Today in World War II History—December 16, 1939 & 1944
German troops passing abandoned American equipment during the Battle of the Bulge (US Army Center of Military History)
Finnish soldier with a Molotov Cocktail during the Winter War (Public domain via Wikipedia)
80 Years Ago—December 16, 1939: Finnish ski troops fight Soviets with first use of homemade “Molotov Cocktails.”
75 Years Ago—Dec. 16, 1944: Battle of the Bulge begins—three German armies launch the Ardennes Offensive in Belgium and Luxembourg, advancing rapidly.
Betsie ten Boom, sister of Corrie ten Boom (author of The Hiding Place) dies at Ravensbrück concentration camp, age 59.
German V-2 rocket hits Rex Cinema in Antwerp, Belgium, killing 567, including 296 Allied servicemen, the largest death toll ever from a V-weapon.
George Marshall, US Army Chief of Staff, is promoted to 5-star general of the army.
