Facing collapse on two fronts, Nazi Germany launched a desperate surprise offensive through the Ardennes in December 1944.

Nicknamed the “Bloody Bucket” by the Germans, the 28th Infantry Division played a major role during the Battle of the Bulge.

Neil Smoak has spent his life studying his family, including three Smoak men from Colleton County who died June 9, 1944, during the Normandy invasion.