BASTOGNE, Belgium — Side by side, the Allies
and former enemy Germany together marked the 75th anniversary of one of
the most important battles in World War II — the Battle of the Bulge,
which stopped Adolf Hitler's last-ditch offensive to turn the tide of
the war.
At dawn on Dec. 16, 1944,
over 200,000 German soldiers started the most unexpected breakthrough
through the dense woods of Belgium and Luxembourg's hilly Ardennes.
Making the most of the surprise move, the cold, freezing weather and
wearied U.S. troops, the Germans pierced the front line so deeply it
came to be known as the Battle of the Bulge.
Initially outnumbered, U.S.
troops delayed the attack enough in fierce fighting to allow
reinforcements to stream in and turn the tide of the battle by
Christmas. After a month of fighting, the move into Germany was
unstoppable.
U.S. Secretary of Defense
Mark Esper paid tribute to over 19,000 U.S. troops who died in one of
the bloodiest battles in the nation's history.
“Their efforts not only
defended America but also ensured that the peoples of Europe would be
free again," Esper said, calling the Battle of the Bulge “one of the
greatest in American history."
U.S. Army veteran Malcolm
“Buck” Marsh took the tributes in stride Monday as he addressed royalty,
military leaders and top government officials.
This battle gained fame not so much for the
commanders' tactics but for the resilience of small units hampered by
poor communications that stood shoulder to shoulder to deny Hitler the
quick breakthrough he so desperately needed. Even though the Americans
were often pushed back, they were able to delay the German advance in
its crucial initial stages.
“It was ultimately the intrepid, indomitable spirit of the American solider that brought victory," Esper said.
When the fortunes of war
turned, it was most visible in the southern Ardennes town of Bastogne,
where surrounded U.S. troops were cut off for days with little
ammunition or food.
When Brig. Gen. Anthony C.
McAuliffe of the 101st Airborne received a Dec. 22 ultimatum to
surrender or face total destruction, he offered one of the most famous —
and brief — replies in military history: “”Nuts." Four days later, U.S.
troops broke the Nazi encirclement.
“News of their fierce defense quickly spread, boosting the morale of allied forces all along the Western Front,” Esper said.
After the fighting in the
Battle of the Bulge ended on Jan. 28, 1945, Allied forces invaded
Germany, eventually leading to the Nazi surrender and the end of the war
in Europe.
