Bastogne: The Story of the First Eight Days - US Army Center Of ...

118 BASTOGNE
The main event for that day was summed up, though not too
neatly, in the G-2 Periodic Report No.4:
"The Commanding General's answer was, with a sarcastic air
of humorous tolerance, emphatically negative. The catastrophic
carnage of human. lives resulting from the artillery barrage of
astronomic proportions which was to be the fate of the defending
troops failed to materialize.
"The well known American humanity was considerate of the
threatened possible civilian losses by firing artillery concentrations
directed at the enemy's impudence."18
It was a victory for eloquence at some expense to grammar but
in keeping with the other grim humors of the day.
That night, December 22, the Luftwaffe began its bombing
attack which was x:epeated on the next four nights. 1i