Posted on 12/12/2004 8:58:43 AM PST by knighthawk
Ping
Might get flamed for this, but the Bulge wouldn't have happened if Bradley and Eisenhower hadn't ignored the German buildup. Or assuming they paid attention to it and the attack happened anyway, the supply problem wouldn't have existed if it hadn't been for J.C.H. Lee and his hotel takeovers.
No you're absolutely right. They got caught napping. My grandfather was serving in Patton's Third Army at the time.
The anniversary of the start of the battle is this Thursday.
He was lucky to have such a competent commander, then. Big Patton fan here.
Patton's G-2 warned him about the build-up, and they were nowhere near the Ardennes. It was that obvious... and everyone who was actually there got blindsided. Disappointing.
My Dad fought and was wounded, saving several men's lives, in that horrible battle. He was a Sgt in Yankee Division, Army Corps of Engineers. German sniper took him down after he'd carried 3 wounded men to safety. To this day, he doesn't want to talk about what he did.
The American engineers played a big part in slowing the German advance.
Yes, but when did the American media concede? Surely the imbeds were livid about the poor planning by the American Commanders. I'll bet the newspapers and the radio shows were filled with angry Senators and Congressman demanding Roosevelt's head for presiding over this needless tragedy.
The war , like every war was not run perfectly...The media was kinder then..and we prevailed as Hitler had shot us his last best shot and lost. I received a war bond for my birthday present then..
As to the past, to the men of Bastogne and Gen McAuliffe, may their example forever be remembered!
I only shudder to think how today's media would have covered the battle. The New York Times would be demanding a cease fire with Hitler.
You know what's sad? If Maureen Dowd was writing during the siege of Bastogne she would have taken McAuliffe's famous quote and mocked it as being simplistic.
NUTS! Damn, don't you just love it!
The commander of that unit was Col Arthur C. Parker. When the attack came toward that town from three directions, Col. Parker had only four field artillery guns to use against the German tanks. He had the gunners lower their barrels to horizontal, and fire down the roads to stop the tanks.
Col. Parker was wounded on the first day. He refused to evacuate. For three days that ill-equipped, undermanned unit held that crossroads against all of the German attacks. On the fourth day, the Americans reinforced and relieved them.
I know that story not from my Uncle Arthur, because he never spoke of those events. I know it from the history books that describe the defense of that town.
Arthur Parker was a dirt farmer in Alabama until the war began and he enlisted. After the war, he returned to Alabama and became a dirt farmer once again. On the shoulders of such men, in every era in our history, the strength and greatness of America is built.
Congressman Billybob
Tonight on CBS News: Quagmire in Belgium!
and to the muslims if that day comes(a WMD in the US) i say the current day version of"nuts" F--- y-- and proceede to vaporize
The media at the time rightly attacked Germany's invasion of Poland but never got around to condemning the Soviets when they stabbed the Poles in the back a couple of weeks later.
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