Holding Hosingen At All Costs

By Alice Flynn Ordered to “hold at all costs,” 300 American soldiers defended the small Luxembourg town of Hosingen during the first three days of the Battle of the Bulge. They were surrounded and outnumbered more than 10 to 1, bombarded by tanks and artillery that set most of the town on fire, and given no aerial or artillery support. They were abandoned by the 28th Infantry Division’s other units but managed to hold out for 2½ days until they ran out of ammunition, sacrificing themselves for time. Stranded miles behind enemy lines, they had no choice but to surrender and would be forced to endure the unimaginable to survive as prisoners of the Nazis. Landing on Omaha Beach on July 25, 1944, the 28th Infantry Division (ID) entered into its first combat near the town of St. Lo on July 30. As the 28th fought its way across France, it earned a fierce reputation among the German troops. Mistaking the former Pennsylvania National Guard unit’s red Keystone emblem as a “Bloody Bucket,” they believed the insignia reflected the toughness of the unit’s fighting ability, and the name stuck. On August 13, Maj. Gen. Norman Cota was assigned to take over the unit, and it advanced much more quickly but suffered substantial losses along the way. On August 25, it reached the city of Paris, and the 28th ID was selected to represent the U.S. Army in a victory parade, passing through the Arc de Triumph down the Champs-Elysées to a cheering Parisian crowd. Eight hour