David K. Stone (American, 1922 - 2001) "Battle of the Bulge - Infantry" Original Oil painting on Masonite.Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation.This painting originally appeared on the Republic of the Marshall Islands 50c Battle of the Bulge 1944 - Infantry stamp issued December 16, 1994.At 5:30 on the morning of December 16, 1944, secretly-massed German artillery opened fire on the thinly spread American defenders in the Ardennes. Operation "Watch on the Rhine" -- the Third Reich's last desperate gamble to save itself by forcing the Western Allies to make peace -- had begun. When the four-hour bombardment ended, German infantry and tanks, led by SS General Josef Dietrich, began advancing through the woods and hills of the Ardennes. The German advance against the badly outnumbered Americans created a 50-mile "bulge" in the Allied lines. The Americans battled back doggedly, however, and by early January the fight turned against the Germans. By the end of January German forces had been all but destroyed and the "bulge" squeezed out of existence.Image Size: 23.75 x 14.5 in.Overall Size: 27 x 23.75 in.Unframed.(B14874)