Y DECEMBER 1944 IT SEEMED THAT THE WAR IN WESTERN EUROPE WAS ALL BUT B WON...AND YET THE GERMANS HAD BEEN SECRETLY MUSTERING THEIR RESOURCES FOR AN OFFENSIVE IN THE LIGHTLY-DEFENDED ARDENNES REGION — AND ONCE UNLEASHED IT TOOK THE AMERICANS COMPLETELY BY SURPRISE.
VORWARTS! DRIVE THE AMI SCHWEINEN BACK TO THE SEA!
STORY FERG HANDLEY ART VILA COVER JANEK MATYSIAK
4 WHAT WOULD BECOME KNOWN AS THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE HAD BEGUN. ON THE THIRD DAY A PLATOON OF AMERICAN G.I.s WERE DUG IN AT THE EDGE OF A FIELD WAITING FOR ORDERS. MAN, THIS STINKS. I HEARD THERE’S KRAUTS EVERYWHERE, AND OUR GUYS ARE TAKING A REAL HAMMERING.
YOU’RE A REGULAR RAY OF SUNSHINE, HAYNES. BUT, YEAH, THIS IS DEFINITELY WHAT YOU CALL A BAD SITUATION.
AS THE TROOPS SHIVERED IN THEIR FOXHOLES THERE CAME THE RUMBLE OF HEAVY ENGINES. THEIR SERGEANT YELLED INTO THE FREEZING AIR. HEADS UP! SOUNDS LIKE ENEMY ARMOUR APPROACHING!
SWELL, SARGE. JUST SWELL.
5 SURE ENOUGH, A PAIR OF ENEMY TIGERS ROLLED INTO SIGHT, WITH WELL-ARMED SUPPORT TROOPS TRAILING IN THEIR WAKE. HERE THEY COME, SARGE!
NO KIDDING! WELL, WHAT’RE YA WAITING FOR…? OPEN FIRE!
ON CAME THE GERMANS, SHELLS AND RIFLE FIRE TEARING INTO THE AMERICAN POSITIONS. REALISING THEIR POSITION WAS ABOUT TO BE OVERRUN, THE PLATOON COMMANDER — LIEUTENANT BRAD POWERS — CALLED OUT. IT’S NO GOOD! FALL BACK, FALL BACK… UNGH!
HE’S HIT! MEDIC, OVER HERE!
6 THE LIEUTENANT DIED MOMENTS LATER. AS THE REMAINING TROOPS FLED IN DISARRAY THEY WERE MERCILESSLY TARGETED BY THE ENEMY.
THIS WAY… UUNGH! AAARGH!
PRIVATES PETE LEESON AND ROB DONOVAN — WHO HAILED FROM NEW YORK AND ALABAMA RESPECTIVELY — MANAGED TO GET AWAY FROM THE SLAUGHTER. AS IT GREW DARK, THOUGH, THE TWO YOUNG ROOKIES REALISED THEY WERE LOST AND ISOLATED. WHAT A LOUSY MESS. SO WHAT DO YOU FIGURE WE SHOULD DO?
WE KEEP ON MOVING, PETE, AND HOPE WE MAKE OUR LINES BEFORE THE KRAUTS GET US.
7 THE PAIR HAD ONLY RECENTLY BEEN SHIPPED OVER FROM THE STATES AND HAD BEEN EXPECTING AN EASY WINTER. AS THEY HIKED, COLD AND HUNGRY, THEY COULD HEAR DISTANT SOUNDS OF HEAVY FIGHTING. I DON’T GET IT. THE KRAUTS WERE SUPPOSED TO BE BEAT...SO HOW COME THEY’RE THE ONES ATTACKING?
EVENTUALLY, THEY HALTED FOR A REST BUT, AS DAWN BROKE, THEY KNEW THEY WERE IN SERIOUS TROUBLE. STILL NO SIGN OF THE LINES, ROB, AND WE’VE GOT A GOOD VIEW FROM HERE.
MAYBE THERE AIN’T NO LINES... FOR ALL WE KNOW, THE ENTIRE U.S. ARMY COULD BE ON THE RUN.
AND WHAT ABOUT THOSE TANKS THEY THREW AT US? I’VE NEVER SEEN NOTHING LIKE IT.
THEIR TRAINING HADN’T PREPARED THE YOUNGSTERS FOR THE SITUATION THEY WERE IN. AS THEY MOVED, THE SOUND OF SPORADIC ARTILLERY FIRE CAUSED THEM TO GLANCE AROUND UNEASILY. YOU THINK THAT’S COMING FROM THE KRAUTS, OR OUR GUYS?
NO IDEA, PETE, BUT IT’S SURE MAKING ME JUMPY.
8 FORTUNATELY, THE FIRE SEEMED DISTANT BUT, AS THEY MADE THEIR WAY ACROSS A SNOW-COVERED MEADOW, A BARRAGE BEGAN TO DESCEND NEARBY.
LOOK OUT, IT’S ROLLING THIS WAY! COME ON, WE NEED TO FIND COVER!
THERE WAS NO SHELTER TO BE FOUND, THOUGH. THE SHELLFIRE DREW STEADILY CLOSER AND THEY THREW THEMSELVES TO THE FROZEN GROUND.
HALLELUJAH, IT’S STOPPED!
THE ROOKIES GOT BACK ON THEIR FEET AND MOVED ON, SKIRTING SHELL-HOLES. THEN PETE HEARD A LOW, GROANING NOISE.
THERE’S SOMEONE IN THAT CRATER. COME ON, WE NEED TO CHECK IT OUT. PHEW, I THOUGHT WE WERE GONERS THERE!
9 THEY HURRIED OVER AND FOUND THE CRATER EMPTY. HOWEVER, TEN YARDS AWAY WAS A CONCUSSED G.I. LYING AT THE EDGE OF THE BLAST RADIUS. HE’S A CORPORAL, PETE. HERE, HOLD THIS WHILE I TAKE A LOOK AT HIM.
OKAY, BUDDY.
ROB MADE THE CORPORAL COMFORTABLE. AFTER A FEW MINUTES HE BEGAN TO COME BACK ROUND. UUNH... WHAT THE HECK...?
THE CORPORAL, WHO LOOKED A TOUGH CUSTOMER, WAS STILL GROGGY. PETE AND ROB KNEW THEY HAD TO GET HIM SOME PROPER TREATMENT SO THEY GOT HIM TO HIS FEET AND RESUMED THEIR TREK. YOU SURE WE’RE GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, BUDDY?
EASY THERE. YOU’VE BEEN HIT BUT WE’VE GOT YOU.
I SURE HOPE SO. AIN’T EASY TO TELL, THOUGH, ESPECIALLY IN THIS WEATHER.
10 PETE WAS BEGINNING TO DESPAIR BUT HE FORCED HIMSELF ON. A FEW MILES LATER THEY DREW IN SIGHT OF A ROAD. HEY, THOSE OUR ARE GUYS!
YEAH, BUT LOOK AT THE STATE OF THEM. THEY LOOK ALL-IN.
THEY MOVED UP AND, WHEN THEY REACHED THE RETREATING TROOPS, LEARNED OF AN AID POST A COUPLE OF MILES ON. THANKS, SARGE. SO HOW ABOUT THE MAIN SITUATION, WHAT’S HAPPENING?
SEARCH ME, KID. BUT IT AIN’T LOOKING GOOD, THAT’S FOR SURE.