For Juneteenth, I thought I’d continue on my exploration of World War II films and after making random searches, I decided to look at “Battle of the Bulge.” I’m fairly certain that the reason I know the name of this battle is because of the 1965 film that I saw more than once on TV. Yet the internet changed how I consume films so I was in for a few surprises. 

The actual battle is also known as the Ardennes Offensive which took place during the winter (16 December 1944 to 16 January 1945) and was the last major German offensive on the Western Front during World War II according to Britannica. 

• Battle of the Bulge (US Army)
• Battle of the Bulge (22 July 2020, History.com)
• Battle of the Bulge (Britannica)

The Warner Bros. film was directed by Ken Annakin (1914-2009) who was in the Royal Air Force and worked as a camera operator for Ministry of Information and British Council films like the 1942 “We Serve” as assistant director. He also directed training films for Verity Films. He was also one of the director (British and French) for the 1962 “The Longest Day.” 

Another film on the same battle had been in the works by Columbia, but was never made and there was litigation between Columbia and Warner Bros. 

Narrated by William Conrad (best known for starring in the TV series “Cannon”), the film starred Henry Fonda (“The Grapes of Wrath,” 1940), Robert Shaw (“A Man for All Seasons,” 1966 and “The Sting,” 1973) , Robert Ryan (“Crossfire,” 1947) and Dana Andrews (“The Best Years of Our Lives,” 1946).  

Although two decades had passed before this film came out, none of the senior Allied leaders are named or portrayed. This is possibly due to some controversy about showing mistakes made by Allied officers in response to the German counteroffensive. 

Yet despite a lovely performance by Fonda, the film is so filled with errors that former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, publicly criticized it. Eisenhower had been the Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Western Europe and had served as the 34th president of the US (1953-1961) with Richard M. Nixon as his Vice President. The article in the LA Times came out before the film had actually premiered and  Eisenhower had not seen the film. 

African American soldiers were involved in the Battle of the Bulge, but, as can be expected from films made about the war in the 1950s and 1960s, no African American soldiers are seen in this film. To date, the three sources on the battle listed above will make no mention of why in terms of race relations, this battle is so significant. 

Further, while the Malmedy Massacre by SS troops is portrayed in the 1965 “Battle of the Bulge,” the lesser known Wereth 11 Massacre is not. 

• Justice After the 1944 Malady Massacre (16 July 2021)
• The Wereth 11 Massacre During the Battle of the Bulge (2018)

The two African American segregated troops involved in the Battle of the Bulge were the 761st and the 333rd.

• Black Panthers in the Snow: The 761st Tank Battalion at the Battle of the Bulge (10 July 2020)
• Sacrifice: The 333rd Field Artillery at the Battle of the Bulge (21 August 2020)
• Historian Shares 101st Airborne Black History Moments (12 February 2021)

Why this specific battle is of particular interest is because according to the PBS American Experience article:

Battle of the Bulge
Combat brought another opportunity to African American soldiers between December 1944 and January 1945, when the U.S. Army desegregated its units for the first and only time during World War II, at the Battle of the Bulge. Roughly 2,500 African Americans fought alongside white soldiers to repel the Germans in a wintry, miserable sequence of weeks. In the aftermath of the battle, the integration effort was well received, and the African American soldiers were evaluated as having done “well.”

“Battle of the Bulge” had its world premiere at the Pacific Cinema Dome Theatre in Hollywood, CA on 16 December 1965 which was the 21st anniversary of the battle. Seeing it on television years later, more than once, without the benefit of the criticism of the 1960s now readily available online, this is what I know and remembered of that battle. Now almost 80 years after the Battle of the Bulge, this is one World War II film that could use a more accurate and diverse remake. 

N.B.: There is a 2020 film, “Battle of the Bulge: Winter War,” that follows a Lt. Robert Cappa and the 2nd Infantry Division during that battle, but it was widely panned.