Clervaux — First Day of the Bulge

Clervaux, LU

Clervaux was among the first towns overwhelmed during the opening day of **Operation Wacht am Rhein** (December 16, 1944), when German forces struck the thinly held American lines in the Ardennes. The **28th Infantry Division** ('Keystone Division') defended the area around Clervaux with its 110th Infantry Regiment, which was spread across a 35km front — far too wide for effective defence. German assault divisions from the **47th Panzer Corps** and **58th Panzer Corps** rapidly overwhelmed the forward positions and converged on Clervaux. The garrison held the **Château de Clervaux** for several days after the town fell, providing a symbol of resistance even as the German tide swept past. The delaying action of the 28th Division — which was destroyed as a fighting force — bought critical hours that allowed rear-area units to begin organising the defence of Bastogne and St. Vith. The Château de Clervaux today houses a museum documenting both the medieval history of the castle and the 1944 battle.