My Father’s battalion was cutting timber in the Ardennes when the battle started. They were sent to a position to block the Germans but ended up seeing almost no action in that battle.
They later saw plenty.
Mel Brooks was there as was my cousin who almost lost his feet.
I had a cousin who was a butcher and cook for troops not far behind the lines. When the Battle of the Bulge began, he suddenly became an infantryman! (Survived.) So did a lot of the black Red Ball Express guys.