Dec 20, 70 Years Ago After one and two night of driving on icy roads from Lorraine (France) towards Arlon, the most Southern city in Belgium, the 4AD split into three spearheads, CCA, CCB and CCR. Among CCB was then Majors Irzyk 8TB, Col Cohens 10AIB and attached units such as 22AFAB, 25CAV and Engineers. They had reached their bivouac location Nives, along the secundary road between Neufchateau and Bastogne. 8TB stayed at Nives, the 10AIB stayed at Vaux-les-Rosières, now called Vaux-sur-Sûre. On this day, a strange command arrived with Major Irzyk, i.e. to send a Task Force towards Bastogne to support the men of the 101st AB. It went into history as the Ezell TF. The ETF was only a couple of hours in Bastogne when Gen. Patton shouted that the task force had to return to Nives at once. On their way back, they observed around Sibret that the road had been crossed by tanks with very large tracks. Definitely German tanks. They concluded that the Germans had already encircled Bastogne by that time ! Somewhat further, the Ezell TF found vehicles, even a truch with a turning engine but the driver was laying dead behind the steering wheel. The ETF finally returned safely at Nives, ironically with more vehicles and men that when they had left the village in the morning. CCB was again on full strength, something for which Irzyk, Dager and Patton had feared for.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Dec 2014 13:45:19 +0000
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