Battle Of The Bulge Essay

The Battle of the Bulge (also known as the Ardennes offensive) is one of the last major German efforts to reverse the tide in the West. The plan was originally drafted by Adolf Hitler as operation Wacht Am Rhine. Hitler was “Staking everything on one card” in his offensive to turn the tides in the West.

It was one of many different plans under construction at the time, including a plan drafted by Rundstedt and Model, 2 field marshals, to encircle 10-15 Allied Divisions (each div. contains 10-20k troops). When Hitler held a conference on his plan, everyone was surprised to discover the ambitious objective: Antwerp.
He then followed to describe his plan, similar to an earlier German thrust through the Ardennes in the Battle of France. Many …show more content…
When German grenadier advanced on 2 towns vital the bypass the position, the defenders laid down a barrage, and the attack was over. However, Germans still tried, attacking with Panther and Tiger tanks in fog. However, the US knocked out 27 tanks but lost only 11. On another night assault, 3-inch guns destroyed 17 tanks, disabled 2, and knocked out 2 assault guns. Sherman crews found that armor piercing rounds to the side or back could set a Panther aflame, but anything to the thick frontal armor would just usually glance off. The positions were held by stubborn US resistance, artillery, and light/small arms fire.
To the west, the 26th Infantry, veterans of Kasserine and Italy, were isolated. But it deflected 3 attacks by German divisions with skillful use of shelling and mortars. The 2nd Battalion commander said “We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them [the artillery] … A hundred Germans came at one platoon and not one of them got through.” The result of this battle would be a US victory, and thus the valuable road network could not be used. Hitler had deployed the best tank units to decimate the defenders, including I SS corps, but the US held. This resulted in the 6th Panzer elimination from the

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