James Gordon and Private Rainwater inspect a deserted Panther tank formerly of the Panzer Division Das Reich near Grandmenil, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge, at the end of 1944. THE TERRIBLE wintery conditions soldiers were forced to fight in during the last major German offensive of World War Two have been brought to light thanks to a series of colourised images to mark the 74th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. Striking pictures show three gunners prepare to fire a shell on New Year???s Eve in 1944 with the inscription ???For Adolph, unhappy new year???, American GIs resting on railway tracks after combat in D?zren and two soldiers inspecting a deserted Panther tank formerly of the Panzer Division Das Reich near Grandmenil, Belgium. Other vivid colour photographs show a US half track cross a temporary bridge over the Ourthe River, members of the US 101st Airborne Division move out of Bastogne and Panzergrenadier-SS Kampfgruppe Hansen in action during clashes in Poteau against Task Force Myers. The original black and white photos were painstakingly colourised by Welsh electrician Royston Leonard (55), from Cardiff, Wales, with each snap taking between four and five hours to complete. Mediadrumimages / Royston Leonard