American troops fought during Christmas

   These are 6 of the worst places American troops fought during Christmas

American troops have never shied away from taking the fight to 

the nation’s enemies, no matter the season.

But it’s a particular downer when U.S. forces are deployed to battlefields 

during the holidays. Here are six of the worst places the American 

military had to fight during Christmas.

1. Valley Forge (1777)

Just a year earlier, on Christmas Day 1776, Washington had led his troops 

across the Delaware and won a decisive victory at the Battle of Trenton.

When Washington marched that same army into Valley Forge on 

December 19, 1777, the 12,000 Continentals were weary, under-fed, and 

under-equipped. Only about one in four still had shoes after the many long 

marches had literally worn them right off their feet.

The weather was also bitterly cold, which combined with the other problems 

facing the army led to over 2,500 soldiers dying due to starvation, disease, 

and exposure.

The bright spot of the army’s stay at Valley Forge was the training received 

by the Prussian drill master Baron Von Steuben. Thanks to his efforts, 

the Continentals began 1778 a much more professional fighting 

force than they had been.

2. The Winter Line (1943)

Central Italy may not be known to most for terrible winters. But for the American 

and Allied troops facing the German Winter Line at the end of 1943, 

it was far from favorable

                                             Fighting in the Italian Alps during Christmas during World War II.

Stiff German defenses in the Apennine Mountains had brought the Allied 

advance to a standstill with tremendous numbers of casualties. 

To make 

matters worse, bitter winter weather had moved in 

dumping snow on the weary troops and dropping visibility to near zero.

Despite the weather conditions and determined German resistance 

the men of the 36th Infantry Division, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 

and the 1st Special Service Force fought on — particularly on Christmas Day,

 when the 1st Special Service Force captured a strategic hill on the 

Winter Line with heavy casualties.

3. Bastogne (1944)

When American troops think of a terrible Christmas this one usually tops the list.

The Battered Bastards of Bastogne (the 101st Airborne Division, elements of 

the 9th and 10th Armored Divisions, and other support elements) had 

arrived to hold the key crossroads against the German onslaught just in

time for Christmas 1944.

As the Battle of the Bulge progressed, the paratroopers and soldiers were

 surrounded, short of supplies, and desperately lacking in winter 

gear to battle the freezing temperatures they had to endure. Despite

 the conditions they faced when the Germans requested the Americans’

 surrender Gen. Anthony McAuliffe simply responded with “Nuts!”

After fending off a German attack on Christmas Day the defenders were

 relieved by elements of Patton’s Third Army.

4. Basically anywhere in Korea (1950)

Christmas 1950 in Korea was an ignominious affair. After the brilliant 

victory at Inchon and the drive towards the Yalu River, China had entered

 the fray and handed the UN Forces their first defeat since breakout of Pusan.

                               

United States Marines sit covered with ice and snow in this handout photograph taken at the Battle of 

Chosin Reservoir in North Korea in December of 1950. Thousands of veterans of “Frozen Chosin”,

 as the two-week-long battle is sometimes referred to, suffered frostbite in 30-below-zero temperatures. 

The Department of Veterans Affairs for the first time has formally recognized the long-term effects of 

frostbite as a service-related injury.

In response, MacArthur launched the Home-by-Christmas Offensive

 to bring a quick conclusion to the war. But the Chinese were ready

for it and decisively defeated American forces.  The 1st Marine Division

 had narrowly avoided annihilation at the Chosin Reservoir, but 

many other units weren’t so lucky.

For the Eighth Army in Korea morale was low and the temperatures 

were even lower. Not only were they not going to be home by Christmas, 

but New Year’s didn’t bring better tidings either.

Another Chinese offensive sent the demoralized Americans reeling and 

recaptured the South Korean capital of Seoul. Christmas 1950 was one 

of the lowest points in the war for the Americans.

                              5. Operation Linebacker II (1972)

By the end of 1972 the war in Vietnam was supposed to be all but over. 

President Richard Nixon’s program of Vietnamization had allowed large

 numbers of U.S. troops to withdraw from the country.

                                      A U.S. Air Force Boeing B-52F Stratofortress drops bombs over Vietnam.

However, negotiations in Paris were not going well for the Americans, so Nixon

 ordered a massive bombing campaign against the North in order to extract 

concessions from North Vietnam. Massive formations of B-52’s escorted by

fighters took to the skies over North Vietnam in what became known 

as the Christmas Bombings.

From December 19 to December 29, 1972 the bombers flew 729 sorties 

against targets around Hanoi and Haiphong.

Unfortunately these bombings claimed 16 B-52s and numerous fighter

 aircraft, with the surviving crewmembers being interred as POWs just in 

time for Christmas. In all 43 airmen were killed and another 49 captured 

with a total of 28 aircraft lost to enemy action in the span of just over a week.

For a war that was drawing to a close flying into highly-contested airspace

 was a miserable way to spend the war’s last Christmas.

6. The lonely Combat Outposts of Afghanistan and Iraq (2001 – present)

As the War on Terror approaches its 15th Christmas with who knows

 how many more ahead, the soldiers stationed in the remote reaches of 

those war torn countries have to be included on any list of worst places 

to spend Christmas.

Gilliand Hudson, a carpenter with FLOUR, 
acts as Santa Claus and poses alongside U.S. 
soldiers with 4th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery
 Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th 
Mountain Division, on Forward Operating 
Base Clark, Afghanistan, Dec. 25, 2013.
 Hudson dressed as Santa Claus to spread 
holiday cheer for soldiers away from home 
for the holidays.

With the unprecedented length of these wars, there are likely American

 troops spending yet another Christmas overseas. In World War II even 

the first units to deploy would have only spent three Christmas’s in a 

combat zone; there is a good chance that thousands of troops have 

spent more than that at this point since 9/11.

Those holidays are even more difficult at the tiny combat outposts in 

the middle of nowhere. If the troops are lucky, there might have been 

something resembling a Christmas dinner flown in that they can eat 

while standing guard in a cold little shack or tower.

If they aren’t so lucky, Christmas dinner is just another MRE and 

the best gift they can hope for is a quiet day.