To learn more about the Battle of the Bulge, 12/16/44-1/25/45. Newsreel - Battle of the Bulge. Newsreel - Battle of the Bulge. Veteran Sidney Lapook remembers the Battle of the Bulge (National WWII Museum) Annotation Sidney LaPook was born in Bayonne, New Jersey in September 1918.
His father had a store during the Depression. The store was an ice cream parlor with stationary and tobacco sections. He grew up playing outside the store on a kiddy car. His father did not pay much attention to him until his mother complained about that. On 10 June 1942 Sidney LaPook graduated from NYU Dental College. At Fort Sill, Sidney LaPook was just doing dentistry. On 8 April [Annotator's Note: 8 April 1944] they got a red flag in the area and they knew they were getting ready to go. On 17 July 1944 Sidney LaPook and the 193rd Field Artillery Group left Kington for Southampton. Sidney LaPook's next stop was Rheims, where they bivouacked. In Sidney LaPook's next bivouac, German pilots, called Bed Check Charlie by the GIs, buzzed them late at night and sometimes would drop bombs. Sidney LaPook joined the 4th Auxiliary Surgical Group about a week before the war ended. Arthur Staymates describes the Battle of the Bulge (National WWII Museum)
Annotation Arthur Staymates was born in 1925 in Murrysville, Pennsylvania which is about 20 or 30 miles east of Pittsburgh.
He grew up in the small town and had an idyllic youth. People knew each other and took care of one another. Family life was great. His mother was very sweet. Arthur Staymates had a typical, hard training before he left the States but it was not too difficult for him. Arthur Staymates was too young to be frightened by the impending D-Day invasion [Annotator's Note: on 6 June 1944]. Arthur Staymates had crossed the beach and felt he had reached safety when he made it to the cliffs [Annotator's Note: he was with the 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division that assaulted Omaha Beach on D-Day, 6 June 1944]. Arthur Staymates fought through the Normandy hedgerows [Annotator's Note: after capturing the beaches of Normandy during the D-Day Operation on 6 June 1944]. Arthur Staymates was presented the Bronze Star for actions performed early in his combat.
Soldiers' Battlefield Accounts. Who is better suited to tell history than the people who experienced it?
Read the stories of some American soldiers who spent the terrible winter of 1944-1945 on the front lines in Europe. Browse the faces of some who were at the Bulge. The following texts include experts from Robert Van Houten's Veterans of the Battle of the Buldge (1991). Christmas Combat - Joseph "Jack" Jagodinski In December 1944, I departed for LeHavre, France, and entered combat on December 24, 1944.
During our combat period, we were strafed by planes and attacked by the German 88's. During one of our firing positions, the 88's zeroed in on our gun position. During the snow storms, our prime mover with howitzer attached was not winterized for snow travel, and in traveling up or down hills, we were forced to take our winch, pull it to the top of the hill, tie it around a tree, and pull up our vehicles. Communications between Eisenhower and Montgomery. Cable, Montgomery to Eisenhower re conclusion of Ardennes campaign, January 16, 1945.
Outgoing Message to Every Member of the Allied Expeditionary Force, December 22, 1944. Cable, Dwight D. Eisenhower to Bernard Montgomery, December 22, 1944. Articles from the NY Times. NY Times - Battle of the Bulge; Hodges Pushes On; Besieged Americans Battle Nazis (Proquest - SB Access only) NY Times - Battle of the Bulge; Nazis leave in fog under blows from Allied forces (Proquest - SB Access only) NY Times - Churchill Gives Credit to U.S. Army For Winning 'Battle of the Bulge' (Proquest - SB Access only) NY Times - Battle of the 'Bulge'; Terrain and Weather; Nazi Counter (Proquest - SB Access only)