1/72 Italeri Bastogne December 1944 – Battle Set 6113

• Type: Diorama accessories
• Period: Second World War
• SKILL: 2
• Box Dim.: 440 x 270 x 70 mm

The box contains:

• Wrecked house
• Walls and ruins
• Battlefield accessories
• German infantry : 24 figures, winter uniform
• U.S. infantry : 36 figures; winter uniform
• Sherman M4A3E2 Jumbo
• Sherman M4A3 76mm
• Pz. Kpfw. VI Tiger Ausf.
• Pak 40 AT Gun with 6 crew figures
• 8.8 cm Flak 37 AA Gun

On December 16th, 1944, the German Army launched through the thick Ardennes’ forest (in Belgium) a great offensive that had the code name “Wacht am Rhein” (Operation Guarding the Rhine). During this operation, the town of Bastogne and its surroundings were encircled by the German troops. Inside the pocket, around 15,000 American soldiers stood up to the repeated assaults of the German army for approximately ten days. The legendary resistance was that of the US 101st Airborne Division inside the town. On December 22nd, General von Lüttwitz, who was the German commander, submitted a demand for surrender to the encircled units. The answer of the American commander in Bastogne, Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe, was “NUTS”. Then, the Germans renew their attacks, trying to occupy the city but without getting results. On December 26th, some soldiers of General George Patton’s Third Army reached the besieged troops, breaking the siege and evacuating the wounded. The American Army lost more than 3,000 soldiers during this battle.