DEC. 22 - Battle of the Bulge-the largest, bloodiest WWII battle on Europe's western front

http://americanminute.com/ ^ | December 22, 2013 | William J. Federer

[NKP_Vet]

The Battle of the Bulge was the largest and bloodiest battle during World War II on Europe's western front, with casualties of 81,000 Americans and 100,00 Germans.

It began at the end of 1944 when National Socialist Workers Party amassed three armies for an enormous attack against the Allies in the Ardennes Forest.

eneral Eisenhower stated in his order, DECEMBER 22, 1944:

"By rushing out from his fixed defenses the enemy may give us the chance to turn his great gamble into his worst defeat.

So I call upon every man, of all the Allies, to rise now to new heights of courage...with unshakable faith in the cause for which we fight, we will, with God's help, go forward to our greatest victory."

The Nazis soon surrounded the U.S. 101st Airborne Division in the town of Bastogne, southern Belgium.

When demanded they surrender, DECEMBER 22, 1944, U.S. General Anthony McAuliffe answered with one word: "Nuts."

This response caused the Nazi commander to hesitate.

Marching to the rescue was General George Patton and the U.S. Third Army, but they were pinned down due to bad weather preventing planes from flying to give air cover.

General Patton directed Chaplain James O'Neill to compose a prayer, which was printed on cards and distributed to the 250,000 troops to pray:

[jmacusa]

You're right about the heroic action of the 28th. Div.(”The Bloody Bucket’’). I knew a vet who served with that outfit. The town of Bastonge because of it's being the hub of five major roads that converge through it was an important target but it was not the main objective of the German offensive. Manteuffel’s panzer's had surrounded the town but curiously he never engaged the 101st. or the 10th. Armored en masse who were defending it but instead chose to attack one spot, he would be repulsed and then would try some other point. I don't think he was playing to win, just running out the clock on a war that he knew was lost. Getting across the Meuse River was what the Germans were trying to do so they kept Bastonge surrounded but kept pushing west toward the Meuse River. Standing in their way was the Belgian town of Marche which at the time was being defended by the 84th. Infantry Division(''The Rail Splitters''). My late Uncle Fred served with this outfit at Marche and was wounded in combat. The 84th. held the line and the Germans never made it across the Meuse.

[jmacusa]

The Battle of the Bulge was the largest,, longest and costliest SINGLE battle the US Army ever fought. From the time the attack began on Dec. 16,1944 until it was declared ‘’contained’’ on Jan.27th.,1945 there was never a day, an hour or a single minute in which some American unit was not in contact with the enemy. This was the mother of all bar room brawls. It started in the bar, went to the floor, out the door, rolled down the block and around the corner. It didn’t stop until the Germans were out of fuel, exhausted and spent. Plus the weather finally cleared and the P-38’s and P-47’s had a field day with German armored columns stranded on the roads. American resistance was more then the Germans were expecting. Ironically though because Eisenhower chose to just roll back the German penetration in a frontal assault rather than attacking the flanks there were more American casualties in the American counter-attack then in the initial German attack. Among them was my late Uncle Fred(84th. Inf. Div.) who took shrapnel in the face attacking the village of Soy Belgium. This might be be what that Brit girly man was thinking of. The Bugle was a clear cut American victory.

[jmacusa]

Largely unknown by most Americans was that in mid-January of 1945 as the Bugle was beginning to peter out Hitler ordered another smaller ‘’Battle of the Bulge’’ code named’’Operation Nordwind’’. The objective was the French city of Strasbourg. Strasbourg is an important symbol of French historic honor and Hitler thought that if he took it the Allied coalition might break. Hitlers objective in fighting The Bulge was a political one. He was trying to fracture the tenuous Allied coalition. This second ‘’Bulge’’ fell largely on the American 7th. Armored Div. and the Army’s 45th. Inf. Div. (”The Thunderbirds’’). The Germans lost this one too.

[OKSooner]

Really? I’ll need to read up about nordwind sometime; the 45th division are\were our Homeys, ok ng. All the German commanders knew not to mess with the 45th but of course Hitler was nuts. Anyone who gets a look at the tbird dies you know esp krauts.

[crazydad]

Good observation. We did lose 14 thousand men I think killed and captured. Not sure of the figures? God bless the men who died and survived and the men god only knows where their at.

[tom h]

"I once got in an argument with a British leftist who said it was a huge defeat for the Americans."

Remind your limp-wristed British friend that Montgomery didn't win ANY battles of significance, and ask him to prove you otherwise.

[jmacusa]

I believe the 45th. liberated Dachau. I remember reading an account of the liberation by a GI who was there. He was in a half-track with some of his buddies and seeing the horror in front of them they saw a German soldier walking towards them. “All of a sudden we see this big tall Kraut with blond hair, good looking guy and he’s wearing so much Red Cross sh!t he looked like a friggin’Christmas tree’’. ‘’One of our guys spoke German and started yelling at him ,”Red Cross, huh? “Well where the hell were you five minutes ago to help these people you son of a bitch?’’ “Every guy in the column unloaded a full clip on that Kraut s.o.b’’.

[jmacusa]

I don’t like Montgomery, he was an arrogant, condescending and obnoxious upper class twit who never missed a chance to throw a dig at American soldiers and their fighting capability. The British participation in the Bulge was minimal at best but that didn’t stop this arrogant prick from giving a press conference where he said in so many ways that the Yanks had really made a mess of the situation and he came in and saved the day. I have known many veterans of the Bulge and who served in North Africa and Italy and they still to this day hate the man. I remember one vet who told me “I’d a shot that Limey son of a bitch quicker than I’d a shot Hitler’’. But he did make a success at El Alamien. But you can point out to any limp wristed Brit that his “Operation Market-Garden’’ was an unmitigated failure.