Memorial Stone Fallen SAS

In Froidfontaine, next to the main entrance of the Sainte-Cathérine church, a memorial stone for Lt. Paul RENKIN and the soldiers Emile LORPHEVRE and Claude HENNEQUIN DE VILLERMONT of the Belgian 5th SAS (Special Air Service).

At the top the image of a parachute with the motto of the SAS below:
"Who dares wins".

„Paul Renkin
Emile Lorphevre
Claude Hennequin de Villermont
of the Belgian paratrooper regiment,
stationed here during the Battle of the Bulge.
They fell in the battle of Bure
on 31-12-1944
for the defense of our homes".

During the German attack in the Ardennes on December 16, 1944, it was all hands on deck on the Allied side. All units that could be deployed quickly were sent that way and that included the 'Belgian SAS Recce Squadron'.
On December 28 they were sent to the Ardennes and under the command of the British
6th Airborne Division, they installed themselves in Froidfontaine, on the south side of 'The Bulge'. From there, together with British armored cars, they conducted reconnaissance in the direction of Wellin, Tellin, Halma, Han-sur-Lesse, Libin, Hatrival, Wavreille.
On the fatal December 31, 1944, Lt Renkin set out in 4 jeeps in the direction of Bure. After a first assignment in the morning, they left again in the same direction in the afternoon. At one point, they noticed German soldiers retreating into the woods. They continued slowly under cover of the other jeeps but were fired upon. Lt Renkin's jeep turned around but was hit by a grenade in the reserve fuel tank. The vehicle exploded and the three occupants were killed.
In Bure, on the site of this battle, the 'Croix Renkin', a memorial to the three soldiers who died, has been standing for many years.

Source : Hangar Flying