The WW2 Unit That Got Lost for 50 Years
2,196On January 7, 1945, snow weighs heavy on the branches, the frost creeping through wool uniforms. For days, the men of the 551st Parachute Infantry Battalion have fought through hunger and exhaustion. Their boots are frozen stiff, feet wrapped in burlap or whatever scraps they could find, as their winter gear never arrived.
Ahead of them is Rochelinval, a small village on high ground, the last crossing point for retreating German forces. If they take it, they cut off the escape route.
Standing at the front with the frost clinging to his helmet, the battalion’s leader, Lieutenant Colonel Wood Joerg, doesn’t waste words, as he has a single order left to give: Take Rochelinval, no matter what.
A shot cracks through the stillness. Whether a misfire or an accident, it doesn’t matter; the German response is immediate. Machine guns cut through the snowfield, sending men sprawling. Mortars slam into the ground, shaking the earth.
Despite being heavily outnumbered, the battalion pushes forward to Rochelinval, where the last fight of the 551st Parachute Infantry Battalion has just begun.
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