Battle of the Bulge was the last major German offensive on the Western Front, launched on 16 December 1944 through the Ardennes Forest in Belgium and Luxembourg. The surprise attack created a deep salient in Allied lines and led to fierce winter fighting, including the siege of Bastogne. The eventual Allied response halted the advance and depleted Germany’s remaining reserves, marking a decisive turning point in the European campaign. - AsNotedIn
| Y/M/D | Description | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 1944/12/16 | The Battle of the Bulge begins when Germany launches a surprise counteroffensive through the Ardennes Forest in an effort to split Allied forces and seize the port of Antwerp. | |
| 1944/12/17 | Joachim Peiper of the Waffen-SS orders his men to machine gun 84 American prisoners of war at the Baugnez crossroads. Those still alive were killed by close-range shots to the head. | Malmedy Massacre Site, Malmedy, BE |
| 1944/12/22 | PFC Kurt Vonnegut, intelligence scout with the 423rd Infantry Regiment of the 106th Infantry Division, is capture by the German Army and is taken by boxcar to a prison camp south of Dresden, in Saxony. | |
| 1944/12/24 | On Christmas Eve, German artillery pounds the town and sets buildings ablaze as the surrounded 101st Airborne and elements of the 10th Armored Division hold their lines, repelling repeated assaults despite dwindling supplies and harsh winter conditions. | Bastogne, BE, Wallonia |
| 1944/12/24 | Anticipating the German attack, US General Patton, promises to move two divisions within 48 hours and executes a rapid 90-degree turn toward Bastogne, demonstrating the remarkable speed and decisiveness of his Third Army. | |
| 1944/12/26 | Amid harsh winter conditions, Patton's US Third Army drives more than 100 miles with 133,000 vehicles to relieve the besieged 101st Airborne Division at Bastogne. | Bastogne, BE, Wallonia |
| 1944/12/26 | After navigating blizzards and difficult terrain, Allied forces break the German siege, ending the encirclement and marking a critical turning point in the Battle of the Bulge. | Bastogne, BE, Wallonia |
| 1945/01/13 | US Army 11th Armored Division, Company B, 21st Armored Infantry Battalion moves through the center of Bastogne and digs in northeast of the town. The weather is freezing, with two feet of snow on the ground. | Bastogne, BE, Wallonia |
| 1945/01/16 | War correspondent Helena H Smith arrives in Malmedy to interview Lt Colonel David E Pergrin and the men of the US Army 291st Engineer Battalion. | Malmedy Massacre Site, Malmedy, BE |
| Data | |
|---|---|
| Motif: | War |
| Historic Event: | World War II |
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