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Stoumont (Municipality, Province of Liège, Belgium)

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Municipal flag of Stoumont - Images by Arnaud Leroy, 5 May 2005
Left, flag in use
Right, flag proposal, not in use

Presentation of Stoumont
Municipal flag of Stoumont

See also:

Presentation of Stoumont

The municipality of Stoumont (3,025 inhabitants on 1 January 2007; 10,847 hectares) is located in the middle valley of Amblève. The municipality of Stoumont is made since 1976 of the former municipalities of Stoumont, Chevron, La Gleize, Lorcé and Rahier.

Stoumont is located on the foothills of the Ardennes and is watered by the three rivers of Amblève, Roannay and Lienne. The land is mostly covered with meadows and forests.
Stoumont and La Gleize are strategical points in the famous cyclist race Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Even more strategical events took place there during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944.

The Battle of the Bulge was the ultimate German counter-offensive in December 1944. On 16-18 December, the 1st Panzer SS Division, commanded by Obersturmbannführer Jochen Peiper, broke through the American lines towards Stavelot, Recht and La Gleize. Attempts towards Neufmoulin, Trois-Ponts and Stoumont failed because of the heroic resistance of the 119th Regiment of the 30th Infantry Division, of the 7th Armored Division and of the 740th Tank Battalion. On 19 December, the 504th and 505th Regiments of the 82th Airborne Division rushed to Cheneux and Basse-Bodeux. The next day, the paratroopers of the 504th fought the Waffen SS, mostly with grenades and knife, and repelled them towards La Gleize. On 21 December, Peiper was surrounded with his Division in the "Cauldron of La Gleize". The German Air Force attempted to lift the siege, to no avail. On 23 December, after 15 hours of artillery shots, Peiper was allowed to leave La Gleize by the German command. On Christmas' night, he abandoned 135 armoured vehicles and crossed the American lines with 800 survivors of the siege, and joined the 1st SS Regiment commanded by Obersturmbannführer Knittel. Among the vehicles was Commander Dollinger's Royal Tiger #213, still shown on the square of La Gleize.
A workshop on the Battle of the Bulge was organized in La Gleize in 1994, chaired by Pr. Francis Balace. Belgian, German and English historians concluded that the Germans had lost the Battle of Ardennes in the north of the sector; the defeat in La Gleize disrupted the whole northern line of attack. The historians often summarize the outcome of the Battle as: "While the Americans won the Battle of the Bulge in Bastogne, the Germans lost it in La Gleize".

Sources:

Ivan Sache, 5 May 2005

Municipal flag of Stoumont

The municipal flag of Stoumont, as communicated by the municipal administration, is verticaly divided green-white.

Armoiries communales en Belgique. Communes wallonnes, bruxelloises et germanophones shows the proposal made by the Heraldry and Vexillology Council of the French Community as Jaune chargé d'une laize diagonale descendante rouge et bordé de même,that is, a yellow flag with a red border and a red diagonal bend. This would be a banner of the municipal arms, as shown by Servais (arms of Stoumont before the administrative reform) and on the municipal website (arms of the current municipality of Stoumont).

Arnaud Leroy, Pascal Vagnat & Ivan Sache, 5 May 2005