The Wereth 11 were a group of Black American soldiers who were captured, tortured, and executed by Nazi troops near Wereth, Belgium, on December 17, 1944. Part of the 333rd Field Artillery Battalion during the Battle of the Bulge these men had sought refuge in the home of a Belgian farmer after their unit was overrun. Betrayed to the Germans by a local collaborator, they were taken outside the village, brutally beaten, and murdered.

Despite the atrocity, considered a war crime, their story was buried for decades, overshadowed by larger wartime narratives and the systemic racism that minimized the heroism and suffering of Black soldiers. It wasn’t until the late 1990s that researchers and the families of the fallen succeeded in gaining recognition. Today, a memorial in Wereth honors these men, reminding visitors of both their sacrifice and the long fight for justice in American military history. It is one of the few memorials in Europe dedicate to the contributions of Black Soldiers in World War II

The Joy Trip Project celebrates American history with the stories remarkable features of our past that are too often forgotten. The Unhidden Minute is part of the Unhidden Podcast Project supported through a National Geographic Explorer Grant from the National Geographic Society, with the cooperation of the National Park Service. This series elevates the untold stories of men and women who helped to shape the progress of our nation.

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