"Hold to the Last Round"
The 28th Division in the Defense of Hosingen, Luxembourg
On December 16, 1944, began the "Battle of the Bulge," considered by many,
including Sir Winston Churchill, as the greatest battle ever fought by the
American Army. The 28th Division was positioned in the very center of the
German attack, just west of the Our River in a front of about 25 miles. Since this
was supposed to be a quiet sector where no enemy action was expected, the
three Regimental Combat Teams of the Division could only defend this wide
area by establishing isolated strong points to block the main roads leading
from East to West. The distances between positions prevented them from
being mutually supporting and thus easily surrounded and cut off from
reinforcement. In the unlikely event of an attack, the plan was to withdraw and
delay.
When the German offensive opened, however, the order was changed to "Hold
at All Cost," and thus each of the strong points had to fight its own battle.
Rather than giving terrain for time as initially intended, it now became
necessary to sacrifice lives for time until reinforcements from reserve units
could be brought forward. The strong points of the Division, although
surrounded, cut off, and facing increasing enemy forces as the fight went on,
held for almost three full days, thus upsetting the German timetable. This gave
the Allies time to move major reinforcements forward to Bastogne and St. Vith.
This print was taken from the magnificent painting depicting one of the great
strong point actions which occurred in the town of Hosingen, Luxembourg,
where "K" Company of the 110th Infantry Regiment and "B" Company of the
103rd Engineer Battalion (Combat) fought for the better part of three days.
Although surrounded and greatly outnumbered, the soldiers of these two units
held their ground with only a reinforcement of five tanks from the 707th Tank
Battalion reaching their position. In this defense, these brave men inflicted an
estimated 2,000 casualties upon their attackers and totally upset the German
timetable. The 28th Division soldiers fought to the last round and were then
authorized to break into small groups and escape as best they could.
The gallant defense of Hosingen, which is depicted in this painting, like the
action at the other strong points of the 28th Division, sacrificed men for time.
This effort clearly helped save Bastogne, only 18 miles to the west, and bought
precious time for the Allies. The painting and the limited edition prints are
dedicated to all the brave men of the 28th Division whose courage and
sacrifice delayed the German advance and contributed greatly to the final
outcome of the "Battle of the Bulge."
The artist and publisher with to express their gratitude to LTC Craig G. Nannos
for his special technical assistance and to MG Gerald T. Sager, the Adjutant
General of Pennsylvania, whose vision and support made this project possible.
copyright © 2005 James Dietz
Copyright © 2005. All rights reserved American Art & Antiques, Inc.
including Sir Winston Churchill, as the greatest battle ever fought by the
American Army. The 28th Division was positioned in the very center of the
German attack, just west of the Our River in a front of about 25 miles. Since this
was supposed to be a quiet sector where no enemy action was expected, the
three Regimental Combat Teams of the Division could only defend this wide
area by establishing isolated strong points to block the main roads leading
from East to West. The distances between positions prevented them from
being mutually supporting and thus easily surrounded and cut off from
reinforcement. In the unlikely event of an attack, the plan was to withdraw and
delay.
When the German offensive opened, however, the order was changed to "Hold
at All Cost," and thus each of the strong points had to fight its own battle.
Rather than giving terrain for time as initially intended, it now became
necessary to sacrifice lives for time until reinforcements from reserve units
could be brought forward. The strong points of the Division, although
surrounded, cut off, and facing increasing enemy forces as the fight went on,
held for almost three full days, thus upsetting the German timetable. This gave
the Allies time to move major reinforcements forward to Bastogne and St. Vith.
This print was taken from the magnificent painting depicting one of the great
strong point actions which occurred in the town of Hosingen, Luxembourg,
where "K" Company of the 110th Infantry Regiment and "B" Company of the
103rd Engineer Battalion (Combat) fought for the better part of three days.
Although surrounded and greatly outnumbered, the soldiers of these two units
held their ground with only a reinforcement of five tanks from the 707th Tank
Battalion reaching their position. In this defense, these brave men inflicted an
estimated 2,000 casualties upon their attackers and totally upset the German
timetable. The 28th Division soldiers fought to the last round and were then
authorized to break into small groups and escape as best they could.
The gallant defense of Hosingen, which is depicted in this painting, like the
action at the other strong points of the 28th Division, sacrificed men for time.
This effort clearly helped save Bastogne, only 18 miles to the west, and bought
precious time for the Allies. The painting and the limited edition prints are
dedicated to all the brave men of the 28th Division whose courage and
sacrifice delayed the German advance and contributed greatly to the final
outcome of the "Battle of the Bulge."
The artist and publisher with to express their gratitude to LTC Craig G. Nannos
for his special technical assistance and to MG Gerald T. Sager, the Adjutant
General of Pennsylvania, whose vision and support made this project possible.
copyright © 2005 James Dietz
Copyright © 2005. All rights reserved American Art & Antiques, Inc.
Here at Ozark Airfield Artworks we offer a large selection art prints. These prints mainly
depict modern and historic aviation along with military, civil and space flight. We also deal
with naval subjects and military armor and infantry works. These prints are from all the top
national and international artists along with some local artists. Many of our prints are
signed by the artist and by famous pilots and veterans. If you are looking for a specific
plane, pilot, artist or subject please contact us.
depict modern and historic aviation along with military, civil and space flight. We also deal
with naval subjects and military armor and infantry works. These prints are from all the top
national and international artists along with some local artists. Many of our prints are
signed by the artist and by famous pilots and veterans. If you are looking for a specific
plane, pilot, artist or subject please contact us.
Copyright © Ozark Airfield Artworks 2005 All Rights Reserved
All sales are subject to availability.
All sales are subject to availability.
All images are copyrighted by the individual artist and may not be reproduced
without their consent.
without their consent.
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