In December 1944, the Germans launched a surprise offensive through the Ardennes Forest. Bastogne—a small Belgian town where seven key roads converged—became a critical objective. Between Dec. 17 and 18, the 101st Airborne Division was alerted and rushed in by truck to hold the crossroads at all costs. They won the race to Bastogne, but within days were surrounded. Cut off from supplies, the defenders faced blistering cold, shortages of food and ammunition, and constant German attacks. On Dec. 2