The Last German Offensive in 1945

Marking two days ago, 77 years since the very last aggression on the Western Front was made by the Germans to push away the Allies, those who were quickly closing in on what was German home territory.

Also known as the Battle of the Bulge or the Ardennes Counteroffensive; it was a huge, and by huge I mean extremely important and valuable attempt on the German's side. If defeat was taken it only meant worse from thereon, and defeat was taken by the German's on January 25, 1945. Some historians may argue saying that there was some success, and I suppose you could agree. They were, for a window of time, able to hold back the Allies giving some time for the German's.

Operation "Watch on the Rhine" was exactly what the Battle of Bulge was. The whole purpose lay in splitting British and US forces in Northern France. Perhaps a rough sketch of a map may help to understand this more.

Reading from the 'Holocaust Encyclopedia', "attacking through the Ardennes Forest in eastern Belgium on December 16, hundreds of German tanks and several hundred thousand German troops broke through the thinly held American lines. Although the Germans advanced as much as 50 miles in some areas, the Ardennes offensive was short-lived. Despite taking dreadful losses, US forces managed to delay the enemy sufficiently to permit reinforcements to be moved into position to halt the German drive.

During the fighting, captured American soldiers and Belgian prisoners were murdered by Waffen SS units. The atrocity is known as the “Malmedy Massacre.”

By December 26, it was clear that the German advance had been halted short of its objective, the Meuse River. In some sectors, such as the vital Elsenborn Ridge, German troops failed to make significant progress at all. On that same day, December 26, 1944, US armoured troops reached the beleaguered defenders of a vital road junction in the town of Bastogne."

US Troops in the Battle of Bulge

Ending off, "In large part, it was the tenacious defence put up by American soldiers, fighting in small groups in sub-zero cold and snow that stopped the German advance. This was all the more remarkable since many of the US units fighting in the Battle of the Bulge had taken heavy casualties in the Hürtgen Forest fighting in the autumn of 1944.

After enlarging the corridor to Bastogne at the end of December, US troops and some British troops counterattacked to eliminate the Bulge, with the US First Army attacking from the north and General George Patton's Third Army from the south. In the face of increasing Allied pressure, the Germans began to withdraw from the Battle of the Bulge on January 8, 1945. The 11th Armored Division, which was a part of the Third US Army, joined forces with the 2nd Armored Division and the 84th Infantry Division of the First Army at Houffalize, Belgium, about 20 miles east northeast of St. Hubert, on January 16, 1945. The American advance continued, eliminating all German gains by the end of January 1945. Without halting, US forces challenged the German defences of the Siegfried Line, now undermanned after the heavy German losses during the Ardennes offensive. The Battle of Germany lay ahead." (Holocaust Encyclopedia)

Now some facts to share with you:

It may come as shocking but this battle only lasted 4 weeks, with many deaths though

The Belgian city Antwerp was the target of the whole attack

The Battle of the Bulge can sometimes be referred to as the surprise attack as many Allies were focused on elsewhere and not prepared... there are said to have been many (some obvious) warnings of this offensive

This battle is the second deadliest in American history

German commandos pushed through Allied lines wearing US uniforms to stir up confusion and keep some cover

Hitler's generals advised against this attack: reasons laying in further plans (plan b, c, etc). Without a full outlook in planning, it was seen as extremely dangerous to be unprepared, rightfully so!

That concludes this blog..