Figure 1.--Here we see Belgian boys paying their respect to the heavily out-numbered and out-gunned men of the 101st Airborn who along with the 10th Armor Division fought the advancing Germns to a standstill at vital crossroad town of Bastogne in the middle of the bitter cold winter (December 1944). Belgian civilians like these boys were witnesses to the desperate struggle. German barbarity was on full display. The Gernans targetted civilans, resenting their support for the Allies. The boys are watching a U.S. Army award ceremony. The 101st received a presidential unit citation. Click on the image to see the ceremony.

It was the Germans who had introduced airborn units in its great Western Offensive (May 1940). The U.S. Army noting this innovation also began forming its owm paratroop units. The two most-storied were the 82nd 101st Divisions. Dropped in Normandy, the 82nd and 101st dropped on the right flank of invasion, tyhe two Airborn Divisions played a key role in the succss of the American D-Day landings (June 1944). General Eisenhower later said that it was his most difficult decsion of the War. Casulaty estimates were very high, but Eisenhower saw their role as critical. With only light weapons, the badly sattered airborn units managed to fight off off heavily armed German units trying to reach the units defending the beach and attack the landing foces and still vulnerable beachhead. The two divisons suceeded, but took heavy losses. Their drops helped liberated the Netherlands south of the Rhine, but again experienced heavy losses (September 1944). The two Airborn divisions were was thus as expeienced as the 9th Armored Division was green. The Airborn Diivisions were being being rested and refitted at Reims north of Paris when the Germans struck in the Ardennes (December 16). Eisenhower as the German offensive developed turned to the Airborn Divisions for another perilous assignent. Both were to be inserted to hold the important crossroad town of Bastogne. As the situation deteriorated, the 82nd was sdhifted further north to block the advance of Kampfgruppe Peiper approaching Werbomont, Belgium. Thus it weould be the 101st and various small units that would hae to hold Bastogne. The 101st reached Bastogne hours before the Germans, passing broken Amerivan units streaming to the rear. The first 101st units arrived in Bastogne just hours before the Germans December 18). The enire Division was in place (December 19). The 101st had to move with such speed to get to Bastonge that some arrived without weapons.