During World War II, the Wereth 11 massacre occurred on December 17, 1944, in the village of Wereth in Belgium. Eleven African-American soldiers of the 333rd Field Artillery Battalion, part of the segregated 969th Field Artillery Battalion, were captured by German soldiers during the Battle of the Bulge and subsequently killed.
The Wereth 11 were members of the only all-black unit to see combat in Europe during World War II. The 333rd Field Artillery Battalion was attached to the 106th Infantry Division and had been deployed to the Ardennes Forest to provide support during the Battle of the Bulge, one of the largest and bloodiest battles of the war.
On December 17, 1944, the 11 soldiers were separated from their unit during the retreat from German forces. They sought refuge in the small village of Wereth, where they were taken in by a local family. The family, afraid of repercussions from German soldiers, turned the soldiers over to the SS.
The soldiers were brutally interrogated, beaten, and then executed. Their bodies were left in a field, where they remained undiscovered until January 1945. The soldiers had been shot multiple times and some had their fingers cut off, likely for the purpose of stealing their rings.
The Wereth 11 massacre was not an isolated incident. During World War II, African-American soldiers faced discrimination and segregation within the United States Army. They were often given menial tasks and had limited opportunities for promotion. In addition, they were subjected to racism and violence from both American and German forces.
The Wereth 11 massacre was initially covered up by the U.S. Army, and the soldiers’ families were not informed of their deaths until after the war. It was not until the 1990s that the massacre gained wider attention and efforts were made to recognize the soldiers’ sacrifice and bravery.
In 2001, a monument was erected in honor of the Wereth 11 in the village of Wereth. The monument reads: “In memory of these eleven African-American soldiers who were killed in this place on December 17, 1944, and were found on January 3, 1945, in the presence of local people. May their sacrifice always be remembered.” In addition, a museum has been established in the village to commemorate the soldiers and educate visitors about the history of the Wereth 11 massacre.
The Wereth 11 massacre is a tragic reminder of the discrimination and violence faced by African-American soldiers during World War II. It serves as a testament to the bravery and sacrifice of these soldiers, who fought for a country that did not always treat them with the respect and dignity they deserved.
On the evening of December 16, 1944, the soldiers of the 333rd Field Artillery Battalion were settling in for the night at their camp in Wereth, Belgium. These African American soldiers, who had volunteered to fight for their country in World War II, were part of a segregated unit that had been assigned to support the 106th Infantry Division.
Suddenly, the tranquility of the night was shattered by the sound of artillery fire. German troops had launched a surprise attack on the American front line, marking the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge.
The soldiers of the 333rd Field Artillery Battalion knew that they were in danger, and they began to retreat from their position. However, a group of 11 soldiers from the unit, led by Staff Sergeant Thomas J. Forte, became separated from their comrades in the chaos of the retreat.
These 11 soldiers, who would later become known as the Wereth 11, were forced to seek shelter in a nearby barn. However, they were soon discovered by a group of German soldiers who were part of the 1st SS Panzer Division.
The Wereth 11 were captured and tortured by the Germans, who demanded that they reveal the location of their unit. When the soldiers refused to provide any information, they were brutally murdered by their captors.
The bodies of the Wereth 11 were discovered by Allied forces on January 13, 1945, more than three weeks after the massacre had taken place. The soldiers had been shot, and some had been bayoneted and beaten.
News of the Wereth 11 massacre quickly spread, and it became a symbol of the racism and discrimination that African American soldiers faced during World War II. Despite the efforts of the families of the Wereth 11 to seek justice for their loved ones, none of the German soldiers responsible for the massacre were ever held accountable for their crimes.
In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in the Wereth 11 and their story. In 2000, a group of local Belgians built a memorial to the soldiers near the site of the massacre. In 2013, the Wereth Eleven Foundation was established to honor the memory of the soldiers and to promote awareness of their sacrifice.
The Wereth 11 massacre serves as a reminder of the sacrifices made by African American soldiers during World War II and the discrimination they faced both on and off the battlefield. It is a tragic chapter in the history of the United States military, and one that should never be forgotten.
