Battle Of The Bulge The Bloodiest Battle The US Fought In WW2 Greatest Tank Battles War Stories

December 16th, 1944. German tanks roll into the Ardennes forest of Belgium. And at that point, the heavens open up and all hell breaks loose. The next lane we came to, there is the only Tiger tank I ever saw. They attack American lines in one last desperate attempt to change the course of the war. And it started in one fell swoop and we chased away the Americans. They dropped everything and ran away. The Americans respond with one of the biggest and most daring armored counterattacks in the history of tank warfare. There's tanks being hit. Bang, bang, bang, all over the place. At stake is the fate of Western Europe. This is the Battle of the Bulge. Now it's a matter of survival. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. The Ardennes region on the Belgian-German border is a picture postcard of majestic forests, deep gorges, and rolling valleys. It's also a notorious killing ground. This rugged part of the European heartland is a gateway to France and the ports of the North Sea. Armies have fought here since Roman times. And in December of 1944, the Ardennes once again erupts, this time in one of the biggest and bloodiest armored clashes of the Second World War. December 16th, 5.30 a.m. German artillery breaks the Prix d'Ancon, and soon after, more than 1,000 German tanks attack U.S. forces along a 140-kilometer front. Hitler's aim is to stop the Allied advance across France and Belgium toward the German homeland. Through the summer and fall of 1944, the Allies have pushed the Germans 850 kilometers across Europe. But now, as they near the German border, their supply lines grow thin, and the advance loses steam. Hitler hopes to capitalize on this and prepares a massive counterattack in the Ardennes. It's his last big roll of the dice. The German attack plan is to smash the weak American line along the German border with Belgium and Luxembourg, and seize the bridges over the Meuse River, clearing the way for a push onto Antwerp. Hitler gave a strategic goal, which was to capture Antwerp Harbor and with that huge Allied supply dump. The second goal was basically more tactical. If he had succeeded in pinning down about 25-plus Allied divisions in the Ardennes, which were resting, this would result in a tremendous amount of losses for the Americans and for the British, and would eventually bring them back on the negotiation table. The Germans estimate they have only three days before the Allies can mount an effective response in the Ardennes. They need to strike quickly with a massive, highly mobile armored force. They assemble eight Panzer divisions, over 1,700 armored vehicles, including hundreds of Tigers, and over 400 Panzer Mark Vs, the deadly Panther, the high-velocity 75-millimeter armor-piercing gun, and is protected by 80 millimeters of sloping frontal armor that deflects incoming fire. It can do 30 kilometers an hour, even over the roughest terrain, giving it an edge in the tough winter conditions of the Ardennes. The Germans secretly muster their enormous armored force at night over eight weeks and wait for bad weather to ground Allied warplanes. On the morning of December 16th, the temperature falls well below freezing and there are snowstorms across the Ardennes. Everything is in place. And the Germans strike. And it started in one fell swoop and we chased away the Americans. The Americans dropped everything. Breakfast was still standing on the tables and they dropped everything and ran away. We left huge amounts of equipment, fuel and shells. The bad Germans are coming. Let's run. That's kind of what it looks like. The Germans catch the Americans off guard and the shape of the Ardennes battlefront begins to change, giving rise to a name that will live in U.S. military history, the Battle of the Bulge. At the spearhead of this bulge is the 5th Panzer Army attacking the weakest part of the American line, held by the U.S. 28th Division and the handful of tanks attached to them. The M4A3 Sherman is the U.S. Force's main battle tank and it's no match for the German Panther. The Shermans are light and fast, but carry a low velocity 75 millimeter main gun that cannot penetrate the Panther's heavy frontal armor. Their own frontal armor is just 51 millimeters thick, making them highly vulnerable to the firepower of the Panthers. Fire! Spread across a front over 24 kilometers long, the 28th has only 32 Sherman tanks, 57 anti-tank guns and thousands of battle-weary men. The Ardennes was an ideal territory to accommodate tired troops, weary troops. During that time, the 28th Division received a steady stream of reinforcements from the States. In other words, young soldiers that had just not seen active combat yet. That's why all these troops here that batted down on the night from December 15th to 16th, they were totally caught by surprise. One of the exhausted soldiers holding the front line with the 28th Division is 23-year-old John Marshall of the 707th Tank Battalion. When the boat broke, we were just going to eat. This lieutenant comes with his club and he knocked all the muskets out of your hand. Leave them laying, get on your tanks and assemble down at the bottom of the town. They were frozen and the oil settles down to the bottom of the motor. The top of the motor has no oil at all and the oil now is sludgy and as a result, it wasn't going to move and we couldn't get it started. That's when the tanks pulled out on us. We started putting everything you're not supposed to do. I think we had five Bunsen burners on the motor and under the motor and everything else. And luckily we finally got it started. Marshall searches for the rest of his tank unit, unaware that the Germans have already broken through the 28th Division's line. But he's lost and eventually joins two other Shermans in the same predicament. Two other tanks were there when we got down here. The other two tanks saw us come down and they says, we'll follow you. Well, we had no idea where we were going. I jumped out of our tank to guide our tank across the bridge. And when we were safely across, I pointed to the tank commander for him to do the same thing. He no sooner got over the bridge when it was a tremendous flash, the Germans under the bridge had hit him with a bazooka. And the other two tanks, they all got machine gunned when they climbed out into tanks. The 5th Panzer Army seems unstoppable. All that stands in their way are scattered pockets of U.S. forces, under-equipped, outnumbered, and in Marshall's case, completely lost. We now were really on our own. December 16th, 1944. In an effort to turn the tide of war on the Western Front, eight Panzer divisions launch a surprise attack on American forces in the Ardennes. On the Central Front, the 5th Panzer Army breaks through thinly defended American lines. Chaos, many Americans like tanker John Marshall are lost and surrounded by the advancing Germans. We now were really on our own, hoping to find our platoon or anybody. We decided to pull off the road and we debated what to do. So I says, I'm going to lower the gun so it looked like it was knocked out because I don't want some son of a bitch rolling a hand grenade down the barrel. All night long, you could hear the Germans walking by, aktung, kaput, and all of that. They assumed that the tank was knocked out. The next morning, somebody saw us, whether it's the Germans or Americans, a shell come in. Hallye jumped onto the road, turned left, and started going down the main road. The next lane we came to, there is the only Tiger tank I ever saw. And on both sides of it were two smaller tanks and I shot at it. The German Tiger is a 57 ton monster, almost twice as heavy as a Sherman. It's protected in places by up to 100 millimeters of steel plate. The Tiger is one of the heaviest tanks on the World War II battlefield, with an 88 millimeter main gun that can rip a Sherman to pieces. By comparison, the Sherman's a pea shooter. Its 75 millimeter main gun has a short three meter barrel, producing a low muzzle velocity and a weak punch. And you might just as well throw an orange at that wall there, it was so powerful. Why they didn't get us, I don't know. They had the whole broad side to hit. But we still kept going. And so do the Germans. They must take the bridges over the Meuse River while overcast weather continues to ground Allied warplanes and before the Americans bring up reinforcements. Just 20 hours into the attack, lead elements of the 5th Panzer Army are only 90 kilometers short of their objective and have already pushed eight kilometers into Belgium. The Germans reinforce their gains and throw more and more armor into the ever deepening bulge, including the elite 116th Panzer Division. We were up on this hill. We didn't take the street, but drove across the fields and meadows because of all the mines. We were approximately 1,000 meters away. From up there, we saw this tank. This tank with its small cannon was barely a threat for us. Jokingly, we just called it a knocking device. And the Panther, the Panther that was standing next to me, shot. The first shot, the shell hit here and actually bounced back. So instead of a hit, it bounced up. It must've hit the tube, and when the tank fired, the barrel burst. Then the second shot was fired, and hit the screws that are standing out here. And they fired for a third time. The Panther's main gun has a long five and a half meter barrel, enabling it to penetrate Sherman armor at ranges of up to 2,000 meters. And this is how the tank got destroyed. It was burning inside, and then we proceeded with our advance. So the two or three first days of the German attack, the Americans were totally exhausted with constant fighting day and night, and we're lacking supplies and higher authority. There's nothing we can do here. Retreat. Americans fall back towards Bastogne, a transportation hub, which includes roads to the all-important crossings along the Meuse River. Allied command issues orders. Hold Bastogne at any cost. The 101st Airborne Division is sent to reinforce the town. Bulled in snow and without air support, the 101st and remnants of the 10th Armored Division fight off repeated attempts by the Germans to take Bastogne. On December 19th, frustrated by the stubborn U.S. defense, the 5th Panzer Army's main armored force is ordered to bypass Bastogne and continue their advance toward the bridges on the Meuse River. Concerned that Bastogne will be encircled, Allied command orders General George Patton's Third Army to the rescue. Patton's forces are in France, 260 kilometers away. He orders an immediate mass movement of three divisions north to Bastogne. At the spearhead are 127 tanks of the 4th Armored Division. At about 8.30 that night, I was told to be ready to move. 15 minutes after midnight, heading north. He had to turn his arm in 90 degrees. That's when we went onto the boat. My tank and my battalion were the lead elements of Patton's Third Army to make this 161 mile approach march to Bastogne. The situation was absolutely unknown. We went all night, all day, snowy, icy roads. The weather was horrible. The last night was under total blackout condition. You can't imagine to have a black, black night and be traveling blackout. All the tanks had were little things called cat's eyes in the rear. So the tank commander is looking at the tank in front of him at the cat's eyes. And that enables him to know where he's going and how much distance he is from the tank. But I was in the front tank and there were no cat's eyes in front of me. There was nothing. And we reached for a sign that said, Neuf-Chateau-Bastogne, and we thought we stopped. 32 Sherman tanks of the 8th Battalion reached the outskirts of Bastogne in less than 24 hours. That was a tough, tough, tough march. It was the greatest mass movement of men in the shortest period of time in military history. But every tank made it. But by the time they arrive, the Germans have already surrounded Bastogne. The Americans in the city are trapped. And across the Ardennes, so are many others, like tanker John Marshall, who was just trying to find his way back to friendly lines. We were hoping to find our platoon or anybody. We were moving. And as we moved up, I saw two guys come out from between the buildings and they walked down the road. They walked quite militarily. Max says to me, get them. And I didn't. For some reason, they weren't bothering anybody. I should have known better. I should have done what I was told. I didn't. And as they walked, they made a military left turn and went right between a barn and a house. They turned like it was on a signal. And at the end of that street, there's a tank there. The minute they turned, that tank let the shot go and he fires at us. It just went over. It missed the tank. Allier makes a hard left lever and he goes down the lane. And as we go down, we could see a crowd surrendering. It looked like a kid. We knew something was wrong. As we go down, there is the two officers and they jump up with the Panzer Force and they fire at us. December 21st, 1944. It's day five of the Battle of the Bulge. The German armored offensive now extends 60 kilometers into Belgium and many Americans are still trapped inside the Bulge. John Marshall of the 707th Tank Battalion is one of them. And he's trying to find his way back to American lines. As we go down in the lane, we could see a crowd surrendering. We knew something was wrong. There is the two officers and they jump up with the Panzer Force. Panzerfaust. It means tank fist and it's one of the deadliest anti-tank weapons on the battlefield. It fires a 140 millimeter rocket at ranges of up to 60 meters and can penetrate 200 millimeters of armor, unleashing a devastating explosion inside. And they fire at us. It missed. It missed the tank. I didn't need any orders or anything like that. Your own sense, I just pressed the old salinary, the machine gun the hell out of him. And I heard a sickening clack. I said, Spencer, the 30 caliber is jammed. And this time they were just starting to get up. He says, 75 millimeters loaded and all you have to do is just turn your heel and press that solenoid. And I let that solenoid go. And it got hit right into him. And the odd part of it is the kid was still standing with his hands in the air and he was holding his stubs up. So anyway, we went on. Marshall and his crew dodge the advancing Germans for days and eventually make it back to allied lines. On December 22nd, the German push towards the Meuse River bridges begins to slow. The rugged country Northeast of Bastogne is a challenge even for the Panthers of the 116th Panzer Division. It was much more difficult in the Ardennes because there were all these narrow forest roads. It was catastrophic because of all the close forest paths. Our tanks couldn't maneuver. The open field is typical landscape for tanks while the Ardennes were poison for the tanks. This is where our Panther tank was hit. The first shell hit the tank track and the tank became disabled. As the tank keeps moving, the tank turns in a circle till it was standing at an angle with its corner facing the anti-tank gun. We had no idea that the Americans were firing phosphorus grenades. You can't really bring a tank down with phosphorus grenades. They just got lucky on the first shot that they hit and disabled our track. White phosphorus rounds are incendiaries used to create smoke screens or mark enemy targets. They burn fiercely, but have little effect against the heavy armor on a Panther tank unless they ignite exposed ammunition or fuel. And there is an order that all German tank troops know. You can only get out of the tank when it is on fire. You're allowed to get off before that, only when the tank is on fire. Most of the wounds suffered inside a tank are burns because of the fuel tank. If it gets hit full on, the tank catches fire immediately. And then there's only one thing you can do, get out as fast as you can. We sat inside the tank and counted 22 hits on our tank. It's not very enjoyable. The only feeling you have is, am I going to survive this? Finally, the 22nd hit went into the hull of the tank where the fuel canisters were. When the fuel tank got hit, that's when it caught fire and we were allowed to get out. By the evening of December 22nd, the German push to the Meuse River bridges has almost completely halted. Panzer columns clog the narrow Ardennes roads and many tanks run out of fuel. The Germans now turn their attention back to Bastogne, but the Americans in the encircled town are getting help. Three combat commands of General Patton's 4th Armored Division move north to break the German blockade. We were almost halfway to Bastogne and we reached a place called Bernonne. And by the time we reached the bridge, it was getting late in the afternoon. The bridge was blown. The river was cold, raging. In no way could the tanks ford them. So we had to stop and put in a bridge. Now, our tanks were firing at the enemy across the river. And they were firing at us. So once we felt it was safe enough, the engineers came in and they put in the bridge, mostly under the cover of darkness. And our tanks started crossing the bridge. One tank, one tank, one tank. And then we were ready to rest for the night. I got word, no, keep moving. Patton said, I want them to move. Now, here were the exhausted men. Now they were told to fight all night. And finally, in about first light, we reached the outskirts of Chaumont. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, came a shot. Saw three jeeps from the 25th Cavalry hit. I immediately stopped my force. They must be down there in strength. I think I've got to have a planned operation. It's a pincer maneuver that splits his force into three units. The tanks of C Company will attack from the west, while A Company attacks from the ridge east of the village. With his flanks protected, Erzik will drive his B Company down the main road and right into the center of Chaumont. Now, if I were at Fort Knox, Kentucky, taking a tactics course, I probably would have gotten an A on my plan. But as you know, in combat, there are imponderables of the battlefield. C Company reports to me that five of his tanks, its first platoon, was completely bogged down. This ground was supposed to be frozen. So right away, I knew C Company was of no help. So B Company started to advance down the town. We were hitting resistance, but it was not major resistance. The 10th Armored Infantry was working with us. As we got down into town, they would go into the buildings, around the buildings, where the German soldiers were. A B Company gets through the town, and at that point, the heavens open up and all hell breaks loose. Hardly hit, all at once, by direct fire. Now it's a matter of survival. Brzezik and his men have driven into an ambush and now face the most lethal tank killer in the German arsenal, a massive self-propelled gun called the Jagdtiger. Battle of the Bulge enters its seventh bloody day. Elements of the 5th Panzer Army have driven 80 kilometers into Belgium and encircled the key Allied-held town of Bastogne. General George Patton sends the 4th Armored Division to break the siege. And on the morning of December 23rd, Lieutenant Colonel Albin Brzezik leads his tanks into the village of Chaumont, 12 kilometers south of Bastogne. So B Company started to advance down the town. And at that point, the heavens open up and all hell breaks loose. You just cannot describe the chaos that's there. It was a platoon of four Tiger Jagds. The Jagdtiger is a self-propelled tank killer, a 71-ton armored beast with a 128-millimeter cannon that can tear open a Sherman more than three and a half kilometers away. There's tanks being hit, bang, bang, bang, all over the place. B Company is downtown and you can't turn in town, so they're very vulnerable. So I told my driver to start backing up. Now, he's backing up blind. He needs some help from me. So, as we moved back out, I had the turret turned, so I could see the road and I'm directing the driver. So that means the back of the turret is toward the enemy, which makes it very, very vulnerable. I began to breathe a little easier and it seemed like we were out of range. And suddenly, I heard this loud, screeching, horrible sound just for an instant. And the tank was pushed forward as though some sledgehammer hit it. 128, which should have breezed through the turret, like a front knife through butter, but it must have hit the windshield off. So I told the driver, keep going. As we were moving back, I noticed there was a seam in the tank turret with daylight showing, so I knew something had hit the turret. We finally pulled the tank out of range. I asked myself the question, why are we still here? Why did my tank survive this battle when I had this terrible, terrible blow? Next to the antenna rail was something. It was an object. And to this day, I don't know why it was there. And the only thing I can conclude is that it must have hit this appendage and ricocheted off. It was an absolute miracle that I survived that battle and I'm still in the air. Battle of Chaumont, Combi loses 18 tanks and most of their crews. The Germans and their deadly Jagdtigers have stalled Colonel Erzick's drive to Bastogne. Twelve kilometers to the southeast, tanks of the Combat Command Reserve move towards Begonville. Their mission is to take the heavily defended town and protect the flank of units advancing towards Bastogne. En route, they encounter a German patrol. But we made our approach into Begonville and I pulled our tank up behind the railroad track. Momentarily, here came a Sherman tank and two German SPs. They captured an American Sherman and painted out our stars and painted on their cross. And when I came up behind the railroad track, my hull was in defilade. Defilade, the tank comes up from the rear and as it approaches up, its gun points over the hill. That's called hull defilade because the hull is not seen by the enemy. The gunner's periscope was about 14 inches higher than the tube. The gun was looking at the track. The sight was above the track. So when he fired, he hit the first rail. I said, push up a little bit and he pushed up a little bit more. Fired again, hit the second rail. I said, push up further. Yeah, roger. So I pushed up enough that I got beyond the track and we got a shell into the Sherman tank. And I also added another shell to each of these SPs. With the German patrol outside Begonville eliminated, Captain Leach leads his B Company into the center of the town. So our approach in every village, we would recon by fire with the bow gun shooting one direction and the coax machine gun shooting another on the side of the roads. So we were an avalanche of fire, movement, fire and movement. We fought in the hatch open mode so you could see the targets, you know, quickly with a periscope, you're limited. You're blind except for where you're looking. And with your eyes like this, you can move your head back and forth and see targets so we can engage quickly. But the enemy could also engage us quickly because we're exposing ourselves. So we had a lot of injured tank commanders as a result of fighting unbuttoned. Our infantry had failed to clear out all the houses. The German soldiers were still in some of these houses. My tanks were all over the streets. Moments later, I'm hit. The bullet went into the helmet, as you see right here. It cut the sweat band off of my head. And this I had underneath. And here is where the bullet hit my head and knocked me out. So I passed out, fell into the turret floor. They jokingly said, Captain, get your butt back in the turret. You've got work to do. Well, I did have work to do. In 16 hours, the CCR takes Bighamville. And on December 24th, General Patton orders them to join the main attack towards Bastogne, and they spend Christmas Day moving west. Finally, on December 26th, the tanks of the Combat Command Reserve are poised to launch one of the most daring armored charges in the history of tank warfare. December 26th, 1944. The Belgian town of Bastogne has been under siege for five days. Just south of town, lead elements of the 4th Armored Division CCR prepare to make one last attack against the German line and finally relieve the besieged Bastogne. I led the attack that day, and Abrams joins me on position. Well, he said, I'm going to run RC Company, Boggess, and pass through you straight ahead and go to Assinois and try to link up with the 101st Airborne to make that final breakthrough into Bastogne. Lieutenant Charles Boggess leads eight Sherman tanks into the heavily defended town of Assinois. Boggess led the attack through here, and he had an armored infantry company with him, and they were busy fighting Germans who were resisting, trying to mine the road, and the artillery had knocked out several half-tracks and mortar shells had knocked out several vehicles. The German fire is intense, but Boggess and his men push right through it and advance down the final stretch of road leading to Bastogne. It was quite a fight, really. I could hear it all shooting up ahead of me, because Abrams left me in position there close to Montreux. Plum is destroyed by a German mine. Boggess pushes on with two other tanks and reaches the outskirts of Bastogne. There he encounters the final line of German defense, and Boggess and his wingman fire three rounds into it. The last obstacle on the road to Bastogne is eliminated. Moments later, men of the 101st Airborne emerge from the trees. Boggess saw what looked like American uniform and hollered, this is 4th Armored, come on out. And hesitatingly, the Americans commenced with them shooing themselves. The siege of Bastogne is broken, but for the 4th Armored Division, the cost of relieving the town has been steep. In just 10 days of combat, over 1,000 men are killed or wounded and they lose 28 tanks. To mark the turning point in the Battle of the Bulge. The weather clears, and for the next 21 days, American tanks, now supported by airstrikes, force the Germans out of the Ardennes. Once the weather cleared up and the sun was shining, they were able to deploy their artillery and air force and stabbed us in the back. The fighter bombers were dangerous for us. On one tank, believe it or not, we counted 500 hits from a machine gun. We couldn't compete with that. Shortly after Christmas, we barely had any tanks left. And I thought, for God's sake, they have a lot of equipment than us with our tiny amount of tanks. At the end of 1944, beginning of 1945, we had no further supply. We had no further equipment to fight with. The Battle of the Bulge, the largest battle on the Western Front, ends on January 12th, 1945. Casualties on both sides are enormous. More than 90,000 German soldiers are killed, wounded or captured. Almost 20,000 Americans die, and 50,000 are wounded. It's their bloodiest battle of the war. The Americans lose over 320 tanks, but the Germans' final gamble has cost more. They lose more than 500 irreplaceable Panzers and will never launch another offensive. Sitting here now, looking back, unbelievable. I can't believe I was there. I can't believe I did what I did. It's a very strange feeling. It was the lead element of Patton's army. It was the force that was successful in breaking the siege of Bastogne. I firmly believe that was the turning point of the Battle of the Bulge, and the Battle of the Bulge was the turning point of the war in Europe.