La Gleize
After a look at the map Peiper realizes that the way directly westwards is cut off. However, the map indicates that a small mountainous side road offers an alternative to the north. Peiper and his advance party immediately turn in the direction of the Stoumont.
A small detachment goes, however, to the south to the blown up bridge. These SS soldiers kill, out of rage over the loss of the bridge, 22 men, women and children. This resembles closely Baugnez where commanders also are unaware of the actions of their soldiers.
Peiper and his vanguard reach La Gleize on December 18 at 13.30. Peiper orders Hans Hennecke of the 1. SS Panzer Company to go via Cheneux to Neufmoulin, to take two bridges there and to push forward to Werbomont. Shortly after Hennecke sets out with his Panthers, about 34 Thunderbolts attack at Peipers task force. The aircraft first attack Peiper’s troops, then later the entire length of the vehicle column queued back to Lodome. In this attack Peiper loses five to seven tanks and APCs. GIs also become victims of these attacks. North of Stavelot parts of the 1. and 2. Battalions of 117. Infantry Regiment are mistakenly regarded as hostile forces by the US pilots. The push to Neufmoulin proves to be senseless since the bridge there is blown up by U.S. sappers. Peiper decides on the attack on Stoumont and on the further advance to Werbomont.
Peiper attacks at 07.00hrs on 19 December. Fog supports him and protects his forces from the air. Contrary to the U.S. allegation that more than 40 tanks attacked Stoumont, only seven Panthers and one or two Panzer Mk. IVs see action. But these few vehicles led by SS Leutnant (second lieutenant) Christian of the 2. SS Panzer Company supported by Panzer-Grenadiers of the 9. SS Company as well as sappers of the 9. Pionierkompanie (or Engineer Company) are too much for the opposing US forces. The battle is over and Stoumont is in German hands by 10.00hrs. American losses are heavy. More than 300 are killed, wounded or (the majority) taken prisoner. Not to mention the loss of American equipment. The losses are low on the German side. Only one Panther is knocked out, another one is hit but is still battleworthy. German PK (propaganda company) cameramen film the attack for the German newsreel show.
But there are dark clouds on the horizon. The fuel stock of Peiper’s task force runs dangerously low and the Americans feverishly consolidate their defence positions with great speed west of Stoumont now. Peiper decides to reduce the further advance to a minimum. A raiding patrol is sent out to reconnoitre towards Spa. Another one is to take the railway station of Stoumont some kilometres to the west and then reconnoitre to the west.
Seven Panthers, one or two Wirbelwind (whirlwind flak tanks) as well as the 11. SS Panzer Grenadier Kompanie under the leadership of Christ leave Stoumont at noon. Christ assesses the strength of the Americans as several Shermans and infantry with bazookas. This, however, is far away from reality. He is confronted with twelve Shermans, four TDs (tank destroyers), one self-propelled gun, an infantry battalion as well as two artillery battalions in support.
Late in the afternoon of 19 December, the advance of the 1. SS Panzer Division has come to a standstill. An artillery barrage stops Christ’s unit between Stoumont village and Stoumont station. Particularly the Panzergrenadiere (armoured infantrymen) in their open top APCs suffer serious losses. Three Panthers are eliminated. The resistance of the Americans proves to be too severe. Nevertheless, Peiper’s advance is the most the successful of the German offensive up to the afternoon of December 19. He has covered 100 km in 72 hours. By comparison, 64 years later in the first Gulf War, the 1. British Armoured Division succeeds in covering the same distance in only two hours less.
While Peiper and his staff are discussing the situation during the night of 20 December, trouble is building up in Stavelot. The Americans have managed to rally reinforcements into Stavelot to cut Peiper off from his reinforcements and the rearguard. It comes to intense fighting in Stavelot between U.S. defence forces and the 1. SS Panzer Division on 19 December. German attemps to overcome resistance and to set up a coherent front fails. In the evening, at 19.30hrs, U.S. sappers manage to destroy the bridge.
Meanwhile, the Americans begin attack preparations on Stoumont with its key building, the sanatorium St. Edouard, staffed by Roman Catholic nuns. St Edouard houses about 200 children suffering from tuberculosis as well as the nuns and some fathers. SS sappers defend this vitally important building. In the early evening US units manage to snatch St. Edouard from the Germans in a fierce close combat. But in the course of the night the building changes hands three times. In the end U.S. infantrymen occupy one single room of the sanatorium.
Also around Cheneux the Americans prepare to attack. In the meantime Brigadier General Harrison has been chosen to coordinate the attack on Peiper. Harrison is aware quickly that St. Edouard would be the key for success in Stoumont and reinforces his efforts to take the building completely.
Toward noon on 21 December, dense fog swirls around the battlefield and the attack begins. During the whole day attack and counterattack alternate. The primary objective, the taking of St. Edouard does not succeed however. Peiper decides to give up Stoumont and Cheneux since dwindling fuel and ammunition stocks prevent any greater activity, and to take up an all round defensive position in La Gleize. In order not to appear to be retreating, he leaves some infantrymen in St. Edourd. The many injured persons are another problem for Peiper. In Russia the Leibstandarte had adopted a leave nobody behind policy, since they were too afraid of the revenge of the Red Army. Too often injured soldiers were found hideously mutilated. It is therefore necessary to kill their own serious casualties rather than to leave them to their fate. But Stoumont is not the East Front and Peiper lets a German and two U.S. medical orderlies stay behind with 80 German and some American seriously injured soldiers.
During the night of 21-22 December, GIs under command of Captain Berry built a log road from the main street to the the northern part of the sanatorium to be able to bring up tanks into position. These tanks and the fact that St. Edouard is only defended by very few SS explain the swift defeat of the sanatorium on 22 December. Miraculously, not one of the civilians or children was hurt in this horror. The battle of Stoumont has come to an end. Of the once 150 houses 100 are uninhabitable, 35 totally destroyed and five more still burn when the Americans march in. Also Cheneux is a single heap of rubble. Peiper’s men are forced to leave behind four trucks, two 75 mm Pak (anti-tank) guns, five 105 mm guns, six APCs and fourteen self-propelled Flak guns.