Military Myths & Legends: Vince Speranza's Epic Beer Run During the Defense of Bastogne

The Siege of Bastogne was one of the most crucial fights of World War II, and it came amid the largest battle the U.S. Army has ever fought – the Battle of the Bulge. The Germans caught the Americans by surprise on Dec. 16, 1944, mustering more than 400,000 men, 550 tanks, and hundreds of other vehicles for one last offensive. The goal was to push the Allies back toward the sea and recapture the critical port of Antwerp. 

German forces overwhelmed American defenses as they poured through the Ardennes Forest, forcing the retreat of tens of thousands of shocked American soldiers. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower knew his supply lines were already thin, a blizzard negated Allied air superiority and the Ardennes area was full of green and exhausted troops – some who had been fighting since D-Day. Eisenhower declared that holding the Belgian city of Bastogne would be the single most important mission of the battle and sent the 101st Airborne Division to mount its defenses.

Among those paratroopers sent to Bastogne was a young Pvt. Vince Speranza. Speranza joined the Army at age 18, hoping to become a simple line infantryman. But when he saw his first demonstration of a new kind of warfare, airborne paratroopers, he became enamored and signed up to join their ranks. He became a machine gunner and a replacement troop attached to Company H, 3rd Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, and arrived in Europe in time to defend Bastogne. 
 
Speranza survived the war and buried his memories of it. He allowed them to come back up when he taught kids about World War II as a history teacher, his decades-long postwar career. He eventually decided to return to Bastogne in 2009 at 84 years old. When he got there, he discovered he was a kind of historical celebrity - but not for anything he did with his machine gun. 

Like other members of the 101st Airborne, Speranza spent the first eight days of the siege getting pounded by German artillery along the front line. On the second day, his best friend Joe Willis was hit by shrapnel from the enemy barrages and was evacuated to a casualty collection point housed in a church inside the city. Speranza went to visit his friend the first time he got the chance. 

When he finally found Willis, his buddy asked him to get him a drink, and he didn't mean water. Speranza tried to explain to his wounded comrade that much of the city was in ruins; they were surrounded, and supplies couldn't reach them. Willis implored Speranza to take a look anyway. As he walked out of the church, he located a nearby tavern – or what remained of a tavern. As luck would have it, he walked in, and one of the taps worked.

Having nothing else to carry the beer in, Speranza used his helmet, filling it with beer to take to his friend. He made two full trips before a major caught him. Angry, the officer warned Speranza the beer might kill his friend or anyone else who takes a drink. He threatened to shoot Speranza if the soldier didn't stop bringing beer to the patients. 

Around 65 years after the incident, Vince Speranza finally returned to Bastogne. He visited the military cemetery nearby and saw his old foxhole, which was still there. He also learned that the legend of the paratrooper who made a beer run for his wounded comrade is still being told, and a Belgian beer company even immortalized him. Bastogne's Airborne Beer is still served in a ceramic helmet, even to this day.