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FIFTEENTH

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LXVII Corps

LXVI Corps

LXXIV Corps

LXXX Corps

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XIII Corps

LVIII Pz Corps

XLVII Pz Corps

29 Dec

10 Jan

3 Jan

29 Dec

29 Dec

8 Jan

8 Jan

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XII Corps

VIII Corps

III Corps

XVIII Abn Corps

VII Corps

V Corps

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XVICorps

99th Div

2d Div

83d Div

106th Div30th Div

9th Div

1st Div

75th Div

84th Div

28th Div

101stAbn Div

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11th Armd Div

87th Div

26th Div80th Div

90th Div

35th Div

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4th ArmdDiv

6th Armd Div

F I R S TA R M Y

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Allied Axis of Attacks

Front Line, 26 Dec

Front Line, 9 Jan

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West Wall

E L E V A T I O N I N M E T E R S

600 and Above0 200 400

E R A S I N G T H E B U L G E26 December 1944–25 January 1945

0 20

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I SS Pz CorpsII SS Pz Corps

XLVII Pz Corps

LXXXV Corps

LIII Corps

LXXX Corps

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20 Dec

22–25 Dec16-22 Dec

16 Dec

20 Dec

19 Dec

22 Dec

21 Dec

17 Dec

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VIII Corps

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VII Corps

V Corps

30th Div

2d Div

1st Div

75th Div

84th Div

28th Div 26th Div80th Div

35th Div

5th Div4th Div

10th Armd Div

F I R S TA R M Y

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5th Armd Div

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Front Line, 16 Dec

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Front Line, 25 Dec

E L E V A T I O N I N M E T E R S

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BASTOGNEBASTOGNE

General Patton (right) awards Brig. Gen Anthony C. McAuliffe and Lt. Col Steve Chappuis the Distinguished Service Cross for their defense of Bastogne, 29 Dec 1944

Two soldiers from the 36th Armored Infantry Regiment, 3d Armored Division, in a foxhole at the edge of a snow-covered clearing near Ardennes Forest, 14 Jan 1945

Men of reserve 508th Parachute Infantry assigned to the 82d Airborne Division, wait in assembly area for battle assignment, 6 Jan 1945

CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY

UNITED STATES ARMYWASHINGTON, D.C.

www.history.army.mil

AIRBORNE

4

5

7

9

9

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11

AIRBORNE

4 6

5

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T H E B AT T L E G R O U N D DEC 1944–JAN 1945

16–19 Dec: The LXVI Corps, Fifth Panzer Army, and Sixth Panzer Army Attack 21–23 Dec: The XVIII Airborne Corps Sector

24–27 Dec: Between the Salm and the Meuse

22–26 Dec: The Southern Shoulder

16–19 Dec: The Seventh Army Attacks

Dec 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Jan 01 02

19–23 Dec: Bastogne 24 Dec 1944 – 2 Jan 1945: Widening the Bastogne Corridor

BATTLE OF THE BULGE

THE U.S. ARMY CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY commemorates the 75th anniversary of the Second World War through outreach events and other mediums to educate and inspire all members of American society by honoring the selfless acts of courage and heroism performed by U.S. soldiers in the service of our nation.Through this commemoration, we will:

• Remember the sacrifices of the more than 800,000 killed, wounded, or captured during the fighting of World War II.

• Honor the service of more than 11 million American soldiers who served in World War II.

• Educate current soldiers and the American public about the accomplishments that added new chapters to the proud history of the nation’s premier fighting force.

To view the World War II 75th commemoration Web site and affiliated publications, please visit the U.S. Army Center of Military History home page: www.history.army.milLearn more about the National Museum of the United States Army:

www.thenmusa.orgJoin us on social media at:

www.facebook.com/armyhistorywww.twitter.com/USArmyCMH

www.instagram.com/armyhistory CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY

Men of the 3d Armored Division sit around a fire cleaning their rifles during a lull in the fighting near Bastogne, 2 Jan 1945

Facts:

610,000 U.S. Soldiers

242 Sherman Tanks

182 Tank destroyers

394 Artillery

75,000 Casualties

(dead, wounded, sick, injured, missing or captured)

85 U.S. Soldiers received the Distinguished Service Cross

BATTLE OF THE BULGEGerman Counteroffensive (Battle of the Bulge). In December 1944, Adolf Hitler directed an ambitious counteroffensive intended to regain the initiative in the west and compel the Allies to settle for a negotiated peace. Hitler’s generals were opposed to the plan, but the Führer’s will prevailed, and on 16 December some 30 German divisions launched the counteroffensive against Allied lines in the Ardennes region. The Allied defenses there had been thinned to provide troops for the autumn defensive, as the Allied leadership felt that the region’s difficult terrain would make it an unlikely location for enemy activity. The Allied units stationed on the Ardennes front line either were being refitted or were fresh units placed there to gain experience before going to more active areas. Hitler’s object was to drive through Antwerp and cut off and annihilate the British 21st Army Group and the U.S. First and Ninth Armies north of the Ardennes.

Aided by stormy weather, which grounded Allied planes and restricted observation, the surprise German attack made rapid gains at first. However, firm resistance by various isolated units provided time for the U.S. First and Ninth Armies to shift against the northern flank of the penetration, for the British to send reserves to secure the line to the Meuse, and for Patton’s Third Army to hit the salient from the south. Denied vital roads and hampered by air attacks when the weather cleared, the German assault resulted only in a large bulge in the Allied lines which did not even extend to the Meuse River, the Germans’ first objective. The Americans suffered some 75,000 casualties in the Battle of the Bulge, but the Germans lost 80,000 to l00,000. German strength had been irredeemably impaired. By the end of January 1945, American units had retaken all of the ground they had lost, and the defeat of Germany would be only a matter of time. In the east, the Red Army had opened a winter offensive that would carry them through to Berlin and beyond.

All photos courtesy of National Archives.Cover illustration – “Medics Moving in Near Bastogne/Relief Station at Bastogne”

World War II, Olin Dows, Jan 1945, Watercolor on paper, 9 5/8˝ x 21˝U.S. Army Center of Military History

U.S. Army

First Army Third Army Ninth Army

III Corps V Corps VII Corps VIII Corps

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1st ID 2d ID 4th ID 5th ID 9th ID 17th ABN DIV 26th ID

AIRBORNE

28th ID 30th ID 35th ID 75th ID 80th ID 82d ABN DIV 83d ID

84th ID 87th ID 90th ID 99th ID 101st ABN DIV 106th ID 2d AD

46

56

67

69

610

611

3d AD 4th AD 5th AD 7th AD 9th AD 10th AD 11th AD