At 0530 on 16 December 1944, with a massive, 90-minute German artillery barrage, the Battle of the Bulge began.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Hat tip, irisblue

Sun Dec 16, 2018: The Battle of the Bulge started today, December 16th, 1944

Battle of the Bulge

Coordinates: 50°0'15"N 5°43'2"E



American soldiers of the 117th Infantry Regiment, Tennessee National Guard, part of the 30th Infantry Division, move past a destroyed American M5A1 "Stuart" tank on their march to recapture the town of St. Vith during the Battle of the Bulge, January 1945.

Date: 16 December 1944 – 28 January 1945; (1 month, 1 week and 5 days)
Location: The Ardennes: Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany
Result: Allied victory

The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted for five weeks from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in Europe. It was launched through the densely forested Ardennes region between Belgium and Luxembourg. It overlapped with the Alsace Offensive, subsequently the Colmar Pocket, another series of battles launched by the Germans in support of the Ardennes thrust.

{snip}

Initial German assault



Situation on the Western Front as of 15 December 1944

On 16 December 1944 at 05:30, the Germans began the assault with a massive, 90-minute artillery barrage using 1,600 artillery pieces across a 130-kilometer (80 mi) front on the Allied troops facing the 6th Panzer Army. The Americans' initial impression was that this was the anticipated, localized counterattack resulting from the Allies' recent attack in the Wahlerscheid sector to the north, where the 2nd Division had knocked a sizable dent in the Siegfried Line. Heavy snowstorms engulfed parts of the Ardennes area. While having the effect of keeping the Allied aircraft grounded, the weather also proved troublesome for the Germans because poor road conditions hampered their advance. Poor traffic control led to massive traffic jams and fuel shortages in forward units. Nearly 10 hours into the assault, one of the German V-2 rockets destroyed the Cine Rex cinema in Antwerp, killing 567 people, the highest death toll from a single rocket attack during the war.

In the center, von Manteuffel's Fifth Panzer Army attacked towards Bastogne and St. Vith, both road junctions of great strategic importance. In the south, Brandenberger's Seventh Army pushed towards Luxembourg in its efforts to secure the flank from Allied attacks.

{snip}

[doc03]

1. My uncle was killed and buried there with the other what Trump calls

"Losers and Suckers" "What was in it for them?". How in the hell veterans can vote for him I don't know.

[TexLaProgressive]

2. My Dad survived that's why I can post

He is the one with rifle and metal cup. Sorry about the death of your uncle. My Dad was once required to try to identify some dead. His recurring nightmares were the faces of the dead be begging him to ID them, "Charlie don't let me be missing, let my family know."
https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/faces-of-battle/

[TexLaProgressive]

8. Deleted-double post

Last edited Tue Dec 19, 2023, 07:07 AM - Edit history (1)

[Ocelot II]

3. My uncle was in that battle.

We found out after he died a couple of years ago that he had been awarded a medal for valor. But he never talked about the battle . Only my aunt knew anything about it - he never discussed it at all, even with his kids.

[unc70]

4. Small nit with quoted text -- six weeks, not five

No idea why the article describes it as five weeks from 16 Dec to 28 Jan. Obviously six weeks.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

6. In the opening synopsis, the duration is given as

Date: 16 December 1944 – 28 January 1945; (1 month, 1 week and 5 days)

[unc70]

7. I know. Weird their inconsistency with dates

The whole month, week, and 5 days construct just seems weird to me. And the five weeks is just incorrect. Don't mean to distract from the importance of the Battle.

[appalachiablue]

5. Thanks, K/R