Here is my annual blog post in honor of the start of World War II’s “Battle of the Bulge”. Today is Dec. 16, 2024, and it’s the 80th anniversary of the start of the World War II military campaign that became the iconic legend. The “Battle of the Bulge” is a big-screen, big-cast, big visual canvas film of a campaign that is the third-deadliest ever for the U.S. military.
As a campaign, more U.S. soldiers died in the Normandy landings and subsequent battles to break out from the invasion area (29,204) than any other. Normandy was 3,000 more fallen than from Meuse-Argonne offensive in World War I (26,277) or the Battle of the Bulge in WWII (19,276).
The Germans called the offensive “Autumn Mist” or just the “Ardennes Offensive.” It came to be called the legendary “Battle of the Bulge” from the U.S. point of view of the campaign of the German forces putting a “bulge” into the front line in the winter of 1944. The “official” dates of the campaign was Dec. 16, 1944, through Jan. 28, 1945.
Here’s what I’ve written before about the campaign:
With the movie “Battle of the Bulge,” you get a Hollywood spectacular with just about every star making an appearance from Henry Fonda to Robert Ryan to Dana Andrews to Telly Savalas. You also get a pre-“Jaws” Robert Shaw as a cold, methodical Nazi tank commander and James MacArthur, who would go on to become known as “Dan-O” in “Hawaii Five-O,” as an at-first a timid U.S. officer who turns into a real soldier with some grit and leadership.
Of course, U.S. troops get their butts kicked to start off the campaign, but, through toughness and heroics, came back and won the battle and, with our Allies, the war.
One interesting trivia note about the film is that it was directed by Ken Annakin and he was sometimes credited as being the inspiration for George Lucas’ “Anakin Skywalker” in “Star Wars.” However, Lucas said after Annakin passed in 2009 that the rumor was not true. What is true is that Annakin was a “Disney Legend,” one of only a few directors ever receive the honor.
Although we know how the battle wound up, nothing is ever easy in war and, as a film, “Battle of the Bulge,” despite many historical inaccuracies, does a decent job showing it and if you enjoy movies about WWII, then you must have seen it and today you won’t have any trouble finding it … and you’ll enjoy it. I guarantee it!
(CLICK here … to read my review of “Battle of the Bulge”)
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