>> Narrator: HITLER'S BOLDEST MOVE AND THE ALLIES' MOST SHOCKING SURPRISE. >> IT WAS LIKE A SHOOTING GALLERY. >> Narrator: IT'S WINTER HELL ON EARTH, UP CLOSE AND BRUTAL. >> ANYTHING WE CAN SEE, WE EITHER SHOT OR WE STABBED. >> Narrator: AN ULTIMATE TEST OF WILL AND MIGHT. >> I MADE UP MY MIND THAT THEY WERE GOING TO KILL ME, AND I WAS GOING TO TAKE AS MANY OF THEM AS I COULD. >> Narrator: AS FAR AS SHOOTOUTS GO, THIS ONE'S THE BIGGEST AND BLOODIEST THE U.S. EVER FOUGHT, THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE. >> Narrator: 5:30 A.M. DECEMBER 16, 1944. THE ARDENNES FOREST, BELGIUM. THREE GERMAN ARMIES HAMMER THE WESTERN FRONT WITH APOCALYPTIC FIRE, THE MOST AWESOME OF THE WAR. MORTARS SCREAM OVER FRIGID FOXHOLES. LETHAL SHELLS SHOWER THE SKY. THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE BEGINS WITH A DEAFENING BANG. (
GUNFIRE AND EXPLOSIONS
) >> NOBODY EXPECTED AN ASSAULT THAT LARGE. THE GERMANS THREW EVERYTHING THEY HAD AT US. >> I WAS SCARED OF MANY, MANY THINGS IN MY LIFE, BUT NOT
LIKE THIS. >> ON NORMANDY, BOY, WE WERE GUNG HO. AND THEN THE BULGE HIT. IT WASN'T FUN ANYMORE. >> OPEN FIRE! >> Narrator: THE ALLIES ARE THRUST INTO THE ULTIMATE SHOOTOUT. THE "QUIET FRONT" IS NO LONGER. REWIND-- SIX MONTHS EARLIER. D-DAY-- THE ALLIES INVADE NORTHERN FRANCE AND BEGIN TO PUSH THE ENEMY BACK TOWARDS GERMANY. IN AUGUST, PARIS IS LIBERATED, AND THE ALLIED DRIVE CONTINUES. AMERICANS THINK THE WAR IN THE E.T.O. IS ALL BUT OVER. THEY'RE DEAD WRONG. HITLER IS READY TO GAMBLE IT ALL. HIS PLAN-- TEAR THROUGH ALLIED LINES WHERE THEY LEAST SUSPECT IT. THE AXIS OF EVIL WILL CREATE AN 85-MILE "BULGE" ALONG THE WESTERN FRONT THAT EXTENDS FROM THE NORTH SEA DOWN TO SWITZERLAND. HITLER'S MISSION-- DRIVE A WEDGE BETWEEN THE ALLIED ARMIES IN THE NORTH AND SOUTH. RETAKE THE SEAPORT CITY OF ANTWERP. CLAIM VICTORY. >> HITLER DECIDED TO HAVE ONE LAST THROW OF THE DICE, BASICALLY, TO TRY TO CHANGE THE COURSE OF THE WAR, WHICH WAS GOING VERY BADLY FOR GERMANY. HE DECIDED TO PULL A NUMBER OF TROOPS OFF THE RUSSIAN FRONT, AND THEN CONCENTRATE THEM SECRETLY IN THE ARDENNES. >> Narrator: THE ARDENNES IS A HILLY FORESTED REGION LOCATED BETWEEN SOUTHEASTERN BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG. THE GERMAN BORDER SITS DIRECTLY EAST. WINTER WEATHER AND DEPLETED SUPPLIES HALT THE ALLIED ADVANCE FROM THE ARDENNES FOREST INTO GERMANY. TROOPS ARE THINLY SPREAD ACROSS THIS "GHOST FRONT." FOR WEEKS, THERE'S BEEN LITTLE ACTION. INTELLIGENCE SAYS IT'S THE LAST PLACE THE GERMANS WILL ATTACK. THE INHOSPITABLE TERRAIN SEEMS TO OFFER LITTLE STRATEGIC ADVANTAGE. >> BUT SECRETLY, HITLER WAS MASSING SEVERAL ARMIES IN THE ARDENNES. TRAINS WOULD LEAVE TOWARDS THE EASTERN FRONT DURING THE DAY, AND THEN THEY WOULD CHANGE DIRECTIONS AT NIGHT AND MOVE TOWARDS THE BULGE. >> Narrator: 5:30 A.M. DECEMBER 16, 1944. HITLER'S STEALTHY BLITZKRIEG KICKS INTO FULL THROTTLE. ROUGHLY 290,000 GERMAN TROOPS BOMBARD APPROXIMATELY 83,000 ALLIES, WHO ARE CONCENTRATED IN THE ARDENNES. THE AXIS BRINGS ALONG AN ARSENAL OF LIGHT AND HEAVY GUNS, HOWITZERS, AND MULTIPLE ROCKET LAUNCHERS. 7:00 A.M., LANZERATH, BELGIUM, APPROXIMATELY FOUR MILES FROM THE GERMAN BORDER. THERE'S A LULL IN THE BOMBARDMENT. THE INTELLIGENCE AND RECONNAISSANCE PLATOON, 394th REGIMENT, 99th DIVISION, IS DUG IN ON A RIDGE 200 YARDS WEST OF LANZERATH. >> THE I & R PLATOON WAS REALLY IN A TEMPORARY BLOCKING POSITION. THEY WERE A VERY LIGHT UNIT. THEY'RE NOT REALLY MEANT TO ENGAGE, BUT THEY FOUND THEMSELVES IN BASICALLY THE EYE OF THE STORM. >> Narrator: THE 18-MAN PLATOON IS ABOUT AS GREEN AS YOU CAN GET. 20-YEAR-OLD LIEUTENANT LYLE BOUCK IS ONE OF THE YOUNGEST COMMISSIONED OFFICERS IN THE U.S. ARMY. BOUCK WARNS HEADQUARTERS IN NEARBY HUNNINGEN. >> IT WAS PROBABLY ALREADY EVIDENT THAT HIS PLATOON, A VERY SMALL UNIT OF INFANTRYMEN, ARE ALREADY UP AGAINST AMAZING GERMAN FIREPOWER. AND BOUCK DOESN'T HAVE ARTILLERY AT HIS DISPOSAL. >> Narrator: GERMAN FRONT LINES. THE FIRST COMPANY, NINTH REGIMENT, THIRD FALLSCHIRMJAEGER PARATROOPER DIVISION RECEIVES ORDERS-- "SOLDIER, YOUR HOUR HAS COME." THEIR MISSION-- TAKE OVER LANZERATH AND OTHER VILLAGES, THEN BLAZE A DEADLY PATH TO MURRINGEN, WHERE ALLIES HOUSE THEIR FUEL AND SUPPLIES. >> THIS IS WHERE THE SIXTH GERMAN ARMY WAS MAKING ITS MAJOR PENETRATION. THE SPEAR TIP OF THAT ARMY WAS KNOWN AS KAMPFUGRUPPE PEIPER, AND PEIPER WAS AN S.S. LIEUTENANT COLONEL THAT HAD A BATTLE GROUP THAT WAS GOING TO SPEARHEAD THE ENTIRE INVASION. AND THE I&R PLATOON LAY RIGHT IN ITS PATH. >> Narrator: A ROAD, BARBED WIRE FENCE, AND OPEN FIELD SEPARATES THE TOWN OF LANZERATH FROM THE I&R PLATOON. THE MEN ARE ARMED WITH M-1 GARAND RIFLES, B.A.R.s, BAZOOKAS, TWO .30-CALIBER MACHINE GUNS, AND A .50-CALIBER JEEP-MOUNTED MACHINE GUN-- NOT MUCH HARDWARE. >> THEY WEREN'T EQUIPPED TO DEAL WITH WHAT THEY WOULD ULTIMATELY DEAL WITH, WHICH WAS A MAJOR GERMAN INFANTRY ASSAULT THAT SUPPORTED BY ARTILLERY FIRE. >> Narrator: FROM THEIR ISOLATED OUTPOST, LIEUTENANT BOUCK SPIES U.S. TANK DESTROYERS MOTORING AWAY FROM LANZERATH. THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE BACKING UP THE PLATOON. THE MEN WONDER IF THEY'RE BEING ABANDONED. TWO I&R SOLDIERS MAKE THEIR WAY TO AN OBSERVATION POST IN LANZERATH. FROM THERE, THE INTELLIGENCE PLATOON CAN KEEP TABS ON THE ADVANCING ENEMY. LESS THAN AN HOUR PASSES. THE GERMANS SEIZE LANZERATH. THE TWO I&R MEN FLEE THE OBSERVATION POST AND RUN LIKE HELL BACK TO THEIR DUGOUTS. AS THEY APPROACH THE EDGE OF THE WOODS, A PATROL OF GERMANS SHOOT MG-42 BULLETS ALL AROUND THEM. THE I&R SOLDIERS FIRE BACK. THEY TERMINATE THE ENTIRE GERMAN PATROL. 8:00 A.M. 500 GERMAN PARATROOPERS INFILTRATE LANZERATH. LIEUTENANT BOUCK RADIOS FOR ARTILLERY SUPPORT. HEADQUARTERS SAYS HE MUST BE "SEEING THINGS." >> HE WAS LIKE, "DAMN IT, LOOK, DON'T TELL ME WHAT I CAN'T SEE; I'M RIGHT HERE." HE COULDN'T GET ANY ARTILLERY SUPPORT. IT MUST HAVE BEEN VERY FRUSTRATING. >> Narrator: CORPORAL RITSO MILOSEVICH IS RIGHT IN THE THICK OF IT. >> WE SAW WHAT WAS COMING AT US FROM BOTH SIDES FOR THE ROAD FOR MILES UP THERE-- INFANTRYMEN AND ALL KINDS OF VEHICLES, BUT NO TANKS. IF THEY HAD ONE TANK, THEY WOULD HAVE TAKEN CARE OF US IN HALF AN HOUR. >> Narrator: I&R PLATOON SITS IN A VULNERABLE POSITION OUTSIDE THEIR REGIMENTAL BOUNDARY AND WITHOUT ARTILLERY. BUT WORD COMES DOWN FROM HEADQUARTERS-- "HOLD THE GERMANS AT ALL COSTS." >> IT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT NO PLATOON LEADER EVER WANTS TO HEAR, BECAUSE "HOLD AT ALL COSTS" CAN USUALLY MEAN YOU STAY THERE UNTIL YOU'RE KILLED OR CAPTURED. >> Narrator: GERMAN PARATROOPERS MOVE ALONG THE ROAD PARALLEL TO I&R'S DUGOUTS. SOME WEAR WHITE SMOCKS OVER THEIR GREATCOATS TO BLEND INTO THE OPAQUE ENVIRONMENT. >> GERMAN MILITARY WAS REALLY THE ONLY MILITARY IN THE WORLD AT THAT TIME THAT WAS MAKING EXTENSIVE USE OF CAMOUFLAGED CLOTHING. >> Narrator: EVERY I&R MAN PICKS A TARGET AND WAITS. SUDDENLY, A BELGIAN GIRL FROM LANZERATH RUNS UP TO THE GERMANS. SCARED, OR POSSIBLY A NAZI SYMPATHIZER, SHE POINTS UP TO THE RIDGE. I&R PLATOON IS DISCOVERED. THE GERMANS DIVE FOR THE DITCHES ON EITHER SIDE OF THE ROAD. LIEUTENANT BOUCK YELLS, "OPEN FIRE!" >> Narrator: DECEMBER 16, 1944. BATTLE OF THE BULGE, DAY ONE. IN A LAST-DITCH EFFORT TO WIN THE WAR, ADOLPH HITLER HAS ORDERED AN ALL-OUT COUNTER- ASSAULT ALONG AN 80-MILE PORTION OF THE WESTERN FRONT. THE ALLIES ALL ALONG THE FRONT ARE COMPLETELY CAUGHT OFF GUARD. I&R PLATOON, 394th REGIMENT, 99th DIVISION LIES IN THE IMMEDIATE PATH OF THE OFFENSIVE. THEY'RE DUG IN ON A RIDGE 200 YARDS WEST OF LANZERATH, BELGIUM, WHICH IS APPROXIMATELY FOUR MILES FROM THE GERMAN BORDER. THE 18-MAN PLATOON HAS NOT SEEN MUCH COMBAT DURING THE WAR. NOW, THEY FACE A GERMAN FORCE 20 TIMES THEIR SIZE. THE AXIS ENEMY ADVANCES UP A RIDGE TOWARD THE I&R PLATOON. THEY'RE ARMED WITH MAUSER RIFLES, LIGHT MACHINE GUNS, AND GRENADES. WHEN THEY NEAR THE CREST, THE KILL FEST BEGINS. I&R PLATOON UNLEASHES THEIR LEAD. CORPORAL MILOSEVICH RAISES HIS M-1 AND CUTS DOWN GERMANS ONLY 40 YARDS AWAY. >> I STARTED SHOOTING AT THE GERMANS, AND I WAS BAREFOOT. >> Narrator: MOMENTS EARLIER, MILOSEVICH HAD TAKEN OFF HIS WET BOOTS AND SOCKS. >> THEY WERE SATURATED FROM THE FRESH SNOW, AND I SENT ONE OF OUR RECRUITS AFTER SOME DRY SOCKS. HE NEVER MADE IT BACK. >> Narrator: MILOSEVICH MUST NOW FIGHT IN THE FRIGID COLD WITHOUT HIS BOOTS. >> I MADE UP MY MIND THAT THEY WERE GOING TO KILL ME, AND I WAS GOING TO TAKE AS MANY OF THEM AS I COULD. THIS WAS A MAJOR OFFENSIVE, AND THEY WERE IN A HURRY. THEY DIDN'T CARE ABOUT HOW MANY MEN THEY LOST. THEY JUST KEPT COMING AT US, AND THEY WERE EASY TO HIT, BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T BEHIND TREES OR ANYTHING. >> Narrator: IT'S WHOLESALE SLAUGHTER. I&R PLATOON CUTS DOWN GERMAN AFTER GERMAN MARCHING UP THE RIDGE WITH SMALL ARMS. ARTILLERY, NOTICEABLY ABSENT. >> THEY DIDN'T WANT TO ALERT ANYBODY OF THEIR PRESENCE THERE, SO TANKS OR ANYTHING WAS PROBABLY OUT OF THE QUESTION. THEY WANTED TO KEEP AS LOW OF A PROFILE AS POSSIBLE. >> Narrator: 10:30 A.M. THE FIRST PHASE OF THE FIREFIGHT LASTS FOR NEARLY FIVE HOURS. THEN, SILENCE. I&R PLATOON EMERGES FROM THEIR NESTS. THE FIELD IS LITTERED WITH CORPSES. THE PLATOON SUFFERS ONLY ONE CASUALTY. STILL, THE FIREFIGHT IS JUST GETTING STARTED. 11:00 A.M. GERMANS ADVANCE FOR THE SECOND TIME. >> THE FIRST WAVE WAS REALLY DEVASTATING. THE SECOND WAVE THEN BEGAN, STEPPING OVER THE BODIES OF DEAD COMRADES, MOVING THROUGH THE EXACT SAME AREA. >> Narrator: MILOSEVICH MANS THE .30-CALIBER MACHINE GUN. IT'S TRICKY TO MANEUVER, AND IT HEATS UP SO MUCH THAT IT BURNS HIS HAND. MILOSEVICH ENDURES THE PAIN. HE SEES A GERMAN PARATROOPER CREEPING UP ON LIEUTENANT BOUCK'S DUGOUT. >> HE WAS SETTING UP TO SHOOT AT BOUCK'S HOLE, AND I PICKED UP THE MACHINE GUN, AND I BURNED MY HAND BECAUSE IT WAS HOT. AND I GOT MY HANKY OUT OF THERE AND PICKED IT UP AND GOT A BURST OF THREE OUT. >> Narrator: MILOSEVICH'S MACHINE GUN FIRE SPLITS THE ENEMY SOLDIER IN TWO. MORE GERMANS EDGE UP TO THE DUGOUTS. ONE IS WIELDING A POTATO MASHER GRENADE. MILOSEVICH LETS OUT ONE LAST RIP FROM THE MACHINE GUN. THE GERMAN IS ELIMINATED. >> THE MACHINE GUN WAS BURNED OUT BY NOT LETTING IT BREATHE A WHILE. I HAD A RIFLE, AND EVERY TIME THE MACHINE GUN GOT TANGLED UP, I WOULD PICK UP THE M-1 AND FIRE THEM. >> Narrator: MILOSEVICH'S DUGOUT MATE TAKES OVER THE MACHINE GUN. KNOWING THE WEAPON OVERHEATS, MILOSEVICH WARNS HIM TO SHOOT IN BURSTS OF THREE. >> I KEPT TELLING HIM, "BURST OF THREE." AND HE SAYS, "I CAN'T. THERE'S TOO MANY OF THEM." SO HE JUST KEPT FIRING AWAY, AND THE MACHINE GUN QUIT, AND YOU COULD SEE A SLIGHT BOW IN THE BARREL. IT GOT HOT. >> Narrator: THE SECOND WAVE OF GERMANS FAN OUT AND CRAWL ON THE ICY GROUND. WHEN THEY GET WITHIN 30 YARDS OF A FOXHOLE, ONE OF THEM AIMS HIS RIFLE, LOADED WITH A GRENADE, AND FIRES. THE EXPLOSIVE HITS PRIVATE LOUIS KALIL IN THE JAW. >> KALIL, HE GOT A GRENADE, AND IT WAS STUCK IN HIS MOUTH AND KNOCKED MOST OF HIS TEETH. BUT IT DIDN'T GO OFF WHEN IT HIT. HE WAS VERY, VERY LUCKY. >> Narrator: MIDDAY-- THE GERMANS WAVE A WHITE FLAG. THE AMERICANS HOLD THEIR FIRE. LIEUTENANT BOUCK ALLOWS GERMAN MEDICS TO RETRIEVE THEIR FALLEN. >> THE GERMANS WERE, UNFORTUNATELY, ALSO KNOWN FOR KIND OF TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THIS FLAG OF TRUCE SITUATION. USING THE SUBTERFUGE OF REMOVING WOUNDED, THEY WOULD GAIN INTELLIGENCE OF WHERE AMERICAN POSITIONS WERE. >> Narrator: CORPORAL MILOSEVICH NOTICES A GERMAN MEDIC ONLY 30 YARDS AWAY FROM HIS DUGOUT. THE MEDIC PRETENDS TO BE STILL TREATING THE WOUNDED. BUT MILOSEVICH NOTICES HE'S TALKING INTO A FIELD PHONE. >> HE WAS LOOKING RIGHT AT MY HOLE, AND HIS MOUTH WAS GOING A MILE A MINUTE. AND THEN, HE TURNED TO ONE SIDE, AND I SAW THE PISTOL ON HIM. AND I ASKED FOR THE RIFLE. I WANTED TO SHOOT HIM. BUT SLAPE SAYS, "WHERE IS HE?" AND HE SHOT HIM. >> Narrator: 2:00 P.M. THE GERMANS INITIATE A THIRD FRONTAL ASSAULT. THIS TIME, THEY USE SOME MORTAR AND MACHINE GUN FIRE. MINUTES PASS. THE GERMANS RETREAT FOR THE THIRD TIME. >> I FIGURED IT WAS JUST LIKE COMMITTING SUICIDE. THERE WAS NO QUESTION THAT THEY HAD THE SUPERIOR FORCE. >> Narrator: 3:30 P.M. I&R PLATOON IS ALMOST OUT OF AMMO. >> THE MEN SIMPLY FACED A TARGET-RICH ENVIRONMENT WHERE THEY SIMPLY DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH AMMUNITION TO KILL EVERYBODY COMING ACROSS THE OPEN AT THEM. >> Narrator: LIEUTENANT BOUCK PHONES HEADQUARTERS. HE SAYS THEY'RE SURROUNDED AND RUNNING LOW ON AMMO. SUDDENLY, LIEUTENANT BOUCK HEARS A CRACK NEAR HIS EAR. A BULLET SHOOTS THE TELEPHONE RIGHT OUT OF HIS HAND. LIEUTENANT BOUCK IS KNOCKED DOWN BUT UNHARMED. THE FIELD PHONE IS BLOWN TO SMITHEREENS. ALL COMMUNICATION IS LOST. WITHOUT PHONE CONTACT, LIEUTENANT BOUCK ORDERS TWO MEN TO MAKE A MAD DASH TO HEADQUARTERS. >> WHEN IT LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE DEFINITELY GOING TO GET OVERRUN, RATHER THAN JUST FALLING BACK WITHOUT PERMISSION, HE SENT RUNNERS TO THE REAR. >> Narrator: 4:35 P.M. GERMANS CREEP AROUND THE DUGOUTS. I&R PLATOON HAS NO OPTION. THEY MUST RETREAT BEFORE NIGHTFALL OR THEY WILL BE SLAUGHTERED. >> WHEN THE GERMANS GOT IN CLOSE, THE GERMANS STARTED DOING WHAT THEY DID VERY, VERY WELL. THE GERMANS WERE MASTERS AT THE CLOSE-IN ASSAULT. >> Narrator: GERMANS SNEAK UP BEHIND LIEUTENANT BOUCK'S DUGOUT. THEY FIRE SEVERAL ROUNDS INTO THE HOLE. A BULLET PENETRATES LIEUTENANT BOUCK'S CALF. HIS DUGOUT MATE RECEIVES FIVE TO SIX ROUNDS IN THE FACE. BUT AMAZINGLY, THEY BOTH SURVIVE. THE GERMANS CRY, "COME OUT, HANDS UP." THE ENEMY SEIZES FOXHOLE AFTER FOXHOLE. WOUNDED AND WITHOUT AMMO, LIEUTENANT BOUCK HAS NO CHOICE BUT TO SURRENDER. >> WHEN THEY KEPT SAYING, "COME OUT, HANDS UP," I PUT THE WET BOOTS AND PUT THEM BACK ON. BURT I FOUGHT THE WAR ALL DAY LONG WITH BARE FEET IN THE SNOW AND ICE. >> Narrator: THE GERMANS LINE UP THE I&R PLATOON AND RAISE THEIR MAUSERS. >> I THOUGHT THEY'D KILL US. I DIDN'T THINK THEY WOULD TAKE US PRISONERS. >> Narrator: I&R PLATOON FEARS THEY MAY NOW PAY THE ULTIMATE PRICE. SUDDENLY, A GERMAN OFFICER INTERVENES AND CALLS OFF THE FIRING SQUAD. >> WHEN THEY FINALLY TOOK US, THAT OFFICER ASKED US, "WHERE ARE THE REST OF THE GUYS?" THEY FIGURED WE WERE A BATTALION BECAUSE OF OUR GUNFIRE. AND WE TOLD HIM, "THIS IS IT. WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GOT." >> Narrator: I&R PLATOON BECOMES PRISONERS OF WAR. BUT DESPITE THEIR CAPTURE, THE SOLDIERS DISPLAYED UNCOMMON COURAGE. THE 18 MEN CUT DOWN 500 GERMANS AND HELPED TO HOLD BACK HITLER'S ADVANCE FOR ONE DAY. >> I WAS PROUD. HELL, YES, WE HELD THE GERMANS FROM TAKING US FOR 13, 15 HOURS. THAT'S QUITE A CHORE. >> Narrator: WHILE I&R PLATOON SURRENDERS, THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE KEEPS ESCALATING. CLOUDS AND FOG PREVENT DESPERATELY NEEDED AIR SUPPORT. BUT REGARDLESS OF THE OBSTACLES, MANY UNITS RISK IT ALL. ELSENBORN RIDGE, BELGIUM-- A DOMINANT LANDMARK IN THE ARDENNES FOREST. IF THE GERMANS REACH ITS SUMMIT, THEY COULD WIN THE WAR. >> THIS IS AN AREA THAT WOULD BE OF GREAT IMPORTANCE TO THE GERMANS, WHERE GERMAN ARMIES WERE ATTEMPTING TO PASS ON THROUGH LIEGE AND TO BRUSSELS, AND THEN ON TO ANTWERP. >> Narrator: THE ELSENBORN REGION BECOMES A KILL ZONE. FIRST LIEUTENANT TOM QUIGLEY, 23rd REGIMENT, SECOND INFANTRY DIVISION, PREPARES FOR ARMAGEDDON. >> WE WENT IN ON NORMANDY. WE HAD KICKED THE GERMANS' BUTTS ALL OVER NORTHERN FRANCE AND THE BRITTANY PENINSULA, AND WE HADN'T LOST A BATTLE. AND THEN THE BULGE HIT. IT WASN'T FUN ANYMORE. THE SNOW WAS WAIST DEEP IN SOME PLACES, AND YOU DIDN'T GO VERY FAR. POUR SOME WATER IN YOUR HAND, YOU'D HAVE AN ICE CUBE. IT WAS THAT COLD. >> Narrator: QUIGLEY'S DIVISION IS TOLD TO HOLD THE SIXTH PANZER ARMY AT ALL COSTS. >> WE FIRST THOUGHT, "OH, IT'S JUST A MINOR THING." BOY, THAT WAS A JOKE. >> Narrator: QUIGLEY'S PLATOON ADVANCES TO A SMALLER RIDGE LOCATED EAST OF THE ELSENBORN RIDGE. A HALF-MILE BELOW THEM IS THE VILLAGE OF KRINKELT. QUIGLEY'S MEN DIG FOXHOLES AND POSITION THEIR WEAPONRY. A RIFLE PLATOON WAITS ON A FORWARD SLOPE WITH B.A.R.s, AS WELL AS LIGHT AND HEAVY MACHINE GUNS ON EITHER FLANK. BEHIND THEM ARE 60- AND 81- MILLIMETER MORTARS. SEVEN SELF-PROPELLED 75- MILLIMETER HOWITZERS AND THREE THREE-INCH ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUNS FOLLOW. >> THEY COULDN'T SEE US. THERE WAS A HELL OF A FIGHT GOING ON DOWN THEIR IN KRINKELT. SO WE HAD A PLATOON DUG IN JUST OVER THE CREST OF THE RIDGE. >> Narrator: ARMED WITH MAUSER RIFLES AND MP-40 SUB-MACHINE GUNS, 200 TO 300 GERMAN SOLDIERS TRUDGE UP THE SNOWY HILL UNAWARE OF WHAT AWAITS THEM AT THE SUMMIT. THE ENEMY GETS WITHIN SEVERAL YARDS. PLATOON LEADER LIEUTENANT EMIL SOLBERG STANDS AND YELLS "SURRENDER" IN GERMAN. >> THEY WERE PRETTY CLOSE, AND YOU CAN HIT ANYTHING AT 150 YARDS. >> Narrator: A GERMAN OFFICER RAISES HIS BURP GUN AND FIRES. >> AND WHEN HE DID THAT, SOLBERG DROPPED DOWN IN THE SNOW, AND, BOY, EVERYBODY TURNED LOOSE ON HIM. >> Narrator: AN ULTRA-CLOSE FIREFIGHT ENSUES. THE ALLIES OPEN UP THEIR MACHINE GUNS, PUSHING THE GERMAN FLANKS TO THE MIDDLE. THE WEAPONS BATTALION BLASTS 60- AND 81-MILLIMETER MORTARS BEHIND THEM, BLOCKING THEIR RETREAT. >> THEY DIDN'T HAVE A WHOLE BUNCH OF RESERVE AMMUNITION LIKE WE DID. WE DIDN'T RUN OUT. HELL, WE SHOT ALL WE WANTED TO, AND SHOT LOTS OF IT. >> Narrator: THE GERMANS ARE DEAD MEN WALKING. LIEUTENANT QUIGLEY AND HIS COMRADES MOW DOWN THE ENEMY. ON THE ROAD BELOW, GERMAN TANKS AND JEEPS MOVE OUT. QUIGLEY SEIZES THE MOMENT. >> LIEUTENANT TOM QUIGLEY HAD AN EXPERIENCE THAT FEW INFANTRY PLATOON LEADERS EVER GET. QUIGLEY IS ON THE RADIO WITH CORPS ARTILLERY MANY MILES BEHIND HIM, CALLING IN 240- MILLIMETER FIRE. THAT'S NINE-AND-A-HALF-INCH FIRE. THAT'S AMONG THE BIGGEST GUNS THAT A UNITED STATES ARMY UNIT CAN BRING TO THE BATTLEFIELD. IT HAD TO HAVE BEEN AWESOME. >> Narrator: QUIGLEY PRODUCES HIS OWN "APOCALYPSE NOW." >> DID YOU EVER SEE THE MOVIE, THE END OF THE MOVIE WHEN ALL THAT STUFF WAS BLOWING UP? THEY JUST CLOBBERED THAT WHOLE FIELD. IT LOOKED LIKE IT HAD BEEN PLOWED WHEN THEY GOT THROUGH WITH IT. >> HE WAS RAINING DOWN HELL AND DESTRUCTION ON THOSE GERMAN UNITS, THE LIKES OF WHICH YOU JUST CAN'T COMPREHEND. >> Narrator: AFTER 30 MINUTES, 200 BODIES LAY STIFF ON THE SNOW. 17 TANKS AND TANK DESTROYERS ARE DECIMATED. >> NOBODY GOT OUT OF THAT FIELD ALIVE BUT US. I SHOT FIVE PERSONALLY, AND GOD KNOWS WHAT I KILLED CALLING ARTILLERY FIRE ON THEM. THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE PAID TO DO. >> Narrator: QUIGLEY AND THE SECOND INFANTRY ARE ONE OF THE FEW DIVISIONS TO STUBBORNLY HOLD BACK THE GERMANS FROM TAKING THE ELSENBORN RIDGE THAT FIRST DAY. >> IF THEY HAD MADE IT THROUGH ELSENBORN, THEY WERE ON A WIDE OPEN NETWORK OF ROADS GOING ALL THE WAY TO ANTWERP. AND WE HAD AMMO DUMPS AND FUEL DUMPS AND RATION DUMPS BACK IN THERE THAT WOULD FEED A HUNDRED ARMIES. >> Narrator: DESPITE QUIGLEY'S SUCCESS, THE FIRST DAY OF THE BULGE SENDS SHOCK WAVES ALONG THE 80-MILE FRONT. G.I.s ARE CUT OFF AND CONFUSED. >> ONE OF THE UNFORTUNATE THINGS PRODUCED BY THE CRISIS WAS THE FACT THAT UNITS WERE SCATTERED, AND THEY WERE DRIVEN BACK BY THE GERMAN ADVANCE. AND THEY COULDN'T FIND THEIR UNIT. >> Narrator: DECEMBER 17, 1944, BATTLE OF THE BULGE, DAY TWO. WORD GETS BACK TO GENERAL DWIGHT EISENHOWER-- THIS IS NOT A MINOR ATTACK, BUT A MAJOR COUNTEROFFENSIVE. THE GENERAL REACHES FOR HIS RESERVES. THE 101st AIRBORNE WILL HOLD THE GERMANS IN THE SOUTHERN BULGE. THE 82nd AIRBORNE WILL DEFEND THE NORTHERN BULGE. THE FIRST BATTALION, 517th PARACHUTE REGIMENTAL COMBAT TEAM IS ALSO SENT TO THE NORTHERN SECTOR OF THE BULGE. PRIVATE FIRST CLASS MELVIN BIDDLE IS FIRST SCOUT FOR THE 517th. BIDDLE'S MISSION-- PLUG HOLES IN THE LINE OF DEFENSE BETWEEN THE BELGIUM TOWNS OF TROIS PONTS, SOY, AND HOTTON. >> THEY WOULD SAY, WELL, THESE PARATROOPERS ARE HOT SHOTS, AND WE'LL USE THEM TO LEAD THE ATTACK. AND THEY DID. THEY PUT US RIGHT OUT IN FRONT ABOUT EVERY TIME WE WERE ATTACHED TO A UNIT. >> Narrator: THE 517th WILL FACE SOME OF THE FIERCEST GERMAN SOLDIERS, INCLUDING ELEMENTS OF THE SECOND S.S. PANZER DIVISION. >> OUR PEOPLE WERE THE TYPE THAT SAID THEY WOULD NEVER SURRENDER, AND THEY WANTED TO HELP THEIR BUDDIES. >> Narrator: 10:00 A.M., DECEMBER 21, 1944, NEAR SOY, BELGIUM. AS A SCOUT, BIDDLE IS UP FRONT, SCOURING FOR GERMANS ACROSS THE PATCHY SNOW COVER. >> I CAME ON THESE THREE PEOPLE. THEY WERE ON AN OUTPOST. THE FIRST ONE WAS AN OLDER GUY. I STOOD FOR A MOMENT AS TO WHETHER I SHOULD SHOOT HIM OR NOT, AND I FINALLY DECIDED I WOULD. >> Narrator: BIDDLE AIMS AND FIRES. HE STRIKES THE ENEMY'S SHOULDER. BIDDLE FEELS GUILTY KILLING AN OLDER GUY. THE GERMAN IS 35; BIDDLE IS ONLY 19. BIDDLE ADVANCES AHEAD AND ZEROS IN ON THE SECOND GERMAN. THIS TIME, HE HESITATES. >> I SAID, "WELL, I MAYBE SHOULD HAVE TAKEN THE FIRST ONE PRISONER. I'LL TAKE THIS ONE PRISONER." AND HE TRIED TO GET HIS RIFLE OFF HIS SHOULDER TO SHOOT ME. >> Narrator: BIDDLE'S CONSCIENCE IS NOW CLEAR. HE PUTS TWO ROUNDS INTO THE GERMAN'S STOMACH. >> I'M PRETTY SURE HE DIED, BUT HE WAS MOTIONING AT HIS BELT THAT IT WAS HURTING HIM, AND WE TOOK HIS BELT OFF. I WAS GOING TO KEEP THAT, BUT I NEVER DID GET HOME WITH IT. >> Narrator: A THIRD GERMAN EMERGES FROM THE BRUSH AND FLEES. BIDDLE CLIPS HIM IN THE SHOULDER. BUT THE GERMAN KEEPS RUNNING, SO BIDDLE KEEPS FIRING. >> I SHOT HIM TWICE IN HIS RIGHT SHOULDER, AND IT DIDN'T KNOCK HIM DOWN, DIDN'T STOP HIM. AND WHEN HE GOT BACK TO THE GERMAN LINES, THEY GAVE US THE MACHINE GUN TREATMENT, ARTILLERY, MORTARS. ALL THE GUYS WERE THROWING HAND GRENADES. >> Narrator: THE GERMANS IGNITE AN ANGRY FIREFIGHT. ARTILLERY OBLITERATES THE TREES, THE ONLY PLACE OF COVER. BIDDLE AND HIS COMRADES FIRE BACK AS THEY KEEP ADVANCING THROUGH THE LETHAL FOREST. WHILE DODGING BULLETS, BIDDLE NOTICES A GERMAN FOXHOLE. HE TOSSES IN GRENADES, KILLING ITS OCCUPANTS. BIDDLE RUNS 20 YARDS AHEAD AND SEES ANOTHER NEST. HE PITCHES IN A GRENADE. THEN, HE CHARGES IT WHILE FIRING. >> HE'S FACE TO FACE WITH SEVERAL MACHINE GUN NESTS. AND HE GOES UP SINGLE-HANDEDLY AND THROWS GRENADES INTO EACH NEST AND SHOOTS AND
DESTROYS THEM. >> Narrator: AFTER MINUTES OF RELENTLESS FIRE, THE SHOOTING STOPS. BIDDLE RECONNOITERS AHEAD AND REPORTS THERE ARE GERMANS NEAR THE ROAD. HIS CAPTAIN ORDERS HIM TO CAPTURE A PRISONER SO THEY COULD SECURE INTELLIGENCE ABOUT THE ENEMY'S PLAN OF ATTACK. >> IF YOU EVER SERVED AS SCOUT AND DID A GOOD JOB, YOU KEPT GETTING THE JOB, WHICH WAS SOMETIMES NOT THE GREATEST WAY TO LIVE TO OLD AGE. BUT MELVIN BIDDLE CONTINUED BEING PUT UP FRONT AS THE SCOUT. >> Narrator: BIDDLE'S TWO COMRADES, HANEY AND BLOOM, VOLUNTEER TO GO WITH HIM. >> WE WERE LAYING BESIDE THE ROAD, AND A GERMAN OFFICER CAME BY AND HE SAID, "HALT!" BUT HE SAID IT SO QUIETLY, WE COULD HARDLY HEAR HIM. >> Narrator: BLOOM FIRES AT THE GERMAN TWICE AND MISSES. >> THE GERMAN OFFICER TURNED AROUND AND PULLED OUT HIS PISTOL AND FIRED AT US. WE SAID, "LET'S GET OUT OF HERE." >> Narrator: BIDDLE AND HIS COMRADES SAFELY MAKE IT BACK TO THEIR COMBAT TEAM TO DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN THE NEXT DAY. DAWN, DECEMBER 23. BIDDLE'S BATTALION MOVES OUT ONCE MORE. >> THE NEXT DAY IN COMBAT, THEY TOLD ME, "BIDDLE, OUT FRONT," AGAIN. AND THE CAPTAIN EXPLAINED THAT I HAD BEEN SO LUCKY THE DAY BEFORE, HE WANTED TO DO IT AGAIN. >> Narrator: BIDDLE AND HIS PLATOON SIFT THROUGH THE DENSE TIMBER. BIDDLE MOVES OFF TO THE SIDE. SUDDENLY, OUT OF NOWHERE, A LINE OF GERMAN SOLDIERS APPEARS WITHIN SEVERAL YARDS OF HIM. BIDDLE IS ABOUT TO FACE ANOTHER HELLISH SHOOTOUT. >> Narrator: BIDDLE AIMS FOR THEIR HELMETS. >> IT WAS LIKE A SHOOTING GALLERY. THEY MARCHED IN FRONT OF ME. IT WAS QUITE MIRACULOUS. I GOT ALL OF THEM. >> Narrator: THE BATTALION TAKES A BODY COUNT-- 14 DEAD. BIDDLE REFUSES TO LOOK AT THE CARNAGE. >> OTHER FELLOWS HAD SAID THEY WERE QUITE A MESS... NO. I WAS ALWAYS GLAD THAT I DIDN'T GO UP THERE AND HAVE THAT ON MY MIND FOREVER. >> Narrator: MELVIN BIDDLE WILL RECEIVE THE MEDAL OF HONOR FOR HIS UNBRIDLED HEROISM THAT DAY. >> I WENT IN TO SEE THE CAPTAIN, AND I TOLD HIM I DIDN'T WANT ANY DAMN MEDALS. (
LAUGHS
) JUST DOING MY JOB. >> BIDDLE, TIME AND TIME AGAIN, WOULD CLOSE WITH AND DESTROY THE ENEMY HIMSELF-- NORMALLY, SOMETHING THAT THE SCOUT WOULDN'T DO. >> Narrator: DECEMBER 23. AFTER FIGHTING FOR OVER A WEEK, THE SKIES FINALLY CLEAR. ALLIED AIR SUPPORT DROPS MUCH- NEEDED SUPPLIES. G.I.s FEEL SOME RELIEF. STILL, CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR'S ROLLS BY WITH LITTLE CELEBRATION. IN THE BULGE, THE ALLIES ARE NOT ONLY FIGHTING THE GERMANS. THE WEATHER-- MINUS 20 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT, THE COLDEST WINTER ON RECORD IN EUROPE. IN SOME PLACES, THE SNOW IS KNEE-DEEP. IN OTHER SPOTS, SNOW COVER IS SPARSE, BUT THE WIND CHILL IS SEVERE. FOXHOLES BECOME FROZEN TOMBS. FROSTBITE TAKES 15,000 MEN OFF THE LINE. >> THE LARGEST NUMBERS OF CASUALTIES WAS ACTUALLY FROM TRENCH FOOT OR PEOPLE GETTING FROZEN FEET, BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE RIGHT BOOTS. >> Narrator: TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, WEAPONS JAM UP DUE TO THE FRIGID CONDITIONS. SOLDIERS URINATE ON THEIR RIFLES TO UNFREEZE THEM AND MANUALLY FEED AMMO. >> IT SUBJECTED THE SOLDIERS WHO FOUGHT ON ALL SIDES TO STRESSES AND STRAINS THAT THE HUMAN MIND AND THE HUMAN BODY CAN BARELY TOLERATE. >> Narrator: JANUARY 3, 1945. THE TABLES TURN. GENERAL EISENHOWER MOUNTS A COUNTER-OFFENSIVE. HIS STRATEGY-- REMOVE THE WEDGE BETWEEN THE FIRST AND THIRD ARMIES. THEN, THE TWO WILL JOIN FORCES IN HOUFFALIZE, BELGIUM, TO PUSH THE GERMANS EAST AND BACK TO WHERE THEY BEGAN. THE 551st PARACHUTE INFANTRY BATTALION, A DISCIPLINED UNIT OF APPROXIMATELY 800 MEN, JOINS THE 82nd AIRBORNE TO LAUNCH A MASSIVE ASSAULT IN THE NORTHERN BULGE. >> TO ME, I CALL THEM BLOOD BROTHERS. YOU KNOW, THEY WERE CLOSER THAN BROTHERS. >> Narrator: PRIVATE FIRST CLASS JOE CICCHINELLI, A SCOUT FOR SECOND PLATOON, COMPANY A, TAKES ON A SUICIDE MISSION-- PUSH SOUTHEAST FROM BASSE-BODEAUX TO THE SALM RIVER AREA, WHERE THE GERMANS ARE INFLICTING MAYHEM. THEN, RETAKE THE TOWN OF . >> PARATROOPERS ARE ALWAYS UP FRONT. AS A CONSEQUENCE OF BEING IN THE FRONT, THEY ENDURE SOME OF THE WORST COMBAT THAT YOU COULD EVER EXPECT TO ENDURE. >> Narrator: 8:00 A.M. JANUARY 3, 1945. ARMED WITH M-1 RIFLES, CICCHINELLI AND HIS BATTALION BRAVE SUBZERO TEMPERATURES AS THEY HEAD OUT WEARING ONLY THEIR COTTON JUMPSUITS. THEY SWEEP SOUTH TO . THE REGION IS A DANGEROUS PATCHWORK OF OPEN FIELDS SURROUNDED BY SLOPING WOODS. CICCHINELLI UNKNOWINGLY MARCHES INTO A LION'S DEN. ELEMENTS OF THE 62nd AND THE NINTH S.S. PANZER DIVISION LAY HIDDEN IN THE THICK FOREST AHEAD. >> GERMANS ALWAYS USE ONE TRICK. THEY ALWAYS WAIT TILL THE SCOUT GETS UP CLOSE, AND THEY WAIT TILL MOST OF YOUR MEN GETS UP CLOSE, AND THEN ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE. >> Narrator: THE ENEMY UNLEASHES MACHINE GUNS, GERMAN 88's, AND MORTARS. COCHINEAL'S BATTALION HAS NO ARTILLERY SUPPORT. >> THEY JUST MOWED EVERYTHING DOWN. I COULDN'T DO NO GOOD UP THERE, AND I STARTED RUNNING BACK. AND I COULD ACTUALLY SEE THE BULLETS GOING RIGHT BETWEEN MY LEGS. AND ALL MY MEN THERE, ALL MY BUDDIES WERE LAYING IN THE SNOW. IT WAS JUST A REAL SLAUGHTER. >> Narrator: COMPANY A LOSES 100 OF ITS 150 MEN-- A NEAR WIPEOUT. ONE OF THE HIGHEST CAUSALITY RATES OF ANY AIRBORNE UNIT. CICCHINELLI AND THE SURVIVORS MAKE IT TO A WOODED AREA WHERE THEY FIGHT COLD AND EXHAUSTION. MANY OF HIS COMRADES FREEZE TO DEATH IN THEIR SLEEP. >> HELL, YOU SLEPT... IF YOU FELL ASLEEP, YOU WERE GONE. >> Narrator: JANUARY 4, NEAR FAIRMONT, BELGIUM: A COMPANY MOVES FROM ONE WOODS TO ANOTHER, HUNTING GERMANS. >> MORALE WAS LOW. THESE MEN HAD BEEN FIGHTING FOR WEEKS. THEY WERE WORN OUT. THEY HAD NO SLEEP. THEY WANTED THE WAR TO BE OVER WITH. >> Narrator: 3:00 P.M. "A" COMPANY CATCHES THEIR BREATH IN A FIR FOREST. THEY NOW FACE A 50-YARD OPEN FIELD. ON THE OTHER SIDE SITS ANOTHER FOREST, WHERE GERMAN MACHINE GUNNERS PUMP LETHAL LEAD AT THE BATTALION'S LEADING COMPANY. THE ENEMY MUST BE ERADICATED. A COMPANY DIVIDES INTO TWO SQUADS, 30 MEN EACH. THE FIRST SQUAD MAKES A STEALTHY DASH ACROSS THE BARREN FIELD AND SURROUNDS THE GERMANS' LEFT FLANK. THE GERMANS QUICKLY DISCOVER THE SQUAD AND TURN THEIR HEAVY GUNS ON THEM. CICCHINELLI AND THE SECOND SQUAD NEED TO CROSS THIS DEADLY FIELD. LIEUTENANT DICK DUKE MAKES A SPLIT SECOND DECISION. HE HOLLERS A FRIGHTENING COMMAND-- "FIX BAYONETS!" >> THE SQUAD CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT THEY'RE HEARING. >> I REMEMBERED EXACTLY WHAT I SAID-- "WHO'S THIS SON OF A BITCH THAT SAID FIX BAYONETS?" >> Narrator: BY 1944, BAYONET ATTACKS ARE RARE IN THE E.T.O. SEMIAUTOMATIC WEAPONS AND MACHINE GUNS PROVE TO BE MORE EFFICIENT. BUT IN THIS CLOSE-COMBAT SITUATION, LIEUTENANT DURKEE WORRIES THAT HIS MEN MAY BE HIT BY FRIENDLY FIRE. HE ALSO THINKS THE CHARGE WILL BOOST MORALE, NOT TO MENTION SCARE THE HELL OUT OF THE ENEMY. >> THERE IS NOTHING MORE MOTIVATING THAN HAVING A PLATOON LEADER YELL OUT "FIX BAYONETS," AND IT DEFINITELY HAD THAT EFFECT WITH THESE MEN. >> WE TOOK OUR BAYONETS AND THEN HOOKED THEM ONTO OUR RIFLES. I SAID, "OH, MY GOSH, HERE WE GO." I TELL YOU, I WAS SCARED. WE DIDN'T KNOW HOW MANY GERMANS WERE IN THAT WOODS. ALL OF A SUDDEN, WE HEARD A CRY: "READY AND CHARGE!" >> Narrator: CICCHINELLI'S SQUAD INITIATES A BANZAI ATTACK, AMERICAN STYLE. THE MEN YELL "GERONIMO" AND CHARGE ACROSS THE FIELD LIKE RABID ANIMALS. >> MY STOMACH, I WAS DOING FLIP- FLOPS. WE WERE ALL SCREAMING AND HOLLERING. >> Narrator: CICCHINELLI'S SQUAD MAKES IT ACROSS THE FIELD WITH FEW INJURIES. NOW, THE COLD STEEL ATTACK BEGINS. >> THEY ENTERED THE WOODED AREA, AND THERE THEY FOUND GERMAN SOLDIERS LAYING IN FOXHOLES FACING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. AND THEY PROCEEDED TO, USING THEIR BAYONETS, KILL THE GERMANS THAT THEY FOUND THERE. >> Narrator: CICCHINELLI'S SQUAD GETS ON TOP OF SEVEN TO EIGHT FOXHOLES. >> ANYTHING WE CAN SEE, WE EITHER SHOT OR STABBED. >> THEY BECAME EMBROILED IN HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT. THE MEN WERE USING THEIR TRENCH KNIVES, BAYONETS-- ANYTHING THAT THEY HAD. >> Narrator: THE REVENGE KILL SUDDENLY TURNS INTO OVERKILL. >> THEY HAD THIS PENT-UP RAGE, AND THEY CONTINUED TO BAYONET THE BODIES OF THESE DEAD GERMANS. >> THEY'RE BEING STABBED AGAIN AND AGAIN. AFTER SEEING YOUR BUDDY KILLED, YOU DON'T HAVE NO MERCY ANYMORE. >> Narrator: ROUGHLY 64 GERMANS ARE BLUDGEONED. THE 551st SUSTAINS MINOR WOUNDS. >> I REMEMBER AFTERWARDS, I JUST PUT MY BAYONET BETWEEN MY LEGS, WIPED OFF THE BLOOD, AND RELOADED MY M-1. >> IT'S ONE OF THE FEW BAYONET CHARGES IN THE EUROPEAN THEATER BY AMERICAN FORCES. IT DIDN'T HAPPEN OFTEN. >> Narrator: CICCHINELLI AND HIS FELLOW PARATROOPERS DISPLAY VALIANT ACTS OF BRAVERY AND HELP PUSH THE GERMANS OUT OF BELGIUM. BUT IT WILL TAKE WEEKS TO FINISH THE LONGEST SHOOTOUT OF WORLD WAR II. >> THE U.S. ARMY IN THE INNER WAR PERIOD WAS STARVED OF RESOURCES, WAS SMALL, WAS ILL- EQUIPPED. AND HERE'S THE UNITED STATES ARMY IN ITS GREATEST HOUR FACING GERMANY IN ITS FINAL HOUR. >> Narrator: JANUARY 25, 1945. AFTER SIX LONG WEEKS, THE ALLIES FINALLY DRIVE THE ENEMY BACK ACROSS THE GERMAN BORDER. THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE BECOMES THE LONGEST AND BLOODIEST SHOOTOUT THE U.S. EVER FOUGHT. TOTAL AMERICAN CASUALTIES: OVER 80,000. GERMAN LOSSES: NEARLY 100,000. >> IT'S AS VIOLENT A PERIOD AS I EVER LIVED THROUGH,
I'LL SAY THAT. AND WE'VE BEEN THROUGH A LOT OF BATTLES, BUT THAT WAS PROBABLY THE WORST OF ALL OF THEM. >> Narrator: AMERICAN TROOPS WIN THEIR GREATEST VICTORY IN EUROPE. THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE PULVERIZES HITLER'S FORCES ON THE WESTERN FRONT AND AIDS THE ALLIES IN WINNING THE WAR. >> I WAS VERY PROUD TO HAVE BEEN A PARATROOPER. I WAS PROUD OF MY OUTFIT. YOU DON'T FORGET THE PEOPLE WHO GOT KILLED. IT WAS JUST SUCH A TRAGEDY THAT IT STAYS WITH YOU FOREVER. >> IT GOES ON EVERY DAY, EVERY DAY WHEN YOU THINK OF SOMETHING LIKE THAT. YOU CAN BE WALKING SOME PLACE AND SEE A SCENERY, AND IT REMINDS YOU OF THE BULGE. IT GOES AWAY FOR A WHILE, BUT SOMETHING ALWAYS RETURNS. >> I HAD BAD MEMORIES FOR YEARS, BUT I'M OVER THAT NOW. WAR IS WAR. YOU SHOOT AT THEM; THEY SHOOT
AT YOU.
