George Taylor While it is a bit hollywood, this great film with it's excellent cast does show the deprivations the men fighting at Bastogne went through. The 101st Airborne, an elite unit, screwed up the entire timetable of the German's offensive during what was later called the Battle of the Bulge. An excellent film that flows seamlessly from scene to scene - if one watches Band of Brothers - part of that excellent miniseries covers this battle as well. Well worth seeing.

grantss The Battle Of The Bulge, December 1944. The US 101st Airborne Division are holding the strategically vital town of Bastogne against overwhelming odds. We follow a squad of soldiers of the 101st as they battle the Germans, the elements and lack of supplies, equipment and ammunition. Superb WW2 drama. Very gritty and realistic - no gung ho heroics, no Hollywoodisms. Quite novel for its time in that most movies were still very much in WW2 propaganda mode. Great work by Van Johnson in the lead role. Good supporting performances. James Whitmore got a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his efforts.

classicsoncall Writer Robert Pirosh drew on his own real life experience as a soldier during the Battle of the Bulge, while director Robert Wellman brought in a couple dozen veterans of that campaign to lend further authenticity to the dialog and on screen drama for this film. The result is a compelling World War II movie that relies more on character driven vignettes than on epic battlefield action. More so than most war films, this one puts you right in the bunkers and foxholes, and you can almost feel the unbearable discomfort of freezing in the mud and snow as enemy fire punctures the stillness of the battlefield. The picture honors it's heroes, the 'Battered Bastards of Bastogne' as fighting forces intent on stopping the Nazi war machine. In a thoughtful scene, Army chaplain Leon Ames attempts to answer the question 'Is this trip necessary'? Generations of Americans to follow owe their freedom to men like the soldiers who fought in the Battle of the Bulge, screaming eagles who valued their patriotism and were willing to die to prove it.

AaronCapenBanner William Wellman directed this true WWII story about the 101st. Airborne troops stuck on the ground in December 1944 France, in the brutal winter that is thick with fog, making an air rescue difficult. The Germans have also launched a fierce final counter-offensive against Allied forces, making their situation even more desperate, as supplies (and temperatures)are running low... Stars Van Johnson, James Whitmore, Marshall Thompson, Don Taylor, and Ricardo Montalban, among others. Compelling and realistic story is well-directed and acted, with an Academy Award winning story and screenplay by Robert Pirosh that gives it the feel of authenticity.