There have been key military engagements fought during Christmas-New Year’s holiday that have altered the course of world events.

One of the most notable of World War II was in December 1944 when 200,000 German troops and 1,000 tanks launched a massive counteroffensive with the hopes of breaking through a lightly defended 75-mile stretch of the Ardennes Forest. This pre-Christmas attack, the last major offensive by Hitler’s war machine, initiated the Battle of the Bulge, which lasted six weeks.

Bastogne, a crossroads town in Belgium, was crucial to the German advance and soldiers of the 101st Airborne Screaming Eagles — one of whom was my uncle — were encircled. The German commander ordered their surrender or face annihilation.

General McAuliffe, commander of the 101st, delivered a brief reply that became legend.

“To the German Commander,” his note stated: “NUTS!”

After the skies cleared, the 101st was resupplied by air and the German siege was broken.

Other battles fought around the year-end holiday that were key in our history include:

The Battle of Trenton: Revolutionary War

This small but decisive battle fought on the morning of Dec. 26, 1776, in Trenton, New Jersey, was a tremendous morale boost for the colonies. Gen. George Washington’s surprise attack captured almost two-thirds of the Hessian force, giving the Continental Army a psychological advantage and putting British forces on the defensive.

On the home front, Christian churches held “watch-night” services, which was a custom on New Year’s Day, along with the colonial capon (hen) feast.

Battle of Stone’s River: Civil War

A three-day battle fought just outside Murfreesboro, Tennessee, during the New Year’s holiday of 1863, Stone’s River is often overlooked despite being one of the bloodiest battles of the war (over 23,500 of the 80,000 men engaged were either killed, wounded or missing).

As Union Gen. William Rosecrans advanced his Army, Confederate officers under Gen. Braxton Bragg were celebrating the holidays with Christmas balls and parties while their men huddled in their camps. Sam Watkins, a private in Bragg’s army, later wrote the boozing officers: “John Barleycorn was our general-in-chief … our generals, and colonels, and captains had kissed John a little too often.”

Truce in the trenches: World War I

During World War I, Christmas truces in 1914 and 1915 brought some temporary relief to the monotony and horrors of trench warfare.

One German soldier named Karl Aldage wrote:

“On New Year’s Eve we called across to tell each other the time and agreed to fire a salvo at 12. It was a cold night. We sang songs, and they clapped (we were only about 60 to 70 yards apart); we played the mouth organ and they sang and we clapped. … We had brewed some grog and drank the toast of the Kaiser and the New Year.”

Chinese New Year’s Offensive: Korean War

The Third Battle of Seoul, one of the most important engagements of the Korean War, started on Dec. 31, 1950, and ended on Jan. 7, 1951, with the Chinese capture of Seoul, the capital of South Korea.

The battle was part of the Chinese New Year’s Offensive, a coordinated attack on the western defenses of the United Nations. Although the capture of Seoul was an enormous military and propaganda victory for the Chinese, it soon became clear that they were overextended. Well-organized and supplied, U.N. forces launched a series of limited attacks, recapturing Seoul in March and April of 1951.

Tet Offensive: Vietnam War

Although the Tet offensive — the largest military operation by either side up to that point in the war — began in late January of 1968 — the new year surprise was a shock to Americans. Most of the initial attacks were quickly contained and repulsed and a disaster for the Communist forces.

The surprise offensive did, however, usher in a year of change not only in Vietnam but on the U.S. home front, marked by the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy. While the war would continue for another seven years, support by the American people declined after Tet and the war’s focus changed on one of disengagement rather than on how to win it.

Although there are numerous hot spots on the world map that continue to smolder today, we can be thankful that as this year and decade wind down, the nation is not involved in a major war.

By Jim Zbick | tneditor@tnonline.com