German troops surrounded the Russians in the Augustów Primeval Forest in western Poland. Their last stand allowed the retreating Russian 10th Army to reform their defenses.
German exclusion zones went into effect.
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The last major German stronghold in the Ardennes, St. Vith, fell to the US 4th Army.
German lawyer and nobleman Helmuth James Graf von Moltke was executed for his membership in hte Kreisau Circle. He was 37.
The 20th Indian Division in Burma took Myinmu.
The US 14th Corps took Bamban in the Philippines.
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The Red Army finally took a destroyed Warsaw. Hitler reacted by sacking generals Smilo Freiherr von Lüttwitz and Walter Fries.
Von Lüttwitz, who had seen combat in World War One and Two, went on to be a general in the Bundesherr. He died in 1975 at age 79.
Freis was subjected to a trial for his role in the city following in which Hitler requested a death sentence. Amazingly, the court refused and Fries survived the war as well and died in 1982 at age 88.
The SS marched prisoners out of Auschwitz.
Swedish businessman and humanitarian Raoul Wallenberg disappeared after being detained by the Soviets in Budapeast. He likely died in a Soviet jail cell two years later.
The German SS Donau was sunk by the Norwegian resistancde in Oslofjord
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The Luftwaffe commenced Operation Bodenplatte, which had originally been planned for December 16, in an attempt to cripple Allied air forces in the Low Countries. The hope was to gain air superiority so that the stalled German advance in Wacht am Rhein could resume.
A tactical surprise resulting in the destruction of 500 Allied aircraft on the ground, it none the less failed to achieve its goal and actually destroyed the Luftwaffe as an offensive, or even defensive, force due to heavy losses. Allied losses were replaced within one week.
Soldiers of the 11th Armored Division murdered about 80 German POWs at Chenogne, Belgium, in reprisal for the Malmedy Massacre.
Some of the boys had some prisoners line up. I knew they were going to shoot them, and I hated this business.... They marched the prisoners back up the hill to murder them with the rest of the prisoners we had secured that morning.... As we were going up the hill out of town, I know some of our boys were lining up German prisoners in the fields on both sides of the road. There must have been 25 or 30 German boys in each group. Machine guns were being set up. These boys were to be machine gunned and murdered. We were committing the same crimes we were now accusing the Japs and Germans of doing.... Going back down the road into town I looked into the fields where the German boys had been shot. Dark lifeless forms lay in the snow.
Following the Malmedy Massacre some US units were issued orders not to take SS POWs, a clearly illegal order. The murdered POWs, however, were members of the Führerbegleitbrigade and 3rd Panzergrenadier Division, German Army units, the latter of which had been associated with atrocities in Italy.
The killing of SS POWs became routine in some units.
The event was covered up and only really became known in detail in 2018. This was not the only such event that occurred, and some units began to routinely kill SS prisoners.
The UK refused to recognize the Soviet sponsored Polish government.
Hitler made a radio address which omitted the current German situation to such an extent that it provoked Allied debate on who made it, and when.
It's worth noting at this point that while October, 1944, was the bloodiest month of the war for the US, in larger terms, the killing and dying ramped up massively starting in January, 1945, as the Allies closed in on Germany.
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Bastogne was surrounded.
General Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz, commander of German forces outside of Bastogne, sent a major, a lieutenant and two enlisted men to deliver an ultimatum to US forces. The ultimatum, delivered to 101st artillery commander, Gen. Anthony McAuliffe, who was in command, read:
To the U.S.A. Commander of the encircled town of Bastogne.
The fortune of war is changing. This time the U.S.A. forces in and near Bastogne have been encircled by strong German armored units. More German armored units have crossed the river Ourthe near Ortheuville, have taken Marche and reached St. Hubert by passing through Hompre-Sibret-Tillet. Libramont is in German hands.
There is only one possibility to save the encircled U.S.A. troops from total annihilation: that is the honorable surrender of the encircled town. In order to think it over a term of two hours will be granted beginning with the presentation of this note.
If this proposal should be rejected one German Artillery Corps and six heavy A. A. Battalions are ready to annihilate the U.S.A. troops in and near Bastogne. The order for firing will be given immediately after this two hours term.
All the serious civilian losses caused by this artillery fire would not correspond with the well-known American humanity.
The German Commander.
McAuliffe read the note, crumpled it up, and muttered, "Aw, nuts" after realizing that the Germans were asking for a U.S. surrender, rather than the other way around. Lieutenant Colonel Harry Kinnard suggested that McAuliffe's response summed up the situation well and reply was typed and delivered by Colonel Joseph Harper, commanding the 327th Glider Infantry, to the German delegation. It stated:
To the German Commander.
NUTS!
The American Commander.
The German commander was confused by the reply, understandably, and asked Harper what it meant. Harper replied; "In plain English? Go to hell." McAuliffe himself never used profanity.
Slowed progress caused Guderian to recommend the German offensive in the Ardennes be halted.
Guderian and McAuliffe's assessment was realistic. While from the outside the American situation appeared desperate, in fact it was not. The German advance had been massively slowed by American resistance, including by relatively inexperienced troops. At Bastogne the Germans now faced two airborne divisions which were used to being surrounded.
President Roosevelt signed the Flood Control Act of 1944.
A new provisional government was formed in Hungary.
The People's Army of Vietnam was formed.
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The WASP has completed its mission. Their job has been successful. But as is usual in war, the cost has been heavy. Thirty-eight WASP have died while helping their country move toward the moment of final victory. The Air Forces will long remember their service and their final sacrifice.
"Troops of 10th Armored Division preparing for attack on German spearhead headed toward Bastogne, Belgium, await order to move out. Note refugees in foreground. 19 December, 1944. 10th Armored Division."
The Germans took about 9,000 surrounded U.S. troops prisoner in the Schnee Eifel region on the Belgian-German border. US forces were pushed out of German territory. The 6th SS Panzer Army reached Stavelot and 5th Panzer Army approached Houffalize. US forces in-between these advances continue to hold Gouvy and St. Vith.
Eisenhower appoints Field Marshal Montgomery, commanding British 21st Army Group, to lead all Allied forces to the north of " the Bulge" and General Bradley, all Allied forces to the south reflecting the tactical situation.
Chester Nimitz was promoted to five star rank.
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Japan determined to cease reenforceing the Japanese 35th Army on Leyte.
The Japanese aircraft carrier Unryū was sunk in the East China Sea by the Redfish. The German submarine U-737 sank in a collision with depot ship MRS 25 in Vestfjorden, Norway.
The French newspaper Le Monde published for the first time.
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The Battle of Ormoc Bay began in the Camotes Sea off of the Philippines. It would carry on well into December and result in disproportionate Japanese losses as they attempted to reinforce ground elements on Leyte. On this day, four destroyers, 1 minesweeper and 5 transports carrying nearly 10,000 troops were sunk in heavy Japanese losses.
Iwo Jima was bombarded by the U.S.Navy.
Remaining German troops in Greece withdrew.
The Battle of Batina began in Croatia.
The U-771 and U-1200 were sunk by the Royal Navy.
The 1942-44 musicians strike ended with RCA Victor and Columbia Records agreeing to union demands.
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This peculiar looking vehicle is an East German SPW 152 "Iron Pig", which was their variant of the Soviet BTR 152. The armored vehicle was designed as an armored personnel carrier, but utilized for other things as well. The gun in this one is likely an anti-aircraft gun.
The Jeeps in these photographs are M151s, which will be dealt with elsewhere.
