COUNTDOWN TO ROAD TO BERLIN: AMERICAN COUNTERATTACK

As we continue our journey through The Road to Berlin, we stop next at the American Counterattack exhibit, which will highlight the extreme conditions faced by the Allies and the bold maneuvers they employed in order to defeat the German advances in the city of Bastogne. As US General George Patton mobilized three divisions to relieve the Allied troops, a sudden break in the harsh winter weather enabled essential air drops of supplies and offensive bomber missions to proceed. German forces were stunned and left vulnerable to Allied counterattacks.

After the Siege of Bastogne, although the Allies continued to face harrowing conditions and setbacks as they marched closer to Germany, the Germans were quickly losing strength as well. The Allies rallied to the offensive in January 1945, reaching the Siegfried Line and breaking the final German resistance at the Battle of the Bulge.

The American Counterattack exhibit will commemorate these events as the pivotal moment in overcoming German forces to advance to the final stages of the War in Europe.

2nd Infantry Division combat patrol members lie flat on the ground to escape enemy fire near Odenval, Belgium, 23rd Regiment. From the collection of The National WWII Museum.

The American Counterattack exhibit has been made possible through a generous gift by Mr. and Mrs. Terrence Hall.