“GRANT US FAIR WEATHER”

“Grant Us Fair Weather”

The downpour of rain and snow turned into a downpour of bombs.

DURING the summer of 1944 the Allied forces had been experiencing great success in Europe against Adolph Hitler’s German armies of the Third Reich. However, Hitler was biding his time, knowing that the upcoming winter weather would serve him well. The winter storms would prevent the Allied forces from using their air force, keeping the battles on the ground. The Germans had plenty of tanks and men but could not match the air power of the Allies. Hitler directed his forces “to benefit from the effect of surprise and to attack during a period when weather conditions are unfavourable for the enemy’s aviation.”

German meteorologists studied the historical weather patterns and settled on the beginning of December as the prime time to launch a major offensive. Sustained cloud cover was predicted for the second week of December, and Hitler planned surprise offensive attacks at Saint-Vith and Bostagne, Allied strongholds in Belgium. His objective was to make a swift breakthrough and capture Antwerp, thereby splitting the Allied armies. At 5:30 A.M. on December 16, 1944, German forces attacked, beginning the famous Battle of the Bulge. The stakes were high, for the German officers knew that if they were unsuccessful, this would be their last major battle.

The element of surprise was successful, and the Allied forces took heavy losses. The dense cloud cover and accompanying rain, wind, and snow made ground movements difficult and air strikes impossible. On December 22, in response to a directive from General George Patton, U.S. Army chaplain James O’Neill prayed over the Armed Forces Radio, “Almighty and most merciful Father, we humbly beseech Thee, of Thy great goodness, to restrain these immoderate rains with which we have to contend. Grant us fair weather for battle.”

By that afternoon the winds began to shift. There was still dense cloud cover, but the cover was rising. For an hour that day the German troops at Bostagne got their first taste of Allied airpower while the Allies kept praying.

General Patton launched a ground attack the next day amidst a blinding snowstorm. The swirling snow on the ground made it difficult for the troops to distinguish friend from foe. The situation was desperate, and all they could do was to keep praying.

Although the skies did not clear enough for an air attack, planes were able to drop much-needed rations, fuel, and ammunition to the Allied ground troops. The pressure was on the Germans to win a quick victory. If the Allied planes could resupply their troops with such accuracy amidst a blinding snowstorm, what would they be able to do with bombs once the skies cleared?

On the evening of December 23 the Allied meteorologists on the air bases relayed the forecast for the next morning: “Clear, with visibility 5 to 8 kilometers. . . .” The rest of the weather report could not be heard due to the joyous cheering of the bomber crews. Tomorrow they would fly. Their prayers had been answered!

On December 24, 1944, Allied fliers in their Lightnings, Mustangs, Thunderbolts, B-17s, and Liberators buried the German ground troops with an endless barrage of bombs. The rain, wind, and snow had at last given way to a rain of bombs!

The siege of Bostagne was quickly over as the Germans were rendered defenseless. The Allies mounted a vast counteroffensive on January 3, and the Battle of the Bulge officially ended on January 16.

God had answered the Allies’ prayers.

Reflection

God controls all things, including the weather. And the God who controls all things is a prayer-answering God. There need be no limitations on what we request from him.

Jesus rebuked the wind and the raging waves. The storm stopped and all was calm! Then he asked them, “Where is your faith?” And they were filled with awe and amazement. They said to one another, “Who is this man, that even the winds and waves obey him?”

Luke 8:24-25