By Greg Jordan Bluefield Daily Telegraph
PRINCETON, W.Va. — When 94-year-old Albert Dale Griffin is asked about being with the 82nd Airborne Division during World War II, memories of camaraderie, wading into a cold river so Gen. George Patton Jr. could get across it, driving a captured German tank, and suffering frostbite like many of his fellow soldiers suddenly come to mind. These memories become even sharper as Dec. 16, the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, approaches.
The Battle of the Bulge started Dec. 14, 1944, when the German army launched what would be its last offensive in western Europe. Dictator Adolf Hitler hoped the surprise offensive could reach the vital Allied port of Antwerp and split the Allied armies in two. Secrecy was maintained and the American divisions in the Ardennes region of Belgium, then a quiet sector, were taken by surprise; however, American soldiers resisted fiercely and soon put the Germans, short of fuel and other vital supplies, behind schedule. …
