For sale... sign of a fierce WW2 battle
A BULLET-SCARRED sign for a Belgian town – the scene of a pivotal battle in World War Two – has emerged for sale for £15,000.
The enameled metal name plate for Bastogne – measuring 8in by 32in – is littered with holes and shrapnel scars.
It was recovered after the battle in December 1944 by a farmer, who then sold it to a nearby collector.
Besieged
Bastogne was one of the fighting grounds for the historic Battle of the Bulge, the largest fought by the US army.
The small town, located at a strategic point on the road network, was besieged by the Germans on december 21 during the Ardennes offensive.
The goal for the Germans was to reach the harbour at Antwerp.
For the next five days the Americans held out against significantly larger German forces, despite running out of food and ammunition.
At one stage, the Germans urged US Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe, deputy commander of the 101st Airborne Division, to surrender.
He simply replied: “Nuts.” Several aerial resupply missions including gliders were flown in to support the Americans.
They allowed troops to resist until General George Patton’s 4th Armored Division punctured the surrounding German lines on December 26, breaking the siege.
After the relief of Bastogne, the battle around the Ardennes continued into January, when the Germans were forced to surrender as their supply lines were cut off,
German prisoners taken during battle; right, US soldiers marching out of town after siege
leaving their forces without gasoline and short of ammunition.
The poignant relic is going under the hammer with auctioneer Bonhams of New York, 75 years after the historic events.
Bonhams specialist Tom Lamb said: “This is a rare battle-scarred Bastogne town sign, one of eight examples on the roads into the town. It was recovered after the siege of Bastogne by a farmer.”
The sale takes place on August 7.