How to finally have successful New Year’s Resolutions – Part 1 – Why do so many fail?
January 1, 2025
How to finally have successful New Year’s Resolutions – Part 2 – How can you succeed this year?
January 2, 2025The feeling was universal. The new year had begun. Surely this would be the last year of the war.[1]
At the beginning of the New Year, the GIs once again went on the offensive. They had rough terrain, the Sigfried Line, mighty rivers, and deep ravines to cross, all defended by German soldiers fighting for their homeland. Conditions were miserable; it was one of the worst winters ever in Northwest Europe. It was fought, in large part, by citizen soldiers who have been college students or high school graduates in 1944 and became frontline infantry in 1945.[2]
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1 Jan 45, winter weather was present with all its mountain fury with the coming of January and many frostbite cases were added to the trenchfoot casualties brought by cool, rainy days during the previous three months.
Generally speaking, this situation in The first three weeks was characterized by defensive actions and patrolling on both sides.[3]
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When Hitler realized that his attack through the Ardennes, Battle of the Bulge, was not successful he launched “Operation Nordwind“, also known as the “Second Battle of the Bulge”.
For those who are interested, Charles Whiting wrote a book titled “The Other Battle of the Bulge – Operation Northwind“.
In the introduction of the book, the author points out that the history of the Second Battle of the Bulge, in the winter 1944/1945 has never been recorded, in spite of the fact that it lasted a month longer then the original Battle of the Bulge and cost the Americans some 16,000 casualties.
It also cost perhaps twice that number of French soldiers serving under the American command.
Operation Northwind began 2350 hours, 12/31/44 in the Alsace region of France.
After the shifting of American Troops from Alsace to the Ardennes, the 84 mile line in Alsace was to be defended by 6 divisions. This line was thin and it wouldn’t take much for the Germans to penetrate it.[4]
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[1] Ambrose: Citizen Soldiers, 370.
[2] Ambrose, Citizen Soldiers, 365.
[3] Taggart, 296.
[4] “World War II Experiences of Staff Sergeant Albert R. Panebianco.” 45th Infantry Division.
In case you haven’t read or listened to Dad’s book, you can learn more or order it here.
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