The 117th Infantry Regiment was assisted by elements of the 2nd Armored Division as it continued with slow progress against the West Wall. The 1st Battalion of the 117th Infantry Regiment was the only lead battalion to crack the West Wall for the entire XIX Corps. The regiment's advance was checked by a strong German counterattack on 9 October 1944 which isolated the 119th Infantry at North Wuerselen. The encirclement of Aachen was completed on 16 October 1944 when the 117th Infantry made contact with the 1st Infantry Division. On 17 December 1944 the 117th Infantry Regiment was ordered to an assembly area in the vicinity of Hauset in the Belgian Ardennes. En route, the regiment was stopped by an assistant division commander and diverted to Malmedy and Stavelot to block a powerful German counterattack. As the regiment approached Stavelot it was noted that a German Panzer unit already occupied the town. Elements of the 117th Infantry were ordered to retake Stavelot, a key crossroads on the Amblève River. As they moved to their objectives, Axis Sally was on the radio that morning boasting of a huge counterattack though the Ardennes, which she said, could not possibly be stopped. She said "The fanatical 30th Division, Roosevelt’s SS Troops, are en route to the rescue, but this time they will be completely annihilated!" As the regiment approached the town of Stavelot, huge Tiger Royal (Mark VIb) tanks, and assault riflemen were observed in the center of town. The 1st Battalion of the regiment attacked and established a defensive position in the Town Square. The 1st Battalion was reinforced with tank destroyers, machineguns, and mortars. Late in the day, two American jeeps, and two half-ton trucks roared into Stavelot loaded with Germans dressed in American uniforms with guns blazing. The Tennesseans from the 117th quickly annihilated all the Germans captured and seized the jeeps and trucks. It was determined that the Germans had occupied Stavelot with the 1st SS Adolf Hitler Division. This was the second time the 1st SS Adolf Hitler Division faced the 117th Infantry Regiment and the 30th Infantry Division during the Ardennes Offensive in the winter of 1944–45. The 1st SS Adolf Hitler Division, the main effort of the 1st SS Corps and the spearhead of the Sixth Panzer Army, gave up on their attempt to recapture Stavelot after the 117th Infantry Regiment repulsed six fanatical German assaults