Battle of the Bulge

On the 65th anniversary of The Battle of the Bulge, we offer a unique look at the biggest American/British land battle of World War II and a near disaster for the Allies. During that December of 1944, General Dwight Eisenhower and the other Allied commanders believed a battered Germany was near defeat and would surrender in a matter of weeks. They were very wrong.

In the pre-dawn hours of December 16th, Adolf Hitler launched a fierce surprise attack. More than 250,000 of his best troops including the legendary Waffen-SS overwhelmed a far smaller Allied force in the pine forests of Belgium. The Germans quickly pushed a “bulge” in the Allied lines that gave the battle its name.

In this explosive episode of "War Stories with Oliver North," you will learn about this epic monthlong battle from the soldiers who were there — both American and German. You will meet one of the few American survivors of the horrifying Massacre at Malmedy carried out by Commander Joachim Peiper and his SS troops. And you will hear how a legend was born when General Anthony McAuliffe replied “Nuts!” to a German demand that he surrender his battle weary troops.

This is a story of how scrappy, courageous and determined young American soldiers turned a near disastrous defeat into an overwhelming victory that hastened the end of World War II.

Staff for this episode of "War Stories":

Executive Producer: Pamela K. Browne

Produced and Written by: Jim Gaffey and Gregory Johnson

Editor: Patrick Flynn

Designer: Grey Van Why