High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Battle of Lanzerath Ridge during World War II was fought on December 16, 1944, the first day of the Battle of the Bulge near the town of Lanzerath, Belgium. It was fought between 18 men belonging to two American reconnaissance squads, four U.S. Forward Artillery Observers, and a battalion of about 500 German paratroopers. During a day-long confrontation, the platoon of Americans inflicted dozens of casualties on the Germans and bottled up the advance along a key route the 1st SS Panzer Division, spearhead of the entire German 6th Panzer Army, which had been selected to make the main effort.