December in the small town of Bastogne, Belgium is freezing, with temperatures in the high and low 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Relentless rain makes the cold even more gripping. On Dec. 16, 1944, 80 years ago, 200,000 German troops, with 1,000 tanks, had surrounded Bastogne. The Americans were caught off guard, with only 14,000 101st Airborne troops near Bastogne. An Allied defense began four days later, on Dec. 20. The counteroffensive began on Dec. 26 and was part of the larger, well-known Battle of the Bulge.
This photo from a captured Nazi shows German troops rushing across a Belgian road blocked with destroyed American jeeps and half-tracks from an enemy attack on Dec. 16th, 1944. National Archives at College Park. Public Domain
