108TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. J. RES. 110
JOINT RESOLUTION
Recognizing the 60th anniversary of the Battle of
the Bulge during World War II.
108TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. J. RES. 110
JOINT RESOLUTION
Recognizing the 60th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge
during World War II.
Whereas the battle in the European theater of operations
during World War II known as the Battle of the Bulge
was fought from December 16, 1944, to January 25,
1945;
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Whereas the Battle of the Bulge was a major German offen-
sive in the Ardennes forest region of Belgium and Lux-
embourg which took Allied forces by surprise and was in-
tended to split the Allied forces in Europe by breaking
through the Allied lines, crippling the Allied fuel supply
lines, and exacerbating tensions within the alliance;
Whereas 600,000 American troops, joined by 55,000 British,
Belgian, Canadian, and other soldiers, participated in the
Battle of the Bulge, overcoming numerous disadvantages
in the early days of the battle that included fewer num-
bers, treacherous terrain, and bitter weather conditions;
Whereas the Battle of the Bulge resulted in 81,000 American
and 1,400 British casualties, of whom approximately
19,000 American and 200 British soldiers were killed,
with the remainder wounded, captured, or listed as miss-
ing in action;
Whereas the worst atrocity involving Americans in the Euro-
pean theater during World War II, known as the
Malme´dy Massacre, occurred on December 17, 1944,
when 86 unarmed American prisoners of war were
gunned down by elements of the German 1st SS Panzer
Division;
Whereas American, British, Belgian, Canadian, and other
forces overcame great odds throughout the battle, includ-
ing most famously the action of the 101st Airborne Divi-
sion in holding back German forces at the key Belgian
crossroads town of Bastogne, thereby preventing German
forces from achieving their main objective of reaching
Antwerp as well as the Meuse River line;
Whereas the success of American, British, Belgian, Canadian,
and other forces in defeating the German attack made
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possible the defeat of Nazi Germany four months later in
April 1945;
Whereas thousands of United States veterans of the Battle
of the Bulge have traveled to Belgium and Luxembourg
in the years since the battle to honor their fallen com-
rades who died during the battle;
Whereas the peoples of Belgium and Luxembourg, symbol-
izing their friendship and gratitude toward the American
soldiers who fought to secure their freedom, have gra-
ciously hosted countless veterans groups over the years;
Whereas Luxembourg has erected over 90 monuments and
plaques commemorating the liberation of Luxembourg by
United States Armed Forces during World War II;
Whereas the 60th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge in
2004 will be marked by many commemorative events by
citizens of the United States, Belgium, Luxembourg, and
many other nations;
Whereas the friendship between the United States and both
Belgium and Luxembourg is strong today in part because
of the Battle of the Bulge; and
Whereas section 204 of the Veterans Benefits Act of 2002
(38 U.S.C. 2409 note) authorized the Secretary of the
Army to place in Arlington National Cemetery a memo-
rial marker honoring those who fought in the Battle of
the Bulge: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives
of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
That Congress—
(1) recognizes the 60th anniversary of the the
battle in the European theater of operations during