In about 9 hours we are at the 70th anniversary of the start of the Battle of the Bulge. In the early morning of December 16, 1944 the Germans sprang what some have called Hitlers Final Gamble to stall the allied advance into the Reich and perhaps, the Fuhrer reckoned delusionally, force the Americans and the Brits to offer him terms. In the main attack three American infantry divisions spread out over a wide and weakly held area of the mountainous Ardennes Forest in Belgium were slammed by the vanguard of more than 25 Wehrmacht and SS Panzer and Infantry Volksgrenadier divisions intended to break the American lines, clear the way for the advance to the Meuse River, and open the way to Antwerp. While many American units fled the battle in disarray, enough held and delayed the planned mountain blitzkrieg. The surprise attack threw the American defenders on their heels, and as the battle raged furiously and chaotically over the following week, the Americans regained their footing first slowing and then stopping the advance. Some weeks later Churchill told the House of Commons This is undoubtedly the greatest American battle of the war and will, I believe, be regarded as an ever-famous American victory.
Posted on: Tue, 16 Dec 2014 03:06:29 +0000
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