FRANCE
MEN OF AN INFANTRY DIVISION climbing into box cars to move from the Brittany Peninsula to the U. S. Third Army zone. On 9 January 1945 a new attack was started after fresh troops had been brought into the battle area. The Germans offered fierce resistance in order to keep open their escape route to the east. On 16 January elements of an armored division of Third Army contacted those from First Army, closing the German salient just one month after the enemy had launched his counteroffensive in the Ardennes.
BELGIUM
INFANTRYMEN BIVOUACKING IN THE WOODS (top); field mess (bottom). Living conditions during the best of times were not too pleasant for the combat soldier, but during the winter the hardships were greatly increased.
LUXEMBOURG
U. S. LIGHT TANKS which were captured by the enemy during the Battle of the Bulge. Some of the more serious U. S. losses during this period were 1,284 machine guns, 542 mortars, 1,344 jeeps, and 237 tanks. Not all of these losses were the result of units being overrun—there was some evidence of unnecessary abandonment of equipment, particularly among inexperienced troops.