The Battle of the Bulge commenced on the morning of December 16, 1944. The Allies were ill-prepared for this last, desperate offensive from the Germans, and the campaign might have succeeded if a few things hadn’t gotten in their way, including a single, green, 18-man platoon who refused to give up their ground to the Nazis.
Alex Kershaw shares the story of these men in his book, The Longest Winter, and with us today on the show. He first explains the background of the Battle of the Bulge and how an Intelligence and Reconnaissance unit that had never seen combat ended up in the thick of it. And he describes the platoon’s 20-year-old leader, Lyle Bouk, who was determined to carry out his orders and hold their position despite being massively outmanned and outgunned, and how his men fought until they were down to their last rounds. Alex then shares how what Bouk thought was a total failure — being captured as POWs after just a day of combat — turned out to have been an effort that significantly influenced the outcome of the Battle of the Bulge, and how an unlikely platoon of heroes who initially went unrecognized for their valor became the most decorated American platoon of WWII. You’ll find such an inspiring lesson in this show about living up to your duty and holding the line.
Resources Related to the PodcastThe Secret World of Bare-Knuckle Boxing
Why Your Memory Seems Bad (It’s Not Just Age)
Grid-Down Medicine — A Guide for When Help Is NOT on the Way
Skills Over Pills
The Power of Everyday Rituals to Shape and Enhance Our Lives
Walden on Wheels — A Man, a Debt, and an American Adventure
How to Create a Distraction-Free Phone
Want to Be Happy? Give Yourself Reasons to Admire Yourself
Tips From a Hostage Negotiator on Handling Difficult Conversations
Lessons in Action, Agency, and Purpose From Buying a Ghost Town
Get More Done With the Power of Timeboxing
How to Shift Out of the Midlife Malaise
The 3 Musical Geniuses Behind the Most Popular Jazz Album of All Time
A Butler's Guide to Managing Your Household
Down With Pseudo-Productivity: Why We Need to Transform the Way We Work
The 5 Factors for Crafting Simple (Read: Effective!) Messages
The Misconceptions of HIIT (And the Role It Can Play in Your Fitness Routine)
The Making of a Stoic Emperor
The Secrets of Supercommunicators
7 Journaling Techniques That Can Change Your Life
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free