In mid-1944, it looked as if the war in Europe was coming to an end. Hitler was on the run, and the Allies had triumphantly regained Paris, as well as Casablanca and Tripoli, Naples, and Rome. After five hard years of war, Allied soldiers were breathing easier—even stopping to enjoy dances and parties.

Hitler, however, had one final card to play. In December 1944, he struck back with a brutal counterattack. The Battle of the Bulge was the single biggest and bloodiest battle U.S. soldiers have ever fought. Almost 80,000 Americans were killed, injured, or captured in an infernal test of courage and endurance that ultimately ended with a hard-won victory for the Allies.

Battle of the Bulge looks at the battle through the eyes of the U.S. soldiers and combat officers in the field—the young men charged with holding the line and closing the bulge. They describe the events leading up to the attack and how the Allied forces were caught unprepared—and talk with disarming honesty about the grueling physical and psychological conditions under which they fought and of the memories that still haunt them. Packed with rare archival newsreel and Army footage, this documentary offers a compelling chronicle of war that captures both the action on the front lines and the strategy behind the scenes.

Special DVD features include: link to the American Experience Web site; closed captions; and described video for the visually impaired.

On one DVD5 disc. Region coding: All regions. Audio: Dolby stereo. Screen format: 4x3 full screen.