From: John F. Biddle, June 2008
My brother, Thomas Edward Biddle, was killed in the Battle of the Bulge. He had entered the National Guard from high school in Philadelphia in February 1941. Subsequently his unit was Federalized for war duty. He had intended to make the military his career. He was married and had one son. He was from a family of eight children, with four in the service during World War ll. Originally, Lieutenant Biddle was buried in an Ameircan Military Cemetery in Europe. Following the war, his remains were returned to the United States for burial in Arlington National Cemetery in 1948.
NOTE: From Military Records: Biddle, Thomas E. Jr., Killed-in-Action, 3 January 1945 at Hotton-Grandmenil, Belgium. Company D, 291st Infantry Regiment, 75th Infantry Division.
World War II (WWII) was on the verge of ending as the U.S. and Britain closed in on Germany from the west while the Soviet Union attacked from the east. Deep in the Ardennes Forest in eastern Belgium and northern Luxembourg, Allied troops thought the Germans were close to surrender. The Allied troops thought wrong. Hitler thought of an attack so gruesome that the Allies nearly lost. This was the largest battle of World War II, the Battle of the Bulge.
The Battle of the Bulge was one of the most devastating battles in Wirkd War II because of how many lives were lost. This battle began on December 16, 1944 and ended on January 28, 1945. The Allies had about 82,400 casualties (soldiers captured, killed, or wounded.), and the Germans had 220,000 casualties!
BIDDLE, THOMAS E JR
First Lieutenant, United States Army
- DATE OF BIRTH: 10/12/1923
- DATE OF DEATH: 01/03/1945
- BURIED AT: SECTION 12 SITE 2827
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.
Reviewed by: Michael Howard