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December 18, 1944,
Between Spa and Stavelot
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| My outfit, the 3814th Quartermaster Gas Supply Company, was headquartered at Spa, Belgium. The 1st Platoon, of which I was a member, was billeted in a house between Stavelot and Francorchamps. |
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| We operated the huge fuel dump which was dispersed in the woods between Spa and Stavelot, roughly 5 million gallons of gasoline, diesel, and lubricants. On the morning of December 18, 1944 we were awakened by the sound of explosions. |
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| We were supposedly far behind the lines so we were not too concerned. Someone said they thought it was US engineers blowing up fortifications so the Germans could not re-use them in case of counterattack. This was not the case, however, as the explosions kept getting closer. Finally our platoon sergeant arrived on the scene with orders for us to pack up and get out of there as the Germans were in Stavelot on the other side of the Ambleve River. The explosions we heard were German artillery. We didn't need to be told twice to evacuate. We went back to Spa, and later in the evening some of us returned to the fuel dump close to Stavelot where the evacuation of the fuel was being carried out. |
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| Our job was to direct the trucks when they were loaded to different locations further behind the lines. As I recall, there were trucks from just about every unit in 1st Army, and most of the fuel was safely removed. We were on duty there all through the night and could hear the German tanks in Stavelot. |
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| By that time units of the 30th Division, 82nd Airborne Division and the 3rd Armored Division had arrived and prevented the Germans from crossing the Ambleve. I think if the Germans had captured the fuel dump, it certainly would changed the course of history. |
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| Pfc Theo LAUTER |
3814th Q.M
Gas Supply,
1st US Army
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Campaigns
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Battle of the Bulge,
Belgium
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