Battle of the Bulge Memories
By Pvt Walker Fields
On December 17, 1944, “A” Company 526th Armored Infantry Battalion under Captain Charles A. Mitchell, were ordered into combat in the town of Stavelot, Belgium. It was near the Ambleve River that German soldiers who were dressed in the American Military Police uniforms of soldiers they had killed and left their bodies stacked on top of one another alongside the road directed us into Stavelot. We were in armored vehicles called half-tracks with 50 caliber machine guns mounted on the center of them.
We had just crossed the bridge over the Ambleve River, when Captain Mitchell was apprised that German soldiers were in the area. Captain Mitchell gave orders to dismount and dig in, but time did not permit us to dig a foxhole. All hell broke loose at that time, flares went up, small arms fire was everywhere and our squad was scattered all about.
There were four personnel from our squad and one displaced Belgian person. The Belgian could speak German and the area was familiar to him. I asked him to show us across an open field so we could get back across the river. The Germans had set up an ambush on this side of the river. After we were across, we had to go up a grade through some timber.
It was here that I saw some German soldiers each taking two 5-gallon cans of fuel from a fuel dump. I informed Captain Mitchell of this activity and he immediately ordered me to burn the fuel dump. I was able to use my bayonet to quietly open a five-gallon can which I splashed onto the ground and someone had shot holes into other fuel cans which had also leaked on the ground. I was pouring fuel as I backed away and when I lit the fuel it was only a matter of seconds that we had a huge fire.
I credit the Belgian friend for saving my life because of his knowledge of the terrain. I know that others have been praised for burning the fuel dump and that is okay, but Captain Mitchell and I know that the 526th Armored Infantry destroyed that fuel dump, slowing the Germans to a stop.
I was just a young kid, scared to death, but our trust in God is what defeated the Germans.