re: The Battle of the Bulge began on this day 78 years ago...

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The YouTube Channel "Operations Room" has an excellent multi-part documentary on what would be the largest battle the United States Army would ever participate in.

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When I read the title I was coming in to post this. Just prior to that they did a multi-part on Iwo Jima.

I really like their stuff it makes complex battles understandable. Their Gulf War series was the first time I really understood the workings of Desert Storm and I was there.

My grandfather was in Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. Had to pull it out of him before he passed.

I was 6; remember it well. Had a couple of 1st cousins somewhere in the European front.

great uncle was in patton’s 3rd army and was in the group that liberated bastogne

lost his left arm soon after and cme home

didnt talk about it unless he was the VFW Hall

This is a bit long, and for that I apologize, but I've always loved this story.

My grandfather was a corporal in the 30th "Old Hickory" Division, 197th Field Artillery, and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He didn't talk a lot about the actual fighting when I was growing up but he did have one amazing story he liked to tell that occurred almost 45 years later.

My grandfather loved to play golf and one day, in the late 80's, he had finished up a round at the Tyrell Park golf course in Beaumont, Tx, where my grandparents moved to from Lafayette after WW II, and was enjoying a beer in the clubhouse.

A gentleman sitting next too him struck up a conversation and they both realized that they served at the same time in Europe during the war. The gentleman was a pilot in the Army Air Corps. My grandfather was talking to the man about how his unit was pinned down for several days due to the German Army nearby.

There was heavy cloud cover in place for days and they couldn't call in air support to give them some relief and they were running out of supplies because none could be dropped due to the weather.

He told the gentleman how the prettiest sight he ever saw was when one day the cloud cover finally broke, blue sky appeared and then the Allied planes started dropping out of the break in the clouds to attack the German positions and resupply the Allied troops hunkered down in the cold and icy conditions.

The gentleman asked my grandfather some details about when and where he was when this happened. When my grandfather told him where his unit was pinned down and the time period this happened the man shook his head in amazement.

It turned out that he was piloting one of the planes that broke through the cloud cover and remembered it well. My grandfather thanked him for probably saving his and many of his buddies' lives and they went their separate ways.

Pawpaw loved telling that story as an example of what a small world it really is.

A couple of pics of my grandfather in Europe:

In England during the months prior to D-Day. He was in D-Day +4. He's on the far right (on back of photo is handwritten"The Mild and Bitters Trio")



Another one taken once his Division was in France/Belgium. Not sure where this was taken. He's on the left.




He was a good ol' Cajun that was born and raised in the Lafayette area. He's been gone since 1998 and I miss him.

my wife's grandfather was in the battle of the bulge, her uncle tried one day to film him for prosterity when he only had a couple of years left, he got so mad at the uncle and finally lost his temper " Dammit Gary! i was scared to death so i kept my head down!" interview over.
Another cool encounter for me when i was in my early twenties, i had befriended an older couple and we talked frequently, it was two years before his wife mentioned he was in the first wave at omaha beach. His hearing was bad but his memories of it were clear as a bell... remarkable generation.

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i am not sure why China is waiting to invade, who the f*** would stop them?

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Go on. Tell us more about how a Chinese “invasion” would work. LOL

A friend’s dad was in Battle of the Bulge and Operation Market Garden. He was the most decorated officer in the history of the 82nd Airborne. Recently died - I think he was 103. His book is an amazing read. He also narrated a bunch of stuff on the History channel and other documentaries. He had such a commanding presence when he spoke, even at such an advanced age. True American hero.

Book title and author's name? I love military history.

My father was there as well. When I showed interest in joining the army in high school he persuaded me several times to not do that. Eventually I gave up. After seeing what happened now I know why he said go to college.