Today in World War II History—December 21, 1944
Two soldiers of US 101st Airborne Division with bazookas guard road leading to Bastogne, Belgium, 23 Dec 1944 (US Army Center of Military History)
80 Years Ago—Dec. 21, 1944: In the Battle of the Bulge, Germans surround US troops in Bastogne, Belgium, and take the crossroads at St. Vith after heavy fighting.
US Sixth Army secures Ormoc Valley on Leyte.
Last class of WAVES officers graduates, and the first two African-American WAVES officers complete training and are commissioned.
Lt. (j.g.) Harriet Ida Pickens (left) and Ens. Frances Wills close a suitcase after graduating from the Naval Reserve Midshipmen’s School (WR) at Northampton, MA, 21 Dec 1944. They were the Navy’s first African-American WAVES officers and graduated with the Northampton school’s final class. (US Navy Photo 80-G-297441)
