I was on the tracks of FJR 15 and the 5th FJD. The first pics is taken 07.30 A.M and shows one of the bridges (Steinbogenbrücke ) over the Our near Vianden. Here some boats of the paratroopers of Fallschirmpionier Btl 5 overturned due to flood and some troopers drawned. This was the crossing point mainly for 1st Btl / FJR 15 together with the bridge in the town itself.

The whole 15th Rgt crossed the river Our also on a damaged railroad bridge. Further down at Tot and der Our was a Poton-bridge which was buid by Fallschirm-Pioniere of the Fsch Pi. Btl 5. This bridge was called "The Gröschke Bridge".

Here is a pic of the Vianden castle. This was an observer post from the US troops during the attack and most of the opposing fire against the german paratroopers came from the smal US garrison of 36 soldiers. The garrison was wiped out around 11 A.M on December 16 1944 by the 4th Comp. of Fallschirmpionier Btl 5 under Lt. Hans Prigge (who later was K.I.A. through fighter-bomber near Livarchamps on December 25, 1944). The Fallschirmjaeger continued their advance.

As you can see in the first two pics of Vianden, it was quite fogy in the morning and the castle could not bee seen in the morning due to the fog. So I cam back in the late afternoon to take this shot. Long before the war and during the war the Vianden castle was in ruins. Restoration of the castle is still in progress.

The action in Goebelsmühle as seen by Leroy in his own words during an interview together with my good friend Shawn Umbrell in January 2002:

As far as Goebelsmuhle, we lived in a hotel that was backed up against a high cliff.  All the furniture was removed and we slept on the floor; generally a squad to a room.  While we were there we repaired roads and did a lot of patrolling.  We were told we would be there until at least April, but the Krauts changed our minds on that.  This was December 16th, the day the Bulge started.  I was on the opposite end of town from where the Krauts came in.  I was covering a trail that led up through the hills to the German border.  After my [recent] talk to Lt. Botdorf, there is some confusion as to what happened.  As I remember it, Lt. Botdorf ordered me to go up a hill and set up my machine gun to stop an encirclement.  In my recent talk with him he said he did not order me.  He said I went up on my own.  He also said he ordered a .50 caliber machine gun set up between me and the road the Krauts were coming into town on.  The Lt. said he never heard the .50 caliber shoot, but he heard my .30 caliber from up on the hill.  When I got up on the hill with my gun there was not time to dig in.  I set the gun as low as I could.  I set the sights for 150 yards which was the edge of the woods where the Krauts would come out.  I sprayed the woods with about 100 rounds right away and then I waited.  All of a sudden, from my right, I saw a German patrol of about ten men.  They were apparently lost, as they were going in the wrong direction.  The last time I saw the Battalion history book, they said six of this group were annihilated.  With the confusion I can only refer you to the Battalion history book to see what happened that day.  I do not know who put me in for the Bronze Star.  Lt. Botdorf said he did not do it, but he thought Lt. Williams did.  There was a Lt. about eight feet behind me during this action.  This could have been Lt. Williams, a man I do not know.  The Krauts did not surround us and I received the Bronze Star for the action I took.

Private First Class Leroy H. Regenauer, Corps of Engineers, 35th Engineer Combat Battalion, United States Army, for meritorious achievement in connection with military operations against the enemy on 17 December 1944 in Luxembourg.  The commanding officer of Company B received orders to undertake a new mission.  While the company moved from its bivouac area, approaching enemy forces opened fire and attacked.  In the face of heavy enemy machine gun and small arms fire, Private First Class Regenauer, a member of a machine gun crew, immediately set up a machine gun to cover the movements of his company.  The withering machine gun fire laid down by Private First Class Regenauer held back enemy advances and made it possible for his company to move out intact.  The unselfish actions and ardent devotion to duty displayed by Private First Class Regenauer constitute the highest traditions of the Armed Forces and reflect great credit upon himself.  Entered military service from Wisconsin. (Text courtesy Shawn Umbrell)

The fighting around the Schumann crossroad was one of the bloodiest sites of the Battle of the Bulge. Here the following allied units fought a severe battle against the German paratroopers.

Here at Schumanns Eck on December 18, 1944 around 11 P.M. as well as on December 19 1944 at dawn around 5 P.M., US troops of the 28th US Inf Div under Norman Cota, tried to escape to Bastogne coming from Wiltz. The US troops went into hell! Soldiers of 1st Comp. Fallschirm Btl 5 under Lt Sander already seized the place and shot the Americans with MG42 and Panzerfausts to pieces.

The memorial as well as the memorial trail leads along the foxeholes in the woods around the Schumanns Eck where numerous American and German soldiers fought and died during the battle of Wiltz and the battle of the Bulge 1944 - 1945

After the paratroopers moved on, soldiers of the 9th Volksgrenadier Div. dug themself in. On December 30, the 26th US Inf. Div came to the Schumann crossroad and found severe resistance from the Volksgrenadiers. The place turned into a trench war and there was severe fighting in some cases hand to hand combat. Due to this decision to attach the 9 VGD to the 7th German Army for actions against Wiltz, the area around Café Schumann and the crossroad became the bloodiest fighting place of the Battle of the Bulge on Luxembourg soil.

The 9th VGD had also fire support from Hetzer tanks of the Panzerjäger Abt 9 of the 9th VGD. Every attemp made by the US to get the Schumann failed and the US troops suffered severe casualties. But also the germans had severe casualties. I. Btl. 36th Gren, Rgt of the 9th VGD lost 40% alreaday after the first engagement.

This was a main objective of von Manteuffel’s tank drive on Bastogne because of its strategic location on the main highway leading to Bastogne. So Colonel von Lauchert, commander of 2nd Panzer, was concerned about the division’s slow rate of advance. Clervaux should have fallen before noon on the 16th according to the original German timetable. Instead, it was still holding on the morning of the 17th, with no indications as to how soon German forces would be able to secure it.
Clervaux fell on December 18, 1944. The 2nd Panzer Divisions timetable was so badly disrupted at Clervaux that there was no longer a question of who would win the race to Bastogne. That the race to secure Bastogne as quickly as possible was ultimately lost by the Germans was primary the result of the desperate holding action by the US 110th Infantry and its supporting units in front of and at the Clerf River crossings.

On December 13, 1944, about 250-300 american soldiers lived in the village. They were on a rest to pass the winter in Bigonville. US Engineer units are working in the area (1128th Engineer Combat Group, 299th Engineer Combat Battalion, 1278th Engineer Combat Battalion) On December 21, 1944, elements of the 5th FJD attack Bigonville from the North. December 23, 1944: The Combat Command Reserve, 4th Armored Division and supporting units (578th FA Btl., 188th Engr. C. Btl.,145th Engr. C. Btl., 249 Engr. Btl..) are engaging the German Fallschirmjaeger outside the village, to the South. On December 24, 1944 after 3 days of bitter fighting, CCR and supporting units capture Bigonville. Men of the 5th Fallschirmjaeger like Horst Lange surrender in the morning around 9 A.M to men of the US 37th Tank Btl. and 53rd Armored Infantry, Combat Command Reserve, 4th Armored Div. On December 25, 1944, The sector turns under control of the 26th Infantry Division. The sector is used as rear combat zone. Artillery batteries are set up and a Field Hospital is opened in Perle.