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00:00December 16th 1944 German tanks roll into the Ardennes forest of Belgium
00:10at that point the heavens open up and all hell breaks loose
00:16the next lane we came to there is the only Tiger tank I ever saw
00:24they attack American lines in one last desperate attempt
00:29to change the course of the war and it started in one fell swoop and we chased
00:37away the Americans they dropped everything and ran away the Americans
00:43respond with one of the biggest and most daring armored counterattacks in the
00:47history of tank warfare these tanks being hit bang bang bang all over the place
00:53at stake is the fate of Western Europe this is the battle with the bulge now
00:59it's a matter of survival
01:01the Ardennes region on the Belgian German border is a picture postcard majestic forests
01:28deep gorges and rolling valleys it's also a notorious killing ground
01:39this rugged part of the European heartland is a gateway to France and
01:48the ports of the North Sea armies have fought here since Roman times and in
01:54December of 1944 the Ardennes once again erupts this time in one of the biggest
01:59and bloodiest armored clashes of the Second World War
02:06December 16th
02:085 30 a.m. German artillery breaks the pre-dawn calm and soon after more than a
02:15thousand German tanks attack US forces along a 140 kilometer front
02:20Hitler's aim is to stop the Allied advance across France and Belgium toward the German homeland
02:28through the summer and fall of 1944 the Allies have pushed the Germans 850
02:39kilometers across Europe but now as they near the German border their supply lines grow
02:46thin and the advance loses steam Hitler hopes to capitalize on this and prepares a massive
02:55counter-attack in the Ardennes it's his last big roll of the dice the German attack plan is
03:05to smash the weak American line along the German border with Belgium and
03:09Luxembourg and seize the bridges over the Muse River clearing the way for a push
03:13on to Antwerp Hitler gave a strategic goal which was to capture Antwerp harbor and with that huge
03:25Allied supply dump the second goal was basically more tactical if he had succeeded in pinning down
03:36about 25 plus Allied divisions in the Ardennes which were resting this would result in a tremendous
03:42amount of losses for the Americans and for the British and would eventually bring them back on the
03:47negotiation table the Germans estimate they have only three days before the Allies can mount an
03:54effective response in the Ardennes they need to strike quickly with a massive highly mobile armored
04:02force they assemble eight panzer divisions over 1700 armored vehicles including hundreds of Tigers and over 400
04:18panzer mark fives the deadly panther the panther is armed with a high velocity 75 millimeter armor-piercing gun and
04:28is protected by 80 millimeters of sloping frontal armor that deflects incoming fire it can do 30 kilometers
04:36an hour even over the roughest terrain giving it an edge in the tough winter conditions of the Ardennes
04:44the Germans secretly muster their enormous armored force at night over eight weeks and wait for bad weather
04:52to ground Allied warplanes on the morning of December 16th the temperature falls well below freezing and
04:59there were snowstorms across the Ardennes everything is in place and the Germans strike
05:06and it started in one fell swoop and we chased away the Americans the Americans dropped everything breakfast
05:22was still standing on the tables and they dropped everything and ran away we left huge amounts of
05:32equipment fuel and shells the bad Germans are coming let's run that's kind of what it looked like
05:48the Germans catch the Americans off guard and the shape of the Ardennes battlefront begins to change
05:56giving rise to a name that will live in U.S. military history the battle of the bulge
06:02at the spearhead of this bulge is the fifth panzer army attacking the weakest part of the American line held by the U.S.
06:1128th Division and the handful of tanks attached to them
06:14the M4A3 Sherman is the U.S. forces main battle tank and it's no match for the German Panther
06:22the Shermans are light and fast but carry a low-velocity 75 millimeter main gun that cannot penetrate the Panthers heavy frontal armor
06:32their own frontal armor is just 51 millimeters thick making them highly vulnerable to the firepower of the Panthers
06:39spread across a front over 24 kilometers long the 28th has only 32 Sherman tanks
06:4957 anti-tank guns and thousands of battle weary men the Ardennes was an ideal territory to accommodate tired troops wary troops
07:04during that time the 28th the division received a steady stream of reinforcements from the states in other words young soldiers that had just not seen active combat yet
07:16that's why all these troops here that batted down on the night from December 15 to 16 they were totally caught by surprise
07:23one of the exhausted soldiers holding the front line with the 28th division is 23 year old John Marshall of the 707th Tank Battalion
07:35when the bulge broke we were just going to eat
07:42this lieutenant comes with his club and he knocked all the muskets out of your hand
07:46leave them lay get on your tanks and assemble down at the bottom of the town
07:51they were frozen
07:54and the oil settles down to the bottom of the motor
08:00the top of the motor has no oil at all and the oil now is sludgy and as a result
08:13it wasn't gonna move and we couldn't get it started
08:17and that's when the tanks pulled out on us
08:36we started putting everything you're not supposed to do
08:39I think we had five bunch of burners on the motor and under the motor and everything else
08:44and luckily we finally got it started
08:52Marshall searches for the rest of his tank unit
08:54unaware that the Germans have already broken through the 28th division's line
08:59but he's lost
09:01and eventually joins two other Shermans in the same predicament
09:05two other tanks were there when we got down here
09:11the other two tanks
09:13saw us come down and they says we'll follow you
09:16well we had no idea where we were going
09:19I jumped out of our tank to guide our tank across the bridge
09:24and when we were safely across
09:29I pointed to the tank commander for him to do the same thing
09:35he no sooner got over the bridge when it was a tremendous flash
09:39the Germans under the bridge had hit him with a bazooka
09:45and the other two tanks they all got machine gunned when they climbed out of the tanks
09:52the fifth panzer army seems unstoppable
09:58all that stands in their way are scattered pockets of US forces
10:02under equipped outnumbered
10:04and in Marshall's case completely lost
10:07we now were really on our own
10:11we now were really on our own
10:18December 16th 1944
10:19in an effort to turn the tide of war on the western front
10:22eight panzer divisions launch a surprise attack on American forces in the Ardennes
10:27on the central front
10:29the fifth panzer army breaks through thinly defended American lines
10:33in the chaos many Americans like tanker John Marshall are lost
10:42and surrounded by the advancing Germans
10:44we now were really on our own
10:50hoping to find our platoon or anybody
10:55we decided to pull off the road
11:00and we debated what to do
11:04so I says I'm gonna lower the gun
11:06so it looked like it was knocked out
11:08because I don't want some son of a bitch rolling a hand grenade down the barrel
11:15all night long you could hear the Germans walking by
11:19Achtung kaput and all of that
11:21they assumed that the tank was knocked out
11:24the next morning somebody saw us
11:33whether it's the Germans or Americans
11:36a shell come in
11:45Halley jumped onto the road
11:48turned left and started going down
11:51the main road
11:55the next lane we came to
12:01there is the only Tiger tank I ever saw
12:12and on both sides of it were two smaller tanks
12:15and I shot at it
12:18the German Tiger is a 57-ton monster
12:24almost twice as heavy as a Sherman
12:27it's protected in places by up to 100 millimeters of steel plate
12:31the Tiger is one of the heaviest tanks on the World War II battlefield
12:35with an 88 millimeter main gun that can rip a Sherman to pieces
12:39by comparison the Sherman's a pea shooter
12:42its 75 millimeter main gun has a short 3 meter barrel
12:46producing a low muzzle velocity and a weak punch
12:49and you might just as well throw an orange at that wall here
12:52it was so powerful
12:54why they didn't get us I don't know
12:57they had the whole port side to hit
13:00and but we still kept going
13:05and so do the Germans
13:09they must take the bridges over the Neuse River
13:13while overcast weather continues to ground Allied warplanes
13:16and before the Americans bring up reinforcements
13:21just 20 hours into the attack
13:23lead elements of the 5th Panzer Army
13:25are only 90 kilometers short of their objective
13:27and have already pushed 8 kilometers into Belgium
13:30the Germans reinforce their gains
13:34and throw more and more armor into the ever deepening bulge
13:37including the elite 116th Panzer Division
13:41we were up on this hill
13:44we didn't take the street
13:46but drove across the fields and meadows
13:48because of all the mines
13:50we were approximately 1,000 meters away
13:55from up there we saw this tank
14:02this tank with its small cannon
14:06was barely a threat for us
14:08jokingly we just called it a knocking device
14:11and the panther
14:17the panther that was standing next to me shot
14:24from the first shot
14:29from the first shot
14:31the shell hit here
14:32actually bounced back
14:35so instead of a hit it bounced up
14:45it must have hit the tube
14:46and when the tank fired the barrel burst
14:49then the second shot was fired
14:56and hit the screws that are standing out here
15:00and they fired for a third time
15:08the panther's main gun has a long 5.5 meter barrel
15:13enabling it to penetrate Sherman armor
15:16at ranges of up to 2,000 meters
15:28and this is how the tank got destroyed
15:35it was burning inside
15:36and then we proceeded with our advance
15:38so the two or three first days of the German attack
15:49the Americans were totally exhausted
15:50with constant fighting day and night
15:52and so forth
15:53and were lacking supplies
15:54and higher authority
15:55there is nothing we can do here
15:56retreat
15:57the Americans fall back towards Bastogne
16:02a transportation hub
16:04which includes roads to the all-important crossings
16:07along the Meuse river
16:09Allied command issues orders
16:12hold Bastogne at any cost
16:15the 101st Airborne Division is sent to reinforce the town
16:19for three days in the cold and snow
16:22and without air support
16:23the 101st and remnants of the 10th Armored Division
16:26fight off repeated attempts by the Germans to take Bastogne
16:30on December 19th
16:33frustrated by the stubborn US defense
16:35the 5th Panzer Army's main armored force
16:37is ordered to bypass Bastogne
16:39and continue their advance toward the bridges on the Meuse river
16:45concerned that Bastogne will be encircled
16:47allied command orders General George Patton's 3rd Army to the rescue
16:51Patton's forces are in France
16:53260 kilometers away
16:55he orders an immediate mass movement
16:58of three divisions north to Bastogne
17:00at the spearhead are 127 tanks
17:03of the 4th Armored Division
17:04at about 8.30 that night
17:06I was told to be ready to move
17:1550 minutes after midnight
17:17heading north
17:18he had to turn his army 90 degrees
17:22and that's where we went onto the boat
17:27my tank and my battalion
17:30were the lead elements of Patton's 3rd Army
17:33to make this 161 mile approach march
17:37to Bastogne
17:38the situation was absolutely unknown
17:43we went all night
17:48we went all night
17:52all day
17:56snowy icy roads
18:08the weather was horrible
18:09bitter wind
18:12the last night was under total blackout condition
18:19you can't imagine to have a black, black night
18:22and be traveling blackout
18:24all the tanks had were little things called cat's eyes in the rear
18:28so the tank commander is looking at the tank in front of him
18:32at the cat's eyes
18:33and that enables him to know where he's going
18:36and how much distance he is from the tank
18:39but I was in the front tank
18:40and there were no cat's eyes in front of me
18:41there was nothing
18:45and we saw a sign that said
18:46Neuf Chateau Bastogne
18:51and we thought he stopped
18:5332 Sherman tanks of the 8th battalion
18:55reached the outskirts of Bastogne
18:57in less than 24 hours
18:59that was a tough, tough, tough march
19:01it was the greatest mass movement of men
19:05in the shortest period of time
19:07in military history
19:10but every tank made it
19:15but by the time they arrive
19:17the Germans have already surrounded Bastogne
19:21the Americans in the city are trapped
19:24and across the Ardennes
19:26so are many others
19:27like tanker John Marshall
19:30who was just trying to find his way back to friendly lines
19:34we were hoping to find our platoon
19:38or anybody
19:40we were moving
19:43and as we moved up
19:45I saw two guys come out from between the buildings
19:48and he walked down the road
19:50they walked quite militarily
19:53Max says to me
19:56get them
19:59and I didn't
20:02for some reason
20:03they weren't bothering anybody
20:06I should have known better
20:08I should have done what I was told
20:10I didn't
20:12and as they walked
20:13they made a military left turn
20:15and went right between the barn and the house
20:18they turned like it was on a signal
20:20and at the end of that street
20:24there's a tank there
20:27and the minute they turned
20:30that tank let the shot go
20:32and he fires at us
20:34it just went over
20:38it missed the tank
20:39Alier makes a hard left lever
20:44and he goes down the lane
20:48and as we go down
20:52we could see a crowd
20:55surrendering
20:57he looked like a kid
21:00we knew something was wrong
21:02as we go down
21:04there
21:06there's the two officers
21:08and they jump up
21:10with the Panzer Force
21:11and they
21:13fire at us
21:23December 21st 1944
21:25it's day five
21:27of the Battle of the Bulge
21:28the German Armored Offensive
21:30the German Armored Offensive
21:31now extends 60 kilometers
21:33into Belgium
21:34and many Americans are still trapped
21:36inside the bulge
21:39John Marshall of the 707th Tank Battalion
21:41is one of them
21:43and he's trying to find his way back
21:44to American lines
21:47as we go down
21:49in the lane
21:50we could see a crowd surrendering
21:53we knew something was wrong
21:55we knew something was wrong
21:58and there
22:00is the two officers
22:02and they jump up
22:03with the Panzer Force
22:07Panzerfaust
22:08it means tank fist
22:10and it's one of the deadliest anti-tank weapons
22:11on the battlefield
22:13it fires a 140 millimeter rocket
22:15at ranges of up to 60 meters
22:17and can penetrate 200 millimeters of armor
22:20unleashing a devastating explosion inside
22:22and they fire at us
22:27it missed
22:30it missed the tank
22:33I didn't need any orders or anything like that
22:37the only sense I just pressed the old cell
22:39and I heard the machine gun the hell out of them
22:42and I heard a sickening plaque
22:46I said Spencer the .30 caliber is jammed
22:50and this time they were just starting to get up
22:54he says 75 millimeters loaded
22:57and all you have to do is just turn your heel
22:59and press that solenoid
23:01and I let that solenoid go in
23:03and I hit right into them
23:08and the odd part of it is
23:14the kid was still standing
23:16with his hands in the air
23:17and he he was holding his stubs up
23:22so anyway we went on
23:26Marshall and his crew dodge the advancing Germans for days
23:36and eventually make it back to allied lines
23:38on December 22nd the German push towards the Meuse river bridges begins to slow
23:46the rugged country northeast of Bastogne is a challenge
23:49even for the Panthers of the 116th Panzer Division
23:52it was much more difficult in the Ardennes because there were all these narrow forest roads
24:04it was catastrophic because of all the close forest paths
24:08our tanks couldn't maneuver
24:09the open field is typical landscape for tanks
24:18while the Ardennes were poison for the tanks
24:22this is where our Panther tank was hit
24:28the first shell hit the tank track and the tank became disabled
24:43and if the one track keeps moving the tank turns in a circle
24:50it turned until it was standing at an angle with its corner facing the anti-tank gun
24:59we had no idea that the Americans were firing phosphorus grenades
25:04you can't really bring a tank down with phosphorus grenades
25:09they just got lucky on the first shot that they hit and disabled our track
25:13white phosphorus rounds are incendiaries used to create smoke screens or mark enemy targets
25:24they burn fiercely but have little effect against the heavy armor on a Panther tank
25:28unless they ignite exposed ammunition or fuel
25:34and there is an order that all German tank troops know
25:37you can only get out of the tank when it is on fire
25:44you are not allowed to get off before that
25:49only when the tank is on fire
25:51most of the wounds suffered inside a tank are burns because of the fuel tank
25:58if it gets hit full on the tank catches fire immediately
26:02and then there is only one thing you can do
26:05get out as fast as you can
26:13we sat inside the tank and counted 22 hits on our tank
26:24it's not very enjoyable
26:28the only feeling you have is am I going to survive this
26:30finally the 22nd hit went into the hull of the tank where the fuel canisters were
26:41when the fuel tank got hit that's when it caught fire and we were allowed to get out
26:46by the evening of December 22nd the German push to the Meuse river bridges has almost completely halted
27:06panzer columns clog the narrow Arden roads and many tanks run out of fuel
27:16the Germans now turn their attention back to Bastogne
27:21but the Americans in the encircled town are getting help
27:26three combat commands of General Patton's 4th Armored Division move north to break the German blockade
27:33we were almost halfway to Bastogne and we reached a place called Bernan
27:43and by the time we reached the bridge it was getting late in the afternoon the bridge was blown
27:47the river was cold raging in no way could the tanks for them so we had to stop and put in a bridge
28:04now our tanks were firing at the enemy across the river
28:07and they were firing at us so once we felt it was safe enough the engineers came in and we put in the bridge
28:19mostly under the cover of darkness
28:26and our tanks started crossing the bridge
28:29one tank, one tank, one tank
28:32and then we were ready to rest for the night
28:38I got word, no, keep moving
28:44Patton said, I want them to move
28:47now here were the exhausted men
28:49now they were told to fight all night
28:51and finally, in about first light
28:54we reached the outskirts of Chaumont
28:56suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere came a shot
29:07saw three jeeps from the 25th Cavalry hit
29:13I immediately stopped my force
29:19they must be down there in strength
29:21I think I've got to have a planned operation
29:25it's a pincer maneuver that splits his force into three units
29:30the tanks of C Company will attack from the west
29:33while A Company attacks from the ridge east of the village
29:36with his flanks protected, Urzik will drive his B Company down the main road
29:41and right into the center of Chaumont
29:43now if I were at Fort Knox, Kentucky
29:46taking a tactics course
29:47I probably would have gotten an A for my plan
29:51but as you know, in combat
29:54there are imponderables of the battlefield
29:57C Company reports to me
30:00that five of its tanks, its first platoon
30:04was completely bogged down
30:06this ground was supposed to be frozen
30:08so right away I knew C Company was of no help
30:12so B Company started to advance down the tower
30:17we were hitting resistance
30:20but it was not major resistance
30:22the 10th Armored Infantry was working with us
30:26as we got down into town
30:28they would go into the buildings, around the buildings
30:31where the German soldiers were
30:32a B Company gets through the town
30:47and at that point, the heavens open up and all hell breaks loose
30:53they suddenly hit all at once by direct fire
31:01now it's a matter of survival
31:04Urzik and his men have driven into an ambush
31:08and now face the most lethal tank killer in the German arsenal
31:12a massive self-propelled gun called the Jack Tiger
31:16The Battle of the Bulge enters its seventh bloody day
31:27Elements of the 5th Panzer Army have driven 80 kilometers into Belgium
31:34and encircle the key allied held town of Bastogne
31:39General George Patton sends the 4th Armored Division to break the siege
31:44and on the morning of December 23rd
31:46Lieutenant Colonel Albin Urzik leads his tanks into the village of Chaumont
31:5012 kilometers south of Bastogne
31:53So B Company started to advance down the town
31:56and at that point, the heavens open up and all hell breaks loose
32:08You just cannot describe the chaos that's there
32:13It was a Platoon of 4 Tiger Jags
32:19The Jag Tiger is a self-propelled tank killer
32:22a 71-ton armored beast with a 128-millimeter cannon
32:27that can tear open a Sherman more than 3 and a half kilometers away
32:33There's tanks being hit, bang, bang, bang all over the place
32:45B Company is downtown and you can't turn in town
32:50so we're very vulnerable
32:53So I told my driver to start backing up
32:56Now he's backing up blind
32:59He needs some help from me
33:01So as we moved back out, I had the turret turned
33:05So I could see the road and I'm directing the driver
33:09So that means the back of the turret is toward the enemy
33:13which makes it very, very vulnerable
33:14And I began to breathe a little easier
33:18and it seemed like we were out of range
33:20And suddenly I heard this loud screeching horrible sound
33:24just for an instant
33:25And the tank was pushed forward as though some sledgehammer would hear
33:36128, we should have breezed through the turret
33:37like a button I threw butter
33:38It must have hit the wind to show off
33:40So I told the driver, keep going
33:43As we were moving back, I noticed
33:44there was a scene in the tank turret
33:46with daylight children
33:47So I knew something had hit the turret
33:49And we finally pulled the tank out of range
33:51I asked myself the question
33:53Why are you doing that?
33:54What are you doing?
33:55What are you doing?
33:56What are you doing?
33:57What are you doing?
33:58What are you doing?
33:59What are you doing?
34:00What is your living?
34:02What's your living?
34:03Well, it was a center bishop
34:05The body locks holding back
34:07as we were moving back
34:08I noticeda was a seed
34:09In the tank turret
34:10With daylight children
34:11So I knew something had hit the turret
34:13We finally pulled the tank out of range
34:18I asked myself the question
34:19Why are we still here?
34:20Why did my tank survive this battle
34:21when I had this terrible, terrible blow?
34:24Yeah
34:26Next to the antenna well
34:27was something
34:28It was an object
34:29And to this day, I don't know why it was there.
34:32And the only thing I can conclude
34:34is that it must have hit this appendage and ricocheted off.
34:39It was an absolute miracle that I survived that battle
34:42and I'm still here.
34:44At the Battle of Chaumont, Combat Command B
34:46loses 18 tanks and most of their crews.
34:50The Germans and their deadly Jagdtigers
34:52have stalled Colonel Erzik's drive to Bastogne.
34:5912 kilometers to the southeast,
35:03tanks of the Combat Command Reserve move towards Begonville.
35:07Their mission is to take the heavily defended town
35:10and protect the flank of units advancing towards Bastogne.
35:14En route, they encounter a German patrol.
35:21But we made our approach into Begonville.
35:24And I pulled our tank up behind the railroad track.
35:28Momentarily, here came a Sherman tank and two German SPs.
35:37They captured an American Sherman and painted out our stars
35:42and painted on their cross.
35:44And when I came up behind the railroad track,
35:48my hull was in defilade.
35:51Defilade, the tank comes up from the rear.
35:54And as it approaches up, its gun points over the hill.
35:59That's called hull defilade because the hull is not seen by the enemy.
36:03The gunner's periscope was about 14 inches higher than the tube.
36:09The gunner was looking at the track, the sight was above the track.
36:16So when he fired, he hit the first rail.
36:18And I said, push up a little bit, and he pushed up a little bit more,
36:24fired again, and hit the second rail.
36:27I said, push up further.
36:31I said, push up further.
36:32Yeah, roger.
36:36So I pushed it up enough that I got beyond the track,
36:39and we got a shell into the Sherman tank.
36:43And I also added another shell to each of these SPs.
36:46With the German patrol outside B-Gunville eliminated,
36:54Captain Leach leads his B-Company into the center of the town.
36:58So our approach in every village, we would recon by fire,
37:02with the bow gun shooting one direction,
37:04and the coax machine gun shooting another on the side of the roads.
37:08So we were an avalanche of fire, movement, fire and movement.
37:16We fought in the hatch-open mode,
37:22so you could see the targets, you know, quickly.
37:24With the periscope, you're limited.
37:26You're blind except for where you're looking.
37:28And with your eyes like this, you can move your head back and forth and see targets.
37:32So we can engage quickly, but the enemy could also engage us quickly,
37:37because we're exposing ourselves.
37:38So we had a lot of injured tank commanders as a result of fighting unbuttoned.
37:44Our infantry had failed to clear out all the houses.
37:49The German soldiers were still in some of these houses.
37:51My tanks were all over the streets.
37:54Moments later, I'm hit.
37:58The bullet went into the helmet, as you see right here.
38:03It cut the sweatband off of my head, and this I had underneath.
38:08And, uh, here is where the bullet hit my head and, uh, knocked me out.
38:19So I passed out and fell into the turret floor.
38:22They jokingly said, Captain, get your butt back in the turret.
38:25You've got work to do.
38:26Well, I did have work to do.
38:28Oh!
38:34In 16 hours, the CCR takes Begonville.
38:39And on December 24th, General Patton orders them to join the main attack towards Bastogne.
38:44And they spend Christmas Day moving west.
38:46Finally, on December 26th, the tanks of the Combat Command Reserve are poised to launch one of the most daring armored charges in the history of tank warfare.
39:03December 26th, 1944.
39:06The Belgian town of Bastogne has been under siege for five days.
39:10Just south of town, lead elements of the 4th Armored Division, CCR, prepare to make one last attack against the German line, and finally relieve the besieged Bastogne.
39:28I led the attack that day, and Abrams joins me on position.
39:32Well, he said, I'm going to run our sea company, Baugus, and pass through you straight ahead, and go to Asanois, and try to link up with the 101st Airborne, to make that final breakthrough into Bastogne.
39:50Lieutenant Charles Baugus leads eight Sherman tanks into the heavily defended town of Asanois.
39:57Baugus led the attack through here, and he had an armored infantry company with him.
40:00And they were busy fighting Germans who were resisting, trying to mine the road, and the artillery had knocked out several half-tracks, and mortar shells had knocked out several vehicles.
40:11The German fire is intense.
40:14But Baugus and his men push right through it, and advance down the final stretch of road leading to Bastogne.
40:21It was quite a fight, really.
40:24I could hear it all shooting up ahead of me, because Abrams left me in position there at Closhermont Hill.
40:30A half-track in the column is destroyed by a German mine.
40:37Baugus pushes on with two other tanks, and reaches the outskirts of Bastogne.
40:46There he encounters the final line of German defense, and Baugus and his wingman fire three rounds into it.
40:52The last obstacle on the road to Bastogne is eliminated.
41:10Moments later, men of the 101st Airborne emerge from the trees.
41:14Baugus saw what looked like American uniform, and hollered, and says, 4th Armored, come on out.
41:23And hesitatingly, the Americans commenced with them showing themselves.
41:28The siege of Bastogne is broken.
41:30But for the 4th Armored Division, the cost of relieving the town has been steep.
41:36In just 10 days of combat, over 1,000 men are killed or wounded.
41:42And they lose 28 tanks.
41:46But their efforts mark the turning point in the Battle of the Bulge.
41:50The weather clears, and for the next 21 days, American tanks, now supported by airstrikes, force the Germans out of the Ardennes.
42:03Once the weather cleared up, and the sun was shining,
42:09they were able to deploy the artillery and air force,
42:14and stabbed us in the back.
42:20The fighter bombers were dangerous for us.
42:33On one tank, believe it or not, we counted 500 hits from a machine gun.
42:46We couldn't compete with that.
42:47And shortly after Christmas, we barely had any tanks left.
42:51And I thought, for God's sake, they have a lot of equipment than us,
42:55with our tiny amount of tanks.
42:56At the end of 44, beginning of 45, we had no further supply.
43:01We had no further equipment to fight with.
43:03The Battle of the Bulge, the largest battle on the Western Front, ends on January 12th, 1945.
43:16The casualties on both sides are enormous.
43:19More than 90,000 German soldiers are killed, wounded, or captured.
43:23Almost 20,000 Americans die, and 50,000 are wounded.
43:29It's their bloodiest battle of the war.
43:33The Americans lose over 320 tanks, but the Germans' final gamble has cost more.
43:40They lose more than 500 irreplaceable panzers, and will never launch another offensive.
43:50Sitting here now, looking back, unbelievable.
43:54I can't believe I was there.
43:56I can't believe I did what I did.
43:59It's a very strange feeling.
44:00It was the lead element of Patton's army.
44:08It was the force that was successful in breaking the siege of Bastogne.
44:14I firmly believe that was the turning point of the Battle of the Bulge,
44:18and the Battle of the Bulge was the turning point of the war in Europe.
44:30The Battle of the Bulge
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