Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge is remembered as Adolf Hitler’s final effort to escape total defeat during World War II (WWII). His initial efforts were successful, however the Allied force commanders proved superior through there demonstrated adaptive and decisive decision making. These actions helped to overcome the military force and military intelligence failures during the battle. If these failures had been avoided, the Germans would have been defeated much quicker, effectively preventing the casualty numbers and damage inflicted on the Allied forces during the Western Front of WWII. Background History 16 December 1944 was the beginning of Germany’s Operation Mist “Ardennes Offensive” (Battle of the Bulge), …show more content…
Battles were fought in St. Vith, Elsenborn Ridge, Houffalize, and Bastogne. Their goal was to split the superior Allied forces in half, additionally advancing to and taking control of the Port of Antwerp. While initially successful, the Germans were unable to advance as far as anticipated, resulting in a defensive retreating posture through the end of the war. (History.com Staff, 2009) Germany invaded France in 1940 and easily dominated the country, controlling the area from the beginning of the war. The Germans attacked through the Ardennes region, following the invasion Adolf Hitler placed Commander Erwin Rommel in charge of securing the Atlantic wall, 2,400 miles of fortified coastline. The United Stated entered World War II in 1941, following the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor. The Allied forces took control of France following the success of Operation Overlord June 6th 1941. United States, Canada, and Great Britain invaded Normandy Beach on June 6th 1944, by June 11th the beaches were fully secured. Following the momentum the Allies moved west capturing the port of Cherbourg by the end of June. This proved to be a pivotal acquisition for the Allied force, allowing for easier movement of forces, equipment, and supplies. This monumental success was a major turning point and a beginning to the end for the Germans on the western front. Germany was reluctant to send nearby divisions for a
On December 16, 1944, Adolf Hitler ordered a massive attack on the Allied forces. This attack, known as the Battle of the Bulge, was a last dich effort to split up the Allied forces in their drive towards Germany. The attack failed and effectively led to the eventual downfall of Nazi Germany. With few supplies and resources, German forces were heavily outmatched. On April 30, 1945, Adolf Hitler committed suicide in wake of Germany’s inevitable defeat. On May 7, 1945, Germany surrendered (National Geographic staff,
The Battle of the bulge took place on December sixteenth 1944. More than a million men participated in this battle including some 600,000 Germans, 500,000 Americans, and 55,000 British which made it
During the Battle of the Bulge, Adolf Hitler was caught off guard by the American forces. He was basically “sleeping” on the job. For the American forces, the general was Dwight D. Eisenhower. He is the same Dwight D. Eisenhower that led the D-Day Invasion, and a future president. George S. Patton moved his army to the “Third Army of Bastogne”, to move up. After this move, this “led to the neutralization of the German counteroffensive despite heavy casualties.” They had to change the game plan. During the Battle of the Bulge, three German armies led one of the deadliest and bloodiest attacks of the war in the west.it should be a day to be remembered. After this, the Germans drove deeper into the Ardennes allied forces.” While this fighting
The Battle of the Bulge was more pivotal than the D-Day invasion because of the benefits the battle brought to Allied operations in ending the war in Europe. The Germans’ defeat at the Battle of the Bulge resulted in vast amounts of their equipment and experienced soldiers being lost. During the invasion of Normandy, the Allied forces faced resistance from standard German ground forces who they swiftly defeated. But during the Battle of the Bulge, the Allies were immediately outnumbered by forces with superior equipment. When the offensive began on December 16th, the four divisions of the 8th Army Corps immediately faced 14 German divisions. To add onto the Allies’ numerical disadvantage, the German forces deployed during the offensive didn’t only consist of veterans of the western front,
The Germans defeated the Polish and almost all of Western Europe. Although the British had no help when it came to Hitler and his army, the remains of Europe had been overturned already. The Battle of the Bulge also called Battle of the Ardennes as well, which began Dec. 16, 1944 and ended Jan. 16, 1945. This was the last major German offensive on the Western Front during World War II. It was an unsuccessful attempt to push the Allies back from German home territory . Winston Churchill made a promise that he would fight as long as it would take to overcome Hitler. The name Battle of the Bulge was appropriated from Winston Churchill he referred to “the bulge” as the wedge that the Germans drove into the Allied lines.
The Battle of the Bulge also known as “Ardennes Offensive”, started on December 16, 1944. The Battle of the bulge, is significantly known as what ruined the German army and brought about the end of the war. The battle got its name from poorly protected stretch of hilly, woody forest “bulge” that Germans made between its allies. Hitler used this area of 80-mile dense forest, believing that his forces would be able to surround and cut off
“The battle [is also] known by different names. The Germans [called it] ‘Operation Watch on the Rhine’, while the French [called] it ‘Battle of the Ardennes’. [American and Britain] called it the Ardennes Counteroffensive.” The main goal for the Germans for this offensive was to split the British and American forces in half and capture the port city of Antwerp. This would “cause an encirclement of four allied armies and [force] a peace negotiation” (Cirillo). The Germans almost had complete surprise when the offensive was launched on “December 16th, 1944, at 05:30” and the offensive start with “an artillery barrage of over 1,600 artillery pieces.” The assault took place across an “80 mile front [that] the 6th Panzer Army had to cover” (Quarrie 1). “The attack was led by one of the best equipped German divisions on the western front, the 1st SS Panzer Division.” This was the lead unit for the 6th Panzer Army and was the lead division for the assault. The 26th Infantry was covering the part of the front where the push started. They were caught completely by surprise. “Equipped with only 32 M4 tanks, 57 anti-tank guns and thousands of battle-weary men” (MacDonald 1). The initial assault went well for the Germans and they break through the thinly defended American lines. Just “20 hours in [from the start of the assault] German forces are just 55 miles out from their objective”. By this time the casualty rate is below from what the
During World War II there were many battles that took place. One particular known battle was the “Battle of the Bulge” also known as the battle of Ardennes, from December 16th, 1944 to January 16th, 1945. It was the Last major German offense on the Western Front during WWII, and it was a futile attempt to push the Allies back from German home territory. This name was given by Winston Churchill, a description of the resistance he mistakenly supposed was being offered to the Germans’ breakthrough in that are before the Anglo-French collapse. The word Bulge denotes to the wedge that the Germans drove into Allied lines. This informative research of the Battle of the Bulge, focuses on the Field Artillery branch, its immense efforts in the battle,
In the late 1944, during the wake of the Allied forces’ successful D-Day Invasion of Normandy, it seemed as if the Second World War was over. On December sixteenth, with the onset of winter, the German army launched a counteroffensive that was intended to cut through the Allied forces in a manner that would turn the tide of the war in Hitler’s favor. The battle that ensued is known historically as the Battle of the Bulge. The courage and fortitude of the American Soldier was tested against
December 16, 1944 marks the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge. This Battle took place on what is know as the Western Front. This battle will forever be known as one of the biggest battles to be fought during WWII. This battle would prove to be a costly battle for both sides. Both sides will see a tremendous loss of life and equipment.
The post D-Day Allied assault that swept through France was halted by Hitler’s unexpected counter-attack through the Ardennes, resulting in a confrontation named the Battle of the Bulge.
June 6th 1944 will be the most important invasion of world war two. The invasion of Normandy, France was the turning point of world war two. In the invasion of D-Day over 425,000 Allied and German troops were either killed or wounded. An examination of primary and secondary sources will reveal the historical importance of this event.
The summer prior to the commencement of the Battle of the Bulge was disastrous for Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich. In August of 1944, American, British and Canadian
The invasion of Normandy, also known as Operation Overlord or D-Day, was perhaps one of the most important battles in the human history. The invasion took place on June 4, 1944, at the Coast of Normandy in France. Troops from over twelve countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America participated in the fight against Germany. Although the battles were enduring and hard-fought, the Allies achieved the final victory; the Allies were finally able to set their feet on the European soil again. The Allied invasion of Normandy was a major turning point of the war that led to the ultimate liberation of Europe from the Nazi forces.
The Normandy Invasion may have been the single most important battle on the Western Front of World War II. Much planning went into the siege of these beaches that ensured a tough, but inevitable victory, as well as other factors, such as the exploitation of the Germans’ ignorance of the attack.