#Monument
Task Force Hogan Memorial
Near the village of Beffe stands a monument dedicated to Task Force Hogan. During the Battle of the Bulge, the 3rd Armored Division, known as “Spearhead,” was called back to defend the front lines, and Task Force Hogan was formed to intervene along the Ourthe River. The monument commemorates the bravery of Colonel Samuel Hogan and his men.
On the evening of December 22nd, Task Force Hogan was trapped by a division of German armored units. In the village of Marcouray, Hogan’s men fiercely resisted the attacks. After several failed attempts to resupply them by air, a German delegation was sent to demand their surrender—an offer Colonel Hogan firmly refused.
On December 25th, General Maurice Rose, commander of the 3rd Armored Division, ordered Hogan to destroy all equipment and make a nighttime escape on foot toward American lines near Hotton. With blackened faces, stripped of helmets and insignia, around 400 men marched silently through the woods, undetected. During the crossing, Staff Sergeant Lee B. Porter performed a heroic act by neutralizing a German sentry who had spotted them, preventing disaster.
They reached their lines in Werpin, where they were warmly welcomed. Only one man failed to make it—wounded in the leg, he succumbed to his injuries. Dr. Louis Spigelman, who stayed behind with the wounded, was captured.
The bravery of Colonel Hogan and his men was later honored many times. A roadside monument commemorates their ordeal, accompanied by an information panel recounting the events. Between Marcouray and Werpin, visitors are invited to walk in the footsteps of Task Force Hogan, retracing their harrowing journey.