Route of Commemoration No.9: Blowing up an Ammunitions Depot

After American troops had arrived inthis region at the beginning of September 1944, they built a large ammunition depot at "Weedem", tot he west of Weywertz. At that time, nothing seemed to stop them. In the morning of December 16th, 1944, they were suddenly awakened by the sound of heavy roar of cannons coming from the East. The Battle of the Bulge had started. German troops were to drive a wedge between the American troops and recapture Liège and Antwerp. In the beginning, they moved forward fast, and on Sunday, December 17th they stood before the gates of Bütgenbach and Weywertz. Apparently, the US troops panicked. Out of nowhere, a massive explosion was heard at around 1 p.m. Without any warning, the Americans had blown op the ammunitions depot at "Weddem". There had been no time for cleaning it. A nearby farmstead was turned into a heap of ruins. The shock waves caused many a window to break as well as many a roof to break in Weywertz. Fortunately, no one died. Yet at the end it turned out it hadn’t been necessary to dynamite the depot since the Germans would never succeed in occupying Bütgenbach and Weywertz.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar
• Photos: Hans Tasma