Battle Of The Bulge Research Paper

Battle of the Bulge

The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Battle of Ardennes, was a major battle fought in northern France during World War II that took place in the Ardennes Forest of Belgium which is a mountainous region of dense forest. The Battle of Ardennes was given the nickname of the Battle of the Bulge because, as the German troops pushed back the center of the Allied forces' line, it created a deadly "bulge" pushing into Allied defenses. On the Allied side, most of the troops were American, which is why it is considered one of the greatest battles ever fought by the United States military. In fact, Prime Minister of Britain, Winston Churchill, said "This is undoubtedly the greatest American battle of World War II.”

General Dwight D. Eisenhower, General Omar Bradley, General George S. Patton, General Anthony “Nuts” McAuliffe and General Courtney Hodges were the United States Commanders during the Battle of the Bulge.
Interestingly, General Anthony McAuliffe earned his nickname “Nuts” at the Battle of the Bulge from his response during one of the famous small fights that occurred at Bastogne, Belgium. Bastogne was at a vital crossroads of the battle. The Germans had surrounded the US troops of the 101st Airborne Division and the 10th Armored Division and ordered them to surrender or die. US General Anthony McAuliffe refused to back down, so he replied to the Germans "Nuts!" and his soldiers managed to hold out until more US troops could arrive. Thus, his nickname of “Nuts” was born!

The Battle of the Bulge began on December 16, 1944. The battle was Hitler’s last attempt to drive the Allies out of Europe by sending 250,000 German troops and nearly 1,000 tanks to break through the US lines across an 85-mile area of the Allied front, from Belgium into Luxembourg. The Germans launched a surprise attack and broke through the Allied line, killed thousands of American troops, and tried to advance quickly. The Germans managed a surprise attack by planning this offensive in complete secrecy by moving troops and equipment at night and not using radios to communicate the plans. Unfortunately, the Allies chose to discount intercepted German communications that suggested a big German attack was in the works and did not act upon them. Adding to the lack of preparation, the Allies also had poor aerial reconnaissance. On the morning of December 16, 1944, the Allies were taken by total surprise.

Despite the swift attack and overwhelming size of the German army, the American soldiers held tight to their position and did not want to give way to Hitler.
The Battle of the Bulge is famous for the small pods of brave American soldiers who, although vastly outnumbered, persisted to attack the Germans as they tried to advance. The American soldiers were as relentless and seemingly oblivious to the danger in their attacks as a blue jay is toward a tomcat threatening its nest. In fact, the desperate situation during the Battle of the Bulge is what led 2,500 African American soldiers fighting side by side with their white counterparts, which was the first time the United States army was desegregated. In fact, the 969th Field Artillery Battalion was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation, which was the first given to an African American unit. Also, During the Battle of the Bulge was when General George S. Patton took command of the first African American tank unit to roll into combat, which became known as the “Black
Panthers”.

In the early stages of the Battle of the Bulge, the Germans wreaked havoc behind the allied lines in the most ingenious way. In a top-secret mission known as Operation Greif, the German’s outfitted an army of English-speaking German troops dressed in American uniforms, weapons, and jeeps from American troops that have been captured and sent them into the allied lines to spy and tell lies to try to confuse American troops about German strategy. Once the Americans figured this out, they set up roadblocks and quizzed travelers on American pop culture and baseball to prove their American identity. These methods proved less than satisfactory when General Omar Bradley was inadvertently detained for a short time when he answered the capital of Illinois was Springfield but the soldier thought it was Chicago!

The outcome of the Battle of the Bulge was heavily affected by weather patterns. Throughout most of the battle, both sides had to deal with the bitter arctic cold and snowy conditions. In order for the American troops to blend into their surroundings, they dressed in white for camouflage. The Germans used weather as a weapon very successfully. They knew to hold off their offensive until snow arrived and grounded the Allied air force. The blizzards and freezing rain made visibility impossible and actually froze their tanks to the ground overnight. Fortunately for the Allies, the skies finally cleared on December 23 allowing their aircraft to take flight. The aerial bombardment destroyed the German advance.
The Battle of the Bulge ended on January 25, 1945, when the Allies regained the territory that had fallen to the Germans in December. Over 100,000 Germans died and 76,000 Americans were killed, wounded, or captured during the battle. One of the primary reasons the Germans lost the battle was the American troops and bombers had destroyed many of the fuel depots and eventually the German tanks ran out of fuel. By mid-January, the Allies had erased the Bulge from their lines and pushed the Germans back to their positions. The Germans sustained such heavy losses it was impossible for them to launch another attack on Allied forces. The Battle of the Bulge ruined the German army and was a major factor in bringing about the end of the World War II.