Battle of Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge took place on the western front of WWII during the dates of December 16th, 1944 to January 25th, 1945. The battle took place in the densely forrested area of Ardennes in Belgium and was a major offensive push made by Nazi Germany to recapture the Antwerp harbour. The French call it Bataille des Ardennes or “Battle of the Ardenesse” while the Allies called it the Ardenesse Counteroffensive. The title “Battle of the Buldge” was used coined by contemporary press to describe the way the Allied front line bulged inward on wartime news maps. Although Nazi Germany attempted to keep their efforts of a suprise attack off the radar using minimal radio transmissions and nightime cover for movement of troops, the US Army Intelligence predicted a major german offensive push. Dispite the fact of this prediction, the Allies were still hit hard due to their overconfidence, preoccupation with other Allied offensive plans, a lack of air surveilence and recon, along with the fact that the Germans hit a weakly defended part of the Allied lines. The attack took place during poor weather conditions, grounding all aircraft. The terrain favored the defensive Allied forces, slowing the advancement of German troops, allowing for reinforcements to support the thin line of defense. Once conditions cleared, air strikes on supply lines and other German troops prevailed, ensuring the allied powers success at the Battle of the Bulge.
"Original Artwork by Dr. Dave: Pictures of Battle of the Bulge" Original Artwork by Dr. Dave: Pictures of Battle of the Bulge N.p. n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2014 <http://www.angelfire.com/ak2/intelligencerreport/war2.html> "Battle of the Bulge December 1944" Battle of the Bulge December 1944 N.p. n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2014 <http://www.army.mil/botb/overview.html> |