​​Hastière was liberated by the 2nd and 3rd Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment of the US 9th Infantry Division with support from the US 3rd Armoured Division and 4th Cavalry Group.

​Following two days of fighting against the German 2nd SS ‘Das Reich’ Panzer Division, the town was finally liberated.

​The memorial honours the soldiers of the US 9th Infantry Division and Commander Major General J Lawton Collins.

The Sherman tank, named ‘Dolly’, stands as a memorial to the Armoured Division. To the left side of the Sherman tank (facing the road), an impact mark from a shell is visible. It is more than likely that a round of ammunition penetrating the side of the Sherman tank in this position would have killed or severely wounded the crew members on board.