Dear Editor,
The weather has been unpleasant beginning 23 Dec. 09 to 12 Jan. 10 with snow and temperatures below freezing. Our weather has been far less severe than 65 years ago in the Ardennes Forest in Belgium, France, and Luxembourg. The temperatures were well below freezing with some days below zero and lots of snow, ice and fog.
The weather was brutal but even worse was that the American soldiers were locked into the largest battle that American forces had been engaged in at that time, the Battle of the Bulge (800,000 Americans engaged in the battle with 19,000 killed). The Battle of the Bulge raged from 16 Dec. 1944 to 25 Jan. 1945.
The German Army tried one last major offensive to turn the tide of World War II when they launched their military offense in the Ardennes Forest of Belgium, France, and Luxembourg. The German Army committed 30 divisions to this battle. The German offensive caught the allied forces by surprise. The allied forces did not believe that the German Army was capable of a large military offensive and the approaching bad weather was not ideal for troop movement.
The German Army unleashed its offense on 16 Dec. 1944. The surprise and ferocity of the offensive sent the allied forces reeling. Pockets of heroic defense and some of it Alamo proportions by the American soldiers delayed the timetable of the German Army. American troops were rushed into the Ardennes Forest to repel the German offensive.
The vital crossroads town of Bastogne, Belgium was defended by three American divisions against 12 German divisions.
The heroic defense of Bastogne was crucial in the Battle of the Bulge as it prevented the German Army from advancing on schedule.
The fighting conditions for the American soldiers were horrific. They were short on ammunition, cold weather clothing, food, medical supplies, etc. They were also up against a formidable foe in the German Army who had the better tanks and the feared 88 guns. The hardship of the allied forces was compounded by the weather and living conditions. The temperatures were sub-freezing and many days sub-zero with snow. Those elements were accented by the main shelter from the brutal elements of the weather and a mighty foe being a foxhole. The foxhole a hole dug in the frozen ground with an entrenching tool (also called an Army shovel) with varying dimensions to accommodate usually two soldiers. The foxhole was the soldier's place to sleep, fight, eat, attempt to stay warm, latrine facility, stay alert for troop movement, etc. The fog was so thick at times with visibility measured by inches that the enemy could slip between foxholes and infiltrate the defenses of the allied lines.
The brave American soldiers overcame all the elements and repulsed the German offensive, which was a major factor in Victory in Europe for the allied forces. The term hero is used a lot but those brave men who participated n the Battle of the Bulge are true heroes for how they overcame tremendous odds to halt the German offense.
Thank you veterans - past, present and future
Larry McNown
El Dorado
