Battle of the Bulge
Alvan Gillem’s Invasion of Germany
By Chris J. HartleyThe United States had not yet entered World War II when Time magazine noted that the Army had created two new armored divisions. Read more
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge is the popular name given to the German Ardennes Offensive, Hitler’s last desperate gamble to achieve victory in the West during World War II. The month-long Battle of the Bulge, fought December 16, 1944, through January 16, 1945, ended in Allied victory. However, the German assault made good initial progress toward its objectives of the Meuse River crossings and the seizure of the Belgian port of Antwerp, which would have driven a wedge between Allied armies on the Western Front. The German defeat in the Battle of the Bulge hastened the end of World War II.
Battle of the Bulge
Captured in the Bulge
By Flint WhitlockIt took the HMS Queen Elizabeth, the world’s largest passenger liner, only five days to transport 15,000 men of the 106th Infantry Division from New Jersey to Glasgow, Scotland, making port on November 17, 1944. Read more
Battle of the Bulge
Tigers on the Prowl
By Mason B. WebbDuring World War II, the United States fielded 16 armored divisions, and all contributed to the Allied victory. Read more
Battle of the Bulge
Holding Hosingen At All Costs
By Alice FlynnOrdered to “hold at all costs,” 300 American soldiers defended the small Luxembourg town of Hosingen during the first three days of the Battle of the Bulge. Read more
Battle of the Bulge
Was Hitler’s Ardennes Offensive Brilliant or Delusional?
By Patrick J. Chaisson
The chief shuffled to his seat in the underground conference room. He sat down heavily, eyes unfocused and dreamy, while a litany of woes was read to him. Read more
Battle of the Bulge
From D-Day to VE-Day in a C-47
By Kevin HymelHigh over Normandy, France, eight paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division charged out the rear door of their C-47 Skytrain aircraft. Read more
Battle of the Bulge
M18 Hellcat Tank Destroyers Failed on the Battlefield
By William F. Floyd Jr.In 1940, existing U.S. Army tactical doctrine called for a cordon of towed antitank guns to defend against an enemy tank attack, but army planners studying the Battle of France in May of that year realized that a tactical plan of that nature was outdated and likely would not thwart a large-scale armor attack. Read more
Battle of the Bulge
The 28th Infantry Division’s Heroic Defense during the Battle of the Bulge
By Walter S. Zapotoczny, Jr.The Battle of the Bulge lasted from December 16, 1944, until January 25, 1945, and stands as one of the classic stories of true grit and defiance against a strong and determined enemy. Read more
Battle of the Bulge
Madeline “Del” D’Eletto: an Allied Angel of Mercy on a C-47
By Kevin M. HymelIn a field hospital in Normandy, France, 1st Lt. Madeline “Del” D’Eletto was watching an Army doctor operate on a soldier’s head injury when one of her fellow nurses asked, “What do I do with this?” Read more
Battle of the Bulge
Joachim Peiper’s Bloody Blitz Through Belgium
By Kevin H. HymelAs the Belgian town of La Gleize burned to the ground around him, 29-year-old SS Lt. Col. Read more
Battle of the Bulge
Panzer Lehr Division’s Assault on Bastogne
By Arnold BlumbergOn December 10, 1944, Generalleutnant (equivalent to major general in the U.S. Army during World War II) Fritz Bayerlein was called to a meeting at Kyllburg (Eifel) to participate in a map exercise involving an advance to the Meuse River. Read more
Battle of the Bulge
101st Airborne Medic recalls Op. Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge
By Kevin M. Hymel“You’re crazy to go out there!” a paratrooper shouted to medic Al Mampre as he bolted from a trench outside of the Dutch town of Eindhoven. Read more
Battle of the Bulge
World War II Odyssey Across Europe
By Roy AltenbachRoy Altenbach, a soldier from a German-speaking family in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, was assigned to the 47th Medium Maintenance Company, 22nd Ordnance Battalion. Read more
Battle of the Bulge
Captured at the Bulge
By Kevin M. HymelPrivate Leon Goldberg pulled the trigger on his heavy, water-cooled M-1917 Browning machine gun and fired bursts of .30-caliber rounds into the attacking German infantry. Read more
Battle of the Bulge
Easy Company Mortarman
By Kevin M. HymelThe green light lit up the inside of the Douglas C-47 Skytrain’s fuselage, and 20 paratroopers from Easy Company’s Stick 70, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division charged out the door. Read more
Battle of the Bulge
Was Justice Served After the Malmedy Massacre?
By Michael E. HaskewIt was a dismal day, Sunday, December 17, 1944, just hours after the Germans had broken through the thinly held American lines in the Ardennes Forest along rugged terrain of the Western Front. Read more
Battle of the Bulge
Fighting Across Europe with the 101st Airborne
By Connie Kennedy“Oui.” It was one of the few words 101st Airborne paratrooper Norwood Thomas knew in French, and it served him well on the morning of June 6, 1944. Read more
Battle of the Bulge
Armored Clash in Alsace-Lorraine
By Allyn VannoyThe American light tanks, bringing up much needed supplies, were in column as they began to take fire. Read more
Battle of the Bulge
C-47 Crew Chief’s Four Flights into Hell
By Elmer Wisherd with Nan Wisherd
Elmer Wisherd was born on December 1, 1920, in North Dakota. Shortly thereafter, his family moved to a farm in Bruce, Wisconsin. Read more
Battle of the Bulge
Siege of Bastogne: The Battle for Noville
By Kevin M. Hymel
It was December 19, 1944, one day before the Siege of Bastogne. Shortly after 10:30 am, 26-year-old Major William Desobry picked up his field telephone, called his combat commander, Colonel William Roberts, and asked if he could withdraw from the Belgian village of Noville. Read more
