Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 118.djvu/2641

 118 STAT. 2611 PUBLIC LAW 108–432—DEC. 3, 2004 Public Law 108–432 108th Congress Joint Resolution Recognizing the 60th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge during World War II. Whereas the battle in the European theater of operations during World War II known as the Battle of the Bulge was fought from December 16, 1944, to January 25, 1945; Whereas the Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive in the Ardennes forest region of Belgium and Luxembourg which took Allied forces by surprise and was intended to split the Allied forces in Europe by breaking through the Allied lines, crippling the Allied fuel supply lines, and exacerbating tensions within the alliance; Whereas 600,000 American troops, joined by 55,000 British, Bel gian, Canadian, and other soldiers, participated in the Battle of the Bulge, overcoming numerous disadvantages in the early days of the battle that included fewer numbers, treacherous ter rain, and bitter weather conditions; Whereas the Battle of the Bulge resulted in 81,000 American and 1,400 British casualties, of whom approximately 19,000 American and 200 British soldiers were killed, with the remainder wounded, captured, or listed as missing in action; Whereas the worst atrocity involving Americans in the European theater during World War II, known as the Malme´ dy Massacre, occurred on December 17, 1944, when 86 unarmed American prisoners of war were gunned down by elements of the German 1st SS Panzer Division; Whereas American, British, Belgian, Canadian, and other forces overcame great odds throughout the battle, including most famously the action of the 101st Airborne Division in holding back German forces at the key Belgian crossroads town of Bas togne, thereby preventing German forces from achieving their main objective of reaching Antwerp as well as the Meuse River line; Whereas the success of American, British, Belgian, Canadian, and other forces in defeating the German attack made possible the defeat of Nazi Germany four months later in April 1945; Whereas thousands of United States veterans of the Battle of the Bulge have traveled to Belgium and Luxembourg in the years since the battle to honor their fallen comrades who died during the battle; Whereas the peoples of Belgium and Luxembourg, symbolizing their friendship and gratitude toward the American soldiers who fought Dec. 3, 2004 [H.J. Res. 110]

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