The Hogan's 400

On December 16, 1944, the Third Reich launched its last forces in an offensive in the Ardennes called "Wacht Am Rhein". The American forces there are crushed, and the front retreats under the German thrust. The Allies organize to counter this powerful attack. A few days before Christmas, General Rose, commander of the 3rd Armored Division, was in the Hotton area. He then decided to form 3 Task Forces: Task Force Kane, Task Force Tucker (later becoming Orr) and Task Force Hogan. Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Hogan is assigned the right flank. TF Orr is in the center and TF Kane is on the left.

On December 20, the groups leave the Hotton area towards their respective objectives without any intelligence on enemy forces in their sector. Lieutenant-Colonel Hogan advances towards the Roche en Ardennes. Once in the town, he is surprised to encounter the rear of the 7rd Armored Division! At their request, he assigns them his platoon of 105 mm riflemen for protection. Task Force Hogan's route continued beyond La Roche en Ardennes, but the first contacts with the enemy were made a little later, in the vicinity of Maboge. These would be the first clashes with this division, the 116 Panzer, during the Battle of the Bulge. The group turns back and establishes its quarters at Laroche in the Ardennes.

On December 21, following several radio problems, Hogan decides to go back up himself to seek orders on the Hotton side. A convoy of two jeeps left the town in the early hours of the morning. The journey did not go as planned, however, as a few miles further on, the two jeeps came across a convoy of Germans disguised as Americans in the middle of a road. Without missing a beat, Samuel Hogan and the jeeps' occupants abandoned their vehicles and scattered into the woods. Once reunited, the few men set off (avoiding the Germans) in the direction of Hotton, as originally planned.

On several occasions, the small group came close to being discovered by the enemy. Finally, the group decided to retrace their steps to find the Task Force, without knowing exactly where it was. During this period, command of the TF was handed over to Major Stewart Walker. The Task Force moved northwards, eventually arriving in the Marcouray area. Colonel Hogan and the few men with him found themselves in the small village by a happy coincidence and some information from Belgian civilians! The results were far less encouraging. The Task Force was ordered to rejoin the command in Hotton, but the various reports they received indicated that enemy roadblocks were in place all around them. Ammunition and food supplies were plentiful, but gasoline was scarce and insufficient to get back to the rear lines in case of fighting. They would have to defend themselves in the small village; a defensive perimeter was set up. During the December 23 and 24, the only order Colonel Samuel Hogan received was: "Wait". After two days, word comes down that two companies of paratroopers are trying to clear the way to evacuate the Task Force, but without success. On December 24, a German jeep approaches the village of Marcouray carrying a white flag. Hogan's men hope for good news from the enemy, but it is not to be. The enemy general asks the Task Force to surrender to avoid a bloodbath. They know that Hogan and his men are surrounded in the small village, with no way out. Hogan replies that they will fight and that he will carry out the orders given! This will be the "Nuts " of Marcouray ! Several re-supply attempts are made by air and artillery, but these are also unsuccessful. The C-47 only vaguely knew where the Task Force was and were unable to reach the area, as during this period the village of Laroche was in German hands and an anti-aircraft defense concentration was also located there. The Task Force had no way out of the perimeter. The die was cast

Finally, on December 25, General Rose finally gave the order to destroy all heavy equipment, sabotage the various armored vehicles and rejoin the lines on foot. This was done. Colonel Hogan decides to send the men in groups of 20, with a 30-second gap between each group. The wounded stayed behind with the medical corps. The men blackened their faces with burnt corks and vehicle grease. No equipment that made noise or glare was allowed. The men were ready to set off on this risky escape. The departure was given at sunset! The colonel and his two assistants were the last to leave the village in the night. Their progress is very difficult, as Hogan was equipped with English airplane pilot's boots, designed for flying but not for walking on rough terrain like that of the Ardennes. On several occasions, they passed close to danger with enemies omnipresent in the area. It wasn't until the next morning after a short rest that Hogan and his two assistants heard a voice giving directions in English for the artillery. They approached slowly, raising their arms, and came across three GIs from the 75 DI, a division with no experience as it had just arrived on the front. Once the three men had been identified, a jeep came to pick them up and take them to Division Headquarters. When General Rose asked Samuel Hogan why he was the last to join the friendly lines, Hogan could only reply, "My feet hurt like hell". In the end, Hogan's "400 " (actually 486 men) almost all made it to the friendly lines around Soy. Some were found 72 hours later, but still alive! Only one Gi was killed by "friendly fire" as he approached the front line. The Hogan Task Force went down in legend with this risky escape. After a short rest, they returned to the battlefields and contributed to the victory in Europe, ending the war in Dessau, Germany.

Photo credit and contribution The Bro ASBL