Battle of the Bulge

Battle of the Bulge. December 1944 - January 1945. , Called "the greatest American battle of the war" by British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, the Battle of the Bulge began on December 16, 1944 when German forces attacked American front lines through the thickly wooded Ardennes forest in Belgium. , The attack came as a complete surprise as Allied intelligence was convinced the Germans had neither the means nor the men to carry out such a major offensive. The objective of the attack was to break through the U.S. lines, cross the Meuse River to the west and push on to seize the port of Antwerp. Hitler hoped the capture of the vital port would split the French and British and cause the Allies to sue for peace. , The weather conditions greatly aided the Germans. Freezing rain, thick fog, heavy amounts of snow and brutally cold temperatures punished the defending troops and grounded Allied aircraft that could beat back the German advance. German commandos wearing American uniforms infiltrated the rear areas along the front changing road signs, spreading misinformation and causing general confusion. The thin American lines were manned by exhausted seasoned troops but mostly by green replacements with no combat experience whatsoever. , The German plan was extremely precise calling for a timeline of advance, defeat of U.S. forces occupying key towns in the region and seizing U.S. fuel depots for desperately needed fuel for the armored vehicles leading the advance. When the schedule broke down, the offensive quickly crumbled. On December 23, 1944 the weather cleared and Allied aircraft returned over the front to attack the Germans at will. On December 26, 1944 Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr. commanding the U.S. 3rd Army broke through German lines and relieved the besieged crossroads town of Bastogne defended by the elite 101st Airborne which had been sent in early on to bolster the sagging defense in the region. , By January 25, 1945 the "bulge" in the U.S. lines had been pushed back and the Germans retreated to their pre-offensive positions. The battle was the costliest in the history of the United States Army with 75,000 soldiers killed, wounded, missing or captured. German casualties during the campaign numbered 100,000.