Battle of the Bulge Tour
In September 1944 Hitler faced the prospect of defeat after more than five years at war. In a desperate bid to regain the offensive he announced a counter-attack, to take place in the Ardennes forests of Belgium. In the early hours of 16th December 1944, the Battle of the Bulge began. Hitler's aim was to split the British and American Allied line in half and capture Antwerp, thereby forcing the Western Allies to sign a peace treaty in his favour. The Nazi plan failed but the Battle, described by Winston Churchill as 'an ever-famous American victory', was the single biggest and bloodiest that US forces experienced during World War II.
Highlights
- Henri Chapelle ABMC Cemetery and Hamm ABMC cemetery, General Patton's burial place.
- Butgenbach, the HQ of the 99th Infantry Division and Wahlerscheid Road Junction, captured by the 2nd Infantry Division.
- Purple Heart Corner and the positions of the 3rd Battalion 393rd Infantry.
- Elsenborn Ridge and the North Shoulder.
- Follow the route of the Kampfgruppe Peiper, where American POWs and Belgian civilians were murdered.
- Schnee Eifel and the Dragons Teeth.
- Bastogne and the Mardasson Monument.
- Diekirch Military Museum.
Photo credits:
Slideshow: Hitler planning Battle of Bulge; Miller Tanks; Church.
Photo to the right of the tour: Church service in the Bulge.
