I’m just grateful I can share these stories from where they happened especially as the likes of Cheneux isn’t that well documented here on YT! Glad you enjoyed it, and the next big one like this will be Mussolini’s rescue from Gran Sasso, but that’s nearly an hour long at the moment so will take a while!
The 504th deserves nothing but honors for facing three SS divisions and giving them hell to capture Cheneux. This was probably Pipers "last stand" as his objectives became inconceivable. Thanks for another great video.
But the 504th did not face 3 SS divisions but 9 Hohenstalfein divisions and 1 SS Leibstandarte division, even though the division Leibstandarte SS were only a shadow of what they were at their peak against the British in Greece and against the Russians in 1941.
In 2023 I traveled to Europe to explore the larger WW1 and WW2 battlefields and pay my respects at the American military cemeteries, to our fallen heroes. This trip was inspired by you and others like you. For the Battle of the Bulge I decided to retrace Piper's panzer column path to see it all first hand and see the bridges Piper needed to succeed. I want you to know that this video is the absolute best that I have seen. The quality of this video for the live commentary portions, along with the the drone footage was excellent. I truly felt that I was there again in person. I loved the fact that you filmed during semi foggy conditions. This factor I think escapes most viewers, of the blinding fog conditions during the Battle of the Bulge. This video is exceptional in every way. Well done and thank you! You do great videos.
Thank you! The fog was quite foreboding as it rolled across the valley that day, but it really added to the atmosphere of the area! Glad you enjoyed the episode!
Thanks for this. Well done indeed. Your mix of vintage clips and stills along with drone footage and handheld are well executed and edited indeed. I very much enjoy your content.
Thank you!Just hope it showed Cheneux and what the men of the 504th had to endure to a high enough standard as the battle there was truly a brutal one that gets so little coverage.
Another excellent video on a part of the Ardennes attacks not well documented. It was the small units that stopped Piper's rapid advance. Thanks Jon and I look forward to the next video.
Glad you enjoyed it! I first heard of the fight at Cheneux back in 2013 and have wanted to film there for a while so was lucky last year to be able to do so last December.
Jon, this yet another very informative narrative on WW2 history. The men of the 504th are truly heroes advancing on these devastating flak guns. I can't imagine their tenacity under this withering fire while trying to get thru all of the barbed wire and open ground. This is another great video.😊
Glad you enjoyed it! Definitely a few hours editing after the research and filming but well worth it to highlight what these men achieved 80 years ago today!
I've read the Van Lunteren book a few times, and this put all those accounts into visual context. Looking forward to checking out this area next year. Great stuff as norm, Jon!
Thanks mate! I first found myself in Cheneux over 10 years ago and was fascinated how the men of the 504th went head long into those flak guns and prevailed so when I had the time to film there last December I couldn’t pass on it.
Very well done Jon , it brings more information about the battle as to how hard these men fought to preserve there control to stop or at least stall the German advance ,always enjoy your video's.
Thank you! Cheneux is another of those vital locations in the Bulge story that gets little attention and the 504th going up against those flak guns really was one for the books!
Great video. I have a great friend that was in the 504th in the 82nd in the first gulf war. I sent him this. Devild in baggy pants ! Thanks for sharing and regards from Soytb Central Indiana. USA. Tim
Cheneux never heard of the battle or Raher. Small villages in the Ardennes, a misty bleak land with the winter weather, and Piper and his men, against the American 504th paras. You set the scene for a truly nasty battle with bad losses on both sides. It was in the grand scheme of the Battle of the Bulge not well known but it was vital to stopping the Germans advance. Thank you.
Thank you! If you can make it to the northern area of the Battle of the Bulge I highly recommend it. It’s a fascinating area with beautiful countryside!
It`s ironic that such a beautiful and peaceful location (today) has a history of death and destruction as a result of a tragic war!! When will mankind ever learn?
@@697544 thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. I put a lot of drone footage in this one but felt the area is so unique that it really benefitted from being shown. Thanks for watching.
Another great in-depth study of a small unit action. There seems to be a lot of after action photos of the battle and a then and now video would be nice to see. It does help to follow along with Google Earth. Those title cards you have been using are really helpful showing unit locations and movements. Very well done Jon.
Thank you! Cheneux rarely receives any mention in the Bulge story but for the men of the 504th it was a hellosh battle so I really wanted to bring it to RUclips and try and highlight what they acheived there. Hope you have a very Merry Christmas too!
Quite the little history lesson. Great video again. Jon I really hope you and your family have a great Christmas. Maybe Santa will bring you a Willys Jeep for Christmas. 🤣 Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Mike! Glad you enjoyed it! Hope you and your family have a very merry Christmas and a happy and healthy start to 2025! And 2025 may well see a Jeep at some point 😉🫡
Thanks Robbo! Was great to see Cheneux from the air as I first visited back in 2013 and struggled to understand the flow of the battle but seeing the terrain and how hilly it is around there really brings it in to focus I think
I was just about to type “The damn engineers!” when you quoted Peiper. Ross Carter (C/1-504) describes the Cheneux action - his last - from an infantryman’s perspective in ‘Those Devils in Baggy Pants.’
@@WW2Wayfinder Do get it. I'm too close to the story as a former (peacetime) member of the 504th, but IMO, Carter's sardonic and descriptive writing style rivals Bob Leckie and Eugene Sledge's work. Difficult/impossible to imagine how they did it, and at such a terrible price. Lest we forget.
@@WW2Wayfinder Indeed. And Bravo on your research and commitment to all the warriors you profile; thank you. BTW, Dad was a Bulge vet; in fact, the Sherman in Bastogne's McAuliffe Square is from his unit, the 11th U.S. Armored Division. Sev years ago I invited him to join my son (another 82nd vet) and me to one of Emile Lacroix's February volksmarch IHO the 82nd. Dad said no, "One winter in Belgium is enough for me."
Well done. The drone footage with the maps really helps you follow the battle. Have you thought of creating a video on the "First in Bastogne" attacks?
Did the German Army not have tactical bridging like the Bailey Bridge equipment the Allies had? Seems rather shortsighted on their part if they didn't. Seen photos of double and triple Baileys that would support the weight of tanks although they took longer to assemble.
To a degree they did but not in the same league as the Allies. That, combined with their armour their bridging wasn’t capable of dealing with the weights involved when you start to look past the Panther. One of their big oversights but also they were in a defensive mindset by this point unlike the Allies who had planned to be solely on the offensive from D-Day to the end of the war.
The german plan was based on surprise and speed in order to reach the river Meuse on to Antwerp through splitting the american and british forces and in order to capture Antwerp harbour. Time for tactical bridge building was not an option, besides the fact that rivers were freezing cold and would delay a fast construction for the engineers. So speed was of the essence : time lines however were never met due to tough resistance of a diversity of small US units throughout the Ardennes as wel the lack of fuel ( codeword Otto) as there was simply not enough fuel available in Germany for their advance, so the plan was to capture US fuel dumps as much as possible. Peiper was out of fuel reaching Stoumont.
In fact, a large part of the German anti-aircraft wagons and anti-tank weapons were destroyed by the tank destroyers and American artillery that was harassing the Germans in Cheneux, at least according to some reports in the diaries of SS soldiers who survived the battle, such as Major Otto Kanh himself.
Possibly their perception of it and not understanding the actions of those men with Bazookas etc. I’d agree with the SS accounts if the American ones backed them up but as the American accounts state the artillery and TD’s didn’t bring much to the initial fight on the road into to Cheneux im more inclined to go with those. The TD’s fight in Cheneux village itself could be what Major Kanh is referring to perhaps?
@WW2Wayfinder Yes, I believe he was referring to the attack inside the Villa itself. He also mentioned artillery, P-47 Thunderbolt attacks, and attacks by troops from the American 30th Division. The 504th Battalion tried to take Cheneux in three unsuccessful attempts. The first two attempts were made without consistent use of artillery, which proved problematic. I believe it was only in the last attack by the 504th that the paratroopers used some tank destroyers and artillery against the rearguard of the SS Leibstandarte. Perhaps this was the only moment that Major Otto Kanh is referring to. He also mentions in his writings the inexperience of many of his colleagues in his battalion, but this was also due to the loss of many trained men and the shortage of manpower and resources that the Germans were experiencing in order to consistently train soldiers fit for battle. But of all the SS divisions, Peiper's Kumpfgruppe and Krag's Kumpfgruppe of the Das Reich division still had a good cadre of experienced officers and non-commissioned officers, and were probably the best regiments the Germans had going for them.
A bazooka in the hands of really well trained and experienced men like the paratroopers can be very lethal. But I thought the strategic decisions of the 504th officers were not very consistent here, attacking head on a reinforced company with anti-aircraft guns and a well-designed machine gun position in an uncoordinated manner, they could have forged a more meticulous plan for this attack, it is estimated that there were 350 to 450 casualties in these attacks, I am not sure of the German casualties in the process. The 506th PIR of the 101st Airborne Division had excellent leadership among its officers, they made many bold attacks but with a greater degree of efficiency, with much lower casualties. I remember that the commander of the 6th Fallschirmjager Regiment, Von der Heydte, criticized the battalions that attacked his regiment, but highly praised the abilities of the 506th PIR troops in terms of flexibility and the competence of their officers in terms of leadership.
THE DEVIL S ADJUTANT - by Reynolds, a brit maj gen. Read the book, tells all about this. Also how the Malmedy actually occured. ALSO : Pallud : The BOTB - then and now, damals und heute. A phone book sized treasure trove by AFTER THE BATTLE. Merry Winter War 85 ! 🇫🇮
Haha thank you! Glad you liked it! Cheneux and the fight there was one for the books and it always amazes me that the 504th don’t get more attention for it. I first went there in 2013 and couldn’t beehive what they went up against.
@ first time I’ve heard of the 504th engagements. When I was in the Marines I had a buddy that was an engineer. He said the studied the tactics employed by Major David Pergrim (the engineer CO). And I like all your vids - that’s why I’m a subscriber!!!
Oh cool! I’d love to get out to the Pacific one day and visit Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima etc and do some USMC work. Did you get to visit those places when you were serving?
Jon, as some of your viewers have noted, these are really becoming mini documentaries. Great stuff!
I’m just grateful I can share these stories from where they happened especially as the likes of Cheneux isn’t that well documented here on YT!
Glad you enjoyed it, and the next big one like this will be Mussolini’s rescue from Gran Sasso, but that’s nearly an hour long at the moment so will take a while!
@@WW2Wayfinder I'm looking forward to that video.
You knocked-it-out-of-the-park with this one, bruh. Your information is bang on. 🇱🇺 🇱🇮 🇬🇧 🇦🇺 🇳🇿🇧🇪 🇨🇵 👊
Thanks mate! Glad you enjoyed it!
The 504th deserves nothing but honors for facing three SS divisions and giving them hell to capture Cheneux. This was probably Pipers "last stand" as his objectives became inconceivable. Thanks for another great video.
Glad you enjoyed it!
The 504th were a tough outfit and hopefully this helps to show just how tough and determined they were!
But the 504th did not face 3 SS divisions but 9 Hohenstalfein divisions and 1 SS Leibstandarte division, even though the division Leibstandarte SS were only a shadow of what they were at their peak against the British in Greece and against the Russians in 1941.
Good to see the efforts of the 82nd Airborne 504 PIR so well documented.
Glad you enjoyed it! The 504th don’t get the attention they deserve in my personal opinion
In 2023 I traveled to Europe to explore the larger WW1 and WW2 battlefields and pay my respects at the American military cemeteries, to our fallen heroes. This trip was inspired by you and others like you. For the Battle of the Bulge I decided to retrace Piper's panzer column path to see it all first hand and see the bridges Piper needed to succeed.
I want you to know that this video is the absolute best that I have seen. The quality of this video for the live commentary portions, along with the the drone footage was excellent. I truly felt that I was there again in person. I loved the fact that you filmed during semi foggy conditions. This factor I think escapes most viewers, of the blinding fog conditions during the Battle of the Bulge. This video is exceptional in every way. Well done and thank you! You do great videos.
Thank you!
The fog was quite foreboding as it rolled across the valley that day, but it really added to the atmosphere of the area!
Glad you enjoyed the episode!
Thanks for this. Well done indeed. Your mix of vintage clips and stills along with drone footage and handheld are well executed and edited indeed. I very much enjoy your content.
Thank you!Just hope it showed Cheneux and what the men of the 504th had to endure to a high enough standard as the battle there was truly a brutal one that gets so little coverage.
Another excellent video on a part of the Ardennes attacks not well documented. It was the small units that stopped Piper's rapid advance. Thanks Jon and I look forward to the next video.
Glad you enjoyed it! I first heard of the fight at Cheneux back in 2013 and have wanted to film there for a while so was lucky last year to be able to do so last December.
Fascinating. We owe these guys,and people like them ,everything. Brilliant video documentary, as usual.
Thank you!
It’s quite something to thing those events occurred almost to the minute 80 years ago today and yesterday.
Great video, footage, narrative, everything. Top stuff!
Thank you!! Glad you enjoyed it
A movie done with detail & showing these types of situations from both sides could be a Winner!
Enjoyed that. Top notch. Thank you sir.
Glad you enjoyed it! Hope it showed just how tough the men of the 504th had it 80 years ago today!
Jon, this yet another very informative narrative on WW2 history. The men of the 504th are truly heroes advancing on these devastating flak guns. I can't imagine their tenacity under this withering fire while trying to get thru all of the barbed wire and open ground.
This is another great video.😊
Thank you!
It’s an incredible story isn’t it. How they relentlessly went up against the massed firepower of the Germans and prevailed is beyond me!
@WW2Wayfinder indeed.
Outstanding presentation Jon. Wishing you a Merry Christmas!
Brilliant thank you for a great video
Glad you enjoyed it, and I hope it showed just how tough and determined the 504th were!
These are GREAT!
Looking forward to the next one!!!
Always great content, thank you so much
Thank you Greg! Glad you enjoyed this one!
Fabulous fabulous fabulous effort. Remarkable men, the 504 and all accompanying Men. Startling.
Thank you!
Hopefully it will help bring some attention to what these remarkable men achieved 80 years ago to this very day in the Battle of the Bulge!
Amazing episode, Jon! The work that you clearly put in to make these videos is very much appreciated. Well done 👏
Glad you enjoyed it! Definitely a few hours editing after the research and filming but well worth it to highlight what these men achieved 80 years ago today!
I've read the Van Lunteren book a few times, and this put all those accounts into visual context. Looking forward to checking out this area next year. Great stuff as norm, Jon!
Thanks mate! I first found myself in Cheneux over 10 years ago and was fascinated how the men of the 504th went head long into those flak guns and prevailed so when I had the time to film there last December I couldn’t pass on it.
Very well done Jon , it brings more information about the battle as to how hard these men fought to preserve there control to stop or at least stall the German advance ,always enjoy your video's.
Thank you!
Cheneux is another of those vital locations in the Bulge story that gets little attention and the 504th going up against those flak guns really was one for the books!
Excellent video.
Bravo. Great video.
Thank you!
As always a top quality video thanks 👍
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great episode mate,well done.
Thank you!
Great video. I have a great friend that was in the 504th in the 82nd in the first gulf war. I sent him this. Devild in baggy pants ! Thanks for sharing and regards from Soytb Central Indiana. USA.
Tim
Thank you Tim!
I hope he enjoyed the book! Certainly a proud regiment to be a part of given their extensive history!
Cheneux never heard of the battle or Raher. Small villages in the Ardennes, a misty bleak land with the winter weather, and Piper and his men, against the American 504th paras.
You set the scene for a truly nasty battle with bad losses on both sides. It was in the grand scheme of the Battle of the Bulge not well known but it was vital to stopping the Germans advance.
Thank you.
Loved the aerials and no doubt that this area in Belgium is beautiful!
Thank you!
If you can make it to the northern area of the Battle of the Bulge I highly recommend it. It’s a fascinating area with beautiful countryside!
It`s ironic that such a beautiful and peaceful location (today) has a history of death and destruction as a result of a tragic war!! When will mankind ever learn?
Agreed, it’s so peaceful there today it’s hard to imagine the terror that it saw 80 years ago.
Another great video, keep them coming
Thanks!
A really excellent account of the battle, backed up by very good original footage and your drone filming. Thanks! 👍
@@697544 thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it. I put a lot of drone footage in this one but felt the area is so unique that it really benefitted from being shown.
Thanks for watching.
Another great in-depth study of a small unit action. There seems to be a lot of after action photos of the battle and a then and now video would be nice to see. It does help to follow along with Google Earth. Those title cards you have been using are really helpful showing unit locations and movements. Very well done Jon.
Thank you. Wishing you and your family a very happy Christmas, and a good New Year.
Thank you Marion! Glad you enjoyed it and a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family too!
Another great video-doc, Jon. Thanks for your thorough research and clear presentation. Have a great Christmas.
Thank you!
Cheneux rarely receives any mention in the Bulge story but for the men of the 504th it was a hellosh battle so I really wanted to bring it to RUclips and try and highlight what they acheived there.
Hope you have a very Merry Christmas too!
Excelente, eres muy buen orador,osea que te explicas muy bien,me gustan mucho tus vídeos, sigue así hermano,de 10❤
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed this one!!
Great video as always.
Thank you!
@@WW2Wayfinder I love the on scene scenes...thanks
Great detail as always..👍👍
Thank you!
Once again excellent content well done Jon 👍
Very well presented thank you❗🇺🇸
Quite the little history lesson. Great video again. Jon I really hope you and your family have a great Christmas. Maybe Santa will bring you a Willys Jeep for Christmas. 🤣 Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Mike! Glad you enjoyed it!
Hope you and your family have a very merry Christmas and a happy and healthy start to 2025!
And 2025 may well see a Jeep at some point 😉🫡
Thanks!
Great drone footage, just imaging if they would have had that technology back in the day, a great video once again, Robbo 👍👌
Thanks Robbo!
Was great to see Cheneux from the air as I first visited back in 2013 and struggled to understand the flow of the battle but seeing the terrain and how hilly it is around there really brings it in to focus I think
I was just about to type “The damn engineers!” when you quoted Peiper. Ross Carter (C/1-504) describes the Cheneux action - his last - from an infantryman’s perspective in ‘Those Devils in Baggy Pants.’
I’ll need to get a copy of that book then if I can! Thanks for that Bob 😃
@@WW2Wayfinder Do get it. I'm too close to the story as a former (peacetime) member of the 504th, but IMO, Carter's sardonic and descriptive writing style rivals Bob Leckie and Eugene Sledge's work. Difficult/impossible to imagine how they did it, and at such a terrible price. Lest we forget.
Oh cool it’s definitely on the list then!
I hope I was able to help shine a light on your former Regiment!
@@WW2Wayfinder Indeed. And Bravo on your research and commitment to all the warriors you profile; thank you. BTW, Dad was a Bulge vet; in fact, the Sherman in Bastogne's McAuliffe Square is from his unit, the 11th U.S. Armored Division. Sev years ago I invited him to join my son (another 82nd vet) and me to one of Emile Lacroix's February volksmarch IHO the 82nd. Dad said no, "One winter in Belgium is enough for me."
So well done! Makes me want names of that TD Lt! It’s like we were there.
Haha it did make me question their reluctance given they were in armour!
Well done. The drone footage with the maps really helps you follow the battle. Have you thought of creating a video on the "First in Bastogne" attacks?
Thank you. I probably will one day. I’m hoping to get back to Bastogne at some point this year so will look into it!
@@WW2Wayfinder My son is currently serving with the 2/37 AR Iron Dukes at FT Bliss. He'd like to know a little of his unit's history.
No one tells WW2 history better...
Did the German Army not have tactical bridging like the Bailey Bridge equipment the Allies had? Seems rather shortsighted on their part if they didn't. Seen photos of double and triple Baileys that would support the weight of tanks although they took longer to assemble.
To a degree they did but not in the same league as the Allies. That, combined with their armour their bridging wasn’t capable of dealing with the weights involved when you start to look past the Panther. One of their big oversights but also they were in a defensive mindset by this point unlike the Allies who had planned to be solely on the offensive from D-Day to the end of the war.
The german plan was based on surprise and speed in order to reach the river Meuse on to Antwerp through splitting the american and british forces and in order to capture Antwerp harbour. Time for tactical bridge building was not an option, besides the fact that rivers were freezing cold and would delay a fast construction for the engineers.
So speed was of the essence : time lines however were never met due to tough resistance of a diversity of small US units throughout the Ardennes as wel the lack of fuel ( codeword Otto) as there was simply not enough fuel available in Germany for their advance, so the plan was to capture US fuel dumps as much as possible.
Peiper was out of fuel reaching Stoumont.
In fact, a large part of the German anti-aircraft wagons and anti-tank weapons were destroyed by the tank destroyers and American artillery that was harassing the Germans in Cheneux, at least according to some reports in the diaries of SS soldiers who survived the battle, such as Major Otto Kanh himself.
Possibly their perception of it and not understanding the actions of those men with Bazookas etc.
I’d agree with the SS accounts if the American ones backed them up but as the American accounts state the artillery and TD’s didn’t bring much to the initial fight on the road into to Cheneux im more inclined to go with those. The TD’s fight in Cheneux village itself could be what Major Kanh is referring to perhaps?
@WW2Wayfinder Yes, I believe he was referring to the attack inside the Villa itself. He also mentioned artillery, P-47 Thunderbolt attacks, and attacks by troops from the American 30th Division. The 504th Battalion tried to take Cheneux in three unsuccessful attempts. The first two attempts were made without consistent use of artillery, which proved problematic. I believe it was only in the last attack by the 504th that the paratroopers used some tank destroyers and artillery against the rearguard of the SS Leibstandarte. Perhaps this was the only moment that Major Otto Kanh is referring to. He also mentions in his writings the inexperience of many of his colleagues in his battalion, but this was also due to the loss of many trained men and the shortage of manpower and resources that the Germans were experiencing in order to consistently train soldiers fit for battle. But of all the SS divisions, Peiper's Kumpfgruppe and Krag's Kumpfgruppe of the Das Reich division still had a good cadre of experienced officers and non-commissioned officers, and were probably the best regiments the Germans had going for them.
A bazooka in the hands of really well trained and experienced men like the paratroopers can be very lethal. But I thought the strategic decisions of the 504th officers were not very consistent here, attacking head on a reinforced company with anti-aircraft guns and a well-designed machine gun position in an uncoordinated manner, they could have forged a more meticulous plan for this attack, it is estimated that there were 350 to 450 casualties in these attacks, I am not sure of the German casualties in the process. The 506th PIR of the 101st Airborne Division had excellent leadership among its officers, they made many bold attacks but with a greater degree of efficiency, with much lower casualties. I remember that the commander of the 6th Fallschirmjager Regiment, Von der Heydte, criticized the battalions that attacked his regiment, but highly praised the abilities of the 506th PIR troops in terms of flexibility and the competence of their officers in terms of leadership.
🎖️⭐🙏🏆❤️🩹🛐
Thank you for sharing this
You’re most welcome! Thank you for watching 😃
THE DEVIL S ADJUTANT - by Reynolds, a brit maj gen. Read the book, tells all about this. Also how the Malmedy actually occured. ALSO : Pallud : The BOTB - then and now, damals und heute. A phone book sized treasure trove by AFTER THE BATTLE. Merry Winter War 85 ! 🇫🇮
Home-fucking-run!!!! And you know it is!! Nice addition to he Against the Odds episode “those damned engineers!!”
Haha thank you! Glad you liked it!
Cheneux and the fight there was one for the books and it always amazes me that the 504th don’t get more attention for it. I first went there in 2013 and couldn’t beehive what they went up against.
@ first time I’ve heard of the 504th engagements. When I was in the Marines I had a buddy that was an engineer. He said the studied the tactics employed by Major David Pergrim (the engineer CO). And I like all your vids - that’s why I’m a subscriber!!!
Oh cool! I’d love to get out to the Pacific one day and visit Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima etc and do some USMC work. Did you get to visit those places when you were serving?
Cheers, as always, for a free education on the sacrifices made by the best generation.
Thank you, Jon. Appreciate your content, knowledge, and 'being there' at the locations where these Actions took place. We'll Done !!!!
Thank you! Cheneux is a thought provoking place to visit knowing what those men endured there 80 years ago!
Merci !
Thank you so much for the support!
Pure american propaganda.
😂😂
RUclips pop history.😂
Lovely pot hole free roads...
Tell me about it! I’m sure my car tax pays for more potholes to be added to the roads as it doesn’t pay to have them filled!
@WW2Wayfinder Have a safe and happy Christmas. Thanks for your hard work and outstanding content. Here's to 2025!
Thanks mate, you too!