Battle of the Bulge

Hitler’s Gamble

Where were we? By December 1944:

– The Soviets had pushed to the German border on the Eastern Front.

– The Allies were threatening Germany from the south by fighting in Italy.

– The Allies had invaded France on D-Day and had liberated Paris and much of France and Belgium. They had also attempted and failed to capture strategic bridges in Holland in Operation Market Garden preventing the war from ending in 1944.

– The Allies were threatening Germany from all sides.

I. Hitler’s Plan Hitler wanted to launch a

surprise counter-offensive on the Western Front– Was hoping to buy Germany

some more time and possibly convince the Soviets to make peace

4 German armies gathered outside the Ardennes Forest (Belgium)

German Goals:1. break through Allied lines2. capture Antwerp (key Allied

port in Belgium)3. cut off 4 British armies in

North from rest of Allies

For success, Germans needed:– Complete surprise– Poor weather– Rapid movement– Capture Allied fuel dumps (or else the

Germans would run out of fuel)

"It must be done because this offensive is the last chance to conclude the war favorably.“- German Field Marshall Walter Model

II. “Ghost Front” Allies considered the Ardennes a

quiet, non-threatening front– Intelligence suggested a German

offensive was improbable Divisions were sent there for a break

from heavy fighting Was a weak point in the Allied line

III. Attack! December 16, 1944 -

Germans begin their attack through the Ardennes

Allies were pushed back in the center, but the Germans were slowed by snow and low fuel. – Fog and poor weather

initially prevented air support for the Allies.

U.S. POWs

101st Airborne picking up supplies

December 19 - 101st Airborne trucked into Bastogne to secure key crossroads– They will defend the town, but Germans

surround them until they are “rescued” by Patton on December 26

Members of the 101st disagree with reports that they needed rescuing

German offensive was stopped cold in its tracks

IV. Aftermath Bloodiest battle for U.S. in

WWII– Suffered between 89,500–

108,000 casualties including 19,000 Americans killed

– The British suffered 1400 casualties

Germans lost similar numbers, but they couldn’t recoup from their losses– Germany had no strategic

reserve left– Luftwaffe was broken

February 1945: Allies returned the lines to their December extent (border of Germany)

Allies prepared to invade Germany