Veterans commemorate the Battle of the Bulge 80 years later at DC memorial

Eighty years ago, the U.S. and other allied troops faced one of their toughest battles in World War II. On Monday morning, veterans of the Battle of the Bulge gathered at the National World War II Memorial to commemorate the victory that was a turning point for the Allies to end the Nazi regime in Germany.

“Brave men and women faced immense challenges during the Battle of the Bulge, the largest and bloodiest battle fought by the United States in World War II. We honor their courage, sacrifice and resilience,” said Friends of the National World War II Memorial Chair Jane Droppa.

On Dec. 16, 1944, German forces launched a massive attack in the Ardennes forest, aiming to stop the Allied advance. Troops faced tough and intense fighting for six weeks during the coldest winter on record.

Col. Frank Cohn, 99, was one of the veterans who attended the memorial who fought in the battle. The harsh and frozen conditions they faced stuck out in his mind.

“The weather, that’s the one thing I remember. Whenever I take a shower or a bath, I always remember how miserable it was and how wonderful it was when I got the first shower in ages. We went in there, and I stayed in that thing for 20 minutes,” Cohn said.

He was tasked with traveling up and down the Allied lines to find German infiltrators who had sneaked behind enemy lines to sabotage American efforts.

“We found an infantry roadblock that had just wiped out four of these people. So we knew the mission was an accurate mission,” Cohn said.

He and his commanding officer traveled up and down the lines in a Jeep without a windshield — you cannot shoot through a windshield, he told WTOP — leading to even harsher and colder conditions.

Harry Miller was also in attendance at the commemoration of the battle. He was 16 years old when he joined the Army and served in a tank.

“Everybody was working hard to find parts and everything that we needed. We finally got two tanks and a tank destroyer together, and they sent us into combat. The first half hour, we stopped the first SS Panzer Division,” Miller told WTOP about his battle experience.

That SS division later committed the Malady massacre where dozens of American prisoners of war (POWs) were killed.

“We found other piles of Belgians that they had murdered 30 people in a stack just standing on the street,” Miller said. “I remember it very well because it was so damn cold and a lot worse than it is here today.”

After a wreath-laying ceremony with Allied Nations at the memorial, both veterans spoke with folks who wished to thank them for their service.

“It means an awful lot because I feel like I’m speaking for my whole unit because I’m the last member, everybody else has died,” Miller said tearfully. “Hoping it means something.”

Volunteers with the Friends of the World War II Memorial spent much of the day, from 6 a.m. until 2 p.m., reading the names of the over 6,000 U.S. service members who were killed during the battle.

“(Winston) Churchill called it the greatest U.S. battle of the war, a truly great American victory. Justice would be established, wickedness would be vanquished. Eighty years later, we pledge here: Always, we will remember them,” National World War II Memorial resident historian Alex Kershaw said.