.
Kindly regards
Prosper

[Viktor.S]

Thank you for your reply. By "partisans" I meant the armed members of the resistance, sorry for the confusion. So, there were no Belgian armed volunteers or saboteurs operating during the Battle of the Bulge invasion, only the regular army?

[wwilson]

So, there were no Belgian armed volunteers or saboteurs operating during the Battle of the Bulge

As Prosper pointed out, the resistance elements became 'regularized' by the Belgian government after the liberation in September 1944. IIRC, over 50,000 men were mobilized into the fusilier battalions, and others were used to form five regular infantry brigades.

[Viktor.S]

As Prosper pointed out, the resistance elements became 'regularized' by the Belgian government after the liberation in September 1944. IIRC, over 50,000 men were mobilized into the fusilier battalions, and others were used to form five regular infantry brigades.

Thank you. I just wondered perhaps if there were any citisen volunteer groups that took up arms outside of the regular armed forces, given the surprise nature of the German offensive into Belgium in 1944 (for example, some citisens in the Soviet Union took up arms during the German invasion without being first enlisted in the Red Army).

[Sheldrake]

The 5th SAS was a Belgian unit serving with the British Army and deployed to the Ardennes after the German attack. They were mounted in Jeeps and took part in the battle for Bures in early January 1945. The Germans feared Belgian partisans and there were several Belgian civilians killed by the Germans regardless of their invovlement or innocence.

[Carl Schwamberger]

I recall a couple accounts from US soldiers who were in eastern Belgium during Dec 1944 & January 1945. They described the Belgian civilians there as more sympathetic to the Germans than Allies. One ten year old boy bragged to the Yanks about his membership in the 'Hitler Youth' & warned them they'd lose the war soon. Two anecdotes may or may to indicate something. There is that the Germans moved the border west after 1940, incorporating what they called Malmedy in the German nation. Is there any literature examining the attitude of the residents of this region? Perhaps not many would have been interested in resisting the Germans?

[wwilson]

There is that the Germans moved the border west after 1940, incorporating what they called Malmedy in the German nation.

IIRC, this part of Belgium was part of Germany up until 1918. It is the "German part" of Belgium. I think in 1944 there were mixed loyalties among the residents. The story of the "Wereth 11" is instructive. One civilian in a village fed 11 U.S. soldiers who were retreating and lost. When troops of an SS recon battalion arrived, another civilian in the village told the SS troops the Americans were there (village of Wereth). The 11 were captured, tortured, and shot. There is a memorial today to the 11 men near the village.

I've been through that area. Not sure how indicative of general attitudes such things are, but there was graffiti defacing road signs in French while leaving be the associated road signs in German. Also noted an the result of an act of gross disrespect to a memorial to U.S. engineers near St. Vith. My sense was that there is a clique in the region that agitates against Belgian rule -- but the Belgians on this forum may see things differently.

Certainly, in 1944, there were plenty of people in the region who recalled being Germans under German rule, and were glad to see the German armed forces returning. Unsurprising considering that it is a border region that had recently changed hands.

[Knouterer]

In Luxembourg, where a good part of the battle took place, small numbers of local resistance fighters assisted the Americans. A month before the battle, some of them had successfully repulsed SS troops attempting to retake the town of Vianden:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vianden

[Knouterer]

Some of the resistance fighters from Vianden, date unknown. Apart from German weapons two American M3 submachine guns are in evidence.
Second from the right is Frankie Hansen, whose story is rather interesting:
http://frankiehansen.org/wk1/index.php? ... setlang=en

[Sheldrake]

There is that the Germans moved the border west after 1940, incorporating what they called Malmedy in the German nation.

IIRC, this part of Belgium was part of Germany up until 1918. It is the "German part" of Belgium. I think in 1944 there were mixed loyalties among the residents. The story of the "Wereth 11" is instructive. One civilian in a village fed 11 U.S. soldiers who were retreating and lost. When troops of an SS recon battalion arrived, another civilian in the village told the SS troops the Americans were there (village of Wereth). The 11 were captured, tortured, and shot. There is a memorial today to the 11 men near the village.

I've been through that area. Not sure how indicative of general attitudes such things are, but there was graffiti defacing road signs in French while leaving be the associated road signs in German. Also noted an the result of an act of gross disrespect to a memorial to U.S. engineers near St. Vith. My sense was that there is a clique in the region that agitates against Belgian rule -- but the Belgians on this forum may see things differently.

Certainly, in 1944, there were plenty of people in the region who recalled being Germans under German rule, and were glad to see the German armed forces returning. Unsurprising considering that it is a border region that had recently changed hands.

I don't know what the evidence is of betrayal, but the soldiers killed at Wereth were black soldiers of 333 Field Artillery and easily identifed among PW or Belgian civilians. This massacre did not receive the same notoriety as the "malmedy Massacre."

There is a memorial to the recon platoon of the 99th at Lanzerath in Belgium. https://www.tracesofwar.com/sights/2060 ... morial.htm
I was here about 15 years ago and met the farmer who donated the land on which the memorial was built. He told us about his military service - in the Wehrmacht. A man born in his village in 1900 might have fought for the Kaiser in 1918, the Belgian Army in 1940 and then Hitler from 1940.