December in the small town of Bastogne, Belgium is freezing, with temperatures in the high and low 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Relentless rain makes the cold even more gripping. On Dec. 16, 1944, 80 years ago, 200,000 German troops, with 1,000 tanks, had surrounded Bastogne. The Americans were caught off guard, with only 14,000 101st Airborne troops near Bastogne. An Allied defense began four days later, on Dec. 20. The counteroffensive began on Dec. 26 and was part of the larger, well-known Battle of the Bulge.
There were already hundreds of wounded Allied troops stuck in several makeshift basement “hospitals” in Bastogne. No nurses nor doctors were available because the Nazis had captured them to tend to German wounded. The vulnerable Allies were waiting for Gen. Patton’s army with tanks, which was delayed by bad weather.
When the German army realized they had many more infantry and tanks than the Americans, they sent a message to the American general, Anthony McAuliffe, telling him to surrender. McAuliffe’s one-word Christmas reply to the Germans is world-famous. He said, “Nuts!” Patton’s tank battalion finally arrived the day after Christmas. December of 2024 is the 80th anniversary of the siege of Bastogne. The Allies, however, could not claim victory until Jan. 25, 1945.
Before Patton’s Third Army arrived, however, there were historic and dangerous rescue missions flown into Bastogne by the glider pilots of 439th Troop Carrier Group; and the 92nd, 93rd, and 94th Troop Carrier Squadrons. The rescue missions were a last-ditch effort to bring medical personnel into Bastogne. There were no airports or runways, but gliders could land almost anywhere. Glider pilots landed their planes under heavy enemy fire, carrying doctors, nurses, and urgent medical supplies, as well as munitions. The plight of Bastogne is told in a Netflix documentary “Searching for Augusta.” Augusta was a fearless and heroic nurse who trudged in the snow to claim the supplies for the wounded Americans. I visited her grave.
Sixty-one Waco gliders flew into Bastogne. My father Walter Lindberg, a Los Angeles native of Hispanic heritage, was one of those glider pilots in the 94th squadron. Upon landing, the pilots were either severely wounded, killed, or captured by the Germans. Walter was the only glider pilot who made it out of Bastogne. He wrote, in a letter to my mom, “I was stranded in Belgium for two weeks!”
My husband and I traveled the Liberty Road from St.-Mère-Eglise, France, where my father landed his glider on D-Day, June 6, 1944, to Bastogne, the last stronghold of the German army that year. We had been in Normandy for the 80th anniversary of D-Day and hired a guide to take us to Bastogne, where I had the pleasure of meeting the Mayor of Bastogne, Benoît Lutgen. We met in his office with the background of an American flag.
He shared a story with me that he said he had only told once before, and that it would be the last time he would ever tell it. He was emotional as he began to describe to me how his grandfather’s family had perished at the hands of the Germans. They were all at church the Sunday before Christmas when the Nazis forced them into the main plaza. They executed the men while the women and children watched. Seven members of his family were killed. There is a bronze monument in Bastogne, naming his grandfather and all those who died on that day.
After he told me his story, I told him about my father’s rescue mission into Bastogne. My father and his best friend Pershing Carlson were glider pilots who flew into Bastogne with medical personnel and supplies. Carlson’s glider was on fire from enemy fire when he landed and ran from his plane into the forest. A few seconds later, his plane—with munitions—exploded! The Germans thought no one survived, so they didn’t come near the wreckage. Carlson survived in a self-made foxhole for five days on leftover fruitcake his wife had sent him for Christmas. When he finally emerged to look for the Americans, he was captured.
I received a letter from Pershing Carlson in 1990:
“Your dad was one of my best friends. As you may know, our squadron suffered extremely high casualties during the war, losing 87 percent of our original cadre. Your father was a kind and generous person. He was a good pilot and good officer. ... I am very sorry that you had to grow up without him. ... I was a POW when he was killed. ... I’m sure his last thoughts were of you.”
Mayor Lutgen expressed his deepest sympathy and gratitude for every American who participated in the liberation of Bastogne. It is the reason the large American flag hangs in his office. He gave me a gift of a small wooden model of the stone monument that occupies every kilometer along Liberty Road.
The flame on the monument represents liberty, and the waves under the flame represent the Atlantic Ocean the Americans had to cross. The stars at the top represent the then-48 states of the United States. At the end of Liberty Road, the last monument has 1,147 km, which is the full distance from St.-Mère-Eglise to Bastogne, Belgium.
The Siege of Bastogne and the Battle of the Bulge are commemorated every year in Belgium. The main event takes place in the town center. It is referred to as “Nuts Weekend” due to Gen. McAuliffe’s reply to the Germans about surrendering. It includes parades, wreath-laying ceremonies, and reenactments honoring all those who fought there. Commemorations help the residents, descendants, and all of us to remember how and why we are free.
