Battle of the Bulge
Karishma Millet
When & Where
When
Saturday, December 16TH 1944
Where
Ardennes Forest, Belgium
Summary
Battle of the Bulge happened on December 16, 1944 at 5:30 AM. It was a cold winter and the groups were trying to stay warm out by the Ardennes forest in eastern Belgium. The groups of troops in training (greens) and veterans were placed there because it wasn't expected to be attacked. Unexpectedly, the German forces had just performed a surprise attack. The US and British Forces lined up, preparing to fight. They were not prepared to fight so they prepared to block the Germans as long as they could hold. The line was pushed back and had formed a bulge in the middle, giving the battles its name. As soon as Eisenhower hears of the news, he sends Patton to attack the German flanks in their advance. The fights continue until Bastogne. There, the US soldiers are there to defend. The Germans come to get it because with that town, you can receive supplies and they need some. Patton's third army finally breaks through German Flanks and establish supplies. The outcome of the battle was a victory for the allies because of the German forces being weakened from the conditions.
Nations Involved
The Nations involved in this battle were, the United States, Britain, and Germany. The United States and Britain were involved because they were involved in the war. They were just their to sit and wait. It was never expected tat an attack would be put against them. On the other hand the Germans were trying to break the American line to advance into Berlin, France, and Luxembourg.
NAZI GENERALS
Walter model
Walter Model was a German general/field marshal who became one of Hitler's favorites. Very little is known about his childhood. He came from a modest middle-class family, rare among German commanders. His father was a music teacher and he had a strong Lutheran upbringing. Before shooting himself, he burned his papers so very little is known about his early life.
American Generals
George S. Patton
Patton was an interesting man, he was known for his intemperate manner and for carrying a pistol on each side of his hip. He is regarded as one of the most successful United States field commanders of any war. He always strove to train his troops to the highest standard of excellence. When he was a child, his goal in life was to become a hero. His ancestors fought in the Revolutionary War, the Mexican War and the Civil War, and he grew up listening to stories of their brave and successful endeavors.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Eisenhower had an common military career. He was a supreme commander for the allied forces and had a affable, yet commanding personality that put him in positions of great power and responsibility, and help lead the Allied invasion of Europe in 1944. He was also our 34th President.
Omar Bradley
Omar Bradley was born on February 12, 1893 in Clark, Missouri. Under General George S. Patton, he captured Bizerte, Tunisia in 1943, which led to the surrender of more than 250,000 Axis troops. As a commander in World War II, he planned and participated in the Normandy Invasion. In 1949, he was named the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He died in 1981.
British Generals
Bernard Montgomery
The Germans started Battle of the Bulge offensively. German troops broke through the American lines, and Montgomery was ordered to take command of US forces north of the penetration to stabilize the situation. He was effective in this role and was ordered to counterattack in conjunction with Patton's Third Army on January 1st with the goal of encircling the Germans. He did not believe his men were ready, and delayed for two days and allow many of the Germans to escape. Pressing on to the Rhine, his men crossed the river in March and helped encircle German forces in the Ruhr.
The Bulge
This is where the battle got its name from. The Germans had shaped our line so that there was a big space that went outwards because of the mass of soldiers attacking and pushing forward in that area.
Winter Conditions
This is an image of our soldiers receiving food. This picture shows the conditions they were living in.
Winter
The battle started at 5:30 AM and it started to snow in the middle of the first day of battling. This made both sides weaker.
Strategies
The German strategy in the battle was of course the Blitzkrieg. Known as Lightning War. It is a military tactic designed to create disorganization among enemy forces through the use of mobile forces and locally concentrated firepower.
Goals
On the German side, their goal was to breakthrough the line of defense and go on to what they needed to take before the end of the war. The goal of the Americans, and British, was to defend our line and push the Germans back,not letting them move on.
Outcome
The outcome of this battle was that the Allies won. Also this was known as Germany's last push of World War II. He sent all his troops to take Berlin and was prevented by the US, and Britain forces. The Germans had a total loss of 30,000 soldiers and 44,000 infantry forces. The Americans had a total loss of 62,000 troops and British 2,000.
Troubles
Trench Foot
The Americans had boots with the slick side of leather facing the inside and the Germans the opposite. we had the disadvantage because water could leak in to their boots and cause severe trench feet. There was this one excerpt where the WWII veteran said that sometimes it would get so bad that when you peeled your socks off, your toes would come with it.
Sources
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10006178
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-the-bulge
http://ww2db.com/image.php?image_id=2460
http://www.historynet.com/battle-of-the-bulge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIZ1h5D_Klg
http://www.biography.com/people/omar-bradley-9223568#synopsis
http://worldhistory2battleofthebulge.weebly.com/results-and-significance.html