“Hearing
the Thunder”
cji
12/16/14
One last
attempt to escape
artillery
– tanks - troops
untrained
and veterans alike
Germans
told to go forth
against
reserves and others
Americans
green or tired
expecting
nothing this day
awakened
honor and valor
the
defenders left in chaos
intelligence
wrong horribly
some
retreating-surrendering
most
fighting and holding
thus the
Battle of the Bulge
forming
like a cancer pocket
uncontained
striking for fuel
to split
the allies in half
surprise
the element had
but
standing strong some
fiercely
contesting inches
causing
delayed disruption
(time
was the big factor
goals
needing four days)
while
fighting continuous
Patton
moving the 3rd
Hodges
moving the 1st
slowly a
defense set
time
running out soon
tanks
grinding to a halt
no fuel
unable to move
costly
in lives/prisoners
the last
great battle
Germany
no longer able
only to
retreat-withdraw
defeat inevitable
known
108K+
American casualties
almost
20K killed during
massacred
at Malmedy
Black’s
tortured at Saint-Vith
horrors
of war-fare done
some
unpunished learned
ending
on January 25th
wasted
lives amid valor
the
Battle of the Bulge
one of
the worst ever
involving
Americans
remembered
by some
unknown
to too many
history
unable to escape
the most
famous answer
called
upon to surrender
the Am. Generals’
reply
wrote a
one-word note
“N-U-T-S”
amid
hearing the thunder!
(Addendum:
This was
the first integrated
battlefront
for the Americans
– with some
2000 Blacks
volunteering
for the front
yet
history fails this to note
in this
greatest American battle
where
much is made of conflict
now of
American vs. American!)
Copyright © 2014 – cji
No comments:
Post a Comment