Cantigny observes 75th anniversary of Battle of the Bulge
The First Division Museum at Wheaton's Cantigny Park is commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge beginning this month with exhibits, lectures and book signings.
The last major battle on Europe's Western Front during World War II, the Battle of the Bulge was fought from December 1944 to January 1945. Soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division helped hold the line and repel Germany's mass offensive, hastening an end to the war and securing victory for the Allies.
The public is invited to these free-to-attend commemorative events:
• Battle of the Bulge exhibit at the museum, 1S151 Winfield Road.
The exhibit, which opened Tuesday, Nov. 18, features a display in the lobby focusing on the victory at Bütgenbach, Belgium, a key position held by the Army's 1st Infantry Division. Inside the museum's main exhibit hall, the Battle of the Bulge Gallery tells a more comprehensive story. Outside, visitors will encounter a diorama depicting a destroyed German position with a Pak 38 anti-tank gun and other German equipment.
• Date with History: Battle of the Bulge at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21, in the Cantigny Visitors Center.
Author, historian and U.S. Army Col. (retired) Gregory Fontenot discusses "Loss and Redemption at St. Vith: The 7th Armored Division in the Battle of the Bulge." Published this month, copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing.
In 2017, Fontenot released "The 1st Infantry Division and the U.S. Army Transformed," a narrative history of the "Big Red One" coinciding with the Division's 100th anniversary. Parking for this program is complimentary.
• Date with History: The Ghost Army at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5, in the Visitors Center.
Author and award-winning filmmaker Rick Beyer discusses "The Ghost Army of World War II," his book about the top-secret Army unit that employed battlefield trickery to fool the enemy and gain strategic advantage. Copies will be available for purchase and signing.
Beyer also wrote and directed the acclaimed documentary "The Ghost Army," premiering on PBS in 2013. Parking for this program is complimentary.
• The First Division Museum's Battle of the Bulge remembrance also extends overseas. Through the nonprofit Wreaths Across America, the museum is sponsoring more than 200 wreaths to be placed on the graves of 1st Infantry Division soldiers who were killed in action at the Battle of the Bulge or after in the waning months of World War II.
Ceremonies will take place Nov. 30 at the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Dec. 1 at the American Netherlands Cemetery.
More information is online at www.FDMuseum.org.
The museum is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Admission is free with paid parking ($5 per car).