Epilogue
Barry W. Fowle
Following the Battle of the Bulge, as the fighting in
the Ardennes became known, the 51st supported a succession
In January 1945, the battalion
of frontline divisions.
operated in close cooperation with the 307th Engineer
Combat Battalion of the 82d Airborne Division. Later the
51st worked with the 275th Battalion of the 75th Infantry
Division. The weather rather than the Germans became the
battalion's main foe, as the troops struggled to keep open
the main supply routes in spite of the heavy snowfall and
wind-swept drifts.
In the first two months of 1945, as the Allied armies
pushed east into Germany, the battalion built many
bridges. Most were double-single Baileys. They built at
least seven of these, ranging in length from 50 to 130
feet.
They also built a 130-foot double--double Bailey
near Trois-Ponts as well as some treadways and foot
bridges. Some of these they finished under fire.
During the first part of February the battalion
entered Germany in support of the 82d Airborne Division in
In this
its drive toward the east through the Ardennes.
sector there were no roads, only woods. The 51st blazed
forest trails, cut firebreaks, and opened third-class
The
roads to take the pounding of division traffic.
battalion performed other time-honored sapper roles as
well, clearing obstructions, mines, and booby traps when
On 17 February, recognition for the 51st's part
needed.
in stopping the Germans in the Ardennes caught up with the
51
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