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Pearl Harbor is remembered every December as what launched
America into World War II, but the month also marks the anniversary
of one of the most decisive and bloodiest battles that would help
bring it to an end.
The Battle of the Bulge began on Dec. 16, 1944, and was a sneak
attack by Hitler on exhausted American troops in the hills of
Belgium's Ardennes forest. It was his last major stand, really – one
that could have changed the tide of the war in his favor. Instead,
it solidified an Allied victory.
M4 Sherman tanks line up in a snow-covered field near St. Vith,
Belgium, as the town is liberated during the Battle of the
Bulge. (Photo by U.S. Army Signal Corps. Digitally remastered by
National Archives Still Picture Branch) |
My great uncle, 27-year-old Army National Guard Sgt. Emmett P.
Clark, died in the waning days of the Battle of the Bulge. The valor
he and thousands of other American troops showed in fending off the
Germans is why it's considered one of the greatest battles in
American military history.
In their honor, here are a few key facts about it to keep the
memory of their sacrifices alive.
A Plan is Hatched
By late 1944, it seemed like World War II was all but won. The
invasion of Normandy was a success, and the Allies were advancing
further into Europe. Hitler's power was fading – members of his own
military tried unsuccessfully to assassinate him in July. But that
only seemed to drive him further. In August, the Fuhrer
secretly started building a reserve force to carry out his last big
bid to regain momentum, despite the advice of his generals.
Hitler focused his attention toward the Ardennes – 75 miles of
dense, snow-covered forest with few roads along the
Belgian-German-Luxembourg border. It's where the U.S. Army sent
battle-fatigued and inexperienced soldiers to rest and train. Allied
defenses there had been thinned.
The plan: To cut west through those American forces, cross the
Meuse River and capture Antwerp, a major source of Allied supplies.
If successful, it would split the Allied forces in two, isolating
and annihilating the troops to the north.
A map of the Battle of the Bulge |
Invasion Begins
Hitler's attack was a surprise, but it shouldn't have been,
considering the region had been used as a German invasion route into
France in 1940 and during World War I. It wasn't easy to get large
armored vehicles through the terrain, so American generals seemed to
think it was safe. It wasn't.
Snowy weather grounded Allied planes in mid-December, giving the
enemy an advantage. On Dec. 16, 1944, more than 200,000 German
troops and 1,000 tanks burst through their defensive fortifications
known as the Siegfried Line and pushed into Allied territory,
quickly forming a “bulge” into the American front (hence the
battle's name).
Four battle-weary divisions of the U.S. Army's VIII Corps were
left to fend for themselves for a week before backup arrived,
fighting in deep snow drifts and delaying the Germans from taking
vital crossroads. They hid and destroyed gasoline stocks the Germans
needed, and they used obscure American trivia to stump Nazi
infiltrators who had stolen American uniforms to create more chaos.
Soldiers fought through large snowdrifts during the bitter-cold
Battle of the Bulge. (National Archives photo) |
Holding On, Pushing Back
The line surrounding the town of Bastogne was a crucial road and
rail junction for the Allies. As the Germans approached, the U.S.
101st Airborne Division was sent to defend it, barely getting there
ahead of them. They were then surrounded by the enemy, but they did
as they were told – hold the town – even as German troops demanded
their surrender.
When the weather finally cleared, American airpower took to the
skies again, attacking the Germans and bringing much-needed supplies
to Bastogne. A few days later, the 4th Armored Division,
37th Tank Battalion of the Third Army – having moved more
than 100 miles in five days – was finally able to break the siege
from the south, and the enemy never recovered. German commanders
convinced Hitler to allow them to withdraw.
Across the Ardennes, the U.S. First Army had shifted to the
north, stopping enemy tanks from getting to the Meuse River, as
British troops halted any further German progress to the west. While
a Nazi loss was imminent, the battle continued through Jan. 25,
until all German troops were driven back over the Siegfried Line.
To quote the great Winston Churchill, “This is undoubtedly the
greatest American battle of the war and will, I believe, be regarded
as an ever-famous American victory.”
An American flag and photo left by a caretaker at the grave of Army
National Guard Sgt. Emmett P. Clark during aMemoriallDay
ceremony in 2013 at the Henri-Day
ceremony in 2013 at the Henri-ChapelleAmerican Cemetery.American Cemetery.
(Photo
courtesy of David Torres) |
Heavy Losses
The Battle of the Bulge may have been an Allied success that
solidified the end of Hitler's Germany, but it came at a high
cost. The U.S. suffered more than 75,000 casualties – 19,276 were
killed in the 41-day conflict, nearly 47,500 were wounded and
thousands more were reported missing.
My great uncle was one of those 19,276. He now rests at the
Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery in Hombourg, Belgium, with
8,000 other American soldiers whose bodies never made it home.
Today, the
American Battle Monuments Commission maintains more than 50
American military cemeteries and memorials in 16 foreign countries.
Most of them commemorate the lives of those who were lost in World
Wars I & II. They are known to be some of the most beautiful and
meticulously maintained shrines in the world.
Every year on Dec. 16, ambassadors and veterans from the U.S.,
Belgium and Luxembourg gather here at home at Arlington National
Cemetery to pay tribute to the heroes of the Battle of the Bulge. If
you have a little time this year, you should tip your cap and do the
same.
By Katie Lange
DOD News / Defense Media Activity
Copyright 2016
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