Dead Man's Ridge: The Bravery of American Paratroopers at the Battle of the Bulge

In the frozen hell of the Battle of the Bulge, green American paratroopers faced German tanks on Dead Man’s Ridge—and prevailed.

The Battle of the Bulge was one of the worst places imaginable for an American GI to receive his baptism of fire in World War II, but that’s where the paratroopers of the 17th Airborne Division – “The Golden Talons” – got their first taste of combat against the Germans during the bitter and bloody winter of 1944-45. When the Germans launched a surprise attack throu...