December 19
By morning, Preiss had brought his I.SS-Panzerkorps headquarters forward to Holzheim and Mohnke his SS-Panzer-Division headquarters to Wanne. Preiss could see now his best chance at moving westwards lay with Peiper and he therefore ordered the whole of the 1.SS-Panzerkorps to backup the Kampfgruppe’s efforts. The second echelon on Rollbahn D, Kampfgruppe Sandig, was closing on Stavelot and came to a stop in front of the American-occupied townwhile to the south Kampfgruppe Hansen was still held up near Poteau by the 7th Armored Division combat command.SS-Standartenführer Hansen was ordered to disengage and resume the advance along his assigned Rollbahn E through Logbiere and Wanne, which for much of the way looked hardly than a cross-country track.