Battle of the Bulge
Patton’s Panthers: The Story of the 761st Tank Battalion
By Charles W. SasserIn the Academy Award-winning film Patton, the setting was all wrong when actor George C. Scott delivered General George S. 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
Lt. Col. Joachim Peiper’s Grisly Death After the Battle of the Bulge
By Major General Michael ReynoldsOne of the foremost German characters in the Battle of the Bulge was Obersturmbannführer (Lieutenant Colonel) Joachim Peiper, the notorious Waffen-SS commander of the strongest armored Kampfgruppe (KG) of the 1st SS Panzer Division, Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH). Read more
Battle of the Bulge
Colonel Creighton Abrams at the Battle of the Bulge
By Michael D. HullOn the chilly afternoon of Tuesday, December 26, 1944, a column of mud-caked Sherman tanks, halftracks, scout cars, and tank destroyers of the U.S. Read more
Battle of the Bulge
P-47 Thunderbolts at the Battle of the Bulge
by Robert F. Dorr & Thomas D. JonesThe captured German pilot was cocky and boastful. He had just parachuted into the American airfield, now lit up by the fires of burning Republic P-47 Thunderbolts, a sprinkling of bright torches amid the gray January gloom and the dirty white snow. Read more
Battle of the Bulge
Clear Skies Over Bastogne: Patton’s Prayers Answered
By David H. Lippman“This is the shortest day,” General Dwight D. Eisenhower, supreme commander of Allied forces in Western Europe, wrote in his diary for December 21, 1944. Read more
Battle of the Bulge
Hot Chow on the Frontlines
By Kevin M. HymelFrom the training grounds to the battlefront, soldiers and Marines usually dined on C and K rations. Read more
Battle of the Bulge
OSS in Germany
By John ManciniBy the autumn of 1944, most of Nazi-occupied Europe had been liberated by Allied forces. The conquering armies now faced the invasion of the German homeland. Read more
Battle of the Bulge
“Do You Recognize My Voice?”: The Question That Ended Operation Valkyrie
By Blaine TaylorAt 12:40 PM on a hot, sultry July 20, 1944, German Führer and Reich Chancellor Adolf Hitler, 55, was seated on a wicker stool in a conference hut at his principal Eastern Front headquarters at Wolf’s Lair, Rastenburg, East Prussia, for the mid-day wartime map meeting. Read more
Battle of the Bulge
The Proximity Fuse: The Gunner’s Dream Finally Became Realized
By Kevin AllenEarly on the morning of December 16, 1944, the commander of the U.S. 406th Artillery Group, Colonel George Axelson, had a difficult decision to make. Read more
Battle of the Bulge
Red Ball Express: The Legendary Lifeline
By Michael D. Hull
August 1944 saw a rosy mood of optimism and self-deception sweep through the Allied high command in France as a result of the sudden, dramatic end to the campaign in Normandy. Read more
Battle of the Bulge
The Magnificent Jeep
By Michael D. HullGeneral of the Army George C. Marshall called it America’s greatest contribution to modern warfare. General Dwight D. Read more
Battle of the Bulge
The SS Elite In The Battle for Bastogne
By Major General Michael ReynoldsThe story of Hitler’s Bodyguard, the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte (LAH), in the battle for Bastogne does not begin until after the siege of that city had been raised by the U.S. Read more
Battle of the Bulge
The Miracle of Bletchley Park
By Hervie HauflerGreat Britain’s military intelligence leaders learned from their experience in World War I that the kinds of minds capable of breaking codes are a rare commodity and are often not likely to blossom in a military atmosphere. Read more
Battle of the Bulge
Bridging the Rhine at Remagen: Infantryman Paul Priest Recalls the Historic Crossing
By George A. LarsonAs Allied troops advanced along a broad front toward Nazi Germany in the winter of 1945, the United States Army was eager to capture an intact bridge over the Rhine River to allow its troops and heavy equipment to advance rapidly into Germany. Read more
Battle of the Bulge
Battle at Crossroads X: Glidermen of Bastogne
By Leo G. BarronFor the cold and hungry GIs of Company B, 1/401st Glider Infantry Regiment, holding the western approach to Bastogne would push the men to the limits of their endurance. Read more
