Battle of the Bulge

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Battle of the Bulge
Cliff Bell
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December 16, 1944 Over 200,000 German troops
and almost 100,000 tanks launch operation Watch
on the Rhine, beginning the invasion of the
Ardennes Forest.
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U.S. Problems
The U.S. forces were caught completely by
surprise by the German counteroffensive, they had
absolutely no forewarning.
To make matters worse, bad weather had grounded
planes that could have provided supplies to
beleaguered forces and bombing runs onto enemies.
The U.S.s air superiority was no longer a
concern for the German force.
The weather also affected the U.S. troops, who
had never before fought in such conditions. They
did not know how nor were they prepared for it.
Their guns froze solid, becoming useless in
combat and many had no coats or even wool socks.
The U.S. forces had been relocated to the
Ardennes after seeing heavy fighting over Europe
as a sort of reprieve and to help train new
recruits. They were given very little ammunition
and winter clothing, as no one expected them to
be needed in winter warfare.
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German Advantages
The German forces had no trouble fighting in the
freezing weather, as many of them had recently
fought in a Russian winter.
The Germans came well equipped for the weather
and all the ammunition and fuel they could carry.
The U.S. forces were disorganized, surprised, and
almost immobile because of the weather. The
German force also heavily outnumbered the forces
posted in the Ardennes.
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German Disadvantages
The fuel and ammunition for the German tanks
could not last long, and if the Battle of the
Ardennes was to be a German victory, all
important U.S. supply depots would have to be
captured very quickly.
While the German force consisted of an incredible
amount of tanks and infantry, they would have no
hope of success if the U.S. reinforcements
arrived in time to take position in the
defendable Ardennes Forest. Likewise, if the
German forces could push through the Ardennes
Forest fast enough, they could hold it against
larger forces for a long period of time. This
would effectively halt any advance from the
western front.
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Operation Greif
Otto Skorzeny
The Trojan Horse Brigade, twenty-four
English-speaking German soldiers, led by
Waffen-SS commando Otto Skorzeny, were able to
infiltrate American lines in U.S. jeeps and
wearing American and British dog tags and
uniforms taken from POWs. They were able to
cause considerable misdirection and chaos by
changing road signs, spreading rumors about
hordes of German troops, and sabotage in general.
As the German spies were wearing the uniforms of
the Allies (though some wore their own uniforms
underneath as a last ditch loophole), they were
no longer protected by the Geneva Convention.
Those who were captured were interrogated and
executed. Many, including Skorzeny, were not
caught. Several who were captured lied about
their objective and convinced their interrogators
that they were actually trying to get to Paris to
assassinate or kidnap General Eisenhower. This
resulted in checkpoints across the Ardennes that
further delayed reinforcements.
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Operation Stösser
Another German operation that helped cause chaos
and confusion behind American lines, though it
failed at its original objective, was to capture
and hold the crossroads at Malmedy. At night,
1,300 paratroopers were dropped near Malmedy.
However, only 300 had assembled at the crossroads
by noon. The leader of the operation, Colonel
Friedrich August von der Heydte, dispersed his
troops and switched to guerilla-warfare tactics.
A German tank disguised as an American tank.
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Malmedy Massacre
The Germans had intended to move very quickly in
order to make use of their surprise attack and to
capture fuel. Throughout the Battle of the
Bulge, there were several massacres where
American and British prisoners would be gunned
down or forced into burning buildings in order
for the armored columns to make better time. The
event at Malmedy, where 83 American prisoners
were shot, is the most widely known.
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Bastogne
At the city of Bastogne, where General Anthony
McAuliffe gave his famous reply of Nuts! to the
German surrender order, the German advance
finally began to bog down. Although they would
push much farther into American lines, the
Germans were never able to capture the city of
Bastogne or its fuel, which resulted in many
German tanks being abandoned beside roadways.
Bastogne was also a crucial crossroad that led to
many different cities. The defense of Bastogne
slowed down the German advance and helped bring
extra time for reinforcements to arrive. Without
the city, supply lines broke down and their
advance almost ground to a standstill.
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December 23, 1944 The weather began to clear
and American planes flew out to drop supplies to
Bastogne and began to strafe enemy positions.
This was the beginning of the end of the Battle
of the Bulge. The German air force consisted of
a handful of planes that had no hope of stopping
the American planes.
This is the map of what the Germans intended to
reach in four days, and where they actually were
in ten.
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The Weather
The weather, the worst in several years, was the
deciding factor in the Battle of the Bulge. It
grounded American planes, hurt the Allied
infantry physically and mentally, and covered the
size of the German counter-offensive.
When the weather began to clear, Generals
Eisenhower, Patton, and Montgomery immediately
launched planes and pressed their troops even
more, arriving in the Ardennes with fresh troops,
supplies, and tanks around December 25th.
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Overview
The German advance came to a complete stop on
December 24.
The German forces surrounding Bastogne were
driven off by General Patton on December 26.
By January 25, 1945, the Germans had been
completely driven back and all lost territory was
recaptured.
Captured/MIA/Wounded