On Dec. 8, an exasperated Patton asked his chief chaplain, James H. O’Neill, to compose a prayer for good weather. He ordered 250,000 copies to be distributed to every man in the Third Army. By Dec. 14 prayer cards were scattered among more than 20 divisions.
The timing was perfect. Two days later, the Germans began a terrifying barrage of Allied lines in the densely forested Ardennes, marking the opening salvos of World War II’s deadliest campaign, the Battle of the Bulge. Hitler’s aim was to split Allied forces, reach the port of Antwerp, and perhaps force a negotiated end to the war on the western front.
