Bastogne

D and I have have been watching HBO's miniseries "Band of Brothers" that chronicles several men from the 101st Airborne Division as they prepare for, deploy, and fight in WWII. It is a tremendously gripping and raw series with a realism that is missing in the movie Saving Private Ryan. They start each episode with snippets of interviews from the surviving members of the 101st, which adds a personal dimension that moved D and I very much.


As our time in Belgium as grown longer, we have become more and more aware of the tole that WWI and WWII has had on this region of Europe (specifically) and have been keen to not let the opportunity of investigating sites, memorials and cemeteries slip by. The Battle of the Bulge (as we know it in the US) had its apex in Bastogne. The soldiers memories of this place and battle are vivid and visceral to this day. Bastogne is only about a 2 hour drive away from us, so we decided that since we had a Saturday free, we would regret not going and paying our respects and learning from the memorial, museum and cemetery there.


The Ardennes Offensive (16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945) was a major German offensive launched towards the end of World War II through the forested Ardennes Mountains region of Belgium, France and Luxembourg on the Western Front. This German offensive was officially named the Ardennes-Alsace campaign by the U.S. Army, but it is known to the general public simply as the Battle of the Bulge. The “bulge” was the initial incursion the Germans put into the Allies’ line of advance, as seen in maps presented in contemporary newspapers.


Germany’s planned goal for these operations was to split the British and American Allied line in half, capturing the port of Antwerp, Belgium, and then proceeding to encircle and destroy four Allied armies, forcing the Western Allies to negotiate a peace treaty in the Axis Powers’ favor.


The offensive was planned with the utmost secrecy, minimizing radio traffic and conducting the movement of troops and equipment under cover of darkness. Although ULTRA suggested a possible attack and the Third U.S. Army's intelligence staff predicted a major German offensive, the offensive still caught the Allies by surprise. This was achieved by a combination of Allied overconfidence, preoccupation with their own offensive plans, poor aerial reconnaissance, and the relative lack of combat contact by the First U.S. Army in an area considered a "quiet sector". Almost complete surprise against a weak section of the Allies’ line was achieved during heavy overcast weather, when the Allies’ strong air forces would be grounded.


By 21 December, the German forces had surrounded Bastogne, which was defended by the 101st Airborne and Combat Command B of the 10th Armored Division. Conditions inside the perimeter were tough — most of the medical supplies and medical personnel had been captured. Food was scarce, and by December 22 artillery ammunition was restricted to 10 rounds per gun per day. The weather cleared the next day, however, and supplies (primarily ammunition) were dropped over four of the next five days.


Despite determined German attacks, however, the perimeter held. The German commander, Generalleutnant Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz, requested Bastogne's surrender. When General Anthony McAuliffe, acting commander of the 101st, was told, a frustrated McAuliffe responded, "Nuts!" After turning to other pressing issues, his staff reminded him that they should reply to the German demand. One officer (Harry W. O. Kinnard, then a Lieutenant Colonel) recommended that McAuliffe's initial reply would be "tough to beat." Thus McAuliffe wrote on the paper delivered to the Germans: “NUTS!” That reply had to be explained, both to the Germans and to non-American Allies.


The objectives for the offensive were not realized. General Patton's spearhead of the 4th Armored Division (of the Third Army) broke through and opened a corridor to Bastogne, ending the seige and swinging momentum toward the Allies. In the wake of the defeat, many experienced German units were left severely depleted of men and equipment, as survivors retreated to the defenses of the Siegfried Line. With over 800,000 men committed and over 19,000 killed, the Battle of the Bulge became the single biggest and bloodiest battle that American forces experienced in World War II.


It was moving to be in the locations where these important historical events took place. The historian in me thrilled at the opportunity - especially with the chance to view all of the personal effects, notes and military equipment at the Bastogne Museum. We both really appreciated the effort the museum took in keeping in touch with veterans. It was rewarding to see before, during and after pictures of the service men. Many of the veterans also donated artifacts that made the experience much more meaningful.

The men of the 101st Airborne don't call themselves heros and don't like others calling them that - instead they defer and say that the real heros were the ones that didn't come home. Learning more about them, seeing their story from their eyes (so to speak) gives one an insight impossible to gain by reading books. I am not sure of the definition of a hero but these men seem to fit into just about any definition. The courage to face the conditions, opposition, and elements despite their fear places them in a very small percentage of human beings. I am proud of the example they set for subsequent generations. These are the kind of people that we need to hold up, as a culture, and try to emulate. I do not desire the conditions (a world war) that provided the platform for such sacrifice and commitment to country and cause, but I do pray that we don't lose (haven't lost) the integrity, morality and selflessness that was displayed by that generation of Americans.