72 years ago, the Allies beat back the last great Nazi offensive -- 16 photos of the Battle of the Bulge

(AP Photo) On the morning of December 16, 1944, more than 200,000 German troops and almost 1,000 tanks drove into the Ardennes, across an 85-mile stretch of the front line, running from southern Belgium to the middle of Luxembourg. The German thrust shredded Allied lines, held by units sent to the Ardennes to rest and reorganize. Bad weather held Allied air power in check, and many American troops were caught off guard. The US 106th Infantry division was encircled in hours, and two out of three ...