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The Soldiers of 'The Longest Winter'

Sixty years ago, Adolf Hitler launched a last attempt to maintain Germany's hold on Europe. On Dec. 16, 1944, German troops blasted through allied lines in the Ardennes forest of eastern Belgium. The goal of the surprise attack was to force American troops into a humiliating mass surrender.

Soldiers on the ground held the Germans off in what proved to be a decisive fight. But after repulsing three German assaults in a fierce day-long battle, one platoon ran out of ammunition and was captured.

The story of their survival while being held at some of the Third Reich's most notorious POW camps is the subject of a new book by Alex Kersaw. It's called The Longest Winter: The Battle of the Bulge and the Epic Story of World War II's Most Decorated Platoon. Kershaw talks with NPR's Jennifer Ludden about the 18 young men who were honored for their bravery more than 30 years later.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.