What Patton Did When the 101st Airborne Was Surrounded and Freezing at Bastogne

In December 1944, Germany launched its last major offensive on the Western Front through the Ardennes Forest. Within days, the 101st Airborne Division was surrounded at the Belgian crossroads town of Bastogne, short on ammunition, medical supplies, and winter clothing, and fighting through heavy snow and freezing temperatures. On December 19, 1944, General Dwight D. Eisenhower met his senior commanders at Verdun. When asked how quickly he could counterattack, General George S. Patton said he could strike north with three divisions within 48 hours. Other commanders doubted it could be done. Patton had already ordered his staff to prepare plans for this exact situation before the meeting began. This video covers how Patton turned the Third Army 90 degrees north and moved it more than 100 miles in winter conditions, the weather prayer he had his chaplain write, the clearing skies that allowed Allied aircraft to drop supplies over Bastogne, and the advance of the 4th Armored Division that broke through to the encircled paratroopers on December 26, 1944. Also covered: Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe's one-word reply of "Nuts!" to the German surrender demand. #Patton #Bastogne #BattleOfTheBulge #WW2 #101stAirborne