The Battle of the Bulge was a surprise German offensive that took place between Trier and Monschau in late 1944 to early 1945. The battle was a surprise offensive by the Germans and is also known as the Von Rundstedt Offensive or the Ardennes Offensive. It took place in the thick, wooded area of the Ardennes Forest region stretching from southern Belgium, Luxembourg, and into Germany. The Battle of the Bulge was the largest single battle on the Western Front. It became a struggle of attrition, characterised by poor weather and boggy underfoot conditions. Both sides sustained high casualties, with the Americans taking more during this encounter than in any other during the war.
Also known Ardennes counter offensive - Belligerents were US,UK and Canada (for the allies) and just Germany (for the axis) -For the allies: (Americans) Dwight D. Eisenhower, Omar N. Bradley,Courtney Hodges, Anthony McAuliffe, George S. Patton and BernardLaw Montgomery. Strengths - Axis- 500,000, 1800 tanks, 1900artillery guns and Nebelwerfers - American- 88746 (19246 killed,47500 wounded and 23000 Captured or missing) and 800 tanks -Germans- 67200- 100 000 casualties, and 700 tanks - It was Hitler'slast gamble in a desperate attempt to turn the war around -Intended as repetition of Nazi Germany's success in 1940with theBlitzkreig strategy.
Map showing the swelling of 'the Bulge' as the German offensive progressedThe German attack was supported by several other operations. Germany's goal was to split the British and American line in half, capture, and then encircle and destroy four Allied armies. They hoped this would force the to negotiate a. Then Hitler could focus on the eastern front of the war.The attack was planned in secret. Germany moved troops and equipment in the dark. Intelligence staff predicted a major German attack, but this still surprised them. The Allied forces were overconfident and too focused on their own attack plans, and they also didn't have good aerial reconnaissance.The Germans attacked a weakly defended section of the Allied line.
They took advantage of the overcast weather conditions, which made the Allies' air forces unable to fly. Violent resistance blocked German access to key roads.
The thick forests helped the defenders.This slowed down the German advance and allowed the Allies to add new troops. Improved weather conditions permitted air attacks on German forces, which led to the failure of the attack.After the defeat, many experienced German units lacked men and equipment. The battle involved about 610,000 American men, of whom some 89,000 were casualties, including 19,000 killed. It was the largest and most deadly battle fought by the United States in World War II. 82nd Airborne Div.
Dropping on Grave, during Operation Market Garden.In the west supply problems began slowing down Allied operations, even though the opening of the port of Antwerp in late November improved the situation. The positions of the Allied armies stretched from southern France all the way north to the Netherlands. The Germans wanted to attack the thin line of Allied forces. They thought this would stop Allied advances on the Western Front.Several plans for major Western attacks were prepared. A first plan was for an attack on the U.S.
Forces around, to encircle the U.S. A second plan was for a attack through the weakly defended Ardennes Mountains. This aimed at splitting the armies along the U.S.—British lines and capturing.Hitler chose the second plan. He liked the idea of splitting the Anglo-American armies.
There were many disputes between Montgomery and Patton. Hitler hoped he could make use of these disagreements. If the attack captured Antwerp, four complete armies would be trapped without supplies behind German lines.Both plans aimed at on attacks against the American forces. Hitler believed the Americans were not able to fight well.
He thought that the American people would lose hope upon hearing of an American loss.(Field Marshal) Walther Model and Field Marshal were ordered to lead the attacks.Model and von Rundstedt both believed aiming for Antwerp was too difficult, given Germany's lack of resources in late 1944. At the same time they felt that being just defensive would only delay defeat. They developed plans that did not aim to cross the Meuse River; Model's being Unternehmen Herbstnebel (Operation Autumn Mist) and von Rundstedt's Fall Martin ('Plan Martin').The two field marshals showed their plans to Hitler, who rejected them in favor of his 'big solution'.efn Die Ardennenoffensive was also named Runstedtoffensive. ( Operation namesThe phrase 'Battle of the Bulge' was made up by contemporary press to describe the way the Allied front line bulged inward on wartime news maps.After the war ended, the issued the Ardennes-Alsace medal to units that took part in operations in northwest Europe. The medal covered the Ardennes sector where the battle took place and units further south in the Alsace sector. Hasso von Manteuffel led Fifth Panzer Army in the middle attack routeThe Germans did better when the Fifth Panzer Army attacked positions held by the U.S. 28th and 106th Infantry Divisions.
The Germans lacked the strength that they had in the north, but they still had more troops and weapons than the 28th and 106th divisions. They surrounded two regiments (422nd and 423rd) of the 106th Division and forced their surrender.The official U.S. Army history states: 'At least seven thousand men were lost here and the figure probably is closer to eight or nine thousand.' Battle for St.
Vith, it was hard for von Manteuffel's and Dietrich's forces. The defenders resisted the German attacks. This slowed down the German advance.Montgomery ordered St. Vith to be evacuated on 21 December. Troops got into trenches, which made the German advance hard.
By 23 December, U.S. Troops were ordered to retreat west of the Salm River. Since the German plan called for the capture of St. Vith by 18:00 on 17 December, they were behind schedule. Meuse River bridges. German troops fighting in the Ardennes. The soldier in the foreground has the Heer's new StG-44, the world's first.The 109th and 110th Regiments of the 28th Division did badly.
They had so few troops that the Germans got around their positions. Both resisted and slowed down the German schedule by several days. Panzer groups captured villages and advanced near Bastogne within four days.The battles for the villages and American, and transport confusion on the German side, slowed the attack down. This allowed the to reach Bastogne on 19 December. The defense of Bastogne made it impossible for the Germans to take the town. The panzers went past on either side, cutting off Bastogne on 20 December.In the south, Brandenberger's three infantry divisions were stopped by divisions of the U.S.
Only the 5th Parachute Division of Brandenberger's command was able to move forward.Eisenhower and his commanders realized by 17 December that the fighting in the was a major offensive and not a small attack, and they ordered many new troops to the area.Within a week 250,000 troops had been sent. Gavin of the 82nd Airborne Division ordered the 101st to hold Bastogne. The 82nd had to battle the SS Panzer Divisions. Siege of BastogneBy the time the senior Allied commanders met on 19 December, the town of Bastogne and its 11 roads had been held by the Germans for several days.Two separate westbound German columns got stopped by defensive positions up to ten miles from the town. The original objectives are outlined in red dashed lines. The orange line indicates their furthest advance.On 23 December, the weather conditions started improving, allowing the Allied air forces to attack. They bombed the German supply points in their rear.
Started attacking the German troops on the roads.Allied air forces also helped the defenders of Bastogne, dropping medicine, food, blankets,. A team of volunteer flew in by and began operating.By 24 December, the German advance was stopped near the Meuse. Units of the British XXX Corps were holding the bridges at Dinant, Givet, and Namur and U.S. Units were about to take over.The Germans had no supplies, and shortages of fuel and ammunition were becoming serious. Up to this point the German losses had been light, especially in armor, which was almost unharmed with the exception of Peiper's losses.On the evening of 24 December, General Hasso von Manteuffel recommended to Hitler a stop to all operations and a withdrawal. Hitler said no.However, confusion at the Allied command prevented a strong response. In the center, on Christmas Eve, the 2nd Armored Division attempted to attack the 2nd Panzer Division at the Meuse.The 4th Cavalry Group attacked the 9th Panzer Division at Marche.
As result, parts of the 2nd Panzer Division were cut off. On 26 and 27 December the trapped units of 2nd Panzer Division made two break-out attempts.Further Allied attacks near Marche led the Germans to know that no further action towards the Meuse was possible.In the south, Patton's Third Army was battling to help the US troops in Bastogne. At 16:50 on 26 December, the Company D, 37th Tank Battalion of the 4th Armored Division, reached Bastogne, ending the siege. German counterattack.
Main pages: Operation Bodenplatte and Operation NordwindOn 1 January, in an attempt to keep the offensive going, the Germans launched two new operations. At 09:15, the Luftwaffe launched Unternehmen Bodenplatte (Operation Baseplate), a major campaign against Allied airfields in the. Hundreds of planes attacked Allied airfields, destroying or severely damaging some 465 aircraft. However, the Luftwaffe lost 277 planes, 62 to Allied fighters and 172 mostly because of an unexpectedly high number of Allied guns, set up to protect against German flying bomb attacks and using proximity fused shells, but also by friendly fire from the German flak guns that were uninformed of the pending large-scale German air operation.
The Germans suffered heavy losses at an airfield named Y-29, losing 24 of their own planes while downing only one American plane. While the Allies recovered from their losses in just days, the operation left the Luftwaffe weak and ineffective for the remainder of the war.On the same day, German Army Group G ( Heeresgruppe G) and Army Group Upper Rhine ( Heeresgruppe Oberrhein) launched a major offensive against the thinly stretched, 70 miles (110 km) line of the Seventh U.S. This offensive, known as Unternehmen Nordwind (Operation North Wind), was the last major German offensive of the war on the Western Front. The weakened Seventh Army had, at Eisenhower's orders, sent troops, equipment, and supplies north to reinforce the American armies in the Ardennes, and the offensive left it in dire straits.By 15 January, Seventh Army's VI Corps was fighting on three sides in.
With casualties mounting, and running short on replacements, tanks, ammunition, and supplies, Seventh Army was forced to withdraw to defensive positions on the south bank of the Moder River on 21 January. The German offensive drew to a close on 25 January. In the bitter, desperate fighting of Operation Nordwind, VI Corps, which had borne the brunt of the fighting, suffered a total of 14,716 casualties. The total for Seventh Army for January was 11,609.
Total casualties included at least 9,000 wounded. First, Third and Seventh Armies suffered a total of 17,000 hospitalized from the cold. Allies prevail. Erasing the Bulge—The Allied counterattack, 26 December – 25 JanuaryWhile the German offensive had ground to a halt, they still controlled a dangerous salient in the Allied line. Patton's Third Army in the south, centered around Bastogne, would attack north, Montgomery's forces in the north would strike south, and the two forces planned to meet at.The temperature during January 1945 was extremely low.
Weapons had to be maintained and truck engines run every half-hour to prevent their oil from congealing. The offensive went forward regardless.Eisenhower wanted Montgomery to go on the counter offensive on 1 January, with the aim of meeting up with Patton's advancing Third Army and cutting off most of the attacking Germans, trapping them in a pocket. However, Montgomery, refusing to risk underprepared infantry in a snowstorm for a strategically unimportant area, did not launch the attack until 3 January, by which time substantial numbers of German troops had already managed to fall back successfully, but at the cost of losing most of their heavy equipment.At the start of the offensive, the First and Third U.S. Armies were separated by about 25 miles (40 km). American progress in the south was also restricted to about a kilometer a day. The majority of the German force executed a successful fighting withdrawal and escaped the battle area, although the fuel situation had become so dire that most of the German armor had to be abandoned. On 7 January 1945, Hitler agreed to withdraw all forces from the Ardennes, including the SS Panzer divisions, thus ending all offensive operations.
However, considerable fighting went on for another 3 weeks; St. Vith was recaptured by the Americans on 23 January and the last German units participating in the offensive did not return to their start line until 25 January., addressing the House of Commons following the Battle of the Bulge said, 'This is undoubtedly the greatest American battle of the war and will, I believe, be regarded as an ever-famous American victory.' Controversy at high command. GeneralAs the Ardennes battles began, Montgomery commanded of the American First and Ninth armies. This was approved by Eisenhower, as the northern armies had lost all communications with Bradley, who was based in Luxembourg.
The northern side had lost all communications with the US command and with nearby units. Without radio or telephone communication Montgomery managed to improvise a way of communicating orders.This change of leadership did not become known until a message was released.
Montgomery asked Churchill if he could explain the situation.On the same day as Hitler's withdrawal order, 7 January, Montgomery held his press conference. Montgomery praised the 'courage and good fighting quality' of the Americans. He also praised Eisenhower.Then Montgomery described the battle for a half-hour.
Coming to the end of his speech he said he had used the whole power of the British Group of Armies. He called the battle 'the most interesting, I think possibly one of the most interesting and tricky battles I have ever handled.' Despite his positive remarks about American soldiers, the Americans thought he took credit for the success of the campaign. They thought he made it sound like he had rescued the Americans.Patton and Eisenhower both felt he did not describe the share of the fighting played by the British and Americans in the Ardennes. They thought that he did not tell about the part played by Bradley, Patton and other American commanders. Montgomery did not mention of any American general beside Eisenhower.
This was seen as insulting.Montgomery saw his error and later wrote: 'I think now that I should never have held that press conference.' Bradley and Patton both threatened to resign unless Montgomery's command was changed. Eisenhower had decided to fire Montgomery. Eisenhower allowed Montgomery to apologize.
The Mardasson Memorial in, BelgiumCasualty estimates from the battle vary widely. The official U.S.
Account lists 80,987 American casualties, while other estimates range from 70,000 to 108,000. According to the the American forces suffered 89,500 casualties including 19,000 killed, 47,500 wounded and 23,000 missing.An official report by the lists some 108,347 casualties, including 19,246 killed, 62,489 wounded and 26,612 captured and missing. The Battle of the Bulge was the most violent battle that U.S. Forces experienced in World War II; the 19,000 American dead were unsurpassed by those of any other engagement. British losses totaled 1,400.The German High Command's official figure for the campaign was 84,834 casualties, and other estimates range between 60,000 and 100,000.The Allies continued to push on in the battle. In early February, the Allies launched an attack all along the Western front: in the north under Montgomery toward Aachen; in the center, under Courtney Hodges; and in the south, under Patton.The German losses in the battle were serious in several ways. The last of the German reserves were now gone, the had been destroyed and the remaining German forces in the West were being pushed back to the defenses of the Siegfried Line.The initial success of Hitler's Ardennes offensive, launched 16 December 1944, caused Churchill to ask Stalin on 6 January 1945 for Soviet help by launching a Soviet attack.
On Friday, 12 January, the Soviets began the Vistula–Oder Offensive, planned to begin on 20 January.During World War II, most U.S. Black soldiers still served only as truck drivers and as stevedores. In the midst of the Battle of the Bulge, General Eisenhower was short of replacement troops so he allowed African American soldiers to join the white military units to fight in combat for the first time.
More than 2,000 black soldiers had volunteered to go to the front.This was an important step toward a racially integrated United States military. A total of 708 African Americans were killed in combat during World War II. Related pages = More reading. Images for kids.