The Wereth 11

[afc7883]

I have been watching the promos about this show and it sounds very interesting. The story of eleven Black GI's who are captured by the SS. It airs tonight at 9PM on the Natl. Geographic channel.

[Jeeper704]

Let us know how it was, please.

I'm interested to know how they show this tragedy.

 

Erwin

[Walt's Daughter]

I too missed it, so would love to hear your comments.

[verow]

I find this video on youtube

 

Memorial in the Ardennes for 11 (black) US-Soldiers.

 

 

The Wereth 11 Movie

 

Vee

[Dogdaddy]

I almost missed it myself due to the 3 hour time difference, but thankfully it was repeated 3 hours later. The documentary was very well done. The story was about The African American crew of an artillery battery at the start of the Battle of the Bulge, who courageously held their ground and kept firing until they were down to using rifles against the attacking Germans. One of the survivors who was interviewed said it got down to hand to hand fighting before their commander (who was the only white man) ordered them to surrender in order to save lives. They were taken prisoner by Germans of 1rst SS Panzer, who had great contempt for them due to their race. Eleven of these Black soldiers were eventually beaten and tortured until they died. The bodies were discovered weeks later by a Belgian man who was emotionally shaken by these events and made a memorial for these men on the ground where they died. This happened on the same day as the Malmedy Massacre, but no mention of it was made by the US Army as they compiled the names of the men who were killed during The Bulge. The spot these Heros were murdered and tortured is now a monument of stone with the names of the fallen.

I apologize for my attempt to tell this story by memory, as I may have forgotten much of the details. I hope the show will be repeated soon so you may hear all the important details that I may have omitted, as this show should be seen by all Americans. God Bless the Wereth Eleven, who fought bravely for their country despite the racist conditions they endured...not only by the enemy, but by their own country as well.

[Walt's Daughter]

I will look forward to a future showing.

 

I was aware of this piece of history, and have posted about it in the past. It's a very sad story, but one which needs to be re-told again and again.

[Jeeper704]

It must not be forgotten!

Those men did their best to hold their ground against those infamous SS <censored>.

God knows what happened to the other black soldiers from different units falling into the hands of these butchers.

 

Erwin

[rennog]

I knew nothing about those men and never heard about this tragedy, I'll visit this memorial in the next future!

God bless those men!

 

 

[Sgtleo]

 

Here's another version of the story. Many do not emphasize that the

woman betrayer was a friend and visitor at the Langer's house the night

she told the SS where the 11 were hiding

 

Wereth 11

 

The 11, from the 333rd Field Artillery Battalion, were tortured and shot after

surrendering to Nazi SS troopers in Wereth.

Their bodies lay for two months at the edge of a pasture, covered by the snow

of a hard winter. Details of their story were provided by Willi and Adda Rikken,

Belgians who lived through the German occupation of their country and learned

of the atrocity from villagers who witnessed it.

 

Overrun in Battle of the Bulge

The men were providing artillery support for American forces during early stages

of the Battle of the Bulge. By the morning of Dec. 17, 1944, their position was overrun.

 

Betrayed in Wereth

The 11 sought refuge in Wereth, a small village in the Ardennes. The family of Mathius

Langer befriended them. A German sympathizer woman friend of the Langer family

who had been at the Langer house betrayed the men to the SS

 

The GIs had only two rifles among them, so they had to surrender. They were forced

to sit in the frigid road from 3 p.m. until dark. Then they were marched to the edge

of a pasture. Villagers heard gunshots. The next day, they saw the bodies lying in

a ditch. Fearful of the Germans, they didn’t touch the victims. In February 1945,

villagers led a U.S. Army grave-registration unit to the site.

 

The Rikkens Meet the Lichtenfelds

Norman S. Lichtenfeld, M.D., of Mobile, Alabama, and his father went to Belgium

in 1994 for the 50th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. The elder Lichtenfeld

had been captured in the battle. The Rikkens often led Americans on tours of World

War II sites. They showed the Lichtenfelds the site of the massacre, marked by a

simple monument.

 

Dr. Lichtenfeld returned to the United States to spearhead a drive to raise funds

for a more elaborate monument.

 

A Marble Monument

Today, the site is marked by a marble gravestone with a panel that describes in

four languages – English, French, Dutch and Flemish – what happened there.

Each year around Memorial Day, a service is held in honor of the Wereth 11.

 

 

Names of the Wereth 11

 

The Germans who executed the Wereth 11 were never identified. The hometowns

of the 11 victims have not all been determined, but their names are engraved

on the gravestone:

 

Technical Sergeant William Edward Pritchett of Alabama .

 

Technical Sergeant James A. Stewart of West Virginia.

 

Staff Sergeant Thomas J. Forte .

 

Corporal Mager Bradley of Mississippi.

 

Private First Class George Davis of Alabama.

 

Private First Class James Leatherwood .

 

Private First Class George W. Morten.

 

Private First Class Due W. Turner of Arkansas.

 

Private Curtis Adams of South Carolina .

 

Private Robert Green.

 

Private Nathanial Moss.

 

Belgian Gratitude

 

Most Belgians resented the conquering Germans but welcomed the American

liberators, said Adda Ricken during a visit to America. Every household wanted

to have at least one American soldier as a guest, she said.

 

But they couldn’t understand why white soldiers couldn't accept their hospitality

in the presence of black soldiers.

 

"White mama cries, black mama cries," said Adda.

 

At Wereth, their tears mingle in remembrance.

 

 

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

.

 

 

 

 

[Walt's Daughter]

Sarge, thank you for your commentary. Very nice.

 

Here's what a search our forum turned up:

 

Search on Wereth