Battle of the Bulge veteran recalls 40 days on the front lines

Posted on December 5, 2014

By ANGELA M. CASTELUCCI / Staff writer

Still raw from the bombing of Pearl Harbor just three years earlier, American soldiers stationed in France were battle-tired as a bitter winter swept across the land.

On Dec. 16, 1944, Hitler launched three powerful German armies headlong into the rugged mountains and dense forests of the Ardennes determined to break the American line of defense.

PHOTO: Army Veteran Virgil V. Villa will turn 92 in January. He was 20 when he entered the Army and was soon overseas fighting in the European Theater. He praises the dedication of his fellow medics, soldiers and Army nurses.

Subscribe to our e-Edition and read the rest of the story. Already a subscriber? Click here to sign in.