Soldiers of the U.S. 101st Airborne in Bastogne, Belgium.
1939-1941
America did not enter World War II for over two years. From September 1939 until June 1941, Great Britain stood almost alone in its fight against Nazi Germany. British soldiers needed civilian help to evacuate across the English Channel at Dunkirk, France, at the end of May 1940. In June of 1940, France surrendered to Germany and Adolph Hitler turned his full attention to Britain. The “Battle of Britain” began in July 1940, a battle fought in the air and sea. By September, Germany began to bomb British civilian population centers in what became known as the “Blitz.” Britain braced for a German land invasion of their island.
While some high-ranking British government officials sought a negotiated surrender to the Germans, Prime Minister Winston Churchill dogmatically disagreed. He famously gave his “we shall fight on the beaches” speech, understanding better than most the danger the Nazi regime posed to the world. This moment of clarity changed the course of history.
Between September 1940 and May 1941, 43,000 British civilians were killed by German bombers. Believing Britain was all but defeated and trying to fulfill his promise to increase living space for Germans in the East, Hitler did not invade Britain and instead shifted resources towards Germany’s attack on the Soviet Union in June 1941. But Great Britain was not defeated. Winston Churchill and the British continued to fight Nazi Germany.
Germany’s incursion into the Soviet Union peaked in December 1941 before two events occurred within two days of each other, which put Germany on its eventual path to defeat. On December 6, 1941, the Soviet Union began a counteroffensive that turned the tide of the battle in the East. The next day, December 7, 1941, Germany’s ally Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. With little consideration, Hitler declared war on the United States on December 11. The United States immediately answered in kind.
People in the London Underground during the German “Blitz” of World War II.
America Joins the Fight
It was determined by United States commanders in consultation with Britain that the United States would fight two wars simultaneously, in Europe against Germany and in the Pacific against Japan. Individual Americans of all backgrounds knew what needed to be done. Tyranny needed to be fought.
This huge undertaking eventually produced over 16 million American veterans and touched the lives of virtually everyone in the country. 38.8% of U.S. servicemen and all of the nearly 360,000 servicewomen were volunteers. 73% of servicemembers served overseas with an average time abroad of 16 months. At home, Americans rationed resources, and industry dramatically transformed to support the war effort. America’s focus was on total victory.
A generation of Americans, later called the “Greatest Generation,” who had lived through the Great Depression, was asked to save the world. They did just that in two theaters of war.
It was agreed between the Allies, whose principal countries included the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union, that Germany posed the biggest immediate threat and needed to be defeated first. The United States fought Germany in North Africa and Italy while its bombers and fighters fought Germany in the skies, and its ships fought German U-boats on the seas.
But D-Day, June 6, 1944, saw the American army put its resources and soldiers on the ground to retake Europe from its Nazi oppressors. Although difficult fighting ensued, the Allies made progress toward Germany. In August, Paris was liberated, and there was some optimism that the war in Europe would soon be over.
Still, Hitler did not admit defeat. Instead, he devised a plan to push back against his enemies in the West. What followed was the costliest battle ever fought by the U.S. Army.
The Battle of the Bulge
The “bulge” in the Allied lines gave the battle its name.
By December 1944, Adolph Hitler assumed control of the German military. On a cocktail of various drugs, an angry and delusional Hitler almost disappeared from public life in Germany. He survived a plan by German army officers known as Operation Valkyrie to assassinate him earlier in the year (It is believed had Hitler died on July 20, 1944, as many as 10 million lives could have been saved). The Soviets were destroying his armies in the East, while the Allies continued to gain ground in the West. German cities were attacked by American and British aircraft with regularity. It was believed Germany had no resources remaining to mount any serious offensive operations.
Fighting a war on two fronts, Hitler launched a surprise attack against the Americans in the West with the belief that such a move would stall the Allies’ advance and create discord among them. Germany could then concentrate its forces against the Soviets in the East. Hitler believed that with more time, German scientists could create a superweapon to turn the war around. Such a strategy was foolhardy, but by this time in the war, Hitler was a desperate man who had long abandoned sound judgment.
The Germans were short of resources, especially fuel, and their airforce, or Luftwaffe, was badly depleted. Hitler’s plan called for an attack on the Ardennes Forest in Belgium towards the port city of Antwerp, an important supply port for the Allies. Retaking Antwerp would divide Allied forces into two, and their supply lines would be stretched. German generals argued with Hitler against the plan but to no avail. Hitler waited for the weather to be particularly bad so Allied aircraft would have to stay grounded.
After the Allies missed German units amassing near the Ardennes, the German attack started in the early morning of December 16, 1944, with between 200,000 and 250,000 German troops and almost 1,000 tanks initially taking part. The first few days were disastrous for the Americans. The Ardennes was lightly defended, and the units there were quickly overrun by superior German numbers. The American 106th Golden Lions Division was hit particularly hard and took many casualties. After miscommunications with other commands, parts of the division were surrounded and 6,500 American G.I.s were captured.
The Germans broke through the American lines and made inroads towards the Meuse River, an important objective towards capturing Antwerp. English-speaking Nazis dressed in American uniforms got behind the American lines and committed acts of sabotage. Paranoia set in among many American soldiers, and soon, checkpoints were established to check for German infiltrators. Soldiers were asked questions about American pop culture, including such things as baseball and state capitals. Even General Omar Bradley, the commander of the 12th Army Group in charge of the southern half of the front, was stopped to confirm his identity.
In the confusion of the early days of the battle, the 101st Airborne Division was rushed into the Belgian town of Bastogne, where an important junction of roads was located. In the cold, without armor and many basic supplies such as food and medicine, the 101st and remnants of other units dug in to hold the town. By December 21, they were surrounded and cut off. The Germans shelled the Americans with artillery and tanks, and the 101st suffered heavy casualties.
Representing the best America had to offer, the 101st parachuted into France during the D-Day invasion and undertook some of the toughest fights of the war. When the Germans asked commanding General Anthony McAuliffe to surrender, he would have none of it. His one-word response back to the Germans was, “Nuts!” The Germans realized the Americans were not going to surrender.
After several days of confusion, the Americans quickly got organized and began fighting back. American units blew up bridges, forcing Germans to use badly needed fuel to find alternate routes. Individual soldiers, not always knowing the overall situation, did their parts to control roads and ensure fuel did not end up in German hands. German spies were rounded up and shot if they were found in American uniforms.
American soldiers under the temporary command of British General Bernard Montgomery came in from the north while the U.S. Third Army under General George S. Patton came up from the south. On December 26, Patton’s soldiers reached the 101st in Bastogne.
The weather played an important role in the battle. Both armies had to deal with freezing temperatures and severe frostbite to keep their soldiers and equipment working in the elements. Some wounded soldiers froze to death before they could be rescued. Initially, the weather favored the Germans because the Americans could not use their air power as Hitler had hoped. On December 23, the skies cleared. American aircraft got into the air, attacked the Germans on the ground, and helped resupply American soldiers across the battlefield.
The elements made already tough fighting tougher.
Hitler was not done with his surprises. In response to American airpower, the German Luftwaffe launched its limited supply of aircraft. Battles broke out in the skies. American pilots quickly re-established control of the air. Afterward, the German Luftwaffe was almost non-existent in the war.
By mid to late January 1945, the Germans, short of fuel and supplies and under relentless American attack, had fallen back to their original lines. The German’s surprise offensive achieved nothing but more death. Casualty estimates vary on both sides. According to the Department of Defense, of the almost 600,000 American G.I.s involved in the battle, there were 89,500 casualties, with 19,000 killed. The Germans officially list their casualties at 67,675, although most historians believe this figure is likely closer to 100,000.
The Battle also saw Americans facing the ruthlessness of the Nazi SS. In what became known as the Malmedy Massacre, 85 captured and unarmed American soldiers were murdered in cold blood by the SS. As shocking as this was, as would become painfully clear in the coming months, this was little compared to what Hitler and his SS minions did to European Jews and the rest of Europe.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill said about the battle, “This is undoubtedly the greatest American battle of the war and will, I believe, be regarded as an ever-famous American victory.” It has rightfully been regarded as such. Americans need to learn about the sacrifice so many individual Americans made in defense of freedom, both in the Battle of the Bulge and in other battles like it.
After the battle, American soldiers continued their march toward Berlin. Soon afterward, the full scope of Nazi depravity was discovered.
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