December 1944 – January 1945 Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was the last offensive launced by Germany. Adolf Hitler wished to stabilize the German line and stop the press of the Allied forces towards Germany. His ultimate goal was to compel the United States and Britain to sign a separate peace so that Germany could focus its efforts against the Soviets in the East.
The objective of this attack would be the capture of the Belgium city of Antwerp which would split the American and British armies in the area and would deprive the Allies of a badly needed seaport. Selecting this option, Germany began preparing for the offensive and would attack in the north with the goal of taking Antwerp.
The plan called for two armies one in the center with the goal of taking Brussels, while the second would advance in the south with orders to protect the flank. Operating under radio silence and taking advantage of poor weather which hampered Allied scouting efforts, the Germans moved the necessary forces into place. Running low on fuel, a key element of the plan was the successful capture of Allied fuel deposits as the Germans lacked sufficient fuel reserves to reach Antwerp under normal combat conditions.
The objective of this attack would be the capture of the Belgium city of Antwerp which would split the American and British armies in the area and would deprive the Allies of a badly needed seaport. Selecting this option, Germany began preparing for the offensive and would attack in the north with the goal of taking Antwerp.
The plan called for two armies one in the center with the goal of taking Brussels, while the second would advance in the south with orders to protect the flank. Operating under radio silence and taking advantage of poor weather which hampered Allied scouting efforts, the Germans moved the necessary forces into place. Running low on fuel, a key element of the plan was the successful capture of Allied fuel deposits as the Germans lacked sufficient fuel reserves to reach Antwerp under normal combat conditions.
To support the offensive a special unit was formed to infiltrate the Allied lines dressed as American soldiers. Their mission was to spread confusion and disrupt Allied troop movements. On the Allied side, the high command, led by General Dwight D. Eisenhower, was essentially blind to German movements. Believing the area to be a quiet sector, it was used as a recovery and training area for units that had seen heavy action or were inexperienced. The intelligence provided to the Allies also indicated that the Germans were preparing for a defensive campaign intent on protecting her borders. The last thing the Allied commanders expected was for Germany to launch an offensive campaign.
On December 16th 1944 the German offensive opened initially pushing forward in an attempt to break through to Liège. Meeting heavy resistance from the Allied forces, the Germans were forced to commit their tanks to the battle. In the center a gap opened through the Allied lines and the Germans were able to capture two US regiments.
Meeting increasing resistance, the Germans advance was slowed allowing the Allies to deploy by truck to the vital crossroads town of Bastogne. Fighting in snowstorms, the foul weather prevented Allied air power from dominating the battlefield. In the south on December 17, Eisenhower and his commanders concluded that the attack was an all-out offensive rather than a local assault and began rushing reinforcements to the area.
As the situation was developing around Bastogne, Eisenhower met with his commanders on December 19. Eisenhower recognizing the German attack as an opportunity to destroy their forces in the open, began issuing instructions for counterattacks. Turning to, General George Patton, he asked how long it would take for Third Army to shift its advance north. Patton always the tactician had anticipated this request and had already begun issuing orders to this end. Patton replied 48 hours.
At Bastogne, the defenders beat off numerous German assaults while fighting in bitter cold weather. As the Allied resistance increased, clearing weather allowing Allied fighter-bombers to enter the battle. The Germans unable to secure the needed fuel as they had anticpated saw their offensive begin sputter to a halt.
The Allied counterattacks continued to increase and the Germans lacking both fuel and ammunition. German commanders asked for permission to withdraw. This was flatly denied by Hitler. Having completed their turn north, Patton's men broke through to Bastogne on December 26. Ordering Patton to press north in early January, Eisenhower directed Montgomery to attack south with the goal of meeting and trapping the German forces. While these attacks were successful, delays on Montgomery's part allowed many of the Germans to escape, though they were forced to abandon their equipment and vehicles and by January 25th, 1945 all German offensive operations had ceased.
During the Battle of the Bulge, 20,876 Allied soldiers were killed, while another 42,893 were wounded and 23,554 captured/missing. German losses numbered 15,652 killed, 41,600 wounded, and 27,582 captured/missing. Defeated in the campaign, German offensive capability in the west was destroyed.
Below I have enclosed a film that describes the Battle of the Bulge. The movie is brorken into three parts each about 8 minutes long.
Battle of the Bulge Movie Part 1 of 3
On December 16th 1944 the German offensive opened initially pushing forward in an attempt to break through to Liège. Meeting heavy resistance from the Allied forces, the Germans were forced to commit their tanks to the battle. In the center a gap opened through the Allied lines and the Germans were able to capture two US regiments.
Meeting increasing resistance, the Germans advance was slowed allowing the Allies to deploy by truck to the vital crossroads town of Bastogne. Fighting in snowstorms, the foul weather prevented Allied air power from dominating the battlefield. In the south on December 17, Eisenhower and his commanders concluded that the attack was an all-out offensive rather than a local assault and began rushing reinforcements to the area.
As the situation was developing around Bastogne, Eisenhower met with his commanders on December 19. Eisenhower recognizing the German attack as an opportunity to destroy their forces in the open, began issuing instructions for counterattacks. Turning to, General George Patton, he asked how long it would take for Third Army to shift its advance north. Patton always the tactician had anticipated this request and had already begun issuing orders to this end. Patton replied 48 hours.
At Bastogne, the defenders beat off numerous German assaults while fighting in bitter cold weather. As the Allied resistance increased, clearing weather allowing Allied fighter-bombers to enter the battle. The Germans unable to secure the needed fuel as they had anticpated saw their offensive begin sputter to a halt.
The Allied counterattacks continued to increase and the Germans lacking both fuel and ammunition. German commanders asked for permission to withdraw. This was flatly denied by Hitler. Having completed their turn north, Patton's men broke through to Bastogne on December 26. Ordering Patton to press north in early January, Eisenhower directed Montgomery to attack south with the goal of meeting and trapping the German forces. While these attacks were successful, delays on Montgomery's part allowed many of the Germans to escape, though they were forced to abandon their equipment and vehicles and by January 25th, 1945 all German offensive operations had ceased.
During the Battle of the Bulge, 20,876 Allied soldiers were killed, while another 42,893 were wounded and 23,554 captured/missing. German losses numbered 15,652 killed, 41,600 wounded, and 27,582 captured/missing. Defeated in the campaign, German offensive capability in the west was destroyed.
Below I have enclosed a film that describes the Battle of the Bulge. The movie is brorken into three parts each about 8 minutes long.
Battle of the Bulge Movie Part 1 of 3
Battle of the Bulge Movie Part 2 of 3
Battle of the Bulge Movie Part 3 of 3