Gerald Dennen

On the Attack Gerald Dennen

December 16, 1944: Battle of the Bulge On this day, the Germans launched the last major offensive of WWII, Operation Mist, also known as the Ardennes Offensive and the Battle of the Bulge, an attempt to push the Allied front line west from northern France to northwestern Belgium. The Battle of the Bulge, so-called because the Germans created a "bulge" around the area of the Ardennes forest in pushing through the American defensive line, was the largest fought on the Western front. The Germans threw 250,000 soldiers into the initial assault, 14 German infantry divisions guarded by five panzer divisions-against a mere 80,000 Americans. The battle raged for three weeks, resulting in a massive loss of American and civilian lives. Of the 600,000 GIs involved, almost 20,000 were killed, another 20,000 were captured, and 40,000 were wounded." The war did not end until better weather enabled American aircraft to bomb and strafe German positions. Gerald Dennen was a young soldier in the U. S. Army, 75th Infantry Division, who fought in the Battle of the Bulge.