The
Ardennes Offensive, popularly
known as the
Battle of the Bulge, was the last major German offensive
on the Western Front in World War II. Unsuccessful in its goals, it nevertheless
tied down huge Allied resources and a slow response to the resulting gap
in their lines erased months from their timetable.
Background
After the failure of Operation Market Garden, the Canadian 1st Army was
finally supplied and moved forward, clearing the Westerschelde and opening
Antwerp to shipping. This stabilized the lines once again, this time some
125km to the north of where they had been in early September, and the terrible
supply problems the Allies had been having started to ease.
At about this time the massive Soviet summer 1944 offensive burnt itself
out in eastern Poland, and the war paused. Taking advantage of this, Hitler
called for ideas to re-open the front in the west. Several ideas were submitted,
two rising to the top.
One called for a pincer attack on the US 1st Army under Hodges, which
was overextended and would be easy to surround. An entire army would be
cut off in territory that would be fairly easy to defend from counterattack.
However this plan would do little to address the overall situation. While
removing 1/4 of the Allied fighting force would certainly have an effect,
the remaining 3/4s would be more than enough to win the war alone.
Beginning on December 16, 1944, the German forces attacked through the
Ardennes Forest in Belgium. The German plan for the "Von Rundstedt Offensive"
was to split the Allied advance and then cut nortwards to seize Antwerp.
The territory was heavily forested and mountainous, there appeared little
chance of an armoured assault in this sector. The battle started in very
poor weather; this grounded Allied aircraft and greatly aided the German
advance.
The first few days were vital, and although many American troops were
over-run or surrendered, unexpectedly strong resistance in certain areas
greatly slowed the German advance.
On December 21 the German forces had completely surrounded Bastogne,
defended by the 101st Airborne Division. When General Anthony McAuliffe
was awakened by a German invitation to surrender, he gave a one-syllable
reply that has been variously reported and was probably unprintable. However,
there is no disagreement as to what he wrote on the paper delivered to
the Germans: "NUTS!" That reply had to be explained both to the Germans
and to non-American Allies.
By December 24 the German advance was effectively stalled short of the
Meuse River, they had outrun their supply lines, and shortages of fuel
and ammunition were becoming critical. Improving weather brought the massive
Allied air superiority back into play. The Germans retreated from Bastogne
on January 13.
The battle officially ended on January 27, 1945.
The Americans lost 75,522 men (killed, wounded, missing or captured),
the British lost 1,408 and the Germans lost 67,675 men.
The German losses were critical in reducing the length of the war, vital
and irreplaceable men and equipment had been wasted in a few weeks.
See also: Malmedy
massacre
