Tuesday, December 16, 2014

In Memory of Corporal Steve J. Peakler on the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge



This month marks the 70th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, that famous WWII Allied victory that proved to be the final blow to Hitler’s efforts towards world domination.  By in large, since the Allies’ successful landing on the Normandy shores of France six months earlier, the Allies had pushed Hitler and his forces to the brink of defeat.  The Bulge was Hitler’s last great chance to stem that tide.  It was during the Battle of the Bulge that Corporal Steve J. Peakler of Dunmore, Pennsylvania was killed in action on Dec. 21, 1944 at Elsenborn Ridge in the Ardennes forest of Belgium.  He was 28 years old.  Steve was one of the 19,000 Americans who was killed during the battle that lasted from Dec. 16, 1944 to Jan. 25, 1945.
 
History often credits the fight for the hub town of Bastogne as the key turning point in the battle, but it is important to note that Elsenborn Ridge was just as central, if not more crucial to the Allies’ victory.  Like Bastogne, the Elsenborn Ridge was a hub from which key roads sprung; roads that led to the essential Meuse River and the tactical port city of Antwerp.  The Americans stationed there were burdened with the task of preventing the most elite of Hitler’s troops from reaching the nearby towns, towns that held large amounts of supplies – supplies the Germans would need if they were to advance the battle.

Steve was attached to the 38th Infantry Regiment of the 2nd U.S. Army Division present at the battle that December.  At Elsenborn Ridge, Steve and his fellow Americans successfully stopped the strongest armored units the Germans had in play during the battle – renowned Panzer tank units esteemed so highly by Hitler himself.  It's worth noting that the only American sector of the front line that wasn’t pushed back by the German advance during the Battle of the Bulge was at Elsenborn Ridge.  Corporal Peakler was one of 5,000 Americans who gave his life to defend that essential, defensive, Allied position.

In an address to the House of Commons in London following the Battle of the Bulge, Winston Churchill said, “This is undoubtedly the greatest American battle of the war and will, I believe, be regarded as an ever famous American victory.”  Seventy years after that battle, we should remember all those like Steve Peakler who gave their own lives and futures to ensure that we might enjoy ours in the peace that this victory and others like it secured for us.

Corporal Peakler is buried at the Henri-Chapelle American War Cemetery in Liege, Belgium.  He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.  He entered service on Jan. 24, 1941 as a Private in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.  He rests with 7,992 other American soldiers who were killed during WWII and buried at Henri-Chapelle Cemetery in Belgium.  On the seventieth anniversary of that famous battle and Steve’s passing, we owe Steve and all those who gave so unselfishly of themselves to remember and honor their sacrifice with the respect and dignity it so rightly deserves.


3 comments:

  1. Gosh i am doing research on my family and found my uncle Steve ..my dads brother! My dad passed from cancer in 61 when i was 3 so i never got to know that side of the family...I have to say he made me feel proud

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    1. I'm sorry to hear that you didn't have your dad or your uncle Steve's presence in your life growing-up, but you're right to feel pride as a result of your uncle's bravery and sacrifice. In his hometown of Dunmore, Pennsylvania, there is a banner with his picture on it to denote his service to his country. This year, the town decided to place banners along the main streets of Dunmore in honor of all its hometown heroes. All of these many years after the ultimate sacrifice your uncle made for his country, he is not forgotten.

      Warmest regards to you and your family.

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