Battle of the Bulge Memorial at Lake Eola
Dublin Core
Title
Battle of the Bulge Memorial at Lake Eola
Alternative Title
Battle of the Bulge Memorial
Subject
Orlando (Fla.)
Bulge, Battle of the, 1944-1945
World War II
Memorials--Florida
Veterans--Florida
Monuments--Southern States
Description
The Battle of the Bulge Memorial in Lake Eola Park in Downtown Orlando, Florida. This six-foot, bronze statue of an American G.I. sits on a bronze-outlined, white star set into a 34-foot diameter concrete base. The statue was sculpted by Chris Scala, a local artist from Orlando, and dedicated on December 16, 1999, the 55th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. American, Belgian, and Luxembourger flags fly in a semi-circle behind the statue. Scala also duplicated the monument for a memorial in Clervaux, Luxembourg.
The Battle of the Bulge was a major offensive campaign launched by German forces between December 16, 1944, and January 25, 1945. The battle was waged in the Ardennes region of France, Luxembourg, and Belgium's Wallonia region and involved armies from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Belgium, France, and the Luxembourgish resistance. The German attack was unexpected, causing the Allies, especially the United States, to lose a significant number of casualties. The goal of the offensive was to separate the British and American Allied forces in half, capture the Belgian city of Antwerp, and then surround the four Allied armies. While the Germans had the benefit of surprise and initially poor weather conditions that grounded the Allies' air forces, the Allied Forces were ultimately able to win the battle thanks to defensible terrain and improved weather conditions that allowed the use of air attacks. The battle is also known as Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein ("Operation Watch on the Rhine") to the Germans, Bataille des Ardennes ("Battle of the Ardennes") to the French, and the Ardennes Counteroffensive to the Allies as a whole. The Battle of the Bulge was the largest and bloodiest battle fought by the United States in World War II.
The Battle of the Bulge was a major offensive campaign launched by German forces between December 16, 1944, and January 25, 1945. The battle was waged in the Ardennes region of France, Luxembourg, and Belgium's Wallonia region and involved armies from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Belgium, France, and the Luxembourgish resistance. The German attack was unexpected, causing the Allies, especially the United States, to lose a significant number of casualties. The goal of the offensive was to separate the British and American Allied forces in half, capture the Belgian city of Antwerp, and then surround the four Allied armies. While the Germans had the benefit of surprise and initially poor weather conditions that grounded the Allies' air forces, the Allied Forces were ultimately able to win the battle thanks to defensible terrain and improved weather conditions that allowed the use of air attacks. The battle is also known as Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein ("Operation Watch on the Rhine") to the Germans, Bataille des Ardennes ("Battle of the Ardennes") to the French, and the Ardennes Counteroffensive to the Allies as a whole. The Battle of the Bulge was the largest and bloodiest battle fought by the United States in World War II.
Creator
Schuppe, Cody
Source
Original digital color image by Cody Schuppe, August 24, 2013.
Date Created
2013-08-24
Contributor
Schuppe, Cody
Is Part Of
Central Florida Monuments Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
"Hidden in Plain Sight: A Selection of Central Florida Monuments." RICHES of Central Florida.
Format
image/jpg
Extent
1.62 MB
Medium
1 color digital image
Language
eng
Type
Still Image
Coverage
Battle of the Bulge Memorial, Lake Eola Park, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Belgium
France
Germany
Luxembourg
Spatial Coverage
Accrual Method
Item Creation
Mediator
History Teacher
Civics/Government Teacher
Geography Teacher
Humanities Teacher
Visual Arts Teacher
Provenance
Originally created and owned by Cody Schuppe.
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by Cody Schuppe and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.
Contributing Project
Dr. Anne Lindsay's Public History: Principles and Techniques Undergraduate Class
Curator
Schuppe, Cody
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
External Reference
The United States Army Center of Military History. Overview-Battle of the Bulge." The United States Army. http://www.army.mil/botb/overview.html.
Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge Memorial Committee Inc. "Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge Newsletter." Orange County Regional History Center Collection, Orlando Florida.
Shaw, Gwyneth K., "emorial Long on Fans, Short on Funds: The Statue Would Honor Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge In World War II. It Is Based on a Memorial in Europe." The Orlando Sentinel, July 25, 1999. http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1999-07-25/news/9907230213_1_meisel-lake-eola-park-bulge.
The Bulge Bugle, vol. XIX, no. 1 (February 2000). http://www.veteransofthebattleofthebulge.org/vbob/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/2000-Feb.pdf.
Transcript
VETERANS of the BATTLE of the BULGE ARDENNES
DEDICATED TO THE GALANT MEN AND WOMEN WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE, WORLD WAR II, 16 DECEMBER 1944 THRU 25 JANUARY 1945 IN BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG, THE GREATEST BATTLE EVER FOUGHT BY THE UNITED STATES ARMY. THE VETERANS OF THE BATTLE OG THE BULGE ASSEMBLED HERE ON 16 DECEMBER 1999 TO COMMEMORATE THE 55TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE EVER FAMOUS AMERICAN VICTORY, AND HONOR ALL WORLD WAR II VETERANS.
DEDICATED TO THE GALANT MEN AND WOMEN WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE, WORLD WAR II, 16 DECEMBER 1944 THRU 25 JANUARY 1945 IN BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG, THE GREATEST BATTLE EVER FOUGHT BY THE UNITED STATES ARMY. THE VETERANS OF THE BATTLE OG THE BULGE ASSEMBLED HERE ON 16 DECEMBER 1999 TO COMMEMORATE THE 55TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE EVER FAMOUS AMERICAN VICTORY, AND HONOR ALL WORLD WAR II VETERANS.
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
1 color digital image
Collection
Citation
Cody Schuppe, “Battle of the Bulge Memorial at Lake Eola,” RICHES, accessed June 2, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/2826.