70 Years Ago Today, Battle Of The Bulge

[the ringo kid]

Great post "max" - Thank you sir and God Bless your dad!

My father-in-law was also there as a member of the 4th Armored Division, 25th Recon. Cavalry. He too never talked much about it except he did tell me once about the bitter cold. I've posted two pictures below - one is of the 25th Recon moving through a town and the other is of my father-in-law (on your left) and a buddy of his holding a war trophy. He told me this was taken during "warmer weather" just after the Bulge near Bastogne.

Your 2nd photo is almost exactly like my John Mayhall flag capture photo. Im hoping to be able to try to post it here on the 24th...

 

[Beemerguy53]

One of my favorite BoB anecdotes was on the rear dust jacket of a book about the 82nd Airborne in WW2...

 

[bummer]

Had 3 uncles 2nd ID, 83 rd ID and the 99th ID at the Bulge , I believe my father entered combat as a replacement in the 17th AB after the Bulge but before the (WIA) Rhine crossing . I remember coming home in my class A from Germany en-route to Alaska and A gentleman stopped me in the airport in Pittsburgh and commented on my 3rd AD patch, he said that he fought along side the 3rd AD at the Bulge and all he could say was how cold it was. My time in Germany was supposed to be the coldest since 44-45 and it sucked ,so I can imagine what it was like during his time.
The only uncle I asked about the Bulge was the one in the 99th and he said it was cold and did not want to talk about it. All the ww2 veterans in my family are gone now and I wish I had taken the time to talk with them about their experience .

 

[Beemerguy53]

For all those who had family members that 'just didn't want to talk about' what happened to them in World War II, I highly recommend George Wilson's book "If You Survive". (The title of the book comes from the promise Mr. Wilson's CO made to him when he landed: "If you survive your first day in combat, I'll promote you.")

Mr. Wilson landed in Normandy the month after D-Day, as a replacement officer in the 4th Infantry Division, and fought up until the end of the war. In the 1980s, he sat down and wrote out in longhand his memories of what had happened to him, and the result is a gripping account of what infantry combat was like in Western Europe seventy years ago. Reading it was just unforgettable, and made it clear to me just how much the Greatest Generation sacrificed to defeat the Axis...

If You Survive: From Normandy to the Battle of the Bulge to the End of World War II, One American Officer's Riveting True Story: George Wilson: 9780804100038: Amazon.com: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51lqNrx4-2L.@@AMEPARAM@@51lqNrx4-2L