WW2 for the day

The WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana has an article about the Battle of the Bulge:

On 16 December 1944, the largest battle the US Army had ever fought began among the snow-covered evergreens of the Ardennes forest in Belgium. US intelligence had determined that the Ardennes sector was ideal for the rest and reorganization of American combat infantry units, since, by their research, it was defended by limited-service veterans, severely wounded soldiers missing an arm or an eye, or those too young or too old to pose a serious threat. As a result, the Army used this area for the training of newly arrived, untested infantry divisions fresh from the States.
In reality, thirty of Germany's crack divisions were forming up for a counter offensive designed to cut the Allied army in two and ultimately recapture the port of Antwerp, Belgium. It was the first time in the war that the Army faced a well-equipped German attack of this magnitude. In combination with a spell of poor weather, German tanks, unhindered by Allied air attacks, caught most GIs at the front completely by surprise. The German assault resulted in a large bulge in the lines, leading to the battle's name.
The Battle of the Bulge lasted until 25 January 1945, when the weather cleared, allowing effective air operations, and American forces met up and eliminated the bulge. Nearly a million soldiers were engaged during the six-week battle, resulting in nearly seventy thousand American and more than a hundred thousand German casualties.

Rico says yet another battle he's happy to have missed...