Devyn and Alan

11/02/16
Battle analysis

Battle of the Bulge

Hitler, the leader of Nazi Germany, plans to take over all of Europe. His fascist way of

rule brings Germany out of their depression, but the United States, Britain, and all negatively

affected countries disapprove. As the Allied armies swiftly close in, Hitler knows the end is near

for Nazi Germany unless he can slow their advance. The German army plans a counter-offense

with the intent to split the American and British armies. If Germany prevails they could recapture

the port of Antwerp and cut off the main source of supplies for the Britain/American army. This

seems like a good plan; however, it ultimately does not work in Hitler’s favor.

The Ardennes offensive was launched December 16, 1944. This force of German troops

broke through weak Allied lines on a 70-mile front in the dense Ardennes Forest. Under

command of General Eisenhower the Allies were planning major operations on both the northern

and southern ends of the front line. As a result, the center was left vulnerable with too few Allied

soldiers to be adequately prepared for a fight. During the initial attack, German soldiers greatly

outnumbered the Allies; nearly 200,000 Germans went up against around 80,000 Allies. These

German troops managed to break through the weak Allied lines and give the battle its name; the

new battle front was ‘bulged’ in the favor of Germany. German soldiers speaking fluent English

were even dropped behind enemy lines to spread confusion and give false directions. Often

fighting in below zero temperatures and in heavy snow, soldiers had many physical and

psychological challenges. However, bad weather did not only affect the soldiers. Conditions

didn’t permit air support for the Allied armies, but the United States held strong in both

Elsenborn and Malmedy, Belgium.

 Devyn and Alan
11/02/16
Battle analysis

Although the United States was strong in Malmedy, safety from the German army was

not guaranteed. The Malmedy Massacre took place on December 17,1944. During this horrific

event, eighty-four American prisoners of war were executed. These American soldiers had been

forced to surrender to the Germans, due to Germany’s superior weapons and/or troop sizes. The

few that miraculously survived the mass shooting found shelter behind American lines. In

response to these killings, the Allied armies intensified their defensive lines and began actively

planning attacks on German forces. Supply difficulties limited these attacks and General

Eisenhower was forced to make Antwerp a principle objective for the Allies. Antwerp had not

originally been a primary objective as it would not advance the army, but instead pull them

further from the front lines.

Fortunately for the Allies, the weather soon cleared and allowed supplies to be dropped in

to their troops. With these supplies and the weather now permitting air support, the Allies

actively targeted German ground vehicles and forces. Germany had no air support due to lost

pilots who could not quickly be replaced and therefore the German army could not successfully

respond to these attacks. The United States began gaining ground.

As the United States gained ground, the Germans were forced to withdraw from the

Ardennes. The Allies successfully pushed the German forces back to the previous front line. If

the Allies had not been able to hold back the Germans, Hitler may have taken over Antwerp and

cut off the majority of Allied supplies. In addition to cutting off enemy supplies, land Hitler had

previously lost may have been retaken. The outcome of World War II may have altogether been

different; the end of the war may even have been delayed. A small victory for the Allies had

been obtained.