"This undoubtedly the greatest American battle of the war, and will, I believe, be regarded as an ever famous American victory."
-Commander George S. Patton
January 18th, 1945
World War II was a very destructive war. There were many battles that were fought during the duration of the war. One of the biggest land battles was Battle of the Bulge. The Battle of the Bulge was an important battle for the Germans. The Battle of the Bulge could have changed the ending of World War II for the Germans. The Battle of the Bulge took place on December 16, 1944 and ended January 25,1945. The Germans mobilized their last chance to win the war. The German forces wanted to split the American and Allied troops in half, this way it would be easier to destroy the forces. With the recent battles the Germans faced, they were being pushed back and were running out of resources. The American and Allied troops were slowly making their way through the Ardennes Forest to the German and Belgian border with a force of 500,000 American troops and 55,000 British and Allied troops. Hitler mobilized a task force of 600,000 German soldiers. Hitler hoped he would surprise the the American and Allied troops off guard. The Americans and Allies went through this area in a line to where the attack was to be expected. After the battle at Normandy, the Allies were advancing towards Germany more quickly than planned. With low supplies and fatigued after continuous weeks of battling the Battle of the Bulge would surely make the battle one of the more difficult battles for the Allies and American armies. The Battle of the Bulge had a very strong lead up to the battle, had many attacks through the actual battle, and had deadly human costs to...
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...n a position where they couldn't move because the US forces surrounded the city of Bastogne. On January 1st Hitler launched an all out attack on the American and Allied armies to try and free the German troops. However, with losing so many troops and resources during the first couple weeks of the battle, the attack certainly was a failure on the German side. With constant fighting from both sides left very heavy casualties on both sides. The strong led up to the battle was certainly a key in the battle.
The battle also had many smaller counter attacks inside the actual battle itself, making it one of the biggest man battles in World War 2. The human costs of the battle were very heavy to both sides, making the battle the bloodiest in the war. If Germany had all the supplies and men needed for this battle, the outcome could have different for the Germans in the war.
The prelude to the Battle of the Bulge began on a winter day in mid-December of 1944. Three powerful German divisions, were the last German offensives in the west at that time during World War II. They began after the Normandy invasion in June 1944. Allied had forces swept rapidly through France but became stalled along the German border earlier that year in September. On December 16, 1944 taking advantage of the weather, which kept the Allied aircraft on the ground, the Germans launched a counteroffensive through the semi-mountainous and heavily-forested Ardennes region in Germany, and advanced 31 miles into Belgium and northern Luxembourg near the Meuse River. Their goal was to trap four allied armies, divide the Americans and the British to force negotiated peace along the western front, and retake the vital seaport of Antwerp in Belgium. Thinking the Ardennes was the least likely spot for a German offensive, American staff commander chose to keep the thin line, so that manpower might concentrate on offensives north and south of the Ardennes known as the "bulge" in the Allied lines. These American lines were thinly held by three divisions in the Allied Army and part of a forth division, while fifth division was making a local attack and the sixth division was in reserve. Division sectors were more than double the width of normal defensive fronts, therefore there were more men scattered along a larger area. The German advance was halted near the Meuse River in late December. Even though the German Offensive achieved total surprise, nowhere did the American troops give ground without a fight. Within three days, the determined American stand and the arrival of powerful reinforcements insured that the ambitious German goal was far beyond reach. In snow and sub-freezing temperatures the Germans fell short of their interim objective- to reach the rambling Meuse River on the edge of the Ardennes. But they managed to avoid being cut off by an Allied Pincer movement.
Even though German high commanders have received much praise, they relied on the ability of senior German generals. Many commanders lacked ideas for victory and often were indecisive which led to unwillingness of using modern technology and resources to conduct a successful war effort. Commanders had little understanding on what was really needed; many only thought more men would successfully defeat the allied forces, along with an increase in firepower all which strained the troubled home nation. Not only did the war effort rely on the efficiency of the army and armed forces, but it also relied on the homefront. The German homefront felt the brunt of the war and the British naval blockade was not helping.
Operational leaders see how the individual components of an organization fit together and use those individuals work to make a larger outcome. When they focus on a problem, they think of what works best within the process and systems to make an impact on the situation. These types of leaders play a big part in making sure that things get done in an effective and functioning manner. According to the Army Doctrine ADP 6-0, the Army over time has strayed away from operational leaders and adapted Mission Command, which gives leaders the ability at the lowest level the capability to exercise disciplined initiative in an act of carrying out the larger mission . Mission Command is made up of the following six steps: Understanding, Visualize, Describe, Direct, Lead and Assess, in which a commander is responsible for. General Patton understood the intent of the Battle of the Bulge on different levels, he was able to form a mental image for the course of actions for the allies, enemies and lead his Army into combat while guiding his officers and soldiers to succeed in meeting his intent. The Battle of the Bulge is where General Patton gained one of his greatest military achievements by using his tactical leadership and logistical genius, which in return helped him turn around the main forces and forced the Germans to drive back in their final counter-offensive. General Patton strongly exercised Mission Command by understanding, visualizing, leading, and commanding what was known as the largest and bloodiest battle during World War II.
...attle was to take advantage of General Patton’s Army and stop the initiative. Adolph Hitler had no time to plan his counterattack on the 3rd U.S. Army, and his men had no training. The unity of command principle of war from the 3rd U.S. Army side was perfect.
The Battle of Britain as a Turning Point in the Defeat of German in World War Two
most important battles in the history of the world- is known as the Battle of
Zhukov planned an attack from two directions, sweeping in and meeting in the middle. After four days, the Soviet attack had met in the middle and had completely surrounded German forces. The Soviet forces were ordered to stay very close to the German troops so that the airstrikes would put their own forces at risk. The German army begged Hitler to allow them to retreat, but he denied them and ordered his men to hold their ground at all costs. This proved to be a pivotal mistake.
The battle was very significant and had lots of positive results, even though it is not as well-known as much as other wars and battles. The battle was Hitler’s last major offensive move in World War II and was intended to split Allied lines and forced negotiated peace. In the process, the Germans lost too many experienced troops and equipment that is was nearly impossible that their small army could launch another attack. The Bulge is mostly remembered for its great influence on the end of WWII. Although the war had a positive outcome, it was a horrendous experience for both forces that fought in the many battles. It had a profound effect on soldiers who fought in the icy Ardennes and veterans on both sides witness plenty atrocities (Results and Significance).
World War II was one of the most important wars in history. It featured multiple countries at constant conflict with each other. There were several battles that occurred in this 12 year long war. An example of two of the battles would be the Battle of Britain in the European theater of war, and the Attack on Pearl Harbor in the Pacific theater of war. Only one of these wars saw victory, while the other caused great devastation to the American military.
The Battle: The Story of the Bulge is not a book about how the American’s used sheer numbers and force to overcome the Germans. It is a story of how the GI, who was independent, cocky, and had poor garrison etiquette, overcame the odds and became an unlikely strong adversary thus winning the battle. I can relate to the GI because I find myself at times to be cocky and not always wanting to take orders I don’t agree with. I think this relation helped me to understand some of the emotions the soldiers expressed throughout the
Purpose The principal objective of the operation was to get Allied troops across the Rhine. Three main advantages were expected to be achieved: · Cutting the land exit of the Germans remaining in western Holland. · Outflanking the enemy's frontier defences, the West Wall or the Siegfriedline · Positioning British ground forces for a following drive into Germany along the North German plain. . 2. Major Events The 17th of September was the so called "Day Zero" of the operation.
The battle of Stalingrad may have very well been the most important battle over the course of World War II. Not necessarily remembered for its course of fighting, the battle is more known for its outcome. Not only did the battle turn out to be a major turning point in the war, it may have saved most of Eastern Europe from incomparable destruction. The battle included two of the biggest political and military icons of their time, Stalin and Hitler.
...he Battle of Bastogne was vital to the success of winning the Battle of the Bulge. Bastogne was an important road junction in which seven roads ran through, “Seven roads in, seven roads out” as it was said of the crossroads town. American forces relied on these roads for supply routes. The capture of Bastogne was seen as a critical objective to the Germans due to the importance of the roads. Because the 101st along with the 7th Armored Division were able to withstand the attack, reinforcements were able to reach the battered units, thus ending the siege of Bastogne. The Battle of Bulge proved to be the last German offensive of the Second World War with the war itself ending just 5 months later. American forces suffered significant casualties during the battle, the 101st accounting for over 2000 casualties out of more than 3000 total wounded or killed in the battle.
Ultimately the battle was not won by either side, but rather abandoned. The lack of decisive military strategy resulted in the British being unable to quickly overtake the Germans, allowing time for reinforcements to be recruited. Ultimately both sides tallied extensive casualties, for a battle which receives little glory for its gruesome history.
Trench warfare was introduced in order to bring a barrier between forces. They were dug by soldiers and were very lengthy, but very cramped. Soldiers crouched down for extended periods of time to keep their heads blocked from being a target for the other side. They sat their watching their friends die from disease and from being shot, bombed, or poison gassed while they waited to fire their weapons at the enemy.