| General Patton in the Battle of the Bulge |
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| Referring to the Vicomte Henri TURENNE de la Tour d’Auvergne (1611-1675), Marshal of France during the Thirty Years War [who, in 1643, said “God is always on the side of the big battalions !”], the Belgian war correspondent Charles d’YDEWALLE had nicknamed PATTON “the Turenne of the armored divisions” ! |
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| Indeed, after having lead his armored divisions in the North Africa Campaign (1942), in the conquest of Sicily (1943), and in the fightning crossing of France by his divisions from early August 1944, PATTON was to leave his deep impression on the Battle of the Ardennes (Known to the Americans as 'Battle of the Bulge') |
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| From 16 December ’44, at 05:30 hours, the American troops, taken by surprise had to face-up to a major German offensive between Monschau (Montjoie) and Echternach. |
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| This offensive was later to be called the ‘Battle of the Bulge’ |
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| The American units were shattered, their defenses penetrated, the access roads to Bastogne were cut and the town and its defenders were encircled. Moreover, Allied aircraft were grounded due to unfavorable weather conditions. |
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| On 19 December, during a crisis meeting of the American generals, PATTON decided to turn three of his divisions, established in Lorraine, ninety-degrees to the north and to push ahead rapidly towards the besieged town of Bastogne. |
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| Bastogne, December 28, 1944: Lt General George S. Patton Jr, chats with Brigadier-General Anthony C. Mc Auliffe. |
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| Nevertheless, the weather conditions, the state of the roads and harrying by the German troops made the going hard and slowed down the advance of PATTON’s armored units. Their men were exhausted and frozen to the marrow. |
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| Infuriated, PATTON ordered Chaplain James O’NEIL to write a prayer that he had printed on the back of the Christmas card distributed to officers and men of his Third Army : |
| “ Almighty and most merciful Father, we humbly beseech Thee, of Thy great goodness, to restrain these immoderate rains with which we have had to contend. Grant us fair weather for Battle. G raciously hearken to us as soldiers who call Thee that, armed with Thy power, we may advance from victory to victory, crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies, and establish Thy justice among men and nations. Amen. ” |
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| On the back, his Christmas message read : |
| “ To each officer and soldier in the United States Third Army, I wish a Merry Christmas. I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty, and skill in battle. We march in our might to complete victory. May God’s blessings rest upon each of you on this Christmas Day. ” |
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| And … from 23 December, a sunny period enabled Allied aircraft operations to begin again, in particular the re-supply of those besieged in Bastogne. |
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| At the end of the afternoon of 26 December, under PATTON’s impetus, the first tanks of his Fourth Armored Division thrust towards Assenois, to the south of Bastogne, and succeeded in piercing the German lines and in linking-up with the defenders of Bastogne. |
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| The siege of Bastogne had been broken. |
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| The breach thus created through the German lines was immediately used by convoys of ambulances carrying the wounded from the town to military field-hospitals. |
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| No, PATTON was not a General like the others. |
