A Memorial To
Parker's Crossroads
(Baraque de Fraiture)
Ghosts of Alamo raise your herald voices
Thine heroic stand within battered fortress walls
gives life and hope to embattled men at new crossroads
where your battle cry sings out.
The brave "300", entrenched before the rushing tide
of Panzer might--relive the spirit of THERMOPOLAE, and
and like that of Houston's men allows time for friendly units
to fight another day....
Brave men of PARKER, now subdued and captive taken
lift your heads akin ---
Your noble efforts are not forsaken
For of such deeds battles are won
and ghosts rise up, shaken.
John E. McAuliffe
87th Infantry Division
Jan.6, 1997
This poem was written to honor the efforts of some 300 infantrymen, tankers ,and atrillerymen whose main units were broken up and dispersed by the attacking Germans during the first days of the battle. For two days around the 20th and 21st Dec. stragglers from these units were gathered under the direction of Major Arthur C. Parker III, Exec. Officer of the 598th FA. and formed a line of resistance at the X-shaped crossroads known as Baraque de Fraiture. The 2nd highest elevation in the Ardennes, the crossroads stood high on a windswept ground at 2,200ft elevation. The roads generally were east-west Salmchateau-La Roche highway and the major north-south routes Highway N-15 linking Bastogne, Houffalize and Liege.
Major Parker was able to scrape together 3 105 Howitzers and a few men from his 589th FA BN Service BTY, 3 halftracks of mounted quad-50s and a self propelled 37mm gun, and 2 selfpropelled assault guns. Parker refused an order to move to the rear which would have left the remaining small group with no hope of holding the crossroads.
Ptotecting the north flank of the advancing 5th Panzer Army was the newly committed 2nd SS Panzer Corps,which having circled behind St. Vith and entered Losheim Gap. It was the troops of this Corps which in June 1944 had destroyed the French village of Oradour-sur-Glane and murdered 642 of the inhabitants, including women and children,
On the 23rd Dec. after several brief encounters, the SS Panzergrenadiers now approached the crossroads and swarming all over the men of the 325 th Glider Infantry which joined in the defense overtook Baraque de Fraiture. Major Parker had been wounded 2 days earlier and losing consciousness was evacuated. Orders came down for the defenders to pull out as the men left their positions, the foxholes, and barn cellars.All the howitzers were lost as were the 2 assault guns, the AA half-tracks and the vehicles of the 87th Armored Cavalry Squadren. "The total of men who died or were captured would never be known, but of the 116 glider infantrymen of the 325th Glider only 45 got away. In tribute to the officer who first established a defense at Baraque de Fraiture, the men who survived the fight named it PARKER'S CROSSROADS".
Ref: A Time For Trumpets; Charles B. MacDonald.