Battle of the Bulge Essay - 1434 Words

British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill declared the Allied Victory at the Ardennes campaign, of which he dubbed the Battle of the Bulge, â€Å"undoubtedly the greatest American battle of the war and will, I believe, be regarded as an ever famous American Victory†. Arguably so, as great a victory as it was for the Americans, it would go on to become an even greater victory for the Allies against Nazi Germany and Adolf Hitler. The summer of 1944 had been a catastrophic one for Hitler and Germany. Loses at Normandy had greatly depleted equipment, manpower, and had lost ground to the invading Allied Forces (Keegan, 440). On September 16, Hitler made a â€Å"momentous decision† to make a counteroffensive out of the Ardennes to capture the Belgian†¦show more content†¦They formed a perimeter around Bastogne and held it out against the Germans. Unable to penetrate in, the Germans surrounded the city and cut off all roads leading in, creating the â€Å"Bulge†. The 101st was without a supply line and were surrounded by German Artillery, but they still kept the German infantry from gaining access to Bastogne, creating an effective road block (Keegan, 445). The Sixth Panzer Army in the North had managed to gain ground, as well as the First Panzer Division and Fifth Panzer Army in the south. The Germans would overrun the American Outposts, but found that as they got closer, the fighting got tougher and tougher. This caused delays, and their tanks would begin to run low on fuel (Oxford, par 27). German commanders had hoped to capture US Fuel Sites in Stavelot to replenish their vehicles onward to Antwerp. The soldiers of the 101st were engaged in fights throughout the hills, villages, and woods of Bastogne. The cold winter began to take its toll, and the unprepared soldiers, with no weather clothing or footwear, stuffed newspapers into their overcoats to keep warm (Oxford, par 28). Colds, frostbite, trench foot, and pneumonia started to inflict themselves on the men, where for day’s intense combat centered in Bastogne. Still, alongShow MoreRelatedThe Battle of the Bulge757 Words   |  3 Pages to eliminate the bulge in the American line. This success was largely due to General Patton’s third army, that attacked from the North and the South. On January 8, 1945, the German forces began to pull out of the Bulge. As the Americans advanced, they continued to erase all German gains. By the end of January, 1945, all territory that was captured by the Germans was back under Allied control (â€Å"Battle of the Bulge†). The Battle of the bulge was one of the most difficul t battles of the war for theRead MoreThe Battle Of The Bulge1089 Words   |  5 PagesBattle of the Bulge The United States remains a country with a rich history in several issues including strong military activities including their incursion in Iraq, Afghanistan and other volatile countries around the world. 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Hitler thought of this bold plain when he recalled how a German hero Frederick the great was facing defeat, Frederick went on a offensive attack at his foe who had superior numbers but the bold moved worked and Hitler thought heRead MoreThe Battle Of The Bulge1630 Words   |  7 PagesImagine hundreds of thousands of soldiers fighting in blizzard conditions, both sides fighting for their country, The Battle of the Bulge was one of the largest battles of the war and proved to be one of the most important. Some people ask how the Allied forces were able to stop the seemingly unbeatable Nazi war machine, this battle would be the last major offensive by the Third Reich in attempt to change the tides of the Second World War. The Allied forces were about to be a part of the true terrorsRead MoreThe Battle Of The Bulge1647 Words   |  7 PagesThe Battle of the Bulge stands as the largest battle fought between the Allied and Axis forces on the Western Front during World War II. This battle was a German offensive intended to drive a wedge between the American and British armies in France and the Low Countries and capture the port of Antwerp in the Netherlands to deny the Allies use of the port facilities. The battle also known as the Ardennes Offensive, took place in the Ardennes Forest of Luxembourg and Belgium. The battle waged duringRead MoreThe Battle Of The Bulge1388 Words   |  6 PagesWhen Eisenhower summons 10th Armored Division to Bastogne, Patton exercises disciplined initiative in setting the stage for victory at the Battle of the Bulge. Before Patton is summoned to Verdun, he set the conditions for his forces to break away from the battle in the Saar River Valley and move toward Bastogne. Patton initially protests the order to send the 10th Armored Division to Bastogne. Losing an entire division would weaken his effort to Invade Germany in the Saar. However, Patton finally