He heard the shocking news of a German breakthrough in Belgium and Luxembourg. His 10th Armored Division of tanks, support troops, and self-propelled artillery turned north on December 17, 1944. The troops covered 75 miles in one day and arrived in Bastogne. It was among the greatest marches in modern warfare’s history.

An encounter with chaos

The 10th Armored Division also called the ‘Tiger Division’, was the first to arrive in Bastogne. It was a key crossroads town. Once they reached there, what all the members of the division found was utter chaos. Streaming backwards through the city were the demoralized American infantry units. 

The German artillery was destroying the place and the key crossroad was about to be overrun. The division lowered the barrels of its howitzers and started firing directly into the forest. They halted the German advance with all the firing.

Ready for duty

Rufus Lewis was a sophomore in November 1942 at Clemson. Those were the days before college deferments. Every man, aged 21 or older, had the eligibility to be drafted. The probability of him getting drafted the following March was quite high. So, Lewis took the permission of his parents and joined the army. 

He decided to volunteer as he was not a very good student. Lewis signed up at Fort Jackson and was trained at Georgia’s Fort Benning. He joined the 10th Armored Division as a fire controller for the 420th Armored Field Artillery. He was in charge of directing the fire of a battery of self-propelled 105 mm M-7 ‘Priest’ howitzer. Each of the five-gun batteries had a man calculating the angle of fire. 

Lewis was also in charge of those. The Tiger Division was activated on the 15th of July 1942. It entered north-western France on the 23rd of September 1944 through the port of Cherbourg. It was a part of the Third Army of Gen. George Patton. It was one of the first units to enter France through the port that was newly liberated.

In the heart of Germany

The Army found itself in gruesome daily combat from the time that it had entered the country. It continued until it punched through the last line of Hitler’s defence called the Siegfried Line. It stormed into Germany on the 19th of November. The advance was halted when Hitler struck back in the Ardennes forest, 75 miles to the north. 

Lewis was in the basement of a freezing farmhouse on the 18th of December 1944. He was calculating the flight paths of the 105 mm artillery shells into the German lines. Then, the 101st Airborne Division known as the ‘Band of Brothers’ came rolling into the Battle of Bulge. Upon their arrival, they claimed their glory.

The veterans today

The veterans of World War II are now in their 80s and 90s. Today, they are dying at a rate of 850 to 1,000 per day. The two million that are still alive are the remnants of those who served in the war. In many people’s eyes, they are the ones who saved the world. 

Not only did they win the war, but they also forged the country during peacetime. They were the ones who produced the baby boom after returning to their home country. The veterans were the ones who generated the greatest prosperity in the planet’s history.

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Through history books, art, films, and other mediums, the war has been analyzed and explored from different angles. Such a complex and endlessly intriguing event packs a lot of stories that are overlooked or under-appreciated. This event also has some facts and characters that would be quite interesting if explored. So, here we present some of the astonishing facts about the Second World War:

1. The Nazis came close to developing plutonium

The Nazis were dangerously close to developing plutonium, which is an important element of nuclear weapons. When Norway was invaded by the Germans, they took over a factory in Telemark. It produced heavy water, which was used for creating plutonium. 

Before they were able to produce anything, about 11 Norwegian commandos destroyed the plant. Without suffering even a single casualty on their side, they successfully set off explosives in the base.

2. Japan was working on a ‘Death Ray’

A sum of 1 million yen was paid to a team of scientists by Japan to create a ‘death ray’. They had promised to develop this ray, which would use electric power to kill humans standing miles away. They drew on the innovations of Nikola Tesla. The Japanese were able to create a prototype that could kill from as far as half a mile. Their only problem was that the target had to be still for 10 minutes for it to work. 

3. More Russian soldiers died in one battle

The bloody battle of Stalingrad was the Second World War’s largest confrontation. It lasted from July 1942 to February 1943. This battle began with the attempt made by German forces to capture the industrial city. 

The Germans indulged in air attacks and house-to-house fights. Tens of thousands were killed with reinforcements streaming into Stalingrad from both sides. The Axis powers suffered casualties between 650,000 and 868,000, but the Soviet Union lost over 1 million people.

4. The US Navy Command was once known as CINCUS

An acronym for Commander-in-Chief, United States Fleet, it was pronounced ‘sink us’. This proved awkward after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. It was immediately changed to COMINCH in December of the same year and its jurisdiction was expanded. It was given the command of the Atlantic, Asiatic, and Pacific fleets.

5. The tallest surrendered to the shortest

A rather short British Corporal called Bob Roberts had to face a weird situation. He was charged with taking the surrender of one of the tallest German soldiers. Jakob Nacken stood tall at 7’6″ and towered over Roberts who was 5’3″. 

Roberts later mentioned that he didn’t take a lot of notice of the soldier at the time. He just passed the prisoners on after searching them, one after the other. The mates who were watching the rest of the men saw this giant of a guy approached Robert. Both sides had a good laugh on this.

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However, it witnessed action with the Seventh United States Army under General Alexander Patch towards the end of the war. The Tiger Division was inactivated on the 13th of October 1945 at Camp Patrick Henry in Virginia. On the 25th of February 1953, the division was assigned to the Regular Army, but it stayed inactive.

Entering Germany

The Tiger Division entered France through the port of Cherbourg on the 23rd of September 1944. It went through a month of training at Teurtheville, France, prior to entering battle. At the time, it was a part of the Third Army under General George S Patton. Leaving Teurtheville on the 25th of October, the Division moved to Mars-la-Tour.

Once there, it entered into the battle on the 2nd of November, in support of the XX Corps. Later, the Tiger Division took part in the capture of Metz. After furious battling, the 10th Armored Division moved to the Siegfried Line. On the 19th of November 1944, it led the Third Army into Germany.

Bastogne

On the 18th of December 1944, Combat Command-B’s lead Sherman tanks, tank destroyers and half-tracks moved into Bastogne. These were the first combat troops to arrive at the town under threat. Col. William L Roberts, a CCB commander, split his command.

He formed a crescent-shaped arc five miles from the city facing eastwards. A force under the command of Maj. William R Desobry headed north to Noville. A similar group commanded by Lt. Col. Henry T Cherry moved eastwards to Longville. A group under Lt. Col. James O’Hara moved southeast to Bras.

The Germans still had an advantageous position and the Americans withdrew closer to Bastogne. The pincers sent by the Germans to the north and south met and closed west of the city on the night of 21st December. The Tiger Division gathered a mobile reserve force ready to strike.

The CCB endured the chilly weather while also facing artillery barrages and bombing despite dwindling supplies and ammunition. The tanks of the Fourth Armored Division got through, at last, on the 26th of December. Despite this, the CCB continued fighting until the 18th of January.

The collapse of German defences

Towards the beginning of February 1945, the Tiger Division reassembled at Metz. They had the opportunity for a momentary rest after rejoining the XX Corps. On the 20th of February 1945, they attacked the German defences again. They broke the German lines in one day. After 48 hours, the Division moved further 85 miles.

They crossed the Saar-Moselle Triangle and got to the Saar River. Upon crossing the Saar, they captured Trier and a bridge across the Moselle River. The German defences collapsed as a result of the loss of this heavily defended city. Commanders Dwight Eisenhower and Patton visited the Tiger Division and praised their efforts.

A liberating unit

They advanced further about 100 miles and captured 8,000 prisoners belonging to 26 different enemy divisions. Following a four-day respite, the 10th Armored Division was among the divisions leading the Seventh Army drive into Bavaria. With quick night movements, the ‘Tigers’ kept surprising the Germans.

They were referred to as ‘Ghost Division’ by their enemy forces. As it entered Bavaria, the Division overran one of the numerous sub-camps of the Dachau concentration camp. It was located in the Landsberg area. This happened on the 27th of April 1945, earning Tiger Division the recognition of a liberating unit.

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Of course, the ‘battle of the Atlantic’ was a significant one, but it was not really a battle. Instead, it was a series of battles that lasted six years. Here, we’ve listed the battles of World War II. They had the most impact on the political and military events that occurred later.

1. Battle of Kursk

During the Second World War, the Battle of Kursk was fought during the period spanning July to August 1943. It was a series of offensives between the forces of the Soviet Union and Germany. They took place on the Eastern Front near Kursk. It was about 450 kilometres southwest of Moscow. The German codename for this series of offensive was ‘Operation Citadel’. 

It led to the Battle of Prokhorovka, which was among the largest ever armoured clashes. This battle was fought on the 12th of July, 1943. The Germans failed to take over the forces of the Soviet Union. In this process, they also lost a large number of tanks and soldiers.

2. Battle of Berlin

The Battle of Berlin was known as the ‘Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation. It was carried out by the Soviet Union and was the Second World War’s final major offensive in Europe. The Red Army had carried out the Vistula-Oder Offensive carried out in January and February 1945. After this offensive, the army had halted on a line spanning 60 kilometres east of Berlin. 

The defence plan of the Germans against the Soviet attack was Operation Clausewitz. After the Soviet offensive resumed on the 16th of April, Berlin was attacked from the east and south. In the north, a third force countered the German forces.

3. Battle of Moscow

The Battle of Moscow addresses two critical times of battling on the Eastern Front. It happened during the Second World War from October 1941 to January 1942. By early October, there were 4,000,000 casualties on the Soviet side. The German armed forces had come within 200 miles of Moscow. This was when Operation Typhoon was unleashed. 

It was an attempt to hold on to the Soviet capital and shut down the mission. Yet, the outcome was something that neither side had expected. The Soviets had a tremendous yet badly coordinated army. The Germans, with their mastery and equipment, might have won any conflict in the world.

4. Battle of Pearl Harbor

It was an overwhelming assault on the US maritime base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The attack was codenamed Operation AI and was carried out by the Japanese Imperial Army. It took place on the 7th of December, 1941. With this attack, the worsening relationship between the United States and Japan reached its peak. 

Once the US fleet was kept out of their way, the Japanese could easily establish their dominance over Southeast Asia. It could also take over the Indonesian archipelago. On November 26, a Japanese fleet sailed about 275 miles north of Hawaii. 

It included six aircraft carriers, three cruisers, two warships, three cruisers, and eleven destroyers. Around 360 planes were launched from the location for the last attack. Four US Navy war vessels were sunk and another four were badly damaged.

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The great powers of the time disliked the terms that were included in the treaty. Now, let’s look at some of the other causes that led to the Second World War:

1. The Failure of Peace Efforts 

During the 1920s, there were many efforts to bury the hatchet. The first was the foundation of the League of Nations as a gathering wherein countries could resolve their debates. The League’s forces were restricted to influence. At the Washington Conference of 1921-1922, the main maritime forces consented to restrict their naval forces by a decent proportion. 

The Locarno Conference gave an assurance of the German-French limit and an understanding among Germany and Poland. In the Kellogg-Briand Pact, 63 nations disavowed battle as an instrument of public strategy. The signatories had concurred ahead of time to give up their battles for self-protection. 

2. Growing Nazism in Germany 

The outrageous patriotism of Germany, Italy and Japan was one of the main sources of the Second World War. The embarrassing terms of the Treaty of Versailles made the German love for patriotism more grounded. The issues that Germany was fighting for made many individuals aligned to its philosophies. 

For this reason, they energetically acknowledged the tyranny of Hitler and his arrangement of re-establishing the glory of Germans. This was done by punishing those answerable for embarrassing Germany at the Paris Peace Conference. 

3. Rise of Fascism in Italy

The embarrassment of Italy at the Paris Peace Conference translated into immense hatred towards Britain and France. The financial downturn of the 1930s further threatened Italy’s power. It was under these conditions that Mussolini and his Fascist Party rose to prominence. It won many hearts when it guaranteed that it would make Italy prosperous. 

The fundamentalists indulged in outrageous patriotism, war and government control as the means for gaining control over Italy. Individuals in Italy approved extremism since it promised them a good future. Italy under Mussolini started making efforts to extend its force and secure new regions. 

4. Expanding militarism of Japan 

The aspirations of Japan had increased during the Second World War. At the Paris Peace Conference, Japan had been fortunate in getting a few benefits. Japan, from that point, chose to extend its tactical force so as to get more domains of China. By 1930, Japan was in a situation to enhance its military might. 

Militarism and domination came to be acknowledged as the ideal means for growing the Japanese force on the planet. In 1937, Japan began an undeclared conflict against China. At the point when World War II broke out in 1939, the Sino-Japanese conflict was still on.

5. Failure of the League of Nations 

The League of Nations was created in 1919 for global harmony. It did not have the solid association expected to generate admiration among the countries. The inability to act during Manchurian and Abyssinian emergencies demonstrated its inefficiency. The small countries quickly lost trust in the League of Nations. Both Britain and France attempted to utilize the League for advancing their own personal matters.

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