..just recently I brought over an 8 x 10 of dad from that era when he was in uniform...
..dad was movie star handsome in the 1940's and the cheekbones and bright blue eyes remain, as then.
I recently found some letters (written during the war years)...to his mom and dad and brother....
..at the top of the letterhead, he wrote...'somewhere in India'....
He was always very proud of his service....
There were three main reasons for this:
1. Almost all the US troops stationed in the Ardennes were replacement divisions..just arrived from the US, never seen battle. The were put there because SHAEF expected nothign but occasional small unit skirmishes..they wanted to give these troops a little seasoning.
2. Not only were the US troops raw, but they were vastly undermanned. I've seen estimates that for the length of the frontline, there should have been at least TWICE as many US troops. The rationale given for this was that the Ardennes was viewed as inpenetrable to last German formations..therefore less troops were needed.
3. The cold. US troops weren't well equipped for winter combat. THis impacted their combat effectiveness. More tellign is the ration of KIAs to WIAs in the Bulge. It was much lower than all during most of the European theater. That's because the cold is deadly to a wounded soldier. Totally saps his strength..
Our Dads could have rubbed elbows at one time or other or who knows, worked closely together. My Dad was all over India and Burma and into southern China.
God bless your Dad and all best wishes and thoughts to him and you.