World War II Comes to Life at the History Center
Siege of Bastogne / Battle of the Bulge
In December 1944, during World War II, American soldiers were trapped inside snowy Bastogne, Belgium, while the German army conducted a weeks-long siege designed to surround Bastogne and cut off supplies forcing the Americans to surrender.
This attack created a “bulge” in the front lines—so it’s called the Battle of the Bulge.
Even though they were outnumbered, the American troops—especially the 101st Airborne Division—refused to give up. After several tough days, additional Allied forces, including the 4th Armored Division and other elements of General George Patton's Third Army, opened a corridor to Bastogne and American victory at Battle of The Bulge.
Join us as we honor and remember the famous Siege of Bastogne and Battle of the Bulge. We will transform our campus into the war-torn town of Bastogne.
What you'll see:
- Interact with 20 reenactors from the 99th Infantry Division, the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne, and members of the 11th Panzer Division as they bring the 1940s battle to life.
- Equipment and vehicles from the era
- Demonstrations of tactics and battle strategy
- Role-playing scenarios
- Stealing secret plans and delivering them to the Allies
- Equipment training sessions
- Authentic encampments
- Field quarters recreations
- Insights into what it meant to be a soldier during the Battle of the Bulge
- Presentation at 2 p.m. by Mark Squeglia and Roman Straub on the battle and local vets of note who were involved.
