Battle of the Bulge, also called Battle of the Ardennes, (December 16, 1944–January 16, 1945), the last major offensive on the Western Front during —an unsuccessful attempt to push the back from German home territory. The name Battle of the Bulge was appropriated from ’s optimistic description in May 1940 of the resistance that he mistakenly supposed was being offered to the Germans’ breakthrough in that area just before the Anglo-French collapse; the Germans were in fact overwhelmingly successful.

The “bulge” refers to the wedge that the Germans drove into the Allied lines. World War II: Germany's “home guard” With German military losses mounting, Adolf Hitler orders all able-bodied men between the ages of 16 and 60 to defend their homeland, 1944. Contunico © ZDF Enterprises GmbH, MainzAfter their in June 1944, the moved across northern into during the summer but lost momentum in the autumn.

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Apart from an abortive thrust to, Netherlands, the efforts of the Allied armies in western Europe during September and October 1944 amounted to little more than a process of nibbling. Meanwhile, the German defense was being continuously strengthened with such reserves as could be relocated from elsewhere and with the freshly raised forces of the Volkssturm (“home guard”). German numbers were also by those troops who had managed to withdraw from France. A general offensive launched in mid-November by all six Allied armies on the Western Front brought disappointingly small results at heavy cost; continued efforts merely exhausted the attacking troops.In mid-December Gen., the supreme commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force, had at his disposal 48 distributed along a 600-mile (nearly 1,000-km) front between the. For the site of their counteroffensive, the Germans chose the hilly and wooded country of the. Because it was generally regarded as difficult country, a large-scale offensive there was likely to be unexpected. At the same time, the thick woods provided concealment for the massing of forces, whereas the high ground offered a drier surface for the maneuvers of.

Home » Battle of the Bulge. Facts about Battle of the Bulge talk about the major battle in the Second World War in Europe. May 29th 2015 History. Search for: Recent Posts. 10 Facts about Emile Waldteufel. 10 Facts about Emile Durkheim. 10 Facts about Emiliano Zapata. 10 Facts about Emeralds.

An awkward feature from an offensive point of view, however, was the fact that the high ground was intersected with deep valleys where the through roads became bottlenecks where a tank advance was liable to be blocked. The aims of the German counteroffensive were far-reaching: to break through to, Belgium, by an indirect move, to cut off the British army group from American forces as well as from its supplies, and then to crush the isolated British.

Overall command of the offensive was given to Field Marshal. The Fifth Panzer Army, led by, was to break through the U.S. Front in the Ardennes, swerve westward, and then wheel northward across the, past to Antwerp. As it advanced, it was to build up a defensive flank barricade to shut off interference from the U.S. Armies farther south.

The Sixth Panzer Army, under commander, was to thrust northwestward on an oblique line past to Antwerp, creating a strategic barrier astride the rear of the British and of the more northerly American armies. To those two armies the Germans gave the bulk of the tanks that they could scrape together. To minimize the danger from a speedy intervention of Anglo-American, which was vastly greater than their own, the Germans launched their stroke when the meteorological forecast promised them a natural cloak; indeed, for the first three days, mist and rain kept the Allied air forces on the ground. Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription.Aided by its surprise, the German counteroffensive, which started before dawn on December 16, 1944, made menacing progress in the opening days, creating alarm and confusion on the Allied side. The Fifth Panzer Army bypassed Bastogne (which was held throughout the offensive by the U.S. 101st Airborne Division under the leadership of Gen.

) and by December 24 had advanced to within 4 miles (6 km) of the. Time and opportunities were lost, however, through gasoline shortages resulting from wintry weather and from growing Allied air attacks, and the German drive faltered. This frustration of the German advance was largely due to the way in which outflanked U.S. Detachments held Bastogne and several other important bottlenecks in the Ardennes as well as to the speed with which British Field Marshal, who had taken charge of the situation on the northern flank, swung his reserves southward to forestall the Germans at the crossings of the Meuse.

A Bold Plan for Desperate TimesThe summer of 1944 saw Germany in retreat on every front. To the south, she was fighting Allied forces working their way up Italy. To the east, the Soviet juggernaut had won a long defensive battle of attrition and was now on the offensive. To the west, the D-Day landings had opened up a third front, with hundreds of thousands of allied troops advancing towards the Rhine.It was on this third front that Hitler saw hope.

There would clearly be no German Reich reaching all the way to the Atlantic, but he believed that a decisive German success might force the Americans, British and French to negotiate a peace. Such was Hitler’s hatred of Communism that he believed his former enemies might then join him in attacking the Soviet Union, saving Germany from destruction. On 16 September, Hitler announced his scheme. The German army would advance through the Ardennes, as they had done with much success in 1940, and take Antwerp. Pushing at the join between British and American forces, they would isolate the British and cut American supply lines. A Germen Regiment is surrounded in a forrest in Luxemburg, 22 December 1944. By Bundesarchiv – CC BY-SA 3.0 deThe operation was initially planned in secret.

Field Marshal Gerd Von Rundstedt, commander of German forces in the west, was appalled at the idea. He considered the available forces too small for the task, the plan so ambitious it was nonsensical.Hitler took no interest in Von Rundstedt’s pleas for a less ambitious offensive. His success had been built on bold offensive operations. This would be one more. Autumn Fog Luxemburg December 1944. By Bundesarchiv – CC BY-SA 3.0 deAt 0535 on 16 December 1944, Operation Herbstnebel (Autumn Fog) began.

2,000 guns opened fire on the Allied lines. 1,420 tanks advanced – 1,000 less than had faced far inferior Allied forces in 1940. A reduced number of German infantry faced the near-limitless American army. They were backed by 1,000 fighter-bombers, half the number available in 1940.Von Rundstedt summed up the situation in his speech to the soldiers before the battle. “Your great hour has arrived We gamble everything.” It was an incredibly daring offensive, but it would use up all the troops that could be spared on the western front. If Autumn Fog failed then all that would be left was a long drawn out retreat.The focus of the plan was an advance by two Panzer armies along a 90-mile front. On the right was the Sixth SS Panzer Army, a new force under Colonel-General Joesph Dietrich.

On the left was the Fifth Panzer Army under General Hasso von Manteuffel. The southern flank would be defended by the Seventh Army under General Erich Brandenberger.One other force was vital to the offensive. A band of English-speaking soldiers had been given American uniforms and weapons and sent behind the Allied lines. Led by SS Colonel Otto Skorzeny, they would create chaos for the Allies by misdirecting troops.The battle was commanded by Hitler himself, who moved from his Wolf’s Lair base in the east to the Eagle’s Lair in the Rhineland ready for the fight. Opportunity and Disaster A heavily armed German soldier on the offensive.Fortune favoured the Germans. The Americans, exhausted from their advances and not expected an attack in the Ardennes, had withdrawn experienced troops to recuperate, leaving just four divisions of the 8 th Corps on that 90-mile front, with inexperienced units guarding their flanks.

Poor weather grounded Allied aircraft for the start of the attack, taking away their advantage in the skies.Advancing fifty miles through the American lines, the Germans swiftly established a salient. Though the Seventh Army stalled, the Panzers made strong initial gains.Though the advance was going well, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill dismissively referred to it as “The Battle of the Bulge”. Churchill proved correct in his assessment of the situation.The use of Skorzeny’s disguised troops was a failure, with no-one believing that they were Americans. Having disguised themselves as enemy soldiers, most were shot as spies. American soldiers of the 3rd Battalion of U.S. 119th Infantry are taken prisoner by members of Kampfgruppe Peiper in Stoumont, Belgium on 19 December 1944.

By Bundesarchiv – CC BY-SA 3.0 deMeanwhile, the tanks stalled. Failures in Russia and at sea had left the Germans short on fuel, and the plan relied on them captured it from Allied vehicles. Fuel shortages prevented the Sixth Panzers exploiting a gap they created in the Allied lines.The Fifth nearly reached the River Meuse – the target Von Rundstedt had wanted for a more limited offensive. But then the weather cleared and attacks by Allied aircraft halted the advance. The Fifth’s supply route was also compromised, as the American 101 st Airborne Division under Brigadier-General Anthony McAuliffe held onto the critical town of Bastogne.

The surrounded 101 st held out for six days using supplies sent by air, blocking German supply routes. Back to the Rhine Battle of the BulgeOn 19 December, Eisenhower told the Allied generals that “The present situation is to be regarded as one of opportunity for us and not disaster.” German advances had largely stalled and Hitler had refused Von Rundstedt’s advice to redirect troops to more successful areas.The Fifth Panzers took St Vith on 21 December, but it was clear that their momentum had run out. Next day, Von Rundstedt asked permission to withdraw, but Hitler refused.

On Christmas Day, the Allies smashed the Sixth Panzers, and Bastogne was relieved on Boxing Day. At last, Hitler withdrew.The Battle of the Bulge cost the Allies nine times as many casualties as the Germans, who also lost fewer tanks.

But with its manufacturing cities bombed to rubble and so much of its population already in arms, Germany could not afford to replace the losses, while a steady stream of men and equipment was flowing from America.The battle had gained Germany six weeks to prepare defences, but the cost had been huge.Sources:Nigel Cawthorne (2004), Turning the Tide: Decisive Battles of the Second World War.