Sites and places

Ste Anne Chapel

While his troops were about as far as they would go into Belgium, resting from the fighting in Staumont , Peiper was surprised to find that the US "Task Force Jordan" and 2/119th Infantry had meanwhile made a enveloping move around his troops in Staumont through the dense forest where they emerged on the N33 Staumont-La Gleize road near a small building called "Anne's Chapel"

Blowing up trees next to the N33 road and laying anti-tank mines a roadblock was established. Soon however the Yankee luck changed as the Americans stumbled on the German perimeter near Staumont and their commanding officer Major McCown's vanished without a trace. Firefights broke out as panzergrenadiers charged and soon the Americans had to withdraw.

It was however clear to Peiper that the La Gleize-Staumont road was vulnerable to infiltration, and soon a retreat from Staumont was ordered to avoid it being cut again.

The original Chapel building is still very well preserved and lies in a beautiful surrounding with a walking trail passing by.

It is indeed close to the N33 road (still in use) but maybe not as close as depicted in the game. In summertime it is not possible to see the road at all from the chapel and although it is the only building of any stature in the immediate surrounding, a total of 5 victory points as depicted in ASL would seem a bit much, more so considering there are hardly any windows in the building to observe the surroundings. Its tactical value seems doubtful, but maybe the designers from ASL's "Kampfgruppe Peiper" just awarded a lot of VP to stimulate players to conquer the general area.

Ste Anne Chapel in 2004.

 

 

 

Ste Anne Chapel in 1944.