During the night, US units regrouped around the Stoumont – La Gleize pocket with the aim of completely encircling the Germans.
The US plan was to completely cut off the Germans in Stoumont from the rest of their division. From the west, the 1st Battalion, 119th Infantry Regiment along with tanks from the 740th Tank Battalion and a company of M10 tank destroyers would launch the attack. From the north, the 3rd Battalion of the 119th along with TF Jordan would attack, while the 2nd Battalion moved around Stoumont to cut off the main road to La Gleize.
These attacks were due to take place before dawn, but this was prevented by a German counterattack at 5 o’clock. The attack was delayed until early afternoon. During the attack, the Sanatorium was completely shattered, US tanks fired relentlessly on the facade, until nothing but gaping holes remained. Although US troops were able to take some rooms, they later had to be relieved by Sherman tanks when they were threatened by a Panther tank.
Attacks by TF Jordan from the north could also be repelled. Companies E and G did manage to block the main road by setting up roadblocks with trees and mines. As they continued towards La Gleize a firefight with the 10th company of the Pz.Gren.Rgt 2 ensued. The attack on Stoumont had failed.
At the same time, TF McGeorge tried to attack La Gleize from the north, but after several tanks were lost to enemy fire, tried to bypass the German positions. In doing so, however, he ran into the defenders of the blocking group “mill” near the junction Roanne-Coo, including Hantusch’s King Tiger. After another failed attack at 13:30, McGeorge withdrew his group in a south-easterly direction later that afternoon, to prepare for another attack at a later time along the N33 from Trois-Ponts. He did not know that the blocking group at Moulin Marèchal had since retreated to another position, as Peiper drew his troops back into La Gleize.
At Cheneux, the 1st Battalion of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment had been reinforced with an extra company from the 3rd Battalion, but again made no progress. A German attack, initiated by artillery fire, also failed to move forward. There was now a stalemate.
Concentration at La Gleize
Kampfgruppe Peiper was spread over a vast area from Stoumont, La Gleize, Cheneux to Moulin Maréchal. Because of the shortages of fuel, ammunition and men, Peiper ordered all remaining troops to assemble and withdraw to La Gleize. He would make La Gleize a fortress, where he would wait for the disengagement attempt by Kampfgruppe Hansen, promised by divisional command, the next day. The retreat of German troops to La Gleize started in the early evening.
By this time, Tiger 223, which was stranded in the bend of the N33 to La Gleize, had probably been abandoned. Its commander, Müller, had meanwhile been appointed to look after the welfare of the 150 or so American prisoners of Kampfgruppe Peiper.
Cheneux
When the Americans launched yet another the attack on Cheneux, only a rearguard was present. The rest of the men had retreated to La Gleize, leaving most of their heavy equipment and vehicles behind. The American parachutists captured 14 “flak wagons” (probably SdKfz 10/5), six half-tracks and a number of trucks. The video below shows footage taken at Cheneux after its capture.
German wounded in the Stoumont area were left at Chateau de Froidcourt, as there were simply insufficient means of transport to take them.
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