The United States, its European allies and a dwindling number of veterans are marking on Friday the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, one of the most important and deadly battles in World War II which stopped Adolf Hitler’s last-ditch offensive and opened the way for the full Nazi defeat.
At dawn on Dec. 16, 1944, over 200,000 German soldiers threw Hitler’s last hopes in a unexpected attack through the dense woods of Belgium and Luxembourg’s hilly Ardennes. Making the most of the surprise move, the cold, freezing weather and wearied U.S. troops, the Germans pierced the front line so deeply it came to be known as the Battle of the Bulge.
