The News-Gazette Dec.

11, 2011 All rights reserved

Guest Commentary The Battle of the Bulgeand Pattons Prayer Robert Hays

In mid-December, 1944, Americans reacted with stunned disbelief as their newspapers brought the unexpected news that Hitlers armies, despite disastrous losses at the hands of Allied forces throughout the autumn, had broken out in a desperate counter-offensive in the Ardennes. It was the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge, one of the darkest points of World War II. German panzer divisions crept out of the black forests under cover of drenching rains, near-impenetrable fog and swirling ground mists which muffled sounds of their movement, blotted out the sun and reduced visibility to near zero. Allied troops on the Luxembourg frontier were quickly overrun, their food and ammunition rapidly depleted. It appeared for a time that the enemy attack might be successful and even reverse the course of the war. We know now that this didnt happen, of course, but there still are issues surrounding the Bulge that always seem worth revisiting. One is the question of whether the German advance, which left some 77,000 American soldiers dead, wounded or captured and delayed the end of combat in Europe, might not have been prevented. Intelligence information was at hand that could have let the Allies set a trap and destroy the enemy forces.

Another is the intriguing story of the famous Patton prayer. The prayer for good weather that Gen. George S. Patton Jr. ordered to be distributed to a quarter-million troops seems to have been answered, just in time to turn the tide and spare even more disastrous Allied losses. The German action began Dec. 16, and on the night of Dec. 20 the enemy forces cut the last route into the little Belgian town of Bastogne and surrounded troops of the 101st Airborne Division and 10th Armored Division who had fought desperately to hold this critical transportation crossroads. The Allied decision to hold Bastogne at virtually all costs had been a severe blow to the German plans, but now the encircled troops were quickly falling into dire straits. Although historians consistently have called the Germans advantage of surprise an Allied intelligence failure, the enemy action was not entirely unexpected in Pattons U.S. Third Army headquarters in Nancy, France. As early as Dec. 9, Pattons chief intelligence officer, Col. Oscar Koch, had briefed Patton and his staff in detail on the possibility of a German attack. Hard-pressed as Hitlers forces were, Koch pointed out, the Germans were gathering a formidable number of panzers, panzer grenadiers, paratroops and elite SS troops in the Schnee Eifel Forest opposite an under-strength U.S. First Army. And although the enemy desperately needed infantry units at the front, Koch said 13 divisions were being held in reserve and the buildup was continuing. In short, Koch reported, the enemy had gained an approximate two-to-one numerical advantage in the Ardennes area. In his view, all the ingredients of an attempted German breakout were in place. The heart of the threatened area lay some hundred miles north of Third Army, but the threat clearly was important in terms of the Third Army left flank.

At the end of Kochs briefing, Patton stood and told his staff, Well be in a position to meet whatever happens. They were to begin making plans accordingly. Kochs intelligence reports were sent to the higher headquarters of Gen. Omar Bradley and Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, of course, but essentially ignored. The enemy attack came a week later. Meanwhile, a day before the Dec. 9 briefing, Patton had asked the Third Army chaplain not only for a weather prayer, but also for a training letter on the importance of prayer to be sent to all the chaplains and unit commanders down to battalion level. Writing four years later about his meeting with Patton, the chaplain, Col. James H. ONeill, recalled that the commander expressed a strong belief in the power of prayer. Patton told him, the chaplain wrote, Weve got to get not only the chaplains but every man in the Third Army to pray. We must ask God to stop these rains. On Dec. 11 and 12, more than 3,000 copies of the chaplains Training Letter No. 5 were distributed. It advised that This Army needs the assurance and the faith that God is with us. With prayer, we cannot fail. In case there was any doubt, ONeill added his pledge that the letter had the approval, the encouragement, and the enthusiastic support of the Third United States Army Commander. The prayer for good weather, printed on the back of a small card that carried Pattons Christmas greetings to the troops, also was distributed at this time. It was supposed to be in the hands of every Third Army soldier by Dec. 14. The text read: Almighty and merciful Father, we humbly beseech Thee, of Thy great goodness, to restrain these immoderate rains with which we have had to contend. Grant us fair weather for Battle. Graciously hearken to us as soldiers who call upon Thee that armed with Thy power, we

may advance from victory to victory, and crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies, and establish Thy justice among men and nations. Amen. With the advantage of prior planning based on Kochs intelligence reports, Patton was able to respond quickly to Eisenhowers request for action against the German breakout. The Third Army turned from east to north to meet the attack, moving from the Saar Valley to the relief of the beleaguered Bastogne. Even so, had the bad weathertypical for the season continued, the enemy onslaught would have been difficult to contain. On Dec. 20, however, the rains and fogs ceased. A week of bright, clear skies and perfect flying weather allowed Allied planes to strike the German forces a powerful blow. Pattons troops entered Bastogne the day after Christmas. The question remains, though, whether the tragic American losses in the Bulge might have been prevented. Kochs intelligence reports had accurately judged the enemy capabilities and predicted the coming course of events. Had Bradley and Eisenhower taken the precautionary steps that Patton took, the Allies could have been waiting and sprung a trap that ended the German thrust before it began. And what about Pattons prayer for good weather? There is no doubt that the change in weather was a vital factor in the outcome of the Bulge. It came just in time. According to ONeill, the prayer fit precisely into Pattons formula for success. In that meeting on Dec. 8, Patton claimed that the prayers of people back home were a significant reason for Third Armys achievements. The commander said success came through planning, working and praying.

Any great military operation takes careful planning, or thinking, Patton said. Then you must have well-trained troops to carry it out. Thats working. But there was always an unknown, he added, and that unknown spells defeat or victory, success or failure. He said, Some people call that getting the breaks, I call it God. ... Thats where prayer comes in. So far as ONeill was concerned, the Patton prayer merely enhanced the reputation of Gen. George S. Patton Jr. as one of Americas greatest soldiers. He had all the traits of military leadership, ONeill wrote, fortified by genuine trust in God, intense love of country, and high faith in the American soldier.

Robert Hays is a retired UIUC journalism professor and writer. He collaborated with Gen. Oscar Koch on G-2: Intelligence for Patton, published in 1971 and still in print. Hes currently at work on a biographical memoir about Koch. He can be reached at mbhays1@comcast.net.