Battle of the Bulge Plaque, Ferran Park Veterans Memorial

Dedicated on November 11, 2008, this plaque commemorates veterans who served in the Battle of the Bulge in the Golden Triangle Area, Florida, located within the Ferran Park Veterans Memorial. The plaque was dedicated, by Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge, Chapter 48, known as the Battle of the Bulge Association. Battle of the Bulge Association was formed in 1981 by a veteran who served in the Battle of the Bulge. To be a member of the association, you have had to fight in the battle, be a family member who served in the battle, or want to remember those who served. The Battle of the Bulge was one of the most significant turning points in WWII for Allied Forces as they turned back the last major German offensive and prevented Hitler from achieving his objective of capturing thousands of Allied soldiers.

Following the successful amphibious landing of D-Day which led to the liberation of Paris and put Nazi troops into a fighting retreat, the Battle of the Bulge was the pivotal moment in the final stage of the Allied land offensive against Germany on the Western Front. Winston Churchill lionized American troops who held ground against Hitler's final counteroffensive, calling the Battle of the Bulge “the greatest American battle of the war". The battle lasted six weeks as American troops faced a concentrated Nazi counter-attack intended to break their lines and surround their armies. Soldiers also faced a bitterly cold environment as they turned the Nazi offensive back from December 16, 1944, to January 25, 1945. The Battle of the Bulge was Adolf Hitler's desperate attempt to surround and capture Allied armies to use these human lives to negotiate an end to the war on Germany's terms.

Since the battle was fought in freezing temperatures and a snowy environment, the Germans tried to go on the offense and attack the tired American troops across 75-miles of thickly wooded land in the Ardennes forest. When the German military entered the Ardennes forest and pushed back a section of the Allied Forces line, which is why the line took the shape of a bulge. Which is how the Battle of the Bulge got its name. Hitler's decision to attack in mid-December was strategic timing because the weather conditions were so brutal that roughly 15,000 American troops got injured due to weather conditions. That happened because they were expecting air support to make the battle end quicker. However, because of the bad weather, air support was not going to come.

This battle took six weeks, and, in the end, the allied forces were able to drive the German military back to Germany. After the German military lost the battle, Hitler had no chance of winning WWII. The Battle of the Bulge was a huge turning point in the war. Roughly 5-months after the Battle of the Bulge. Germany would come to an unconditional surrender. This victory came at a cost other than the 15,000 injuries 23,000 troops were missing, an additional 47,500 wounded in combat, and 19,000 killed. The Battle of the Bulge accounted for about 10% of all American casualties in World War II.

The Battle of the Bulge Memorial demonstrates the importance of this pivotal battle and serves as a connection to the last surviving veterans who were part of the dedication and annual commemoration that occurred at the memorial. For example, on September 6, 2020, John Bellefontaine, a veteran who served in the Battle of the Bulge was going to Belgium to be honored. However, with Covid-19, he could not attend so with the planning of his daughter, community members in Lake County, Florida, surprised Bellefontaine with a drive-by-parade. Bellefontaine was the last survivor of his battalion at the age of 95 years old having served on the 551st Parachute Infantry Battalion, a 500-man battalion that fought in the Battle of the Bulge.

Mariner, Cosmo. Battle of the Bulge Memorial, The Historical Marker Database. February 8th 2021. Accessed November 3rd 2021. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=166537 .

Battle of the Bulge, HISTORY. October 14th 2009. Accessed November 3rd 2021. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-the-bulge.

The Battle of the Bulge, The National WWII Museum. December 18th 2019. Accessed November 3rd 2021. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/battle-bulge.

Marching to Victory: Battle of the Bulge, Truman Library Institute. January 25th 2020. Accessed November 3rd 2021. https://www.trumanlibraryinstitute.org/wwii-75-marching-victory/.

Dowell, Stephen M. Leesburg Veteran Who Survived Battle of Bulge Honored, Orlando Sentinel. September 6th 2020. Accessed November 3rd 2021. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-photos-battle-veteran-20200906-izqlavfns5fxlk362zdb3ewaa4-photogallery.html.

Battle of the Bulge Association. Accessed November 7th 2021. https://battleofthebulge.org/about/.