Posted on 12/17/2004 6:50:17 AM PST by NonZeroSum
December 17th, 1944
PARIS (Routers) Long-time critics of the Roosevelt administration declared themselves vindicated today, as the Germans began a renewed offensive yesterday in the Ardennes Forest in Belgium, opening a huge hole in the "Allied" lines and throwing back troops for miles, with previously unimaginable US casualties.
Early yesterday morning, eight German armored divisions and thirteen German infantry divisions launched an all-out attack on five divisions of the United States 1st Army. Hundreds of heavy guns, howitzers and multiple-rocket launchers were fired on American positions.
The 5th and 6th Panzer armies, consisting of some eleven divisions, broke through the Loshein Gap against the American divisions protecting the region. The 6th Panzer Army then headed north while the Fifth Panzer Army went south. The latter army attacked the U. S. VIII Corps some 100 miles to the south, which was quickly surrounded, resulting in mass surrenders of unprepared American soldiers. By any reasonable and objective standard, it was an utter military disaster for the "Allied" forces.
It all came as a complete shock to the Roosevelt administration who, rumor has it, had been informed by the head of OSS that the imminent collapse of the German army was a "lead-pipe cinch." This only confirmed reasonable pre-election suspicions that the administration and General Eisenhower were operating on flawed intelligence, and led the nation into an invasion of Europe on clearly false pretenses.
This new setback came amidst continuing problems with the new government in France, installed by the "Allies." Many consider it a puppet, lacking legitimacy, and it has proven itself inept. The situation is chaotic, and "President" De Gaulle has shown himself to be unable to control food riots, or prevent the commission of massacres of former regime loyalists and the German troops who had supported the overthrown legitimate Vichy government. Though elections are promised sometime in the future, there is widespread doubt, given the infighting between FRLs, communists, and Gaullists, that peaceful and orderly elections can be held any time soon or that civil war can be prevented.
Many have pointed out that the troop strength on the continent has been inadequate since the invasion at Normandy last June, and that this only confirmed that. In addition, they say, it didn't help that, due to incompetence at the highest levels, up to the newly installed Secretary of War Hull, many troops died as a result of our own bombs.
"They ignored our warnings about getting embroiled in a quagmire here, and this campaign has been a disaster, from the hundreds killed in training, to the thousands who died on the beaches in France," said an anonymous State Department source. He continued, "We've also shamed ourselves before the world with our reckless policies and atrocities." In the wake of all this, some, off the record, are suggesting that it's time to consider impeachment of the recently reelected president.
Back in Washington, despite lofty rhetoric from the White House about the "liberation" of Europe, many had always been skeptical about the prospects for defeating Germany. As they correctly point out, the Germans are after all defending their homeland, and no matter how bad the alleged depravations of the Nazi regime, all familiar with the German character know that they can be depended on to fight to the death against any foreign invader, no matter how well intentioned. Many of the German dead or captured for the past few weeks have been adolescents, some only fourteen or fifteen years old, with dead, untrained yet willing hands clinging to their rifles. Seeing such images of dedication to the cause, it's difficult for many to believe that victory is possible.
As a result, the new setback has renewed rumbling among some that the time has come to seek an accord with the Nazi regime that could allow a withdrawal from Europe with honor, and not lose any more American troops in a hopeless cause, let alone bog them down for an unforeseeable period of time. "It was Japan that attacked us, not Germany," pointed out a Senate staffer. "We need to focus our resources on the true enemy in the Pacific."
Some staffers on Capitol Hill implied that the timing itself of the offensive was suspicious. "Hitler wanted Roosevelt to be reelected, so that he could continue to fight a war against a sick, senile incompetent. Had he started this offensive before the election back on November 7th, everyone would have seen what a disaster this president has been on foreign policy, and Hitler would have had to confront a young, vibrant Tom Dewey."
Others, representing moderate Democrats, seemed resigned. "We're stuck with a stubborn megalomaniac who's eventually going to have us at war with the rest of the world. How long will our Russian allies put up with this kind of behavior? How can we found or host a 'United Nations' when we ourselves are the author of so much aggression?"
(Copyright 2004, by Rand Simberg)
Quagmire!
If today's MSM covered the Bulge Bump
We're doomed!!!! They don't want freedom!!! They don't deserve freedom!!! Let's just stick our heads in the sand... Hitler was not an immediate threat anyway..
Sofar, the only wars we haven't won are the ones we didn't commit to winning.
Sad to think this could have been the case. It's very nice to be able to joke about it using English.
That's the Battle of the Bulge baby! December 16th, 1944.
good stuff...
Maybe we could unearth a fax blasted out by UFPJ decrying the waste of human life on June 6th, 1944 and how the military bungled the invasion and planning for the event...
Hitler's not such a bad guy, LOL
Let's see. December 17th, 1944... That was before the end of "major combat operations" in Europe, right? Before the military declared, "Mission accomplished"? Did we lose more American soldiers after the war with Germany ended?
I remember reading the real Patton speech a few years ago. Glad he was on our side.
He barely survived in the 1940's world! Patton came very close to being cashiered out of the service because of the slapping incidents. Ike kept him in the closet during the ramp up to D-day, partly as a ruse in the FORTITUDE deception, but also to keep him from giving the press more fodder.
I blame Harry Hopkins!
PC world today? How about during the greatest war in history .... when Soviets were shooting thousands of their own soldiers ... Patton was relieved and sent to a 'doghouse' for slapping two soldiers.
There was a breakdown in intel! Out light infantry did not have enough armored vehicles. This entire farce was clearly poorly thought out.
President" De Gaulle has shown himself to be unable to control food riots, or prevent the commission of massacres of former regime loyalists
(A bit off topic)
Anyone notice we're not seeing Baathists being rounded up and thrown in jail or be publicly humiliated. Unlike "civilized" France after the war.
How about the fact that we DID NOT HAVE THE BEST PLANES at the start of the war?
How about the fact that we did not have adequate personal fire arms, tanks (throughout the entire war) and so on.
Improvements came IN THE COURSE of prosecuting the war.
In WWII we went to war against the Axis with the army we had, not the army the leftists wanted to nitpick.
How did the President get us into this wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time?
Made my blood race to read your post, wanted to reach for an M1 and a few bandoleers of 8 round clips,,,,and I would know what to do!
"Yeah, but back them we had the likes of Patton. Patton would never survive in today's PC world."
Today, we have Donald Rumsfield and it is starting to look like Rumsfield will not survive in today's PC World. I predict that Rumsfield will resign early in '05 and we will start troop reductions in Iraq by late fall of '05. By mid 2006 the concensus will be that we lost the war in Iraq.
God, I hope I am wrong.
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