Part I: The Gambit – Exclusive to The American Salient
Each December, as winter’s icy grip tightens, I find myself drawn back to a winter long past—a season of unparalleled struggle and sacrifice that reshaped the course of history. This year, the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge makes that remembrance even more poignant. In December 1944, amidst the frozen forests of Belgium and Luxembourg, American soldiers faced not just an enemy bent on their destruction but a relentless cold that seeped into their bones and a desperate plan by Adolf Hitler to reverse the course of the war.
The Battle of the Bulge—Hitler’s desperate gamble—was met with extraordinary resilience and heroism from the Allied forces. It was not just a battle of bullets and tanks but a crucible of endurance and leadership. The men who fought there, ordinary soldiers who accomplished remarkable feats, left behind stories that stir the soul and teach us what true courage means. It is a tale of Americans standing firm against the full weight of Nazi aggression—a fight in which resolve triumphed over despair and unity vanquished tyranny.
By late 1944, Allied forces had reason to feel hopeful. The successful D-Day invasion in early June had driven Nazi forces across France. Paris was liberated, and Allied troops stood at Germany’s doorstep. In the east, the Soviet Red Army surged through Poland, squeezing Hitler’s empire from two sides. For many soldiers on the front lines and families on the home front, there was an undeniable sense that the war’s end was within reach. The Allied successes of 1944 fueled hopes that Christmas might bring a homecoming for countless troops. ¹
Yet this optimism masked a harsher reality. The Germans, though battered, remained a formidable foe. Their capacity for counteroffensives, as evidenced by the surprise attack in the Ardennes, underscored the ever-present danger. A successful breakthrough could have prolonged the war or even jeopardized victory altogether. The elongated front line and the Allies’ logistical challenges left vulnerabilities that a protracted conflict could exploit. Far from being on the cusp of peace, the Allies faced a moment of peril that demanded resilience, strategy, and extraordinary courage. ²
Adolf Hitler sought to exploit these vulnerabilities. Convinced that a bold offensive could split the Allied armies in the west, recapture the port of Antwerp, and force the Western powers to sue for peace, he committed his dwindling resources to a daring plan. The attack would cut through the Ardennes forest, a relatively calm sector of the Allied line. ³ This strategy depended on blinding weather to keep Allied planes grounded and the Wehrmacht’s ability to outpace a scattered, unprepared opposition. What Hitler underestimated, however, was the grit of the American soldier.
For the Americans stationed in the Ardennes, the stretch of forest on Belgium’s eastern border was considered a quiet front. On December 16, 1944, that quiet shattered.
Under the cover of early morning darkness, the Germans launched an attack of overwhelming force. More than 200,000 troops and 1,000 tanks poured through the woods, accompanied by a deafening barrage of artillery. The assault swept over stunned American units, turning towns like Bastogne, St. Vith, and Malmedy into brutal battlegrounds. ⁴ Entire divisions were overrun as the German advance carved a massive bulge into the Allied line. For the first critical days, chaos reigned. Communications broke down. Supplies dwindled. Many American soldiers lacked adequate winter clothing, fighting with frozen hands and empty stomachs. Yet even amid the German onslaught, isolated American units held their ground, slowing the advance and buying precious time for reinforcements. ⁵
At the heart of the battle was the small Belgian town of Bastogne, a critical crossroads whose capture was essential to the German plan. On December 19, the 101st Airborne Division, commanded by General Anthony McAuliffe, rushed to defend it. As German forces encircled the town, the paratroopers of the 101st dug in for a siege that would become legendary. ⁶ The Germans subjected Bastogne to relentless artillery bombardment, pounding the defenders day and night. When their commanders sent an ultimatum demanding the Americans surrender, McAuliffe’s response was simple yet defiant: “NUTS!”—a reply that has become the stuff of military legend. ⁷ One can only imagine what must have been going through the general’s mind as he faced the sobering reality: no relief was in sight for his men, who were cold, exhausted, and running low on supplies. They were in grave peril, and with them, the integrity of the entire Western front hung in the balance.
As Bastogne held firm, another drama unfolded to the south. General George S. Patton, commander of the Third Army, staged one of the war’s most remarkable maneuvers.⁸ In a feat of unparalleled logistics and leadership, Patton pivoted his forces with speed and precision, marching tens of thousands of men and vehicles through snow and ice to relieve the beleaguered town. His strategy was without peer in this war and stands as one of the greatest maneuvers in the annals of military history. Yet Patton’s audacious plan would have been for naught without the extraordinary determination, endurance, and courage of the men of the Third Army. They pivoted with a speed and tenacity others thought impossible, braving harsh conditions and grueling demands to execute their general’s vision. Patton asked the impossible of his men—and they delivered. In doing so, they may very well have preserved not only the integrity of the Allied front but the very cause of freedom itself. ⁹
Endnotes
- Alex Kershaw, The Longest Winter: The Battle of the Bulge and the Epic Story of World War II’s Most Decorated Platoon (MJF Books, 2004).
- Peter Caddick-Adams, Snow and Steel: The Battle of the Bulge, 1944-45 (Oxford University Press, 2015).
- Antony Beevor, Ardennes 1944: Hitler’s Last Gamble (Viking, 2015).
- Hugh M. Cole, The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge (Office of the Chief of Military History, U.S. Army, 1965).
- Rick Atkinson, The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945 (Henry Holt, 2013).
- Stephen E. Ambrose, Citizen Soldiers: The U.S. Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany (Simon & Schuster, 1997).
- Peter Caddick-Adams, Snow and Steel: The Battle of the Bulge, 1944-45 (Oxford University Press, 2015).
- Carlo D’Este, Patton: A Genius for War (HarperCollins, 1995).
- John Toland, Battle: The Story of the Bulge (Random House, 1959).
To be Continued….
Charlton Allen is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina School of Law, a writer, and the founder of The American Salient. A lifelong student of history, he is dedicated to exploring the pivotal moments and figures that have shaped America’s exceptional story.
Charlton Allen is the founder and editor-in-chief of The American Salient and the founder of the Madison Center for Law & Liberty, Inc. Learn more about him at charltonallen.org.
