Battle of the Bulge Monument
Valley Forge Military Academy, Wayne, PA

Located at the Eagle Road entrance to the Parade Field adjacent to Eisenhower Hall. Dedicated November 11, 1994 in commemoration of the 50^th Anniversary of the WWII battle in the Ardennes Forest of Belgium and Luxembourg, the monument was erected with funds raised by veterans of the battle, with significant contributions from the governments and people of Belgium and Luxembourg. The monument, titled “A Triumph of Courage,” is the only memorial in the U.S. that flies the flags of the United State, Belgium and Luxembourg 24 hours a day. The flags recall the sacrifices suffered by the heroic people of Belgium and Luxembourg who had their freedom restored by the Allied victory after four years of Nazi occupation.

The Battle of the Bulge remains the largest battle ever fought by the U.S. Army. It began December 16, 1944 when three powerful German armies launched Adolf Hitler’s last great offensive, and ended January 25, 1945. Some 600,000 American troops fought in the battle in the coldest winter in Europe’s recent history. Almost 20,000 GI’s were killed in action. The German defeat shattered the Wehrmacht, and is credited with hastening the end of the war in Europe.

A national veterans group gathered to dedicate a new monument at Carlisle Barracks Wednesday honoring veterans who fought in the Battle of the Bulge.

U.S. Army War College officials, representatives from Belgium and Luxembourg, and members of Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge assembled on the lawn to dedicate the memorial and a grove of trees to be planted later this fall.

The ceremony recalled the famous battle in which Americans repelled three German army attacks in the cold, snowy forests and mountains of Belgium in late December 1944.

Maj. Gen. Robert Scales Jr., commandant of the U.S. Army War College, praised the veterans for their dedication and courage.

"I thank you for the example you set and the standards that you upheld in those bleak days you remember so vividly," he said.

Several veterans laid a wreath in front of the monument raised in honor of their fallen comrades.

Many consider the Battle of the Bulge the largest land battle the U.S. Army ever fought.

Sam Newland, a professor at the War College, recounted some the battle's history as many veterans nodded their heads in agreement as they recalled various points.

Small American units scattered across Belgium and Luxembourg deprived the Germans of the speed they needed to defeat the Americans while a spurt of wintry weather lasted, Newland said.

"It is certainly hell to fight a war in freezing weather," recalled Medal-of-Honor recipient Gino Merli after the ceremonies ended.

In one instance, an incredibly outnumbered platoon of Americans stymied an entire German Panzer Corps. But the resistance also took its toll in casualties. Some 81,000 Americans were wounded, and more than 19,000 died.

The four-week operation was named the Battle of the Bulge because the American line "bulged" but did not allow the Germans to pass through.

Carlisle Barracks officials says the site of the monument will remain a green space with trees representing the Ardennes Forest in Belgium and Luxembourg, where the battle was fought.

The Battle of the Bulge Monument in Orlando, Florida was dedicated on December 16, 1999, the 55th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge.

World War II Battle of the Bulge monument - Melbourne, Florida

Boone City Parks

VBOB Chairperson

The Fort Monmouth Chapter Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge has plans to erect a monument to honor those Americans who participated in the greatest land battle ever fought by the United States Army.

The "Battle of the Bulge" lasted from December 16, 1944 through January 25, 1945, fought and won against tremendous odds, bitter cold and snow.

The monument will be a two foot by three foot rough cut granite stone on a base. On the front will be the VBOB Logo and a bronze plaque with the dedication.

A prominent site has been selected on the Avenue of Memories here.

The Chapter meets the fourth Thursday of each month in Lane Hall at 11:30 for lunch followed by a meeting and program.

Veterans are welcome as well as a Veteran's family can join as Associate Members. Your membership includes receiving the Bulge Bugle, the National publication, an excellent source if you are searching for a person who may have served with a father, grandfather, uncle or brother.

Letters to the Editor brings recollections from members of many units that fought in the Ardennes, Belgium or Luxembourg.

In the last few years monuments have been placed at Ft. Meade, Md., Ft. Monroe, Va., Valley Forge Military Academy, Wayne, Pa., Indiantown Gap, Pa., Ft. Miley, Cal., Orlando, Fla., and Norwalk, W. Va. We are proud to add Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, to this list.

We are seeking donations from Veterans and friends, Organizations and businesses. Perhaps you would like to honor a family member or friend with a donation. Checks may be made payable to:

For more information call: Doris Forman, Chairperson, 222-8171 E-mail: dforman201@home.com.
 

Baraque de Fraiture is an important crossroads known by the historians as "THE PARKER'S CROSSROADS". It is located at the crossing of the roads Bastogne - Liege and Saint-Vith - La Roche.

On December 19, 1944, in the afternoon, a group of about 100 men of the 589^th Field Artillery Battalion (106^th Infantry Division) under command of Major Arthur C. Parker established there a defensive position. On the following hours, they received reinforcements of several units:

• a few men of 87^th Reconnaissance Squadron (7^th Armored Division)

• a small outfit of 203^rd Anti-Aircraft Artillery AW Battalion (7^th Armored Division)

• a few tanks of 3^rd Armored Division.

• a few 76mm guns of 643^rd Tank-Destroyer Battalion.

• a small outfit of the 509^th Parachute Infantry Battalion.

• "F" Company of the 325^th Glider Infantry Regiment (82^nd Airborne.

From December 19 through December 23, about 300 men resisted against the German 560^th Volksgrenadiere Division and later the German 2^nd SS Panzer Division "Das Reich". On December 23, around 5 p.m., after a heavy artillery shelling, the 4^th Grenadier Regiment overwhelmed the position and forced Americans to surrender. Most of the defenders were taken prisoners and about only 50 men could escape. In 1980. in a letter to Major Parker, General Gavin commander of the 82^nd Airborne, Stated:

Fifty years later, CRIBA together with the town of Vielsalm dedicated a memorial at Baraque de Fraiture to honor all the American soldiers who were involved in the Battle of the Bulge.

This place has been chosen for several reasons:

• The defense at the crossroads is a typical example of the courage of so many small groups which stopped the German Breakthrough.

• It was one of the doors the Germans needed to reach the Meuse River.

• More than ten U.S. divisions and their attached units fought on the Vielsalm territory.

• This marshy and misty area is the highest point in elevation in the perimeter of the Bulge (652 meters). In the winter, it gives the best picture of the Ardennes that the GI's of 1944 remember.

The memorial consisted of a US 105mm Howitzer of 1941 donated to CRIBA by the US Government. It is set on a concrete base in form of the American star. On one side of the gun, stand the memorial dedicated in 1984 by the "Lion's Club Haute Ardennes" to the memory of Major Parker and his men. On the other side, a memorial with the shield of the Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge (VBOB) and words of gratefulness.