US Soldiers from the 28th Infantry Division Band and Quartermaster Companies, who stayed and fought the German advance in Wilts, Belgium until they ran put of ammunition, photographed in Bastogne, Battle of the Bulge, December 20, 1944. [1440×1132]

The 28th Infantry Division was already worn out from heavy fighting in the Hürtgen Forest and had been positioned along a “quiet” sector of the front when the Germans attacked during the Battle of the Bulge.

Although they were ultimately unsuccessful in holding the town of Wilts, it bought crucial time for other US units to move up.

US Army Signal Corps – SC 335398
Carolan Photographer