(homepage)
(also see Barracuda
Returns to Bastogne, by J. Ted Hartman)
RESTORATION
OF “BARRACUDA,”
THE TANK IN McAULLIFE SQUARE
By
Daniel W. O’Brien,
11th Armored Division, 56th Armored Engr. Battalion, Co. A
in collaboration with Roger Marquet,
Secretary, COBRA,**
and Honorary Member, 11th Armored Division Association
For 59 years, a relic M-4 Sherman tank has guarded the entrance to
McAuliffe Square, in the center of Bastogne, Belgium. Symbolically, it represents the relief of the besieged
City of Bastogne by General Patton’s United States Third Army in December, 1944. The
course of history was changed at
Bastogne, when the defended city
held fast during attacks by overwhelming enemy forces during
the Battle of the Ardennes, also known as the “Battle of the
Bulge.” Battle scars on
the M-4 Sherman bear stark witness to its untimely end. On its left
side, a neat cylindrical hole punched by a German 75mm. shell remains,
and a jagged panzerfaust inflicted wound is visible in the stern.
This aged warrior is now gone from McAuliffe Square.
On November 6, 2006, it was lifted from its pedestal, loaded on
a heavy equipment carrier, and transported to the Belgian Army
Military Arsenal at Rocourt. There,
in a project jointly sponsored and financed by the City of Bastogne
and the Belgian Army, and with the cooperation of the Cercle
d’Histoire de Bastogne, it will be restored to the condition and
appearance it was in when it was saw action in 1944.
Throughout the years, the sides of the tank were adorned with colorful
painted logos, representing the 4th Armored Division and the 705th
Tank Destroyer Battalion. These
units were prominent in the defense and relief of the besieged
Bastogne perimeter. Later,
an 11th Armored Division logo was added.
Viewed and photographed by thousands of tourists, the tank has
been a landmark in the square
named for the defender of Bastogne, United States Army General Anthony
McAuliffe.
In 1947, a tank carcass remained mired in a marshy pond near the village
of Renuamont, approximately 6 miles west of Bastogne.
After the end of World War II, it
had escaped demolition by scrap merchants’ torches.
The farmer and land owner, M. Denis, would not permit any
activity on his property that he feared might contaminate his spring.
He finally relented, and allowed
a Belgian Army unit to retrieve the tank.
By that time, it was the only remaining unsalvaged
military tank relic in
the area. Restored,
fitted with a new turret, and repainted,
it was presented by the Commissioner of Tourism to the City of
Bastogne, and was placed on display in McAuliffe Square
In the 1990's, Belgian citizens and WWII history buffs Jacques Degive,
Robert Fergloute, and Roger Marquet became interested in searching for
the actual story of the Bastogne tank.
Through extensive research, they were able to not only
determine its history, but also located survivors and family members
of the crew. In
1999, they published a book “La vèritable histoire du “Sherman”
de la place McAuliffe à Bastogne” (The “Sherman” at McAuliffe
Square in Bastogne, the true story).*
The researchers found that the tank had been assigned to
Company B, 41st Tank Battalion, 11th Armored Division.
It had been nicknamed “Barracuda” by its crew.
On the morning of December 30, 1944, the 11th Armored Division was first
committed to battle, attacking northerly from positions on the south
flank of the “Bulge.” They
attacked into the face of a
simultaneous German counterattack intended to close the narrow corridor
that had been opened into the Bastogne perimeter from the south.
Combat Command B of the 11th Armored successfully liberated the
villages of Lavasalle and Houmont, but suffered
significant casualties.
Early in the engagement, “Barracuda,” Under the command of Staff
Sgt. Wallace Alexander, and a companion tank commanded by Captain Robert
L. Ameno, became separated from the rest of the company.
They moved north into enemy held terrain, approaching the village
of Renuamont, the command post of Col. Otto Ernst Remer,
“Kommandeur”of Hitler’s elite Führer Begleit Brigade.
After being discovered by an astounded Col. Remer himself, they came
under attack.
“Barracuda,” in attempting to turn and escape, became mired in a
snow covered pond. There,
it became a “sitting duck” for enemy tank and panzerfaust fire. Tank Commander Staff Sgt. Wallace Alexander was mortally
wounded, Gunner Cpl Cecil Peterman
and Loader Pfc. Dage Herbert
were wounded and captured. Driver
Tech/4 Andrew Urda and Bow Gunner Pfc. Ivan Goldstein were uninjured,
but captured. Alexander
died several days later in captivity.
Peterman and Herbert received minimal medical treatment for their
wounds, survived, and were incarcerated as prisoners of war in Stalag
XIIA near Limburg, Germany. Urda
and Goldstein also eventually
made it to Stalag XIIA, but only after being treated, not as prisoners
of war, but as slave laborers. Goldstein had been identified as Hebrew
by his dog tags, and by a letter in his pocket from his mother,
reminding him to observe the Jewish holiday, Hanukkah.
Goldstein and Urda had already made a pact, vowing to stay
together in captivity. They
narrowly escaped execution, but were brutally overworked and starved.
After their liberation near the end of the war, the two severely
emaciated captives spent many months recovering in US Army Hospitals.
Andrew Urda never fully recovered from his mistreatment in
captivity. He died in
1979. Ivan Goldstein’s
health was eventually restored. He
now lives in Jerusalem. Captain
Ameno’s tank was also destroyed, killing him and four members of his
crew. The fifth crewman was
wounded, but died in captivity a short time later.
The refurbished M-4 Sherman tank named “Barracuda” is scheduled to
return to its place of honor in McAuliffe Square in May 2007.
It will then bear the original historically accurate symbols and
markings that identifying it as a tank assigned to Company B, 41st
Tank Battalion, 11th Armored Division.
It will also be the centerpiece of a display which will honor all
units that served with distinction in the defense and relief of Bastogne
during the Battle of the Bulge.
The City of Bastogne expresses their appreciation
to the following persons who are responsible for assistance and
implementation of the tank restoration project:
Dr.
Michael Staes, Bastogne City Councilman in charge of the restoration
Col. Sosson, Army of Belgium, Commanding Officer, Rocourt Arsenal
Adjutant Daniel Libert, Rocourt Arsenal
Phillippe Octave, Surveyor of the Works, COBRA**
Roger Marquet, Secretary, COBRA**
Dr. J. Ted Hartman, President, 11th Armored Division Association,
and veteran of Company B, 41st Tank Battalion
The 4th Engineer Battalion, Army of Belgium
(for transport).
______________________________________________________________________________
*The bilingual book (English and French) “The Sherman at McAuliffe
Square in Bastogne, the true story” is available (16 Euros+shipping
& handling) from: Robert Fergloute - Avenue des Petites Epines, 28-B-6600 Bastogne, Belgium, or from Roger Marquet -
Chenogne, 1d-B-6640 Sibret, Belgium
**COBRA - Comité d’Organisations Bastognard ‘Remember Americans’
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