Memorial to the civilian victims of La Roche-en-Ardenne

On December 20, 1944, the first German units crossed La Roche-en-Ardenne towards the northwest, with the aim of reaching the port of Antwerp. The German attack was countered several times. On December 26, the bridges over the River Ourthe were still intact. The Allied command ordered a massive bombardment of the German positions in the city. The civilian population was caught in the incessant airdrops, and the first casualties were soon reported.

The deluge continued on December 27. The order had been given to annihilate the remaining German forces, preventing any possible escape by the occupying forces. The inhabitants, crouching in the cellars, prayed without respite in the hope of a lull. Post-war witnesses describe scenes of unprecedented violence. Walls collapsed, windows exploded, houses were ripped open or reduced to rubble. The elements crumbled to the rhythm of the bombs: trees, bricks, earth... The Rochois writer Jean Lefèvre wrote:

"The air attack on the town, unexpected and incomprehensible to us, with its devastation, fires, dead and wounded, was bound to cause panic. These unfortunate people carried a bundle with a blanket over their shoulder, sometimes pushing ahead of them a handcart or wheelbarrow on which a sick person, an elderly person or a groaning wounded man had found a seat."

Some inhabitants managed to flee the town between attacks; others were rescued. With a population of around 500 at the time, there were 114 civilian victims of the bombardments, many of whom succumbed to their injuries or illness. La Roche-en-Ardenne was officially recognised as a martyred town in the Battle of the Bulge, and was awarded the Croix de Guerre 1940 with palm, which can be seen today on its coat of arms.