Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
n December 16, 1944, German forces launched the massive Ardennes offensive that would become known as the Battle of the Bulge. During the fighting, the Belgian town of Bastogne was surrounded and placed under siege as American troops fought desperately to hold the vital crossroads town.
Two local nurses, Renée Lemaire and Augusta Chiwy, volunteered to assist wounded American soldiers at a first aid station near the center of Bastogne. Working under constant danger, they cared for the growing number of casualties brought in from the front lines.
On December 24, 1944, the Germans bombed Bastogne, and the first aid station received a direct hit, setting the building ablaze. Renée Lemaire helped evacuate wounded soldiers from the burning structure, but after returning inside to rescue another man, she was killed in the fire. Augusta Chiwy, who was in an adjacent building at the time of the explosion, survived the attack.
Today, Bastogne honors both nurses with a memorial dedicated to their courage and sacrifice. The site of the wartime first aid station is marked by a plaque on the front of the newer building that now stands there. Renée Lemaire is buried in Bastogne, while Augusta Chiwy survived the war and continued her career as a nurse. She died on August 23, 2015, and is also buried in Bastogne.
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n December 16, 1944, German forces launched the massive Ardennes offensive that would become known as the Battle of the Bulge. During the fighting, the Belgian town of Bastogne was surrounded and placed under siege as American troops fought desperately to hold the vital crossroads town.
Two local nurses, Renée Lemaire and Augusta Chiwy, volunteered to assist wounded American soldiers at a first aid station near the center of Bastogne. Working under constant danger, they cared for the growing number of casualties brought in from the front lines.
On December 24, 1944, the Germans bombed Bastogne, and the first aid station received a direct hit, setting the building ablaze. Renée Lemaire helped evacuate wounded soldiers from the burning structure, but after returning inside to rescue another man, she was killed in the fire. Augusta Chiwy, who was in an adjacent building at the time of the explosion, survived the attack.
Today, Bastogne honors both nurses with a memorial dedicated to their courage and sacrifice. The site of the wartime first aid station is marked by a plaque on the front of the newer building that now stands there. Renée Lemaire is buried in Bastogne, while Augusta Chiwy survived the war and continued her career as a nurse. She died on August 23, 2015, and is also buried in Bastogne.
#airborne #historyadventures #wwii #ww2 #worldwar2 #worldwarii #wwiihistory #bandofbrothers #army #usarmy #101stairbornedivision #battleofthebulge #ardennesoffensive #bastogne #battleofthebulge1944 #sfrproductions
