Werbomont — 82nd Airborne Blocking Position

Ferrieres, BE

Werbomont was the assembly point for the **82nd Airborne Division** ('All-Americans') when it was rushed to the Ardennes in the opening days of the Battle of the Bulge. The 82nd, along with the 101st Airborne, was the only strategic reserve immediately available to stop the German breakthrough. While the 101st was sent to Bastogne, the 82nd was directed to Werbomont to block the northern route of Kampfgruppe Peiper's advance. The paratroopers arrived — many in civilian trucks, without their full equipment — and immediately went into defensive positions, establishing a blocking line that helped contain the northernmost German thrust. The 82nd then advanced east to attack the German penetrations, fighting at **Stoumont**, **La Gleize**, and **Trois-Ponts** to cut off and destroy Peiper's surrounded force. General **James Gavin**, commanding the 82nd, directed the division's operations from Werbomont — coordinating the counterattacks that eliminated Kampfgruppe Peiper and stabilised the northern shoulder of the Bulge.