'Wacht am Rhein' 19.Dec.1944 1.SS Panzerkorps: Stavelot

In the early hours, the now-reduced Kampfgruppe Sandig launched another to take the vital bridge and town of Stavelot. The grenadiers made a brave attempt to wade across the icy waters of the Ambléve, but struggling against the fast running waters, they made slow, painful progress, making almost perfect targets in the light of the flares and burning houses. Those who did get on the opposite bank were too few and were quickly driven back by counter-attack. Dawn found the American line on the north bank still intact. Men of Company A, 105th Engineers Combat Battalion, led by Lieutenant Coffer, had meanwhile piled up 1,000 pounds of TNT on the bridge, and about 5.00 a.m. the explosion brought the first span on the north side crashing into the river.
  To the west of the town, Knittel’s forces gradually began to disengage, pulling back to Petit-Spai, and giving up the hamlets of Ster, Parfondruy and Renardmont which were reoccupied by the Americans.