December 16th, 1944: Battle of the Bulge begins

US Army Center for Military History ^ | 12-04-09 | Hugh M. Cole

[OKSooner]

Thanks again, dad and mom. I wish I'd known then what I know now. :)

[domenad]

And when you look and see that 2/3 of America is obese, you'll see that we lost.

Oh you mean THAT battle of the bulge.

[ROLF of the HILL COUNTRY]

“..called ‘Watch on the Rhine’”

I thought the Germans called it “Operation Christ Rose”.

[gr8eman]

I thought it was called Operation Arschschuss!

[fso301]

A real waste of German resources that could have been put to better use holding back the Red Army. Had the Germans actually reached Antwerp and held their flanks, little would have been accomplished aside from a lengthening of allied supply lines due to the loss of the major port city.

[CaptSkip]

Thanks for posting this!

I'll forward it to my father who, from Muskogee, entered WWII in December 1944 with the 90th Infantry Division. He and his fellow soldiers fought in that record-setting winter in the Ardennes forest.

I'm so thankful my father is still with us!

[C19fan]

I have read or heard when Eisenhower heard the Germans attacked he was actually very pleased as you mention because this was last strategic reserve the Nazis had left.

[ROLF of the HILL COUNTRY]

From Wikipedia:

“Operation Christ Rose was the German code name (translated into English) for the counter attack by the Nazis that led to the Battle of the Bulge.”

[Yo-Yo]

Nuts!

[bmwcyle]

God Bless the 101st Airborne.

[Welcome2thejungle]

This last major German offensive of WWII, I think more than anything else, reflected Hitler’s disposition as a warlord. Of course most of his senior commanders were skeptical of the offensive as resources were dangerously low for the Reich. However, Hitler loved to roll the dice, felt that fate was on his side, and more than anything else, hated playing on defense all of the time.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

The Wehrmacht's King Tiger tanks were trully awesome, but drank the last of Hitler's precious gasoline reserves on the Western front.

[fso301]

I have read or heard when Eisenhower heard the Germans attacked he was actually very pleased as you mention because this was last strategic reserve the Nazis had left.

History has been too kind to Gen. Bradley for placing green units on what in early Dec 1944 looked like a quiet front sector. Perhaps in addition to the official explanation, Bradley thought any serious German activity would be foolhardy.

[buffyt]

We have been to Europe many times on vacations but one time, 1993, we toured the Battle of the Bulge Museum in Luxembourg. It was fascinating and from that day forward I had a new appreciation for our military. It was so cold for that battle. They have dioramas of the situation and I get cold just remembering it all.

[buffyt]

[OKSooner]

I think the rest of the US Army had something to do with it, too.

Please see my original post for recommended reading. :)

Gotta go.

[C19fan]

From what I understand, Bradley performed horribly in the battle.

[from occupied ga]

I’ve been fighting the battle of the bulge since I was 23 (and the bulge is winning)

[fso301]

However, Hitler loved to roll the dice, felt that fate was on his side,

Yep. People tend to repeat patterns of behavior that they perceive as being successful. Hitler was all about gambling. He had a long hot streak rolling paired sixes with each throw. That streak finally broke in 1941 and by 1943, he was rolling ones and twos.

and more than anything else, hated playing on defense all of the time.

Probably the best examples were in the East. The East was where his entire war objectives lay. Hitler like so many others who did not personally experience Russia (or the North African Desert) may never have fully understood the vastness of Russia and that natural lines of defense may be hundreds of miles apart.

When his luck began turning he issued his "not one millimeter back" orders. These orders were probably shaped from his own experience in the trenches of WWI thinking every foot of territory was contestable. The effect of these orders being withdrawal, when it finally occurred was a last ditch chaotic effort to avoid catastrophic encirclement rather than an orderly retreat that would have better enabled the Germans to bleed the Russians white and possibly force an Eastern Armistice.

[dfwgator]

God Bless the 101st Airborne.

"Looks like you guys are going to be surrounded."

"We're paratroopers, Lieutenant, we're supposed to be surrounded."