Let me tell you about this lovely little Belgian city called : La Roche. Nestling in a leafy setting on the banks of the Ourthe River, La Roche, the Jewel of the Ardenne, has a fascinating past, a wealth of history, legends, and even a ghost. We know the La Roche area was already inhabited in Neolithic times, 20 centuries before our own era. The ancient Belgæ built an oppidum (hill fort) on this rocky outcrop, where the castle now stands. In 57 BC, Ardenne like Gaul had to submit to the yoke of Rome. A fortlet was built to replace the oppidum. Excavations in La Roche have found coins dating from the time of Emperor Domitian (AD 81-96) and Constantine II (AD 337-340). Taking advantage of the decline of Rome, the Franks, a Germanic people, invaded our country in the 5th century. Under the Frankish occupation in the 8th century, Pepin of Herstal turned the Roman fort into a hunting lodge. The first castle was built in the 9th century and was at its peak between the 12th and 17th centuries. In the following century, faced with attacks from the French, the castle was turned into a fortress. After 1721, a slow decline set in. A proposal to restore it was made in 1744, but never came to anything. Abandoned and neglected, the castle fell into ruin. Excavation started here in 1995, projected to finish by the end of 1999. There is a project afoot with plans already drawn up for a partial reconstruction.
Originally, La Roche only had a simple chapel just for the celebration of Mass. Shortly before the 16th century, this chapel became a parish church. Plans for a new church were drawn up by architect Clément Léonard, and Dean Geubel gave a blessing and laid the foundation stone on 3rd July 1899. The superb stained glass windows date from the 1970s. La Roche today has lots of small chapels, and there’s a walk to take you round them.
In the Middle Ages, the main trades grouped together to form guilds – each with its chief, its privileges, and its patron saint. In La Roche, the main guilds were the weavers, the haberdashers, the tanners and the cordwainers.
Towards the end of the 19th century, an important new industry sprang up : tourism. English tourists came here for the fly fishing. Two other visitors who have turned out to be important for the growth of tourism in La Roche were Pastor Pierre Perk, writer of the first tourist guide in Dutch (1882), and his son Jacques who dedicated some poems to our town.
Could it be thanks to them that we receive so many visitors from the Netherlands ?
The town didn’t suffer during World War One, unlike in World War II. The town was liberated by Allied forces on 10th September 1944. But the counter-attack was not long in coming : the Ardenne Offensive was launched and the Germans entered the town again on 21 Dec 1944. La Roche was then bombarded with almost 70.000 artillery shells.
On 11th January 1945, the Highlanders of the British 30th Corps on the left bank of the Ourthe and the Americans of the 1st Army on the right bank finally liberated the town for good. 114 civilians had been killed, 350 houses had been destroyed and 327 badly damaged.
Nothing but ruins remained of the neat, cheery town of bygone days. With great fortitude, the people of La Roche cleared them away and built a brand new town.
Nowadays, La Roche is an important holiday center with impressive tourist amenities to please all types of visitors.
La Roche : The Battle of the Bulge
It was during the night of December 18 to 19 1944 that the first troop movements were seen in the vicinity of La Roche.
On Dec 19th, the advanced elements of the German 116th Panzer Division surrounded Houffalize and arrived in Bertogne at noon. In the evening they arrived in view of the bridge at Ortheuville where they ran into the US 705th Tank Destroyer Battalion on its way to Bastogne.
Having heard that Houffalize was not occupied by the Americans the 116th Panzer decided to return there for the night.
On Dec 20th, the 116th Panzer Division toke Samree and a medium food and fuel depot left by the 7th Armored Division. All the vehicles of the 116th refueled. On that same day, after a discussion with Gen Courtney H. Hodges, Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery decides to counter attack with the 3rd Armored Division of Gen Maurice Rose, the 84th Infantry Division of Gen Alexander R. Bolling Bolling and the 4th Cavalry Group. The 3rd Armored Division arrived in Hotton and Gen Rose sends out three task forces :
- Task Force Kane to Manhay
- Task Force Tucker to Samree via Amonines and Dochamps
- Task Force Hogan to La Roche via Trinal, Beffe and Celle.
The 84th Infantry Division moved out along the Marche to Hotton ridge.
Gen Rose wanting to take Samree back as soon as possible ordered Tucker to advance.
He sets off at 2230-H but does not even succeed in entering the town of Dochamps on the road to Samree. After taking Samree the 116th Panzer had moved on to Dochamps and occupied the village. Gen von Waldenburg, commander of the 116th Panzer is ordered to take the road from Soy to Hotton and its bridge over the Ourthe and to make a dash towards the Meuse in the north-west.
On Dec 21, at 0500-H, the 116th Panzer which has progressed all night, has taken the villages of Devantave, Magoster, Wy and Mélines. The 116th was heading then for Hotton but the 3rd Armored Division puts up a valiant resistance and holds them back for two days. This attack by the 116th will however oblige Task Force Hogan to take refuge in Marcouray.
On Dec 22, heavy snowfall slows down all troop movements.
On Dec 23, the German command ordered the 560th Volksgrenadier Division to take over from the 116th Panzer Division stopped in front of Hotton. This allowed the 116th to attack from the other side, using the bridge in La Roche to cross the Ourthe River. It was freezing and the sky was clear. This finally allowed the Army Air Force to take part in the battle. Now, on the northern bank of the Outhe River, the 560th Volksgrenadier Division was facing the 3rd Armored Division while on the southern bank, the 116th Panzer Division was facing Verdenne and the 84th Infantry Division
On Dec 24, following the attacks by the Army Air Force to help Task Force Hogan in Marcouray, the 560th Volksgrenadier had to abandon the ridges to the east of the village. The 116th Panzer attacked Verdenne and reached the high ground above Bourdon. The 75th Infantry Division was sent out to reinforce the 3rd Armored Division near Hotton.
Dec 25 1944, was a sad Christmas Day with no truce anywhere. All the forces in presence continue their fight relentlessly. Col Hogan and his group who are still encircled in Marcouray decided to leave on foot during the night of Dec 25 to 26. They made it back to the American lines. The group of 400 men made it back with the loss of only one man, shot by a nervous American sentry.
On Dec 26, the Führer Begleit Brigade arrived to reinforce the 116th Panzer. While the 116th continued its attacks on Verdenne the Führer Begleit Brigade attacked Hampteau and Menil-Favay. In the evening however the 116th Panzer was obliged by the 84th Infantry Division to abandon Verdenne. The Führer Begleit Brigade, while about to gain Hampteau, was ordered to stop its advance to rejoin the siege of Bastogne without delay. The strange order received by the Führer Begleit Brigade came directly from Hitler himself who had just heard that Patton’s 3rd Army had entered Bastogne and he wanted to re-establish the siege without delay. Due to lack of fuel the tanks of the Führer Begleit Brigade broke down one after the other and most of them never reached Bastogne.
On Dec 27, the 12 SS Panzer Division arrived in the vicinity of Samree with elements of the 2 SS Panzer Division and attacked in the direction of Amonines, Sadzot and Forge à la Play. The attack did not succeed and the German troops toke up defensive positions. In La Roche the population was suffering allied artillery shelling as well as two bombardments aiming to get rid of the German anti aircraft guns on the high ground around La Roche. The Town Hall gets a direct hit and as TNT demolition charges, destined for the bridge, was stocked in its cellars, the whole group of houses around it was blown away.
On Dec 30, the 12 SS Panzer Division was ordered back to Bastogne to take part in a pincer attack on the corridor into Bastogne held by the Americans.
On Dec 31, the 12th SS Panzer sets out to rejoin Bastogne using two roads, one through Houffalize and the other through La Roche.
On Jan 1, La Roche was bomb out by the allies at the cost of many houses and civilian lives.
On Jan 3, the US VII Corps attacked from Hotton to Manhay with the Ourthe River on its right, the Aisne River in the middle and the Liege-Houffalize road on the left. Gen Lawton J. Collins placed his forces on either side of the Aisne :
- 2nd Armored Division and the 84th Infantry Division on the right
- 3rd Armored Division and the 83rd Infantry Division on the left
- 75th Infantry Division behind in reserve while the 4th Cavalry Group was placed under the 84th Infantry Division.
Also on Jan 3 1945, in cold and snowy conditions, the British Paratroopers marched on Bure which was liberated after three days of very hard fighting and many losses.
On Jan 4, in horrendous weather conditions, the Welsh in turn got forward. By the end of the day, the 53rd Welsh Infantry Division with the 33rd Armoured Brigade attached, were over the Verdenne-Marenne-Menil-Favay ridge and joined the Ourthe River between Hampteau and Rendeux-Bas.
To the west the British 6th Airborne Division with the 29th Armoured Brigade attached, progressed in the Direction of Rochefort, Marche, Jemelle and Nossogne encountering tough resistance.
On Jan 5, the 84th Infantry Division encounters strong resistance from the 2 SS Panzer Division at Concy Ridge all the more so that the Germans have the support of the 116th Panzer shooting from the other side of the Ourthe. On the British side, the 6th Airborne Division was still blocked in Bure and the 53rd Welsh is stalled.
On Jan 6, the situation was stationary. On the British side a deadly battle tokes place between the 53rd Welsh and the 116th Panzer in Grimbiemont.
On Jan 7, the British advanced to Grimbiemont which was captured by an East Lancashire Regiment while Cheoux falled to 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry. The 1st Battalion of the 334th Regiment (84th Infantry) tokes Marcouray and Marcourt. Dochamps was also liberated. La Roche was still occupied by the Germans and still shelled by the allies.
On Jan 8, Hitler accepted the defeat and authorised a retreat. On the British side, due to the heavy losses sustained during three days of fighting in the woods, in horrific weather conditions and no rest, the Welsh were replaced by the 51st Highland Division. So as not to take all their equipment over the icy roads the Welsh left everything behind for the Highlanders to use. The Americans captured Cielle but met violent resistance in Samrée. They only gained 500 yards.
In La Roche the Germans were retreating using the road to Villez. They abandoned also all the anti aircraft guns.
On Jan 9, the 334th Regiment moved from Cielle to the Hez de Harzé which was heavily defended by German troops. Over 10000 artillery shells were poured into those woods before the Germans retreated towards La Roche in the evening. In Samree at nightfall the village was still hold by the Germans and 12000 shells fold in the town during that night. The road from Vielsalm to La Roche was recaptured. In La Roche the German installed AT and AP mines to protect their retreat.
On Jan 10, the final assault was launched on Samrée by the 2nd Armored Division flanked by the 84th Infantry Divion. On the British side the 6th Airborne reached Nassogne while the 51st Highland Division gained the vicinity of La Roche.
On Jan 11, the first elements of the 4th Cavalry Group moved down from the Hez de Harzé to La Roche. La Roche had been abandoned by the Germans. In the same time they saw the Highlanders arriving from the other side of the Ourthe River. La Roche was liberated but the battle continued. The Highlanders liberated Hives, Hubermont, Mierchamps, Erneuville and Ortho.
Another step had to be done, reaching and recapturing Houffalize then link-up with Patton’s 3rd Army.
This battlefield of the Battle of the Bulge became quiet again on Jan 16 1945 at the Rensiwez Water Mill and bridge. The war was almost over for us.
Visiting La Roche & Museum Today
The Battle of the Bulge Museum at La Roche is covering close to 1500 square meters, spread over three levels reached by a large staircase and an elevator for the less valid. The visitor will discover over 120 mannequins of American, English, German and even Scottish soldiers with their equipment and armament, as well as uniforms donated by veterans of the Battle of the Bulge. Visitors will also discover an important collection of light and heavy arms, photographic documents, personal objects and equipment found on the battlefield beside some 20 military vehicles.
Visitors of the Museum will also be able to visit The Gun Room, exhibiting some 90 rifles, pistols, revolvers and the famous Enigma decoding machine of Polish origin, the Veterans Room, were the donations by veterans of the Battle are assembled, wall maps of the successive stages of the Battle of the Bulge and Film with period pictures of the liberation of La Roche in January 1945.
Informations on the Museum are available online at La Roche Military Museum
Informations on La Roche are available online at La Roche Tourism
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