The Battle of The Bulge (December, 1944-January, 1945)



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The Battle of the Bugle was truly one of the epic battles of WW II. Although initially promising for the Germans, the battle is ever remembered as a tremendous, yet costly, American victory. Fought through brutal winter weather conditions, the American forces rallied. This paved the way for the ultimate triumph. British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, said of the battle:

“It was, the greatest American battle of the Second World War,

and it will always be considered as a great American victory.”

World War II: Axis vs. Allies

World War II had started in 1939 with great victories for the Axis forces (Germany, Italy and Japan). By mid-1942, it appeared total victory for the Axis was achievable. However, in late 1942 the Allies made a dramatic comeback.

World War II in 1944

In 1944, American and British forces had made a successfully landing in Normandy, France in June (D-Day). Through the summer the western Allied forces had liberated France. By the fall, these forces had advanced to Belgium and Germany’s western border. Meanwhile, Soviet forces had recovered all lost territory, swept into Romania and Hungary, and advanced toward Germany’s eastern border.

Formation of the Bulge

The allies slowly advanced toward Germany’s border defenses, called the Siegfried Line. Following numerous bloody confrontations, a small bulge had emerged in the front lines between the American and German armies, around the Ardennes Forest. The land was so thickly forested and hilly, a major German attack seemed unlikely.

Allied Intentions

Western Allied forces, under the Supreme Allied Commander, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, had initially focused on capturing more port cities, as the Germans still controlled many French, Belgian and Dutch ports, and the Allied armies struggled to bring enough supplies up to the battle front. (Tremendous supplies would be needed for a strong push into Germany). Also, one of Eisenhower’s commanders, British General Bernard Montgomery urged Eisenhower to keep pressing north of the bulge through Belgium into the German industrial heartland.

Hitler’s Plans

Adolf Hitler, despite objection from one of his commanders (such as Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt), planned to launch a surprise attack from the bulge through the Ardennes forest and into Belgium. The Germans would use the cover of bad weather to transfer hundreds of thousands of troops, thousands of tanks and armored vehicles, and other supplies to forward areas.

The attack devised a quick capture of the Americans near the bulge, and a rapid advance to the Allied-controlled port cities on the North Sea, namely the deep water port city of Antwerp. German forces would then be able to surround Canada's 1st Army, Britain's 2nd Army, and the American 1st and 9th Armies. In Hitler's mind, all of this would result in the allies in the north surrounded and cut off from their supplies. The allies in the south (American 3rd Army) would then be pushed out of Germany.

Hitler believed if successful, this attack would devastate the Allied invasion plans, and possibly enable Germany to negotiate a peace deal. Germany could then divert all of its resources to fight the Soviet enemy in the east.

Deception & Infiltration

On December 15th, 1944, Hitler sent in troops to infiltrate the front. Some were dropped by parachute, while others came in driving captured American jeeps. These men spoke perfect English and wore American uniforms. These disguised German commandos managed to spread confusion and chaos by cutting off telephone lines, giving false directions, and changing road signs. Americans eventually resorted to asking unknown groups of supposedly American troops questions about American sports and pop culture (such as, “Who won the World Series last year?” or “Who plays between the Guards in football”), an American soldier would know the answer, a German would not. Ultimately, 16 German soldiers were captured fighting in American uniforms and were summarily executed by firing squad.

The Battle Begins

The battle began at the crack of dawn on December 16th. The element of surprise, lack of communication, and dismal weather conditions all led to early German success. Thousands of Americans were killed, wounded or captured in trying to stop this blitzkrieg. Soldiers suffered from the below freezing weather that led to frostbite, pneumonia, suffering and death.

The Siege of Bastogne

Large groups of American troops had been surrounded and trapped. Scattered American forces rallied in an attempt to form a defensive position. In the Belgian city of Bastogne, 20,000 American troops gathered.

A desperate struggle ensued. Germany needed to control this area to continue their advance. The swarming Germans soon encircled the town with nearly 60,000 troops and began to pound the Americans with bombing and artillery. The German commander sent a letter to the American commander in Bastogne, General Anthony McAuliffe, demanding the prompt surrender of the town. General McAuliffe gave a memorable reply: “To the German Commander: Nuts! From the American commander.” The German commander had to ask American POW’s the meaning of the slang term. The allies received much needed air support. Through incredible bravery and tenacity, the town never surrendered.

Massacres and War Crimes

Hitler ordered more and more men forward, but without Bastogne, the Germans struggled to control enough roads to advance quickly through the forested terrain. Seeking to speed their advance, German SS troops executed hundreds of American prisoners, rather than transport them behind the lines. These war crimes occurred around Malmedy, Belgium and later was called the Malmedy Massacre.

The Counterattack

General Eisenhower ordered a massive counterattack and the Germans were soon confronted on all sides. 230,000 troops, led by the determined General George S. Patton, advanced from the south while armies rushed in with overwhelming forces from the north.

Tanks On Empty

But more than anything else, Germans were plagued by lack of supplies. Although their newest tanks, the Panzer V (the “Panther”) & Panzer VI (the “Tiger”) were formidable, (and far superior to the Allied battle tank, called the Sherman) the huge German tanks consumed huge amounts of fuel. The Germans supply chain, already depleted, was pummeled from bombing, and the tanks simply ran out of gas and could go no further. With vehicles devoid of fuel, the Germans attempted to use 50,000 horses to bring supplies to the front, but it was too late. German troops had created a larger bulge. Now surrounded and vulnerable to bombing, many German soldiers abandoned their vehicles and retreated back to Germany on foot.

The Battle Ends

The Battle of the Bulge ended on January 25th, as American forces restored the original front lines as before the battle. It turned out to be the largest land battle of WWII that involved Americans. Over 500,000 German, and 680,000 American soldiers were involved in this battle. Of the American soldiers, there were 89,500 total casualties: 25,000 captured, 45,000 wounded, and 19,500 killed. Germany's losses included 100,000 men who were killed, wounded, or captured.

The Battle of the Bulge effectively ended German offensive power and many units began to disperse or surrender. From January 1945 on, the outnumbered and demoralized Germans could only hope to slow the unstoppable Allied advance. In the east, Soviet armies crossed Germany’s eastern border and approached the capital city of Berlin. Although western forces could’ve seized Berlin first, they stopped, to give the Soviets the honor of capturing the enemy capital (and possibly Hitler as well). By May of 1945, Berlin was conquered, Hitler dead by his own hand, and Nazi Germany completely destroyed. WWII in Europe was over.

Importance Evaluated

Many historians have theorized that had the Germans been more successful with their Ardennes offensive, the war would’ve lasted much longer as the Germans would have destroyed or captured much of the American and British armies in the west. Although a peace treaty is far-fetched, a German victory in the Battle of the Bulge would’ve enabled Hitler to concentrate his defenses against Soviet forces to the east, thereby delaying the end of war by perhaps a year or more. Untold millions more people (on battlefields, in cities, in concentration camps) would’ve died before the Allies finally defeated Hitler.

Name________________________________________ Date____________________ Period_______

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Please answer the following using complete sentences:

1. What was the state of WWII in 1944?

2. Why did Allied forces think a German attack at the Ardennes Forest was unlikely?

3. What did Hitler hope to achieve by attacking in the west?

4. What deceptive actions did the Germans use?

5. What contributed to early German success?

6. What happened at Bastogne?

7. How did US forces counterattack?

8. What stopped the German tanks?

9. What were the total forces and casualties for both sides?

10. Why was the Battle of the Bulge important?

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WWII in 1944

The Siegfried Line

Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969)

Port facilities in Antwerp, Belgium

Adolf Hitler

(1889-1945)

Planned German Advance

HITLER’S PLANS

American troops prepare their Sherman tank for battle

American soldiers struggle through the brutal conditions

GERMANS ADVANCE

(December, 1944)

FRONT

LINE

Gen. Anthony McAuliffe (1898-1975)

Gen. George S. Patton (1885-1945)

FRONT

LINE

AMERICANS STRIKE BACK

(January, 1944)

Tiger

PANZER VI

INVADING GERMANY

(Jan-Feb, 1945)

FRONT

LINE

Last bridge across the Rhine (Remagen)

Following the Battle of the Bulge, German troops began surrendering in massive numbers

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