7th Armored Division at Vielsalm

December 23, 1944Photograph

The 7th Armored Division played an important role in holding the advance of the 5th Panzer Army at St. Vith. Together with the 106th and 28th Infantry divisions, and the 9th Armored Division, they formed a horseshoe-shaped defensive perimeter around the town, aimed at stopping the German advance. The Americans fought for eight days, suffering 5,000 casualties before a retreat was ordered and the division fell back to Vielsalm. What was left of St. Vith was retaken from the Germans in late January.

Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration

7th Armored Division fighting at Vielsalm, Belgium.