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This American Unit Won the Battle of the Bulge (not the 101st)
🕑 Added 2025-04-18 14:24:52 +0000 UTCWhile the story of the defence of Bastogne by the 101st Airborne Division is widely known, the 28th Infantry Division's heroic stand against the surprise German armoured assaults at the Battle of the Bulge is barely known. They were told to hold the German advance to the last man, to allow time for many divisions, including the 101st, to be rushed into the line behind them to plug the gap and stop the assault. Without the valiant stand of the young men of the 28th, the Battle of the Bulge could have turned out very differently.
Comments
EscapeEvade
Great stuff, as always. You're absolutely correct about Hollywood portrayals of the Battle of the Bulge. The 28th has even been portrayed as retreating en masse in multiple works since World War II that cover the siege of Bastgone. Nothing could be further from the truth. The 110th certainly faced the worst of it, but the 109th and 112th Infantry Regiments also fought valiantly to hold back the German onslaught. Remnants of the 110th ended up in Bastogne and fought as part of Task Force SNAFU during the siege. Several of the stock photos you show in the video (including the one at 18:16) are of those who ended up in Bastogne, continuing to fight. Glad you referenced Dr. McManus' "Alamo in the Ardennes" toward the end. I met him at the 70th Anniversary of D-Day event at the National World War II Museum. Very nice guy. He offered to sign my copy of Alamo in the Ardennes if I sent it to him, which I did; he did sign it and send it back to me.
Jtad
The 28th sure took what little they had and created a large influence with it. Too bad Germany didn't just surrender. It all wouldn't have been necessary.
Chris Freemesser
Just starting watching this...the picture of Norman Cota is actually a picture of actor Robert Mitchum, who portrayed him in "The Longest Day"
