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The offensive began on December 16th 1944 and, initially, everything went the Germans’ way and was in their favour. The Allied troops were exhausted, the element of surprise complete and even the weather was on their side, low cloud keeping the vastly superior Allied air forces on the ground. Air reconnaissance was impossible . By December 20^th, the Germans were threatening the Belgian city of Bastogne, strategically vital because it controlled access to roads leading to Antwerp. The Germans heavily outnumbered the Allies who had a small number of armoured units and US troops from the legendary 101^st Airborne defending the city.

The defenders fought courageously for six days in the most foul conditions; bitter winds, snow, ice and sub zero temperatures before being relieved by armoured units of Patton’s Third US Army. Although the campaign dragged on until the end of January, it effectively ended with the raising of the siege of Bastogne.

The Battle of the Bulge was the toughest campaign fought by US troops during the European War. Eight thousand were killed to go alongside ten thousand Germans and three thousand non-combatants. The Germans committed war crimes, including the murder of eighty four US soldiers by members of the Waffen SS who were later tracked down and tried at Dachau. Seventy three former SS members were found guilty of what became known as the Malmedy Massacre. Forty three death sentences were later commuted to long spells in prison.

The Battle of the Bulge is remembered in word and film. Antony Beevor’s book Ardennes 1944 is a superb recounting of the campaign while I remember with fondness Ken Annakin’s 1965 film The Battle of the Bulge which starred Henry Fonda (amongst others!). More recently the world has been treated to the Steven Spielberg/Tom Hanks inspired Band of Brothers, a superlative television series which followed the fortunes of Easy Company of the 101^st Airborne. Episode Six tells of the Siege of Bastogne.

NEXT MONTH

I’ll be remembering the soldiers who had the ghastly task of liberating the German Concentration Camp of Belsen. The post will be up in the middle of the month at about the time thoughts will be turning to the 80^th. Anniversary of the event.