Before anyone beats me to it, I would like to remind the forum that today is the 63rd Anniversary of three important events in the history of the world. First, it is the day that Adolph Hitler announced his plans for a grand counter-stroke on the Western front to come later to his generals. It has become known as "The Battle of the Bulge".
It was also the day that the largest daylight airborne operation, code-named "Market" took place with the First Allied Airborne Army landing on three objectives in astern Netherland. That has become known to history as "A Bridge Too Far" when the "Garden" phase of the plan failed to materialize on time.
The third event was the end of Captain Charles Scheffel's participation in the "shooting war" as the combat leader of his company attacking another small village just inside of Germany's Siegfried Line. Capt. Scheffel's radioman and another G.I. were both KIA by the barrage of mortar shells that cut down this scouting party. Capt. Scheffel recovered from his wounds, enough to relate his story in a book, "Crack and Thump" that is more or less "hot off the press" by Camroc Press, Plano, Texas in 2007.
