The traces of World War II in Noville, a village fiercely defended by US soldiers

In mid-December 1944, Germany launched its last major counteroffensive on the Western Front, in the Ardennes.

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That region of Belgium and Luxembourg became the scene of heavy fighting that left tens of thousands dead. Within the Battle of the Bulge, the Belgian town of Bastogne was the center of an encirclement by German forces against units of the US Army, mainly the 101st Airborne Division, nicknamed the "Screaming Eagles" and the 10th Armored Division.

At Noville, a hamlet in Bastogne Township, a 10th Armored Division force, Team Desobry, consisting of tanks and infantry, was ordered to defend the location as it was an important junction on the road into downtown Bastogne. Team Desobry, named for its commander (Major William R. Desobry), was reinforced by paratroopers from the 1st Battalion, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne Division.

This American force faced a German force that significantly outnumbered it, both in terms of numbers of soldiers and tanks. In fact, the defenders expected to face a battalion, but what arrived was a division. Despite being significantly outnumbered, and with the help of several M18 Hellcat tank destroyers, the defenders of Neville fought so fiercely that the Germans believed they were facing a much larger force, delaying their advance and allowing the 101st Division to consolidate its positions in Bastogne.

This Wednesday, The History Underground published an interesting video showing how Noville is today and the traces of those battles that can still be seen in that Belgian village, where US flags fly today in honor of those fierce soldiers:

You can see some screenshots from this video here. Here we see a monument dedicated to Belgian soldiers who fell in World War I that was damaged in the fighting in 1944. It has been preserved despite the impact of shell fire.

This school in Noville served as Major Desobry's headquarters during the fighting in that village in December 1944. Today the US flag still flies there in memory of those American soldiers.

Smashed tombstones from the old Noville cemetery. They are piled up in a corner of the gardens where that cemetery used to be, after being razed during the fighting in 1944.

The road between Neville and Bourcy has been named "Rue du Général Desobry" (General Desobry Street) in honor of Major William R. Desobry, who led the defense of this village in 1944 and retired in 1975 with the rank of Lieutenant General. These plaques are one of several memorials commemorating the defenders of that village; you can see the others in the video.

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Main image: The History Underground.