Commemorative plaque Battle of the bulge (Ardennes offensive) - Rochefort

The Ardennes Offensive (December 1944 – January 1945) was the last major German offensive on the Western Front during World War II.

The Ardennes Offensive is also known as the von Rundstedt Offensive (after the commanding German general). After rapidly advancing following the Normandy invasion in June 1944, Allied forces stagnated along the German border. On December 16, the Germans launched a counter-offensive in Belgium and Luxembourg. Their advance was stopped at the end of December. Heavy German losses contributed to their final collapse the following spring.

These commemorative plaques hang on a facade at the roundabout of the N86 and N803. It is in memory of the 335th anti-tank regiment of the 84th US Division "Railspitters" who stopped the advance of the Germans on Christmas Night and Christmas Day of 1944.

Willem Vandenameele