In what may be the single greatest U.S. Intelligence failure in the Second World War, the German attack commenced with a 90-minute artillery barrage at dawn on Dec. 16, 1944. So complete was the surprise, top Allied commanders were initially slow in responding. They believed Germany was all but defeated and had neither the manpower nor materiel to launch such an assault.

With inexperienced American troops taking the brunt of the initial attack, the Germans quickly advanced through the American lines. Thousands of GIs were killed and thousands more taken prisoner. This created an inroad, or bulge, in the American lines, hence the name “Battle of the Bulge.”

Isolated pockets of U.S. troops, often greatly outnumbered, fought desperately to slow the advance while reinforcements were rushed to the scene. Poor weather aided the German efforts, but the weather cleared on Dec. 23 and the U.S. Air Corps attacked with a vengeance. By Dec. 25, the advance had effectively stalled. One month later, the Germans had been pushed back to their original positions. The war in Europe would drag on for another four months.

U.S. casualties from the five-week battle numbered roughly 75,000, of which 8,400 were killed, 46,000 wounded and 21,000 listed as missing or captured. German casualties are estimated at about 100,000 along with the loss of materiel and equipment that would never be replaced.

Several veterans associated with the museum fought in the Battle of the Bulge. They include Medal of Honor recipient Gino Merli and reconnaissance trooper Larry Maffia, whose stories are spotlighted in our exhibits, and paratrooper Louis Venditti, whose remarkable tale will be added to our Hometown Heroes display in 2021. So did Frank Clarizio, who was featured in our award-winning documentary, “5,000 Miles From Home.”

— Steve Corbo

To read more about Frank’s military history, click here.