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The Battle of the Bulge is also referred to as the Battle of the Ardennes. It was fought between December 16, 1944 and January 16, 1945, and represented the last Major Nazi offensive on the Western Front during the Second World War. The battle was an unsuccessful attempt by Hitler to push back the Allied Forces who were on the brink of overrunning Germany.
The Battle of Bastogne. The Initial Deployment East of Bastogne. The one standing order that General Middleton gave General McAuliffe before leaving Bastogne on the morning of 19 December was: 'Hold Bastogne.'. Both generals felt that the enemy needed Bastogne and the entrance it afforded to a wider complex of roads leading west.
Allied March Towards Germany
After the Allied forces captured Normandy in June 1944 they moved unchallenged across Northern France before crossing into Belgium. The efforts of the Allied armies across western Europe in September and October of 1944 proved to be nothing more than nibbling. In the meantime, Germany was strengthening its defenses with several reserve troops being relocated from other frontlines. The Volkssturm (home guard), was also deployed to the frontline to support the troops who had abandoned France. In mid-November, the allied forces launched several offensive attacks against the Germans on the Western Front resulting in small results but massive losses. Continued attacks only led to exhaustion of the Allied troops.
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The German Plan
The Germans planned a counter-offensive, choosing Ardennes because of its hilly and wooded countryside. They knew the Allied forces would not anticipate an attack from such a position; the woods would protect the deployment of a large army while the dry surface would enable the maneuvering of tanks. The Germans planned to break through to Antwerp, Belgium and cut off the British supply from American forces and supply lines. They would then crush the British army before turning on the Americans. To minimize the danger posed by the Anglo-American air power which was far superior to their own, the Germans would launch their attack based on metrological forecasts, and to their aid, it rained heavily for three days.
The German Offensive
On the dawn of December 16, 1944, Germany began an offensive gaining significant progress in the first days. The attack alarmed the Allied forces who had not anticipated the attack. The German Fifth Panzer Army stormed past Bastogne which was under the US. 101st Airborne Division and by December 24 they were at the bank of the Meuse River. Wintry weather and Allied air attacks led to the shortage of gasoline, the US 101st Airborne had inflicted mass, the German advance was faltering. Bernard Montgomery, the British Field Marshal, then dispatched his army reserves south to stall the German advance at Meuse river. On the 26th and 3rd of January 1945, the British and Americans began a counteroffensive. The Allied tried to cut off a German division, but they were skillful and tactfully withdrawn by other troops from the potential wedge.
![Map Map](http://news.blogs.lib.lsu.edu/files/2014/12/Map-Jan-16.jpg)
Aftermath
The Germans began the war with an element of surprise which benefited them, but they could not hold on to it. They had through everything they had on to the battlefront. After the allied forces counterattacked, the Germans could not withstand the offensive and had to retreat back to their own turf. As a result of the Battle of the Bulge, 120,000 German and 75,000 Allied soldiers lost their lives.
The Battle of the Bulge is also referred to as the Battle of the Ardennes. It was fought between December 16, 1944 and January 16, 1945, and represented the last Major Nazi offensive on the Western Front during the Second World War.
About the Author
Victor Kiprop is a writer from Kenya. When he's not writing he spends time watching soccer and documentaries, visiting friends, or working in the farm.
By Victor Kiprop
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December 16, 1944- In a quick glance at the situation maps from October to December 1944 the eye is drawn to an area with few unit symbols along the Allied and German front lines in the Ardennes. During the autumn of 1944, the American front line was typically held by four or fewer divisions. The December 16th situation map shows the front line in this sector thinly held by the U.S. Army VIII Corps comprised of the 106th Infantry Division, 28th Infantry Division, the reduced 9th Armored Division, and the 4th Infantry Division arrayed from north to south. The VIII Corps headquarters was located in Bastogne. The VIII Corps was holding the southern edge of the U.S. First Army front lines adjacent to the U.S.
Also notice that throughout the autumn until December 15, the maps show a similarly small number of German infantry divisions behind the Siegfried Line opposing VIII Corps. By 12:00pm on the first day of the attack, December 16, there were twice as many German divisions, including two panzer divisions, identified in the sector moving against VIII Corps. During the next four weeks the situation maps show many interesting developments as the battle progressed. December 18, 1944- Two distinct German advances appear. One in the north and one in the center of the sector. The northern advance is along the edge of VIII Corps’ area of operations adjoining V Corps. The advance in the sector’s center is pointed at VIII Corps’ headquarters in Bastogne.
December 19, 1944- The German drive towards Bastogne has almost reached the town while the VIII Corps headquarters has relocated to Neufchateau. Notice that the 101st Airborne Division is shown in Bastogne and the 82nd Airborne Division has moved to blunt the northern German advance.
December 21, 1944- The German main advance through the center of the Ardennes sector has moved in a narrow corridor northwest to Marche after bypassing Bastogne. The 84th Infantry Division has moved to block the German northwestern advance. December 23, 1944- Bastogne’s envelopment begins as the German main advance widens and moves north and south of the town. However, the 4th Armored Division, 10th Armored Division, 26th Infantry Division, and the 80th Infantry Division from General Patton’s Third Army have moved against the southern flank of the German main advance. December 25, 1944- The 101st Airborne Division is shown as encircled in Bastogne with three German infantry division and one panzer division deployed around the town. The distinct bulge in the American front lines that gave the battle its name has formed.
December 27, 1944- The encirclement of Bastogne is broken as the 4th Armored Division moves up from the south. With American units pushing from the north and south, the German advance stops and bulge is contained. January 1, 1945- The reinforced British 6th Airborne and 53rd Infantry Division are shown moving against the western tip of the German advance. Notice that some German units that were identified in the bulge on earlier maps have begun to be listed as “Unlocated” in a box on the right portion of the map near Frankfurt. January 3, 1945- Three German Panzer divisions are shown withdrawing from the front lines toward the interior of the bulge. January 15, 1945- As the bulge is further reduced, notice the nine German divisions concentrated in western tip of the bulge. January 18, 1945- The bulge caused by the German advance has been reduced to a slight curve in the front lines.
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