The Invisible Soldiers of the Battle of the Bulge: The Wereth 11
Norman S. Lichtenfeld, M.D.
Norman S. Lichtenfeld, M.D.
Everyone knows of the Tuskegee Airman, some know of the 761st Tank Battalion and the Red Ball Express, however the
majority of African Americans, who served in World War II, 260,000 in the European theatre of operations, were not
forgotten to history, they were simply never acknowledged. Their ranks include two segregated artillery battalions, the
333rd and 969th Field Artillery Battalion. They are the invisible soldiers of the Battle of the Bulge.
During World War II, American society believed in racial segregation and that Black Americans were not physically or
mentally capable of being combat soldiers. Many Black and White Americans opposed this concept and lobbied for
participation by Black citizens in the Armed Forces and especially in combat units. While most units composed of
African-Americans were considered support or labor units some specially designated combat units were created. These
units were to be composed of black men and white officers. Two of these special units were the 333rd and 969th field
artillery battalions. Black enlisted men, mostly draftees from the South, and White officers, formed these two units.
Training took place at Camp Gruber in Oklahoma in mid 1942. Many of the men came directly from their homes to Camp
Gruber for their military training. The men underwent basic Army training as well as specialized training to learn how to
operate the large 155mm howitzers. The units went on the famous Louisiana maneuvers in early 1943 and received high
scores for their efficiency and accuracy. By the time they were sent to England in January 1944 they were well trained,
well disciplined units.
In England, each unit was stationed in a small English village. Most English people had never before met a black man
but immediately grew to like the “black Yanks”. The townspeople remember the men with fondness and respect. The
soldiers found the English people friendly and welcoming, inviting them to their homes for dinner. Additionally the
men attended local dances and socialized with the English girls. For many of the men, especially those from the strongly
segregated South, this was truly a wonderful and distinctive experience. With the invasion of Europe the units were sent
into combat at the end of June 1944. They fought separately throughout the Normandy and Brittany campaigns supporting
different units in combat. During this time they were strafed by enemy aircraft, attacked by infantry, and saw continuous
combat from June to September 1944. They never wavered in their duty.
October 1944 found the 333rd in the small Belgium village of Schoenberg ten miles behind the front lines. The 969th was
further south in Luxembourg. Both units settled in for the winter and were told to expect to be in these positions until
spring. As supporting artillery their mission was to fire artillery shells into Germany. This they did on a regular daily
basis. They also tried to improve their living conditions by constructing log dugouts and trying to stay as warm as possible.
That winter in Europe was the coldest in 50 years with frequent snow and sub-zero temperatures. Everyone believed the
war was almost over.
On the morning of December 16, 1944, the Germans initiated the Battle of the Bulge with massive artillery, tank and
infantry attacks along a sixty-mile front. At first the American high command thought this was a minor counterattack
and were hesitant to move units towards the rear and away from the danger of the attack. The 333rd was initially ten
miles behind the front lines, but the rapid advance of the Germans caused the American high command to order half of
the 333rd further West, but leave the other half of the unit to support the 106th Infantry Division fighting the German
attack. By the morning of December 17, the remainder of the unit, including the battalion commander, was cut off by
German infantry that had encircled them, and were forced to surrender. The black GIs then joined long columns of
American prisoners being marched back into Germany. Eleven of the men escaped the initial capture and tried to walk
back to American lines. After walking for many hours through deep snow they were taken in by a Belgian farmer and
given hot food in the small village of Wereth. Unfortunately a German patrol of the 1st SS Panzer Division came to the
village and the men had no choice but to surrender. After making the men sit on the frozen ground until dark the
Germans marched them to the corner of a cow pasture where they were brutalized and murdered.
Further to the South, the 969th had immediately been ordered to move at the beginning of the German offensive. They
were ordered to the small Belgium town of Bastogne in support of the 101st Airborne Division. Together their job was
to stop the German advance. By coincidence they were joined by the surviving members and howitzers of their sister
battalion of the 333rd who had narrowly missed being surrounded at Schoenberg. The Germans quickly surrounded
Bastogne. The guns and men of the 969th and 333rd continued to support the 101st Airborne with artillery fire through
the severest of conditions. The men lived outside in foxholes in sub-zero temperatures, there was no hot food, little
ammunition, and as the Germans tried desperately to overrun the American positions many of the artillerymen were
forced to fight as infantrymen to repel German attacks. A German bombing raid on Christmas Eve 1944 killed two of
the officers, and three enlisted men. When the weather cleared on Christmas day, American aircraft were able to drop
supplies to the beleaguered men but not the heavy ammunition needed by the howitzers. Finally on December 27th,
gliders landed with the much-needed ammunition for the howitzers. The units continued to fight but the siege of
Bastogne was lifted. For their service during this time the 969th and the survivors of the 333rd, who had fought with
them, were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, the highest award a unit can receive.
Unfortunately the 333rd had suffered such severe casualties that the unit never fought again and many of the men were
transferred to the 969th. The 969th continued in action until the end of the war and was disbanded after the war ended.
The black artillerymen returned home to an America that was still racially segregated. One man who had been taken
prisoner at Schonberg and held for five months tried to get veteran benefits for his ordeal as a Prisoner of War. He was
told that no black GIs were ever taken prisoner so he could not get POW benefits. There were no ticker tape parades or
reunions for them. They got on with their lives and most tried to forget the war as best they could. Except for the families
of the dead men they were all but forgotten. But not everyone forgot.
In 1994 the son of the Belgian farmer, who had given the eleven men of the 333rd food and shelter before the Germans
murdered them, erected a small cross, with the names of the dead, in the corner of the pasture where they were killed,
as a private gesture from the family on the fiftieth anniversary of their deaths. But the memorial and the tiny hamlet of
Wereth remained basically unknown. In a tiny hamlet with no school or shops, there were no signs on the roadways to
indicate the memorial, and it was not listed in any guides or maps to the Battle of the Bulge battlefield. Even people
looking for it had trouble finding it in the small German speaking community.
In 2001, three Belgium citizens embarked on the task of creating a fitting memorial to these men, the Wereth 11, and
additionally to honor all black GI’s of World War II. A grassroots publicity and fund-raising endeavor was begun in
Belgium and America. The land was purchased and a fitting memorial was created. It is the only memorial to the black
G.I.s of WW II and their units in Europe. There are now road signs indicating the location of the memorial, and the
Belgium Tourist Bureau lists it in “Battle of the Bulge” brochures. The dedication of the memorial was held in 2004 in
an impressive military ceremony. The memorial stands today as a reminder of American sacrifice during WW II, no
longer forgotten. The goal of the memorial is to make the Wereth 11 and all black GI’s “visible” to Americans, and to
history. They, like so many others, paid the ultimate price for our freedom.
For more on the Wereth 11, please visit the Wereth Memorial Website.
majority of African Americans, who served in World War II, 260,000 in the European theatre of operations, were not
forgotten to history, they were simply never acknowledged. Their ranks include two segregated artillery battalions, the
333rd and 969th Field Artillery Battalion. They are the invisible soldiers of the Battle of the Bulge.
During World War II, American society believed in racial segregation and that Black Americans were not physically or
mentally capable of being combat soldiers. Many Black and White Americans opposed this concept and lobbied for
participation by Black citizens in the Armed Forces and especially in combat units. While most units composed of
African-Americans were considered support or labor units some specially designated combat units were created. These
units were to be composed of black men and white officers. Two of these special units were the 333rd and 969th field
artillery battalions. Black enlisted men, mostly draftees from the South, and White officers, formed these two units.
Training took place at Camp Gruber in Oklahoma in mid 1942. Many of the men came directly from their homes to Camp
Gruber for their military training. The men underwent basic Army training as well as specialized training to learn how to
operate the large 155mm howitzers. The units went on the famous Louisiana maneuvers in early 1943 and received high
scores for their efficiency and accuracy. By the time they were sent to England in January 1944 they were well trained,
well disciplined units.
In England, each unit was stationed in a small English village. Most English people had never before met a black man
but immediately grew to like the “black Yanks”. The townspeople remember the men with fondness and respect. The
soldiers found the English people friendly and welcoming, inviting them to their homes for dinner. Additionally the
men attended local dances and socialized with the English girls. For many of the men, especially those from the strongly
segregated South, this was truly a wonderful and distinctive experience. With the invasion of Europe the units were sent
into combat at the end of June 1944. They fought separately throughout the Normandy and Brittany campaigns supporting
different units in combat. During this time they were strafed by enemy aircraft, attacked by infantry, and saw continuous
combat from June to September 1944. They never wavered in their duty.
October 1944 found the 333rd in the small Belgium village of Schoenberg ten miles behind the front lines. The 969th was
further south in Luxembourg. Both units settled in for the winter and were told to expect to be in these positions until
spring. As supporting artillery their mission was to fire artillery shells into Germany. This they did on a regular daily
basis. They also tried to improve their living conditions by constructing log dugouts and trying to stay as warm as possible.
That winter in Europe was the coldest in 50 years with frequent snow and sub-zero temperatures. Everyone believed the
war was almost over.
On the morning of December 16, 1944, the Germans initiated the Battle of the Bulge with massive artillery, tank and
infantry attacks along a sixty-mile front. At first the American high command thought this was a minor counterattack
and were hesitant to move units towards the rear and away from the danger of the attack. The 333rd was initially ten
miles behind the front lines, but the rapid advance of the Germans caused the American high command to order half of
the 333rd further West, but leave the other half of the unit to support the 106th Infantry Division fighting the German
attack. By the morning of December 17, the remainder of the unit, including the battalion commander, was cut off by
German infantry that had encircled them, and were forced to surrender. The black GIs then joined long columns of
American prisoners being marched back into Germany. Eleven of the men escaped the initial capture and tried to walk
back to American lines. After walking for many hours through deep snow they were taken in by a Belgian farmer and
given hot food in the small village of Wereth. Unfortunately a German patrol of the 1st SS Panzer Division came to the
village and the men had no choice but to surrender. After making the men sit on the frozen ground until dark the
Germans marched them to the corner of a cow pasture where they were brutalized and murdered.
Further to the South, the 969th had immediately been ordered to move at the beginning of the German offensive. They
were ordered to the small Belgium town of Bastogne in support of the 101st Airborne Division. Together their job was
to stop the German advance. By coincidence they were joined by the surviving members and howitzers of their sister
battalion of the 333rd who had narrowly missed being surrounded at Schoenberg. The Germans quickly surrounded
Bastogne. The guns and men of the 969th and 333rd continued to support the 101st Airborne with artillery fire through
the severest of conditions. The men lived outside in foxholes in sub-zero temperatures, there was no hot food, little
ammunition, and as the Germans tried desperately to overrun the American positions many of the artillerymen were
forced to fight as infantrymen to repel German attacks. A German bombing raid on Christmas Eve 1944 killed two of
the officers, and three enlisted men. When the weather cleared on Christmas day, American aircraft were able to drop
supplies to the beleaguered men but not the heavy ammunition needed by the howitzers. Finally on December 27th,
gliders landed with the much-needed ammunition for the howitzers. The units continued to fight but the siege of
Bastogne was lifted. For their service during this time the 969th and the survivors of the 333rd, who had fought with
them, were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, the highest award a unit can receive.
Unfortunately the 333rd had suffered such severe casualties that the unit never fought again and many of the men were
transferred to the 969th. The 969th continued in action until the end of the war and was disbanded after the war ended.
The black artillerymen returned home to an America that was still racially segregated. One man who had been taken
prisoner at Schonberg and held for five months tried to get veteran benefits for his ordeal as a Prisoner of War. He was
told that no black GIs were ever taken prisoner so he could not get POW benefits. There were no ticker tape parades or
reunions for them. They got on with their lives and most tried to forget the war as best they could. Except for the families
of the dead men they were all but forgotten. But not everyone forgot.
In 1994 the son of the Belgian farmer, who had given the eleven men of the 333rd food and shelter before the Germans
murdered them, erected a small cross, with the names of the dead, in the corner of the pasture where they were killed,
as a private gesture from the family on the fiftieth anniversary of their deaths. But the memorial and the tiny hamlet of
Wereth remained basically unknown. In a tiny hamlet with no school or shops, there were no signs on the roadways to
indicate the memorial, and it was not listed in any guides or maps to the Battle of the Bulge battlefield. Even people
looking for it had trouble finding it in the small German speaking community.
In 2001, three Belgium citizens embarked on the task of creating a fitting memorial to these men, the Wereth 11, and
additionally to honor all black GI’s of World War II. A grassroots publicity and fund-raising endeavor was begun in
Belgium and America. The land was purchased and a fitting memorial was created. It is the only memorial to the black
G.I.s of WW II and their units in Europe. There are now road signs indicating the location of the memorial, and the
Belgium Tourist Bureau lists it in “Battle of the Bulge” brochures. The dedication of the memorial was held in 2004 in
an impressive military ceremony. The memorial stands today as a reminder of American sacrifice during WW II, no
longer forgotten. The goal of the memorial is to make the Wereth 11 and all black GI’s “visible” to Americans, and to
history. They, like so many others, paid the ultimate price for our freedom.
For more on the Wereth 11, please visit the Wereth Memorial Website.
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