Written by: Researcher and FHC Volunteer Mark Galluzzo
On 16 December 2024, the nation will reflect on the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge (aka the Battle of the Ardennes). By early December of 1944, the war in Europe appeared to be ending. The Germans seemed finished after the Allied race across France to the German border.
“Es geht um das Ganze” (“Everything is at stake”) –Field Marshall Gerd von Rundstedt
Most Allied commanders believed the Third Reich incapable of conducting any sort of major operation to stem the tide. On 16 December 1944, however, the German army launched a potentially game changing offensive in the Ardennes Forest. This brutal battle would be the largest single engagement ever fought by the US Army.
The German operation was named Wacht am Rhein (“Watch on the Rhine”). This massive concentration of fighting power consisted of three German armies across a 75-mile front. It involved 200,000 assault troops in the initial wave and significant reserve units, most poised to rapidly exploit success. The front was characterized by dense woods and few roads. This sector was so quiet and uneventful that American soldiers called it the “Ghost Front.” It was held by four inexperienced and battle-worn American divisions stationed there for rest, replenishment and training. There were only 80,000 Allied troops in the area at the start of the battle.
The Nazi Forces believed this would split the British and American Allies by physically dividing their armies and creating rifts over military strategy. For this operation to succeed, Germany needed: overwhelming tactical surprise; poor weather that would neutralize air support for Allied troops; early, devastating, demoralizing blows against the Allies; and the expeditious capture of the Allied fuel supplies needed to keep the German armored spearhead moving. Without any one of these elements the entire plan could fail. The ultimate strategic goal was to convince the Allies to negotiate with Germany, allowing Nazi Germany to exclusively focus his forces on fighting the Soviets.
“This is undoubtedly the greatest American battle of the war and will, I believe, be regarded as an ever-famous American victory.”–Winston Churchill, UK Prime Minister
Aided by stormy winter weather which grounded Allied planes and restricted battlefield reconnaissance, the Germans achieved complete tactical surprise and initially made rapid gains. The Germans quickly created a “bulge” in the Allied front, giving the battle its iconic name.
Heroic resistance by American units, however, slowed the advance allowing Allied reinforcements to flow into the area. Often isolated and unaware of the overall picture, they did their part to inhibit German progress, whether by delaying armored columns with tenacious defenses of vital crossroads (such as Bastogne and St. Vith) or moving or burning critical gasoline dumps to keep them from the fuel-starved German tanks. These remarkable efforts provided time for the US to shift against the northern flank of the penetration, for the British to send reserves to secure the approach to the Meuse, and for General Patton’s Third Army to hit the bulge from the south. Although there were only 80,000 Allied troops at the start of the battle, there were over 500,000 by Christmas Eve. Denied vital roads and hampered by air attack when the weather cleared, the German attack resulted only in the bulge in the Allied lines which did not even extend to the Meuse River, the Germans first objective.
Images: US Army Center of Military History
The Germans were pushed back to their starting positions by early February of 1945. The Allies continued to pressure them along a broad front and, in late March, crossed the Rhine River. In the east, the Soviets had opened a winter offensive that would carry them to Berlin. The US suffered over 80,000 casualties in the six-week Battle of the Bulge. This number includes an official count of 19,246 Killed in Action and more than 23,000 taken prisoner. The Germans lost 80,000 to l00,000 men. Its military strength had been irreparably damaged. Hitler’s gamble had resulted in disaster. The war in Europe would end in Allied victory just months later.
Framingham Veterans and the Battle of the Bulge
During World War II, Framingham men and women routinely demonstrated feats of courage and sacrifice. By the end of the war, the number of Framingham citizens in the services surpassed 3,000, including 200 women. Eighty-seven (87) of its citizens made the ultimate sacrifice. While more than a few were touched by the Battle of the Bulge, here we will examine its impact on three of our men.
Technical Sergeant Al Briggs, US Army
On 07 September 1944, Al entered Europe with the 328th Infantry Regiment of the 26th Infantry Division through the Utah Beach, Normandy gateway. The 26th‘s first combat action took place on 14 October 1944. Thereafter, it was engaged in 210 days of combat, including action in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia. In October of 1944, the 26th was assigned to General Patton’s Third Army. On the 20th of December, the regiment rushed north from Metz, France as part of the drive to counter the German offensive in the Ardennes. In January of 1945, the 26th was tasked with helping to maintain and protect the newly opened main supply route to the previously surrounded units in Bastogne, Belgium.
On 12 January 1945, Technical Sergeant Briggs was engaged in combat near Nothum, Luxembourg (approximately 10 miles southeast of Bastogne). On that day, Al was serving as a forward artillery observer for the regiment’s first battalion. To set up an advantageous observation post, forward of the front line, he crossed 300 yards of open terrain under enemy sniper and artillery fire. Once in-place, he spent the day calling in US artillery fire (by radio) on advancing German units, all while himself under fire. Over the course of the day, his actions neutralized five enemy vehicles, an armored personnel carrier, and several horse-drawn artillery pieces. In the later part of the afternoon, he observed a battalion of German Infantry moving through a nearby wooded area. The ensuing US artillery fire directed at that location disorganized the Germans and caused them to retreat. At the end of his mission, he once again crossed the field under enemy fire. For these heroic acts, Al was awarded the Silver Star Medal.
Private First Class (PFC) Alfred John Antul, US Army
PFC Alfred Antul was born in Framingham on 29 December 1923. At the time, his parents lived at 11 Fuller Street in Saxonville. He graduated from Framingham High School in 1941.
He registered for the draft in June of 1942. At that time, Alfred was an engineering student at Northeastern University in Boston. PFC Antul completed his Army stateside training and was eventually assigned to A Company of the 86th Chemical Mortar Battalion.
Purple Heart Medal
A US Army WWII Chemical Weapon Battalion was equipped with approximately 48, 4.2” mortars. Designed to fire poison gas and smoke screen shells, during WWII it only fired conventional munitions in support of frontline troops. The 86th fought in Normandy, Brittany, the Ardennes, the Rhineland and Central Europe. Based on the movement of his unit, Alfred was likely to have seen the recovery of the bodies of the 84 American POWs massacred by the Germans (members of the 1st SS Division) on 17 December 1944 in Malmedy, Belgium. On 16 July 1946, 46 members of the 1st SS were sentenced to death for this crime by a US Military Tribunal held at Dachau, Germany. The remaining 26 were given prison sentences.
On 3 January 1945, PFC Antul was Killed in Action neat Stavelot, Belgium. He was buried in Henri Chapelle Cemetery #1 in Belgium. In November of 1947, his remains were repatriated to Framingham. He is now interned at St. George’s Cemetery. He made the ultimate sacrifice.
PFC Ross Harold Supnik, US Army
Ross Supnik was born on 21 September 1925 in Cleveland, Ohio. He was drafted on 21 September 1943. After initial infantry training, he was assigned to Company K of the 3rd Battalion, 423rd Infantry Regiment, 106th Infantry Division (the “Golden Lions”). Unfortunately for Ross, the 106th was one of the green (new), inexperienced divisions assigned to the Ardennes Forest right in the path of the 16 December German onslaught. On that day, most of the division was located on the tactically important Schnee Eifel Ridge. The Germans very quickly enveloped (encircled) two (of three) of the Division’s Regiments, the 422nd and 423rd. By nightfall on the 17th, the Germans had bottled up 8,000-9,000 US soldiers west of the ridge. Of that total, at least 7,000 were taken prisoner. Ross was included in the mass surrender. He was processed and sent to Stalag IX B POW Camp at Bad Orb, Germany. This was not a pleasant experience. As noted by the US Holocaust Museum:
“For British and American prisoners, Stalag IX B was one of the worst camps in Germany. Conditions were appalling from the start and continued to deteriorate as the war progressed. The first transport of American prisoners arrived in late December 1944. By January 24, the camp had 4,075 Americans, held in 16 barracks.”
The camp was liberated by American troops on 30 March 1945. Supnik was released on 15 May 1945. After returning to the States, he attended Case Western Reserve University. Following graduation in 1949, he moved to Framingham where he lived at 24 Debra Lane from 1950 to 1993. He retired from Smith Barney in 2001 at the age of 76, where he was a stockbroker. He was a 52-year member of Temple Beth Shalom in Framingham. Ross was married to his wife Edna for 61 years. He passed away on 26 October 2017 at 92.
“Stories Yet to Be Told”
The stories of Framingham’s early military heroes are well documented, and the names are familiar – including Nixon, Edgell, Salem, Buckminster, Gordon, Brooks, and McGrath. While these men certainly deserve the high accolades they have received, many of our veterans distinguished themselves and their stories remain known only to their descendants and friends. A significant portion of the information and images contained in this piece was provided by families and friends. We highly encourage you to contact the Framingham History Center if you have a compelling veteran’s story that has yet to be told. Join us on this collective journey through history!
Sources
- The following sources were used in the creation of this article:
- The National WWII Museum
- The Imperial War Museum
- The US Holocaust Museum
- The US Army Center of Military History
- The Library of Congress
- The National Archives
- The Framingham History Center
Additional Sources/Suggested Reading
The Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson
- The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945
Alamo in the Ardennes, John C. McManus
A Time for Trumpets: The Untold Story of the Battle of the Bulge, Charles B. Mac Donald
Company Commander: The Classic Infantry Memoir of World War II – From the Battle of the Bulge to the Rhine, Charles B. Mac Donald
Hitler’s Winter: The German Battle of the Bulge, Anthony Tucker-Jones