December 1944 saw the German Army launch a blitzkreig on the western front, designed to cut the American Army off from the British Army, and drive to the port of Antwerp cutting off the Brits. It was Hitler's last roll of the dice.
For the first few days, things went all the German's way. They overran a lightly defended area in Belgium, making big gains towards their objectives. Only the crossroads town of Bastogne held out, bottling up part of the advance.
Eisenhower had kept George Patton on a shot leash - at the urging of British Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery (he and Patton detested each other), but now Ike needed his best field General. Patton turned on a dime and had six divisions point north to relieve Bastogne.
The problem was that the weather was awful. Clouds and snow kept the Army Air Corps grounded while the SS Panzer divisions ran wild. Patton turned to the Third Army Chaplain, Col. James Hugh O'Neill and asked him for a prayer for better weather. Here is what the Padre came up with, which was distributed to the entire Third Army, issued on this day in 1944:
Almighty and most 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.
The weather cleared almost immediately. Patton got Col. O'Neill awarded the Bronze Star for his intercession withe the Almighty.
Note: if you are not following OldAFSarge's online novel about this battle, you're missing out.
Note: if you are not following OldAFSarge's online novel about this battle, you're missing out.
ReplyDeleteTRUE!
A great story
I am convinced that God walked with America. I believe in coincidence, but raw, repeated outhouse luck cannot explain victories like Midway or Guadalcanal or any numbers of others.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think that’s the case anymore though.
Love that prayer.
ReplyDeleteThanks BP.
See! We really were on a Crusade against Evil. This proves it.
ReplyDeleteWhich fits right in with what Glen said.
Now? God is with the everyday man and everyday serviceman (gender unspecific 'man' used here) but our elite has turned away from His full light and only seem to turn to the Morningstar. Which troubles me.
Thank you for bringing this prayer and the circumstances back to our attention. I remember one teacher who was a Bulge veteran who recited that prayer right before Christmas Break. That was back in the late 70's. Ever after the Bulge, he hated cold overcast weather, which was his reason for moving to Florida.
Glen, I think it was Bismark who remarked that the Almighty looks after drunks and Americans.
ReplyDeleteOldAFSarge, I very much enjoy your novel.
Beans, I wasn't at Bastogne but *I'm* glad we moved to Florida. Things look ugly up north.
We took a pretty heavy beating in the Guadalcanal campaign, but won out eventually. Never forget. After the naval battles for Guadalcanal, we had - count em - ONE operational carrier in the entire pacific - USS Enterprise. In that campaign, the USN suffered higher casualties than the USMC did. But that was the low point. After that it was all up. By the end of the war, we had 28 fleet carriers and over 100 escort carriers.
ReplyDelete