War Memorial Houmont

Monument to the victims of the two world wars, located next to the church.

At the top it says "Pro patria"

Black marble slabs are attached to the base.
In front: "To our children who died for freedom
Grateful Houmont „

Below that, "Passer-by, remember she
paid the price with their suffering, their blood and their lives
for your freedom and your happiness "

On the sides are the names of a soldier from 1914-1918 (1 name) and the names of the military (3), resistance (1) and civilian victims (4) from 1940-1945.

With the encirclement of Bastogne broken on December 26, units were brought in to fortify the perimeter in anticipation of an attempt to drive the Germans backwards. One of these units was the 17th Airborne Division that was brought from Great Britain to Northern France to enter Belgium from there. Part of the 17th was the 194th Glider Infantry Regiment to which the 550th Airborne Infantry Battalion was attached. On January 3, 1945, they arrived in the hamlet of Magerotte of Sainte-Ode. From there they fought their way to the next hamlet of Houmont, which they reached on the evening of January 4. During the night of 4 to 5 January they faced a fierce German counterattack in which many American soldiers were taken prisoner of war. The 194th and 550th retreated to Houmont to counterattack again on January 7, resulting in numerous casualties. From January 9 it was calmer and in the night of January 10 to 11 the German units began to withdraw. In the following weeks these two units were also active in counter-actions until they were sent to Chalons-sur-Marne on February 11, 1945 for a rest period. The losses of men in the 550th Airborne Infantry Battalion and the 193rd Glider Infantry Regiment were so great that both units were disbanded on March 1, 1945 and merged to form the third battalion of the 194th GIR. Because so many Americans died, the height beyond Houmont was dubbed "Dead Man's Ridge". Every year in spring, the 101st Airborne Division Belgian Friendly organizes a Dead Man's Ridge Walk to commemorate the fallen.

On the occasion of the visit to Houmont of a 194th veteran, John J. Schumacher, from March 22-27, 2012, two memorial stones were unveiled. They were placed at the church of Houmont, to the left and right of the monument to the fallen of the two world wars. The memorial stones show the units that took part in the battle for the village. On the left stone are the names of the 11th Armored Division, 41st Tank Battalion and 21st Armored Infantry Battalion while on the right are the Airborne units, 17th Airborne Division, 194th Glider Infantry regiment and 550th Airborne Infantry Battalion. At the back is an extensive information panel.

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Source

• Text: Marie-Christine Vinck
• Photos: Marie-Christine Vinck
• Hangarflying