From The Villager Newspaper

We veterans from World War II are getting up in years, but we can still remember the Great Depression of the ‘30s and where we were on that fateful Dec. 7, 1941 — a day that changed our lives.

Dec. 16 will mark the 70th anniversary of the day that German Tiger tanks, Panthers and Mark IV tanks smashed into our American lines in the Ardennes Forest.

I remember: It was cold — damn cold 70 Decembers ago. It snowed and it snowed and the damn snow kept coming down day after day after day in Belgium, that December 1944 when the Battle of the Bulge — the biggest, the most stunning, and the most confused battle fought on the western front in World War II took place.

I remember: Because I was there!

Strangely enough, that December began with a quiet, boring and scary calmness. There was none of the Hollywood’s perception of a war. There was no noise and excitement to indicate that 20 German divisions would surge out of the rough terrain west of the Rhine and stun four of our own understrength divisions that were thinly spread over a 95-mile front.

The aim of veteran German Gen. Van Rundstadt was to launch a 5 a.m. surprise move through the snow and fog clouded Ardennes that would lead to their recapture of the crucial Belgium supply port of Antwerp.

Three of Hitler’s battle tested armies consisting of 10 experienced tank divisions, and 124 infantry units hit the freezing snow covered area that was defended by five U.S. divisions manned by young, inexperienced and newly arrived soldiers sarcastically referred to as America’s “Whiz Kids.”

This was the “Ole Sarge’s” expression for the thousands of 18-year-olds who had been transferred from their college campus A.S.T.P. (Army Specialized Training Programs) and rushed overseas to fill the holes in infantry positions on the battlefront.

Suddenly, without warning, a million men, including the inexperienced “Whiz Kids,” were engaged in a bitter chaotic struggle. Two great gaps were quickly torn in their lines, and several American divisions were overrun and scattered.

The surprise German attack, which was gambling on capturing American gasoline supplies, ammunition and winter clothing, was off to a successful start. All elements favored the German push. Even the weather cooperated — for endless days the snow continued to fall while the dense fog hung on, and on and on.

The German objective to recapture Antwerp seemed within their grasp as the snowy weather prevented our Air Force from attacking the advancing German tanks or strafing their infantry columns.

But — with victory close at hand – the Germans lost all sense of “decency or righteousness” if those two words can be used in connection with the Germans of the ‘40s.

By wearing captured American uniforms, the Germans were able to masquerade as American G.I.s and create chaos behind our lines, while simultaneously capturing key company personnel. Normal rules of war were discarded by the Germans, who at Malmedy in Belgium actually murdered their captured U.S. prisoners.

Although our American casualties and deaths continued to mount as the Germans rolled on, there slowly developed a split in the German advance by our 7th Armored Division and the 101st Airborne.

The 7th Armored grimly held their positions at the town of St. Vith, Belgium, and the 101st made history at Bastogne.

During those terrible days, no valor was displayed more openly than by that group of gallant men from the 101st Airborne, who defied and held back the German advance in the small previously unheard of city called Bastogne. Even though they were completely surrounded and death was imminent, these Americans refused to surrender. In fact, it was here at Bastogne that Maj. Gen. Anthony C. McAuliffe, their commander, answered the German’s demand for surrender with but one work — “Nuts.”

Given this extra time, the U.S. 1st Army was able to regroup and block the Germans moving toward Liege. Meanwhile, Gen. George Patton performed a military miracle; he was able to defy all logistic odds and moved the entire 3rd Army overnight from Luxembourg into the Belgium battle zone.

Despite the fact that the Battle of the Bulge ended close to where it started, its effect on the last stage of the war in Europe was great. Hitler had bet too much and he lost heavily in men and material at a time when he could ill afford to lose anything. At the same time, our armies were shaken out of all complacency by the viciousness with which the Germans could strike in their death struggle.

I remember: All this happened to the United States, a nation of citizen-soldiers, whose Army in 1939 had numbered only 190,000 men — standing 17th in the world. Yet within five years, we Americans were able to defeat the best forces Hitler could field.

I remember: By 1944, we U.S. citizens in the Army serving as infantrymen, tankers, engineers, clerks and paratroopers defeated the last German offense of the war because we had gained sufficient cohesion, confidence, leadership and moral authority to equal any in the world.

IMAGE: Mort Marks

For more on this story go to: http://www.villagerpublishing.com/remarks-veterans-day-2014-i-still-remember/

See also iNews Cayman’s Editorial today “Why we should remember”