While attempting to stop the last great German counteroffensive of World War 2 in the otherwise serene forest of eastern Belgium, American GI’s like my father found a blizzard to be an equally savage foe. I walk through snowy woods today and the peace and quiet is startling. At Christmas time in 1944, I can only imagine how artillery shells and gunfire pierced the serenity. In this photo from the Warfare History Network, you can almost see the fear in this soldier’s eyes. The snow was a main factor in my dad’s capture, as he and 3 others driving in a Jeep were captured as they found themselves lost some seven miles behind German lines.
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